Here’s one prescription for fixing Maryland’s housing shortage.
“I will create a Housing for All plan that will cut unnecessary red tape and reform the permitting process so residential, commercial, and redevelopment projects can move forward more efficiently, without sacrificing community input or smart planning.”
Here’s another.
“The County must prioritize the construction of transit-oriented development (TOD) projects.”
And one more.
“Streamlining approvals, while maintaining appropriate community input, can lower costs and accelerate revenue generation and the delivery of housing without sacrificing standards.”
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Can you guess which candidates for county executive in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties said these words? Probably not.
That’s because in many cases, the broad strokes of a campaign — the rhetoric that wins or loses an election — can be interchangeable.
Thirty Democrats, Republicans and other candidates are vying for five of the most important elected offices in Maryland. The winners, mostly of the Democratic primaries later this month, will govern roughly 4 million people — about two-thirds of the state’s population.
Many of the big problems they want to address are common to everyone in Maryland: housing, affordability, education and good government. There are problems unique to individual counties, but attempts to solve what ails us will come from this group of leaders.
So I started reading, both The Banner’s coverage of these races and the work of other journalists. I read campaign websites and, most importantly, voter questionnaire answers.
These words came from positions submitted by the candidates for The Banner’s Voter Guide 2026, but they are similar to what has been said and written elsewhere. Who says the things that best unite us?
On education, all candidates must grapple with the prospect of funding Maryland’s largest public enterprise: its schools.
County executives face pressure to pay for more programs and higher wages to ensure better outcomes with zero control over the classroom. Each candidate wants to lead on education, though none is in charge.
“As county executive, I won’t simply rubber-stamp the school board’s budget. I will review it in partnership with parents, educators and taxpayers to ensure our investments reflect both our community’s priorities and fiscal reality.”
Is this better?
“My focus is on stability and outcomes. We will prioritize direct classroom investments, including universal prekindergarten, special education, and student-based budgeting, while maintaining commitments to educators through negotiated compensation.”
Consider this as well.
“We need to pay our teachers assistants, technical support assistants, and other educational support professionals a living wage so we can fill vacancies. We also need to make our pay scale more competitive for our veteran teachers, and to invest in more positions to decrease class sizes and caseloads for our special educators.”
I’m not being dismissive. Maryland’s biggest problems are shared. That doesn’t mean candidates all are talking about the same solutions.
One has an eight-point plan for affordability.
“We’re the fastest-shrinking county in the state, and that’s because it’s not affordable to live here. That’s why I founded We The People and why I’m running for county executive — to deliver an affordability agenda.”
Another wants a bespoke permit system to encourage local business growth.
“I will establish a business concierge service that escorts business entities through the permitting process for the various government departments. This streamlined service will make it easier for businesses to comply with the law without wasting precious time or financial resources.”
Even the quirkiest ideas make you think about what is possible.
“I will implement a high-fidelity 3D digital twin, Sim City-like, gamified online citizen-control urban planning system where citizens can design their own communities. Neuroevolutionary algorithms will help them optimize infrastructure capacity and inform them of infrastructure capacity constraints and related costs needed to add any additional infrastructure.”
Candidates’ words aren’t just about the problems. They want to convince voters of their qualifications for the biggest jobs in local government.
They will get you a fair shake.
“I will ensure that every part of the county, from North to South County, receives equal investment and resources to improve the quality of life.”
They can deliver.
“My background and experience make me the right choice to deliver the fresh approach needed now.”
And they will leave no corner of bureaucracy unexplored in search of answers.
“I will review every contract, every line of our local tax code, every incentive program, not because I believe all incentives or tax breaks are bad, but because our choices have been at the expense of regular residents’ interests and needs.”
Candidates hope their words distinguish them from others and what came before.
“For all of the nearly eight years that I have served on the council, though, the outgoing administration has materially undercut our public schools.”
Sometimes nicely, sometimes less so.
“I don’t take corporate money or developer donations. I don’t believe our representatives can fight for working families while taking money from the special interests working against them.”
Sometimes forcefully.
“Accountability - Establish an Independent Office of the Inspector General. Work with the Counsel to hire a full-time permanent County Auditor.”
Did you recognize the authors of these words?
Here’s whose statements I’ve quoted, in the order I used them.
On the housing shortage:
- Allison Pickard, Anne Arundel County
- Izzy Patoka, Baltimore County
- Vanessa Atterbeary, Howard County
On education:
- Evan Glass, Montgomery County
- Aisha Braveboy, Prince George’s County
- James Kitchin, Anne Arundel County
Unique takes on shared problems:
- Nick Stewart, Baltimore County
- Deb Jung, Howard County
- Peter James, Montgomery County
Personal qualifications:
- Charnell Ferguson, Prince George’s County
- Pete Smith, Anne Arundel County
- Pat Young, Baltimore County
And distinguishing themselves from others:
- Liz Walsh, Howard County
- Will Jawando, Montgomery County
- Greg Holmes, Prince George’s County
Door-knocking campaigners will soon stop bothering you for the summer. The end of primary candidate forums is within sight.
Mail-in ballots are out and early voting starts June 11. Election Day is June 23.
You can choose your candidates by their words. But to choose well, you have to listen wisely.
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