Three candidates are vying to be the top prosecutor in Baltimore County, and they’ll try to convince voters Thursday that they have the best plans to reduce crime, help victims, attack corruption, and enforce the law.

The Baltimore Banner and WJZ-TV are hosting a debate at the Towson Armory Thursday at noon. The debate will be broadcast at 8 p.m. that evening on WJZ. The Banner’s Céilí Doyle will moderate along with WJZ journalist Mike Hellgren.

Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger is hoping to hold on to the office he’s occupied since 2007. Shellenberger, 67, has spent most of his legal career in the office and worked for the previous top prosecutor, Sandra O’Connor. He held the job from 1975 to 2006.

Two experienced prosecutors, Sarah David and Lauren Lipscomb, are challenging him for the job. Lipscomb has headed Baltimore City’s Conviction Integrity Unit, where she has pushed to overturn convictions for those wrongly accused. David is the state’s deputy prosecutor and has focused on political corruption.

Advertise with us

“Democracy is a participatory sport, and these opportunities to hear directly from candidates are critical for voters who are entrusted with making critical decisions about how to move Baltimore County forward,” said Banner Editor-in-Chief Audrey Cooper.

WJZ news director and vice president Tanya Black agreed.

“As part of our commitment to serving local communities, it’s important to give candidates and Baltimore County residents a platform to discuss the issues that matter most to them and engage in the democratic process,” she said.

David has raised more than $300,000, nearly six times Shellenberger’s total. The Working Families Party has raised nearly that much to support her, and has been running ads and sending mailers that criticize Shellenberger’s leadership, particularly his cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The debate comes as residents in the county are receiving their mail-in ballots, although a snafu means some voters will likely have to wait to receive a second ballot before they can vote. Voters will know if they are among those who received the incorrect ballots if they receive a postcard that tells them to discard their initial ballot, and instead use one marked “replacement.” The new ballots will be mailed out beginning Tuesday.

Advertise with us

The Democratic primary for the state’s attorney contest is Tuesday, June 23; no Republican has yet declared their candidacy to run against the winner. Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1 in registrations.

Shellenberger had his closest contest yet in 2022, when Robbie Leonard ran against him as a progressive reform candidate. Leonard, who had been a public defender, lost by about 2,000 votes. Shellenberger has said that the tide has turned back toward an emphasis on law and order.

Among the issues in this race are the perception of an increase in crime in Towson; how to best handle juvenile offenders; and the county’s record of prosecuting sexual assault crimes. Both of Shellenberger’s opponents have criticized him for not doing enough to prosecute sexual assaults. Shellenberger, a former sex crimes prosecutor, said those cases are high priorities for his office but are hard to win.