1168 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 678

more registered voters of the town shall be considered by the
Mayor and Town Council. The Mayor and Town Council
shall be required at regular meetings to hear complaints and
protests from any citizen who feels aggrieved as a result of
the passage of any ordinance, and upon receipt of a petition
signed by one-third or more of the qualified voters of the
town, the Mayor and Town Council shall consider the matter
of repealing or amending such ordinance. All public utility
franchises, and all renewals, extensions and amendments
thereof shall be granted or made only by ordinance, and no
such proposed ordinance shall be adopted until it has been
printed in full, and general publicity has been given thereto,
and until at least. two weeks after such publicity has been
given.

SEC. 6. The Mayor shall be the executive officer of the town
and enforce the ordinances thereof and shall see that all
officials and employees of the town carry out their duties. He
shall appoint all appointive officers authorized by this Charter
or by ordinance, subject to the confirmation of the council.
He shall counter-sign all checks of the town and cause the
books of the Treasurer to be audited at least once a year. In
case of the temporary absence of the Mayor or of his inability
to act, the council shall appoint one of its members as acting
Mayor, and during the period of such absence or inability of
the Mayor to act, the acting Mayor shall be clothed with all
of the powers of the Mayor.

SEC. 7. Candidates for the offices of Mayor, Treasurer and
'Councilmen must be adult citizens of the United States and
must have been actually domiciled within the corporate limits
of the town for at least two years next preceding the filing
of petitions of candidacy, and must be registered voters on
the books of the town, and must be owners of real estate
within the town; and candidates for the offices of councilmen
must have been actually domiciled in the respective wards
: from which they seek election. The Mayor and the Treasurer
shall each be elected by the combined vote of the town and
each councilman by the voters of his respective ward.

SEC. 8. Any person desiring to become a candidate for
Mayor, Treasurer or Councilman, shall, at least ten days before
election, file or cause to be filed with the Town Clerk a petition
stating that he or she is a candidate for one of the respective
offices, which petition shall recite the facts of their qualifica-
tions, and shall cite the liber and folio where the deed evi-
dencing the ownership of real estate within the town is
recorded, and must be signed by the candidate. Petitions of
candidacy for the offices of Mayor and of Treasurer must be