Julian Jones set to become the first elected Black Baltimore County executive

Julian Jones made history Tuesday, beating his Republican rival to become Baltimore County’s first elected Black county executive.

The top office in the county is not the only place seeing change. Deputy state prosecutor Sarah David ran unopposed after defeating Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger in the primary in June. He had been in the office since 2007.

David becomes the second woman to hold the position in the county after Sandra Ann O’Connor, a Republican who held the office from 1975 until 2006.

And Clyde Boatwright, 49, a sergeant with the Baltimore City School Police and a longtime union official, won his race to become the county sheriff. He will be the first Black sheriff in the role. The current sheriff, R. Jay Fisher, is retiring after 24 years.

“I’ve met families who simply want safe neighborhoods, good schools, and a fair shot at success,” Jones said Tuesday evening. “To every one of them, and to every one of you here tonight, I want to make it as clear as I can: Help is on the way.”

Jones made his remarks at a jubilant celebration that showcased the diversity of Baltimore County: Jewish men in yarmulkes, Black women in hats normally reserved for church, a nurse still in her work scrubs, and a who’s who of elected and appointed county and state officials. Several wore their blue campaign shirts over their oxfords.

A Palestinian American Muslim spoke of the county’s historical moment. A representative of the Nepalese community took to the podium to thank Jones for supporting him through a near-decade effort to build a temple in the county, which has one of the country’s largest Nepalese populations.

The crowd sampled egg rolls and swayed to Montell Jordan’s “This is How We Do it.” At one point, the DJ began a call-and-response with Anthony Hamilton’s version of the song “Who’s Loving You.”

Jones, 63, defeated Pat Dyer, 64, a financial planner and business owner who campaigned on a promise of tackling crime and bringing new investment to the county. Dyer picked up the campaign pace in recent months and was a frequent presence at candidate forums and county festivals.

But that wasn’t enough to put the affable Timonium resident in the top job, especially in a year when Democrats dominated in elections across the country. A Republican hasn’t been elected to the top job in the county since 1990, when Roger Hayden served one term.

Dyer did not return calls and texts seeking comment Tuesday night.

Jones will succeed Kathy Klausmeier, who was appointed to fill the remaining two years of County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr.’s term when he won a seat in Congress in early January 2025.

“I think he’ll do very well,” Klausmeier said of Jones. “He’s got a lot of experience, and I’ll be here to help him with the transition.”

Jones, David, and the other new officials will be inaugurated Dec. 5. In addition to the nine council members taking office, judges and other officials also will be sworn in that day.

Baltimore County is at a crossroads. It is losing population, its schools are overcrowded in some places, and prospective residents are looking to settle in more affordable jurisdictions. More than half of renting households in the county are considered cost burdened, meaning they spend at least 30% of their income on housing costs such as rent and utilities, according to U.S. Census data. About 1 in 4 county renters spend at least 50% of their income on housing.

While the county needs to build 19,000 new homes, according to its director of housing and community development, it has only built 1,000. Meanwhile, battles over land use have delayed construction in some cases: Lutherville residents, for example, have been fighting with a developer for seven years over a transit-oriented housing development called Lutherville Station.

Charles McMahon, a commercial real estate developer, didn’t hesitate to vote for Jones for Baltimore County executive.

“I think he has demonstrated the responsible leadership that Baltimore County needs,” he said. When told the new county executive has discussed expediting permits for home and commercial development, McMahon exclaimed, “Hallelujah!”

McMahon said the wait for permits has stymied Baltimore County’s potential, with some permits “sitting on desks for days and days.”

Jones ran on a platform of growth, affordability and modernizing the county’s systems so builders can receive permits more quickly. A father of three, he talks frequently about his children’s friends moving to other counties because they can’t find homes in Baltimore County.

David, 41, also campaigned for modernization of the state’s attorney’s office, which she says needs to collect more data about what crimes are committed, where, and by whom. She also talked about compassion for survivors of sexual assault and having a more trauma-informed approach to finding justice.