Politics & Government

Donna F. May and Billie J. Gilpin, are both Republicans and long time Judges of the three-member Allegany County Orphan's Court. May has held that elected office since 1986, for 24 years, while Gilpin has served as Judge for sixteen years. On November 2, 2010 both were re-elected to another four-year term of office. In the November 4, 2014 General Election, both Gilpin and May were re-elected to another four-year term as Judges of the Orphans' Court.

J. Lucille Metheny
1935 - 2008

Lucille Metheny served as the Executive Director of the Allegany County Community Action Agency (now the Allegany County Human Resources Development Commission) beginning in 1970. She would later serve the community for 25 years as Program Director for the YMCA. The following obituary is from the Cumberland Times-News:

Doris Marion Marks - First Mayor of Carpendale, West Virginia

The Town of Carpendale, West Virginia is located directly across the Potomac River from Cumberland, Maryland. It was officially established on January 2, 1990 and is the newest incorporated town in Mineral County, West Virginia. According to the 2010 census the town has a population of 977 people.

The Town of Luke Maryland was incorporated in 1922. As noted in the Cumberland Times-News of July 13, 2012, two women were among the newly elected town officers. Depicted above from left to right, and elected to serve for the 2012-2014 term, are Luke Town Commissioners Donna P. Fracasso and Janet M. Bryan, who was an incumbent. Bryan was appointed Parks and Recreation and Water Commissioner, while the position of Streets Commissioner will be filled by Donna Fracasso. The 2010 census for Luke showed a population of 65 people.

Dawne D. Lindsey, a Republican and a 1983 graduate of Mt. Savage High School, was appointed to the position of Allegany County Clerk of the Circuit Court in July 2001. She was later elected to the position in 2002, and in 2006, 2010 and 2014 ran unopposed in both the primary and general elections. Lindsey is the first female Allegany County Clerk of the Circuit Court.

Judge Diane O. Leasure

Update: From the Cumberland Times News, March 13, 2012:

On December 7, 1998 the City of Cumberland hired Geena S. Kile as its first female firefighter. Firefighter/EMT-B Kile is a 1995 graduate of Fort Hill High School.

Geena has represented the Fire Department as a speaker at Cumberland schools career days, including Northeast Elementary in 2007.

UPDATE: The following are excerpts appearing in an article from the August 20, 2017 edition of the Cumberland Times-News:

Susan Marie Jones (1942-)

Susan M. Jones, a Democrat, is the first African-American, man or woman, to be elected to Allegany County-wide office.
This was in 1990 when she was elected as a Judge to the Allegany County Orphan's Court. Jones served in this capacity from 1991-1995.

Rose Hay was initially appointed by Governor Marvin Mandel to fill a vacancy as judge on the Allegany County Orphan’s Court. She would later run for this position and in 1978 became the first woman elected to the Orphan’s Court. Re-elected in 1982 she would serve as Chief Judge until her retirement in 1986.

Mon Aug 01, 2011, 11:23 PM EDT

— CUMBERLAND — Linda A. Golden, 63, of Cumberland, passed away Sunday, July 31, 2011 at the Western Maryland Regional Medical Center.

Born in Cumberland on Aug. 24, 1947, she was the daughter of the late Harvey R. Golden and Gracine (Schade) Golden, with whom she resided.