Allegany County Maryland--Women

Brenda Butscher (1940-2023) is the first and only woman to be elected to the office of Garrett County Commissioner, serving as a commissioner from 1990 to 1994. Brenda was a leader and active in the Republican Party on the local and state as well as national levels. She also served as the executive director of Hospice for Garrett County for 25 years and was the owner and president of the Oakland Radio Station Corporation.

On May 9, 2023 Emily Newman-Edwards became the first woman in history to be elected mayor of the Town of Grantsville, Maryland. Located in Garrett County, Grantsville was incorporated in 1864. The 2020 census shows Grantsville with a population of 968 people. Newman-Edwards had currently been serving her second term on the Grantsville Town Council.

The Town of Westernport in Allegany County was incorporated in 1859 and according to the 2020 census has a population of 1,777 people. Laura Freeman Legge was elected mayor of Westernport in July 2019 and as such is the first woman to hold that office. Legge served through 2022 and secured numerous grants pertaining to the town’s aging infrastructure. She also led a trail development committee seeking to extend the Great Allegheny Passage trail through the Georges Creek Valley.