By CODY BOTELER | The Democratic candidates in the Annapolis election held early leads in the races for mayor and nearly every city council seat, according to unofficial results released on election night.

Jared Littmann, a former alderman and the owner of K&B Ace Hardware, did not go so far as to declare victory in his race to be the next mayor of Annapolis, but said he’s optimistic that the mail-in ballots to be counted later this week will support his lead.

Littmannn said November and December will “fly by” as he plans to meet with the city department heads and chiefs to “pepper them with questions.”

The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.

The Maryland Commission on LGBTQIA+ Affairs is conducting a survey to understand the experiences and needs of LGBTQ Maryland residents.

According to the commission, the results of the community needs assessment will shape policies, programs and resources available to the state’s LGBTQ individuals. The commission is organizing the survey in partnership with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore from Oct. 1 to Dec. 1.

Respondents can expect the anonymous questionnaire, which predominately consists of multiple choice questions, to take 15-20 minutes to complete. Participants must be at least 18 years of age and in good physical and mental health, according to the survey’s informed consent statement.

The Maryland General Assembly created the Maryland Commission on LGBTQIA+ Affairs in 2021 to evaluate challenges faced by the state’s LGBTQ community, shape inclusive policies, combat discrimination and establish best practices for LGBTQ inclusion. The commission functions within the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives and consists of 15 members appointed by the governor.

Those interested can complete the survey via the Survey Monkey link.

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson — who has long expressed reservations about throwing the state into the national congressional redistricting debate — declared that his chamber won’t support redrawing the state’s map.

In a letter to fellow Senate Democrats on Tuesday night, Ferguson wrote that despite a national “fight for democracy,” it would be unwise for Maryland to follow other states that have tweaked their congressional boundary lines to further favor one party or another.

“Despite deeply shared frustrations about the state of our country, mid-cycle redistricting for Maryland presents a reality where the legal risks are too high, the timeline for action is too dangerous, the downside risk to Democrats is catastrophic, and the certainty of our existing map would be undermined,” Ferguson wrote.

The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.