Vanessa Atterbeary leads in race for Howard County executive

Vanessa Atterbeary declared herself the winner in the race for Howard County executive Tuesday evening at the victory party for Gov. Wes Moore in Baltimore.

Atterbeary, whose only opposition was a Green Party candidate, had about 82% of county votes as of 11 p.m., but The Associated Press had not yet called the race.

“I’m deeply honored to be elected to serve as the next county executive in Howard County, Maryland,” Atterbeary said Tuesday night at Gov. Wes Moore’s election night party in Baltimore. “I’m mindful of what my election is as the first female African American to serve as the Howard County executive.”

The result would make Atterbeary the first woman elected Howard County executive in four decades and the first Black woman ever elected to the position.

Atterbeary resigned from the Maryland House of Delegates in January to focus on her campaign. First elected to the House in 2014, she was chair of the House Ways and Means Committee.

After a crowded Democratic primary in June, Atterbeary emerged as the victor among her three opponents: council members Deb Jung and Liz Walsh and business owner Bob Cockey.

No Republicans ran, but a month later, Nater Kane, representing the Green Party, emerged as a challenger.

Kane previously said he decided to run in July after realizing Atterbeary would face no other challengers. Kane had garnered about 18% of the vote as of late Tuesday night.

Atterbeary said Tuesday night that she stands on the shoulders of women who came before her and opened doors for her to succeed. She then thanked supporters and volunteers.

“This victory belongs to all of us,” she said. “Tonight is not our finish line, it is our starting point.”

Atterbeary’s swearing-in ceremony would take place next month, and she’s already developed her roadmap. She plans to host a listening tour of all five councilmanic districts within her first 90 days of taking office, she told a Banner reporter Tuesday night at the Howard County Democratic Party election night party at the Busboys and Poets restaurant in Columbia.

She said she wants a comprehensive accountability and performance review for all county departments and to change the government’s culture to focus more on customer service.

Atterbeary also said she aims to identify low-hanging fruit on the county school system’s list of deferred maintenance projects and to streamline processes within the Department of Planning and Zoning and the Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits.

Atterbeary has also promised to fight President Donald Trump’s agenda when national issues encroach on Howard County. On local issues, Atterbeary focused on residents’ concerns about affordability, education, housing and public safety.

She received key endorsements from Gov. Wes Moore and County Executive Calvin Ball, whose second term ends in December.

Kane campaigned on wanting to develop new county policies to “make people’s lives more humane.” Such policies included capping the county executive’s salary, stabilizing rent by limiting increases, and stopping the outsourcing of some county services to private companies and nonprofits, such as public school transportation.

“Tonight, the people of Howard County chose hope over division, collaboration over conflict, and a future where every family has an opportunity to thrive,” Atterbeary said at her primary victory party in June.

Banner reporters Lillian Reed and Pamela Wood contributed to this story.