CumberlandNot a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Cumberland Mayor & Mayor and City Council Election 2026

3 of 5 council seats are on the ballot, with 7 candidates running. Updated Oct 6, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check

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Nov 3Election Day

How to vote · 12 days left

Find where to voteCheck your registration
Early voting begins (Oct 22): the election office's notice

These links go to official state and county election sites. Hours and rules differ by state; your election office has the final word.

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.

Voters choose the mayor and two council members. Five candidates are on the ballot for the two council seats; two are on the ballot for mayor.

Early voting begins · Oct 22

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Also on your Nov 3 ballot

We research city races only. For these races, go to the state's official guide or a nonpartisan one.

Official voter lookupState voter guideVote411 (League of Women Voters)

Districts come from 2020 Census blocks and the district maps for this election. Your address decides your districts.

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

What the next council decides

01Parade, event and filming permits2 sourced facts

Where it standsThe mayor and council passed a parade and events permit ordinance 3-1 in August, and a rewrite adding First Amendment language was scheduled for Oct. 21; a separate filming permit law passed unanimously.

What's on the tableWhether and how the city requires permits, fees and insurance for events, protests and commercial filming.

  • In August the mayor and two council members passed the events ordinance by a 3-1 vote, and a repeal and reenactment adding First Amendment language was set to be passed Oct. 21. Cumberland Times-News (via Yahoo News)
  • The filming ordinance requires a permit for commercial filming that restricts pedestrian access or uses street closures, with a $125 non-refundable application fee. Cumberland Times-News (via Yahoo News)
02West Side bridges1 sourced fact

Where it standsThe mayor says rebuilding the three damaged West Side bridges is still moving through the federal process.

What's on the tableHow the city funds and presses the rebuilding of the three West Side bridges.

03Housing and redevelopment sites1 sourced fact

Where it standsThe mayor says the city is working on the old Allegany High School site and the former Memorial Hospital site.

What's on the tableHow the city encourages housing and redevelopment, including blighted properties.

04Canal Place River Park2 sourced facts

Where it standsThe incumbent mayor wants to keep working on the project; his challenger supports it but wants more information.

What's on the tableWhether and how the city continues the Canal Place River Park project.

05Jobs and how the city is run2 sourced facts

Where it standsChallenger Darrell Lee Powell proposes tax and water breaks for industry and making the mayor the responsible administrator.

What's on the tableWhat incentives the city offers new employers and how city administration is organized.

  • Darrell Lee Powell wrote that tax and water breaks must be incentives in attracting new industry. VOTE411 Voter Guide
  • Darrell Lee Powell wrote that the council and administrator form of government should be changed to mayor as responsible administrator. VOTE411 Voter Guide
3 notes on these statements

Mayor: Raymond Morriss and Darrell Lee Powell advanced from a four-candidate June primary, with Raymond Morriss at 56% and Darrell Lee Powell at 24.4%. Cumberland Times-News · Jun 24, 2026

Councilman Rock Cioni did not seek re-election; James Leo Furstenberg, III is the incumbent seeking another term. The council contest had no June primary because too few candidates filed. Cumberland Times-News · Jun 23, 2026

The Allegany County Chamber of Commerce scheduled a mayor forum for Oct. 12 at 6 p.m. and a City Council forum at 7:30 p.m. Cumberland Times-News (via Yahoo News)

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Who matches you?

Answer any of these questions. We compare your answers with each person's sourced record, and nothing is stored. Questions where no one has a sourced record yet are left out. Tap a selected answer again to skip it.

  1. 1. Should the city require permits, fees and insurance for parades and community events?

  2. 2. How should the city handle the closed West Side bridges?

  3. 3. How should the city deal with blighted homes?

  4. 4. What should the city do about the Canal Place River Park project?

  5. 5. Should the city offer tax and water breaks to attract new industry?

  6. 6. Who should run day-to-day city administration?

Seat the councilSeat the Council →Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.On the recordHow the council voted2 council decisions, each member's vote side by side, with a link to the minutes.

Key dates

The seat math

2 stay (not up this year): Eugene T. Frazier, Brian R. Lepley3 on this ballot

5 council seats. The council decides by a 3-vote majority.

  • The Mayor and City Council has five members: the mayor and four council members, elected by voters to four-year terms. Maryland Manual On-Line
  • The mayor presides at council meetings and may vote on matters before the council, but cannot move or second a matter for consideration. The mayor is elected citywide. VOTE411 Voter Guide
  • In 2026 the mayor and two council seats are on the ballot; the new terms are four years, beginning January 4, 2027. City of Cumberland · Apr 1, 2025

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