5 takeaways from the Baltimore County executive debate stages

Almost every night in Baltimore County, some combination of the candidates running for the top job gather on a stage and speak for around 90 minutes about their plans for the future.

The cast changes, but the questions have a striking similarity: They revolve around the idea that Baltimore County is at a tipping point and is headed in the wrong direction. All of the candidates generally agree that the road ahead needs to be more transparent and inclusive, but they disagree on how to arrive at the destination.

Three of the candidates – Izzy Patoka, Julian Jones and Pat Young — are on the County Council and tout their experience. The remaining five — Democrats Nick Stewart and Mansoor Shams; Republicans Patrick Dyer and Kimberley Stansbury; and independent Rob Daniels — would be new to holding elected public office and argue that it’s time for change.

Regardless of who wins — and the front-runners in the expensive race are Patoka and Jones — here are the five topics that are developing into the biggest issues in the campaign.

Affordability—especially in housing

Everything is more expensive — from electric bills to grocery lists. Baltimore County politicians cannot control inflation, but they can work to make life more affordable. One candidate, Mansoor Shams, has suggested county-run mini marts, similar to what New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani campaigned on. Many of the county candidates have said that they’d be aggressive with utility companies about keeping rates down, although that is more of a state issue.

Where housing is concerned, the county executive has a lot of control. Many residents deride the county’s “pay-to-play” culture, where developers have a lot of influence over what’s built and have preferred to construct expensive housing. That’s in part due to the control that the council exerts over zoning, and also because of council members’ “courtesy,” where the members are reluctant to interfere in districts other than their own.

Yet several candidates have also noted that developers are turning to other counties because, they say, Baltimore County lacks certainty and clear rules. A councilman can push through a zoning change at the request of a connected developer or resident and either block or green light a project.

Jones and Stewart, both Democrats, have said they would be aggressive about building more homes. Patoka has said he supports more affordable housing but wants to make sure schools are not overcrowded and that the priority should be building where there is school capacity.

Transparency on pensions, district boundaries, and choosing leaders

If you wanted to play a drinking game with a debate phrase, it might be “behind closed doors.” Stewart, who is aggressively campaigning on Facebook, has said that the county is conducting its business this way — including appointing Kathy Klausmeier as county executive when Johnny Olszewski Jr. left to serve in Congress in January 2026; drawing the County Council’s expansion boundaries; and making the since-reversed decision to increase county pensions.

The pension legislation appeared on the agenda in 2024 and was approved in open session; much of the process for drawing the new districts was out in the open, and the Klausmeier selection happened mostly in public, save for a Jan. 3 meeting to discuss the matter. That meeting was closed and no public notice was given. The state’s Open Meeting Compliance Board ruled that the council did not violate the Open Meetings Law in that case.

Regardless, the county has a reputation that it is less than transparent.

Crime, public safety and ICE

Towson is either one of the county’s most desirable neighborhoods or a bubbling-over cauldron of crime, from juvenile melees at bus stops to carjackings at the struggling mall. Stewart, who lives in Catonsville, frequently talks about thesteps needed to make Towson safer, a topic he has also brought up during debates. The Baltimore County Police have reported a decrease in crime in Towson.

Perception sometimes becomes reality. The Police Department is trying to quickly fill hundreds of vacant positions, and has been under fire for decades for its use-of-force policies. Jones, the only Black candidate in the race, pushed through police reforms years ago after officers shot Korryn Gaines and accidentally hit her son, Cody, as she made him a sandwich in 2016. Gaines died; her son continues to struggle.

The Baltimore County Council Democrats have been united in protecting citizens from overzealous immigration enforcement. The Republicans in the race, though, want cooperation with ICE.

The schools

Half of the county’s $5 billion budget funds schools, but the county doesn’t have a say in how it’s spent. Other than Jones, who supports the system and the current superintendent, all of the candidates have spoken of a need for improvement with the school-county relationship. They say they want accountability to ensure the money is spent on education. Many families move to Baltimore County for the schools without realizing that the county has many underperforming institutions.

Baltimore County is currently looking for a new schools superintendent, so there is hope for a new relationship and more transparency.

Transportation

Without a car, you can’t get from here to there in Baltimore County. Candidates say they are hearing about dangerous drivers in their neighborhoods and also laments about the lack of public transit.

Baltimore County has some mass transit options, but it could use a lot more, plus more housing in densely populated locations. The state has been pushing for that, something Republicans in the race call overreach. But the Democrats running say they support smart growth in dense locations and would welcome more housing at Lutherville Station, the Owings Mills metro, and similar places.