Meffley holds major lead in Republican primary

CECIL COUNTY — Incumbent Cecil County Councilman Bob Meffley (District 1) is poised to defeat challenger Sandra D. Ward as more votes are counted in Tuesday’s Republican primary election, which would leave one last hurdle — the general election in November — between him and his third four-year term on the board.

Meffley garnered 7,260 votes (67.03 percent) on Tuesday while Ward received 3,571 votes (32.97 percent, with all 28 precincts reporting their results, according to results posted by the Cecil County Board of Elections. On Thursday, election officials started counting approximately 4,500 mail-in ballots that had also been cast in the primary election. Although numbers from the vote canvassing were unavailable as of press time, Meffley had already received 3,689 more votes than Ward after Tuesday’s election.

“I feel good,” Meffley said late Thursday morning. “I did not run on a ticket with other candidates. I ran by myself, so I don’t owe anybody anything. I’m free to vote for what I believe is the right thing to do — to do only what is best for the county. I represent my constituents. My allegiance is only with the residents of Cecil County. I ran on my accomplishments thus far on the council and also on the council’s accomplishment while I was serving on it.”

Meffley opined that the support and endorsements he received from law enforcement, the school system, the tradesmen and farmers in Cecil County played a significant role in what looks to be his Republican primary victory. In addition, along those lines, he believes the business community in this county supported him. “I represent all business in Cecil County, especially small businesses. I support the average workers; I give them a voice.”

After the final votes are tallied, Meffley would then have to defeat Democrat challenger Michelle Ravert in November’s general election to retain his seat on the council, for which he has served four years as president and two years of vice-president during his eight years on the board. Running unopposed Tuesday in the Democrat primary, Ravert received 1,861 votes, according to county election board results.

Having operated a plumbing business for the past 44 years, overseeing at least 30 employees at any given time, Meffley has a simple approach to his job as a public servant, according to information he provided last week when the Cecil Whig conducted a candidate interview with him.

“My philosophy is run it like a business,” Meffley said, referencing his plumbing business before further commenting, “I have to listen to people, hear their complaints, and then figure out the best way to fix their problem.”