Bowie council adopts election-code update, strikes provision converting unpaid invoices to contributions

The Bowie City Council on Monday unanimously adopted amended ordinance O-02-26 to update the city's election code, removing a sentence that would have converted unpaid invoices into campaign contributions and aligning local rules with charter changes the council approved in January.

Acting Mayor Wolfley presided over the meeting and called for discussion after staff presented the ordinance and the city attorney summarized two contested sections: the unpaid-debt language and options for write-in candidates. "It's really a matter of policy for the city council to determine," the City Attorney said when outlining the unpaid-debt provision and its history.

Councilmembers discussed administrative trade-offs for write-in candidates. One model the attorney described would allow voters to write in any qualified resident with post-election verification; an alternative would require a write-in candidate to pre-file financial-disclosure paperwork several days before the election. Councilmember Esteve said he could "take or leave" the write-in provision but confirmed the Board of Elections recommended removing it.

Councilmember Ndebo Madu raised concerns that converting unpaid vendor invoices into contributions could penalize candidates when vendors invoice slowly; she urged removing that sentence. After further discussion and apparent consensus among council members, Councilmember Esteve moved to adopt the ordinance excluding the debt-conversion language. The motion received a second and the council voted in favor.

Acting Mayor Wolfley said the ordinance will not apply to the immediately forthcoming election; staff noted the ordinance takes effect after the standard 30-day notice period and will apply to subsequent elections.

No members of the public spoke during the ordinance's public hearing and no written comments were submitted to the city clerk prior to the vote.