The future of northern Baltimore County does not belong to MAGA, if you ask Theaux Le Gardeur or Shawn McIntosh.

Both are running for the seat to represent District 5 on the Baltimore County Council being vacated by Wade Kach after a dozen years, and mounting distinct campaigns to challenge early entrant Del. Nino Mangione — Le Gardeur in the Republican primary and McIntosh in the general election.

Both see themselves as foils to Mangione, the self-described conservative Republican fighting what he called “the ‘WOKE’ policies of the radical left."

And both have been vocal critics of a proposed 70-mile power line proposed to cut through Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick counties.

Le Gardeur owns a Monkton fly fishing shop and is a staunch conservationist dedicated to preserving the Gunpowder River as its riverkeeper. McIntosh is an experienced health nonprofit leader and alumna of Emerge Maryland — the state chapter of a national effort to encourage more Democratic women to run for office.

After spending a morning in early March showing off the river, Le Gardeur paused while reflecting on what he thinks makes him a superior candidate to Mangione.

“Active listening is kind of a strength that I have been able to flex, whether it’s in the shop setting or within the nonprofit setting,” he said. “More collaboration usually engenders a better project.”

McIntosh, meanwhile, made the critical decision to run for office after struggling with whether to put herself in Mangione’s cross hairs.

“I watched Nino rolling out his campaign and using the same ugly anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ things that he said before, and I just couldn’t sit back and watch that and be OK with it,” she said.

In an interview with The Banner last year, Mangione said President Donald Trump — the man he admires most in and outside of politics — guides the legislation he has championed in the General Assembly.

“If somebody wants to call that partisan, well, that’s their prerogative, not mine,” he said.

Le Gardeur advocates for active listening, not grandstanding

Le Gardeur never saw himself as a politician, per se, but the Louisiana native who has called northern Baltimore County home for decades, believes a seat on the council could help him fulfill his mission to protect the district’s environment.

“I’m ready to protect what folks have built up here and what they have because environment is very personal,” he said. “And I think that overarchingly, I feel like I am well suited to not only protect the environment but people’s interests, whether it’s recreational or property.”

In addition to fighting for the Gunpowder River and its watershed, the 55-year-old wants to promote responsible budgeting, increased public safety measures, holding the line on the Urban-Rural Demarcation Line, or URDL, and ensure that his 10-year-old son has a future in the county’s public schools.

Meg Enns, who owns The Filling Station coffee shop in Sparks, has been bugging Le Gardeur to run for office for years.

“Theaux has his roots deep in this community,” she said. “He knows a lot of people and he’s socially active, he’s an activist for many issues and I think he just would be an awesome person to represent us.”

Councilman David Marks, a Middle River Republican, said he was not going to endorse or favor either Le Gardeur or Mangione and stressed that he has only nice things to say about both candidates.

He added that environment is a key issue in this race.

“The health of the Gunpowder River Valley is key in northern Baltimore County, and anyone who wants to be on the council should demonstrate some interest in making sure that’s protected,” Marks said.

Le Gardeur said he isn’t measuring himself against Mangione’s legislative record or rhetoric.

“I think that you’re either collaborative in mindset or you’re not,” he said. “And you’re either used to getting into active listening and consensus-building and problem-solving or you’re grandstanding and fearmongering.”

McIntosh runs on public financing, progressive policy

For a mother of five, one of McIntosh’s driving motivations to run for office is that her own adult children have been priced out of the county she grew up in.

“I bought my first home in Baltimore County at the age of 28, you know, and I want that for my kids,” she said. “And it’s already out of reach for them because all of my adult children are over the age of 28 and can’t afford to buy a house here.”

McIntosh said she would not commit to developing land north of the URDL, but housing projects like Lutherville Station are prime examples of what the county should prioritize to solve its housing crisis.

McIntosh also wants to see better budgeting at Baltimore County public schools — her youngest child is still in high school — and supports introducing inspector general oversight into the school district.

The 60-year-old made the decision to run in 2023 after learning that Kach would retire. She intended to kick off her campaign in spring 2025 to build momentum.

But in December 2024, McIntosh misjudged how much she had to drink when leaving a holiday party. She hit a curb, disabling her electric car, and called her husband to pick her up. But police arrived first, and she was arrested for drunk driving.

“I’m still disappointed in myself,” McIntosh said. “I hope people will read this and realize that it was a mistake that will not happen again. I was given probation before judgment and at that time the judge actually said to me, ‘Nobody wants to be judged by their worst mistake.’ And it’s true.”

After initially deciding to quash her campaign, she reversed course and launched it last December. McIntosh said it’s important to be honest with voters about receiving a DUI.

“We should expect that level of integrity from our elected officials, and I don’t think that we get it,” McIntosh said. “I believe in owning my mistakes. This was a huge mistake and I’m owning it.”

That emphasis on integrity over all else also influenced McIntosh’s decision to use public financing for her campaign. She has not accepted a cent from any political action committees, labor unions or businesses.

If she raises $15,000 from 150 donors in Baltimore County by May, McIntosh is eligible to receive a match from the county’s Fair Election Fund. So far, she’s raised over $15,000 across the state and over $11,000 in the county with 106 donors.

“I think that power can corrupt to a degree,” McIntosh said. “Corporate and special interests influence so many decisions that are made. It’s why I’m doing public financing because I do not want anybody to say, ‘Oh, she did that because she took money from so and so.’”

Del. Michele Guyton, a Democrat representing Baltimore County in the state legislature, said she’s seen firsthand how Mangione — her legislative counterpart — has prioritized complaints and postured over solutions and results.

McIntosh, she said, is the opposite.

“Shawn is someone who’s incredibly authentic and open about who she is, the challenges that she’s faced,” Guyton said. “You know, she’s an incredibly brave person. And that’s what we need in our County Council person.”