Third Candidate Enters Laurel Mayoral Race Under the Wire

The Laurel Board of Election Supervisors voted today to allow former Prince George’s County Council candidate Valerie Cunningham to enter the mayoral election race.

While Cunningham must still clear final approval, a formality, when the Board of Election meets in October, Wednesday’s vote will now allow her to campaign as a candidate.

Cunningham technically filed before the 5 p.m. Sept. 6 deadline, but her name did not appear on the final candidate list because city officials had difficulty verifying the names on her application. Officials could not verify all names before the deadline. The city requires that candidates have at least 30 residents sign a petition endorsing a candidate before their application is deemed valid.

Kim Rau, clerk to the city council, told the board that she had to go through the Prince George’s County Board of Election, which led her to believe that at least one name on Cunningham’s . The name was later verified, clearing the way for Cunningham to be listed as a candidate pending approval of the Board of Election.

“We all thought [the application] wasn’t complete,” she said. “There was a frenzy [in trying to verify all the signatures on the petition]. We very much wanted to find the last signature.”

What was a two-person race between Mayor Craig A. Moe and former Laurel Council member Michael B. Sarich, will now likely include Cunningham after the board allowed her application to move forward.

Cunningham said she had previously brought 1,000 city voters to the polls in Ward 2 during her bid for county council. She subsequently lost to council member Mary A. Lehman and placed behind Laurel council member Fred Smalls.

Still, even bringing half of those voters to a city election would make Cunningham a competitive candidate. During the last contested election in 2002, Moe won with 621 votes followed by Faith C. Calhoun with 453 votes, according to the city.

“I’m looking forward to getting back on the campaign trail,” Cunningham said. “I’m pleasantly surprised… [Running for office] was a last-minute decision.”

Cunningham’s push was, indeed, a surprise for some.

Sarich and at-large candidate Adrian Rousseau said they had courted Cunningham to run as a council candidate but she told them she would instead support their campaigns.

“The board had a tough decision,” Sarich said. “I got the sense [Cunningham] would support me [for office].”

“It doesn’t complicate my campaign,” he added. “We fully expect to win Nov. 1.”

Rousseau said he was stunned by Cunningham’s entry.

“It was a shock to me,” he said. “It now tells me that I have to work harder not to be blindsided.”