Poll: Half of residents say Baltimore County is on the wrong track

With a pivotal primary election less than two months away, a new poll paints a dour picture of how residents view Baltimore County.

About 50% say Maryland’s third-largest jurisdiction is on the wrong track, according to a survey released Tuesday by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. About 31% say the county is headed in the right direction, while 17% aren’t sure.

The results were similar to last year, when UMBC first posed the question to county residents.

“Over the last two years, our poll suggests that there has been a little bit of malaise among Baltimore County residents regarding the direction of the county,” said Mileah Kromer, director of UMBC’s Institute of Politics.

Residents are more closely divided on the county’s future: 48% are optimistic, while 43% are pessimistic, the poll shows.

In Baltimore City, 61% of residents are optimistic about the future, while 34% are pessimistic.

The poll offers a snapshot of voter sentiment in the final months before the June 23 primary, an election that is likely to shape the county’s direction for years to come.

Five Democrats are competing in a contentious and expensive race for county executive, with the winner heavily favored in November’s general election. There are two Republicans in the race and one independent.

In addition, seven of nine seats on the newly expanded council are open, with two incumbents seeking reelection.

The poll results suggest that county voters are ready for a change in leadership. About 63% said they could “never” or “only some of the time” trust local government to do what is right. About 32% answered that they could trust local government “most of the time” or “just about always.”

Kromer said the numbers reflect a national erosion of public trust in institutions.

Among county services, K-12 public schools — along with the courts and criminal justice system — scored the lowest, with fewer than 43% of respondents expressing satisfaction.

Trash and recycling pickup received the highest marks, with more than 80% of respondents saying they were satisfied. Emergency services, at 74%, also scored high. And around 6 in 10 respondents said they were satisfied with policing and public safety.

Affordability dominated the list of residents’ concerns. The cost of household energy bills was a “major” issue for 82% of county respondents, followed by taxes (69%), housing costs and availability (67%), and crime (67%).

“Although local governments certainly don’t have a lot of control — or any control, really — over the cost of utilities, it doesn’t mean people don’t punish government in general for their frustrations," Kromer said.

UMBC polled 602 county adults and 666 city adults from April 14-19. The margins of error were 4.0 points for the county results and 3.8 points for the city results.