Cerino Wins Chestertown Mayor’s Race, Gross, and Shoge Take Down Incumbents

In the largest election turnout in recent memory, Chris Cerino, chair of the Chestertown Planning Commission, has won the mayor’s seat with 45 percent of the popular vote.

Cerino was one of seven candidates seeking the seat of retiring Mayor Margo Bailey.

In Ward 1, Liz Gross beat incumbent Councilman Jim Gatto by a 2-1 margin. Gross took 220 votes to Gatto’s 127. There are 81 absentee ballots yet to be counted in Ward 1, which is not enough to overtake Gross if all went to Gatto.

In Ward 3, eight-term incumbent Mabel Mumford-Pautz lost her seat to Sam Shoge of Coventry Farms. Shoge, 24, took Ward 3 with 196 votes. Mumford-Pautz won 114 votes and Alex Smolens took a distant third-place finish with 46 votes.

There are 24 absentee ballots left to be counted in Ward 3, which is not enough to overtake Shoge, who led Mumford-Pautz by 82 votes when the polls closed.

Chestertown Mayor’s Race Results

Chris Cerino 534
Bill Arrowood 243
Linda Kuiper  228
Sarah Johnson-Brown 90
Armond Fletcher 37
Holly Geddes  19
Thomas Hayman 7

Ward 1

Liz Gross 220
Jim Gatto 127

Ward 3

Sam Shoge 196
Mabel Mumford-Pautz 114
Alex Smolens 46

Total votes cast in the election less absentee ballots: 1166