Evening star., 1953-07-12
Debate Heated
On kensiington
Council Post
3 Candidates Differ
Little but Bockers
Argue Town Zonine


Kensington will have q new
councilman tomorrow night II
the voters are able to stop argu-
ing about the Maryland towns
future long enough to vote.
The three candidates for the
council seat from which James
H. Sheldon resigned are among
the most unperturbed residents
of the town. There are no out
standing differences in their plat
forms and they are surprised at
the interest created by the elec-
ton.
Among their supporters, how
ever, the issue of whether Kens-
ington shall remain a residential
community is paramount.
8 Seek the Job.
Competing for the council va
cancy are Laurel Maxwell, Court
land Townsend and Chester F.
Page.
Mr.. Maxwell, a ceramic engi-
neer at the National Bureau of
Standards. became q Kensington
resident % years ago. He was
encouraged to run by friends.
His son, Pvt. Wesley D. Maxwell.
is serving with an artillery outfit
in Korea.
Mr.. Townsend, a former mem
Der of the Securities and Ex-
change Commission, is now an
analyst for the Office of Defense
Mobilization. He moved to Ken
sington in 1888 but was absent
beginning in 1945 while on spe-
cial assignment with a State
Department team working with
the 7th Army in Germany.
He returned to Kensington in
1850. He has an 18-year-old
daughter who will be freshman
at Ohio Wesleyan University this
fall and a son, 13, a junior high
school student in Kensington.
Mr.. Page, a Kensington resi-
dent for the last two years. is a
building adviser for the Ameri-
can National Red Cross head
quarters in Washington. In 1949-
so, he worked with the League
of Red Cross Societies of Geneva
on relief program in the Hash
emite kingdom of Jordan. His
two sons, aged 8 and IL, attend
Kensington schools.
Supporters Split.
Supporters Of the candidates
are split on whether the COM
munity shall be preserved as is,
they are vociferous in disagree
ment on how a zoning plan for
the town shall be administered
and they are particularly upset
over the question of who shall
direct town planning.
The Mayor, Lewis Merriam, for
mer president of the Brookings
Institution, hold to the tradi-
ton that the other four council
members should be equally di-
vided between the north and
south sections Of the town.
The north and south divisions
are created by the Baltimore g.
Ohio railroad tracks running
through the town.
Mayor Merriam, who has op-
posed recent requests for COM
mercial rezoning in the town,
favors the election of a resident
from the south side of the tracks
in order to maintain the old
north-south balance.
One "SOuthside" Candidate.
Mr.. Townsend. who also op-
poses any immediate commercial
rezoning, is the only "southside"
candidate. He has not, however,
been officially indorsed by the
mayor.
Mr.. Page also is for preserva-
ton of the overall character of
the community. He favors CO.
operation of all residents on a
master coming plan for Ken
sington.
Supporters of MIR. Maxwell say
the town could use added sources
of revenue. One possibility they
suggest is the commercial use of
land not suitable for other pur-
poses.
The polls will be open from 6
to 9 pm. at the Kensington
Elementary School on DERRICK
avenue.