Allison Pickard appears to win Anne Arundel County executive race

Allison Pickard appears to have won the race to become Anne Arundel County’s next executive.

As of 11:30 p.m., it looks like the Democrat defeated Republican Dave Crawford, a political newcomer who is chief of a Severna Park volunteer fire station.

Pickard declared herself the winner in a speech at her Tuesday night watch party, but the Associated Press has not yet called the race.

“As your next county executive, I promise competent, responsive and accountable leadership that puts people first and focuses on your quality of life,” Pickard said.

In her remarks, she highlighted the need for a safe community, access to healthcare, healthy food and affordable housing.

In an interview with the Banner, Pickard said she’s aware of the weight of the job and already is thinking about ways to address the county’s issues with public safety staffing and a housing crisis.

Pickard, who served on the County Council since 2018, will succeed Steuart Pittman, a fellow Democrat elected that same year.

She said being the first executive to come from the County Council will make her better equipped to collaborate with the newly elected council members.

Pittman’s time in office was highlighted by the fact that Democratic politicians controlled a majority on the County Council, allowing them to tackle issues such as affordable housing and environmental preservation.

Pickard also likely will have a Democratic-majority council to work with.

Pittman had endorsed a senior member of his staff to succeed him in Anne Arundel County’s contested primary. That staffer, James Kitchin, lost the three-way primary vote to Pickard.

During the campaign, Pickard was seen by some critics as too friendly with developers. According to an analysis done by the Capital Gazette, she received the most money of all council members from development, construction, real estate and related industries, totaling $145,200 over two election cycles. Pickard has repeatedly said her fundraising does not affect her governing.

Overall, Pickard out raised Crawford by more than 10-to-one, according to campaign finance records. From January 2023 through mid-October, Pickard reported bringing in about $1,022,000; Crawford reported only about $60,000.

Crawford could not be reached on election night.

Pickard was elected to the council after two years on the county Board of Education. Before that, she was president of the Anne Arundel County Council of PTAs. She was born in Kansas and graduated from the University of Charleston in 1994.

After college, she spent time working with AmeriCorps and then more than a decade working in senior housing and senior services.

In an earlier interview with The Banner, Pickard said Anne Arundel County is at a “watershed moment.”

“We need to continue to modernize county government. I fully believe we can be a source of good,” Pickard said, but departments need to collaborate and communicate more effectively — something she said her administration would work to accomplish.

She celebrated Pittman’s time in office as having made a “significant shift” in Anne Arundel County, but said she and Pittman “walk through the world very differently.”

“I think I have a stronger focus on process and operations,” Pickard said. “I want to see results.”