Local government

In his first several months in Baltimore, Tim Keane, the new city housing commissioner, has turned heads with his vintage polyester suits and fat kipper ties. He might have stepped out of Studio 54.

COLUMN | Anne Arundel County’s newly revitalized auditor’s office uncovered misconduct in the Recreation and Parks Department, leading to the firing of a park superintendent and raising questions about government oversight.

The council’s vote renewed questions and criticism about its management of the parks and planning commission’s budget.

A former councilman, a current council candidate and a former chief of staff are among the seven candidates who want to replace Wade Kach.

A question about LGBTQIA+ students separated one candidate from the pack.

Baltimore City Council members pushed for property tax relief, drilled down on city collections and asked for additional funding to support the city’s immigrants during the first day of budget hearings.

Bill Ferguson, long seen as unbeatable, confronts challenger Bobby LaPin in a closely watched Baltimore Democratic primary.

The discord in the Columbia Association keeps escalating. Infighting is the order of the day, and ethics complaints are the new weapon of choice. Is it a generational shift, or a reflection of today’s political polarization?

The Rocky Point Golf Course’s clubhouse was a pet project of former Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr.

County Councilwoman Allison Pickard holds a commanding fundraising lead in the Democratic primary.

Baltimore has reduced its count of vacant homes from 16,000 to fewer than 12,000 during Mayor Brandon Scott’s five years in office, but there are questions about the count and the fundraising needed to continue the effort.

A county staffer alleges that she was assaulted by a communications director in March, resulting in a black eye. The case is still pending.

COLUMN | Annapolis is a city of rules, layered thickly over hundreds of years in Maryland’s small-town state capital. None may be quite so silly as this.

Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger sparred with challengers Sarah David and Lauren Lipscomb in a debate hosted by The Banner and WJZ-TV. The three are running in the June 23 Democratic primary.

This year, Mayor Jared Littmann has appropriated nearly 100% of the $1.8 million assigned for one-time use, leaving just $24 unappropriated.

The Montgomery County Council passed a budget that council President Natali Fani-González called “challenging.”

Whistleblowers and tipsters have submitted 61 complaints to Howard County’s new Inspector General Kelly Madigan, but the watchdog said she faces hurdles to accessing the records she needs to investigate.

Five Democrats have raised $3.3 million since the current election cycle began in 2023, with Izzy Patoka and Julian Jones hauling in the bulk of that.

The audit found $2 million in outstanding balances owed for fiscal year 2024. The previous year, roughly $2.4 million was outstanding.

Jolene Ivey’s reelection campaign for at-large council member is sitting on $119,191 in cash. She leads a field of eight candidates in fundraising for the competitive primary.