Howard County Executive

A: I believe that over his eight years as Howard County executive, Dr. Ball has shown strong leadership for our community. He helped guide Howard County through the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, stood up to Trump during both administrations, and fought for our immigrant communities. He will leave office as one of the most popular county executives in Maryland’s history.

My administration will build on Dr. Ball’s progress by continuing to stand up to the Trump administration, protecting Howard County’s Liberty Act, and advancing bold action on climate change. At the same time, I will place a greater budgetary priority on our schools by increasing the share of county funding dedicated to public education.

A: The dangerous Trump administration remains one of the greatest issues facing Howard County. We need leadership in our county government that is prepared to fight back, and I believe I am that bold, proven fighter. I have a record of standing up for our values, fighting the NRA to strengthen gun laws, as well as opposing the Moms for Liberty to fight their efforts for book bans throughout Maryland.

Education also remains one of the most important issues we face. We need to ensure every child has access to a world-class education and that Howard County public schools are not just the best in the state but also the best in the country. In Annapolis, I fought for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and delivered $35 million from the state to help tackle our deferred maintenance issue here in Howard. And finally, affordability remains a pressing issue for families. Our county is simply unaffordable for too many, especially our county workers, first responders, young people, and seniors. We need to ensure more people are able to live and thrive in our amazing county. In Annapolis, I fought for working families to reduce BGE bills and the costs of everyday essentials.

A: As a delegate representing Howard County, I helped lead the passage of legislation that created the Citizens’ Election Fund. I’m a strong supporter of the option; however, the system was designed to help first-time candidates get off the ground. No one in this race is a first-time candidate. I entered this race as an experienced candidate with an existing traditional campaign account as a Maryland state delegate. I didn’t feel it was right to ask Howard County taxpayers to foot the bill for my campaign.

I also recognize that Howard County has pressing needs for public dollars, especially in education and other core services. In addition, candidates using the CEF cannot accept support from educators, labor unions, and many other organizations that have long been important partners in the causes I support. For all of those reasons, I chose to run a traditionally financed campaign while continuing to support the Citizens’ Election Fund as a valuable option for others.

A: Housing is simply too expensive in Howard County, pricing out far too many families, young people, and seniors from being able to live and thrive in our amazing community. And that is largely because there simply are not enough housing options available. Howard County must revise permitting and zoning processes and remove those that create unnecessary barriers to housing. We must also catch up on school construction so that we can grow availability for families as well. Lengthy timelines, duplicative reviews, and outdated zoning restrictions add cost and uncertainty, which ultimately reduce the number of affordable units that get built. Streamlining approvals, while maintaining appropriate community input, can lower costs and accelerate revenue generation and the delivery of housing without sacrificing standards. Building more options will ensure more working families, young people, and seniors can call Howard County home.

A: Howard County should compete on quality, talent, and predictability. Businesses make decisions based on more than tax rates; they look at operating costs, workforce strength, quality of life, and whether the government is efficient and reliable.

As county executive, I would focus on making Howard County the best place in the region to start, grow, and expand a business. That begins with reducing wait times and modernizing permitting, licensing, and inspections so businesses can move forward without costly delays or uncertainty. A responsive county government helps employers invest with confidence. We must also invest in education and workforce development so companies know they can hire talented workers locally. Howard County’s greatest asset is our people, and strengthening the pipeline from our schools, colleges, and training programs to careers will benefit both residents and employers. I also want to foster stronger relationships between small, mid-sized, and large businesses so mentorship, partnerships, and shared opportunities can grow. When local entrepreneurs can connect with established employers, it creates pathways for innovation, contracting, and long-term success. Infrastructure is equally important. We need strategic investments in roads, transit, and digital connectivity so employees, customers, and goods can move efficiently.

A: The school system has not received the level of funding that matches its size, scope, or importance in the county and this shows in the multi-year reductions in staffing and elimination of third-grade strings and gifted-and-talented programs.

I will prioritize funding for our public school system so that old, dysfunctional buildings are replaced, new seats are added to get kids out of trailers, and teachers and paraeducators no longer have to worry about keeping their jobs every year. Residents deserve to know that the school system will be supported and their children will continue to receive a top-notch education. The county has the funds to meet these needs, as evidenced by this year’s record funding for our schools. I will continue this commitment to school funding. As county executive, I would also lobby our state delegation and the General Assembly to discontinue shifting educational costs on to the counties. In an effort to resolve state budget shortfalls, the Maryland General Assembly has passed on an additional $16 million in costs, mainly teacher pensions and special education services, over the past two years to Howard County. These state cost shifts put more pressure on the school system to maintain existing services.

A: The three most pressing issues facing Howard County are school funding, affordability, and Trump’s actions against our immigrant community and federal workers.

Schools: School funding will be my top budgetary priority.

Affordability: I’ve made Howard County more affordable for seniors through the expansion of the Aging in Place tax credit, and I will continue to expand the credit so that more seniors qualify. I am endorsed by the Howard County Association of Realtors because I have been on the forefront of advocating for affordable home ownership for those who have been priced out of the county. As county executive, I would advance these goals through smart development and strategic investments. I will hold the line on taxes and fees. Hidden fee increases are pushing out businesses and working families. The county has adequate tax revenue to fund our needs without increasing rates. It’s simply a matter of priorities.

Protecting our values and our workforce: I will continue to protect our democratic values against the Trump administration’s overreach. I voted to prohibit private detention centers in Howard County and I will continue to stand up to the Trump administration and its cruel policies toward immigrants.

A: I am using public campaign financing because I believe that we need to get special interest money out of politics. Elon Musk bought the U.S. presidency for $291 million, a pittance of his massive fortune, and that playbook happens here on a smaller level but with the same outcome: special favors go to big donors.

The residents of Howard County are my donors and I am running to serve them and their interests. I used public financing for my previous council campaign and I removed impediments that kept publicly financed candidates from being competitive. In my 2022 campaign for county council, I was the first candidate to file for public financing. In this campaign, I was the first county executive candidate to qualify for public matching funds, and I am leading the publicly financed candidates in fundraising. It is possible to run a successful campaign for county executive funded directly by Howard County residents.

A: I am endorsed by the Howard County Association of Realtors because I have been on the forefront of promoting affordable home ownership. I will support the construction of affordable homes to purchase, zoning changes that balance increased density with quality of life, and financial assistance to first-time home buyers. Building generational wealth through home ownership attracts new residents and grows a strong Howard County.

I will continue to protect our seniors by expanding the Aging-in-Place tax credit so that our seniors can afford to stay in the community they call home. I will hold the line on taxes and fees so that working families aren’t pushed out of the county. I will increase the fee when developers opt out of building affordable units, consider opportunities for using county-owned land to increase housing opportunities, and subsidize construction of affordable rentals that do not concentrate poverty in low-income areas.

A: I am proud of my business-friendly reputation and I will rely on my contacts with local businesses to develop an administration that makes economic growth a high priority. I will establish a business concierge service that escorts business entities through the permitting process for the various government departments. This streamlined service will make it easier for businesses to comply with the law without wasting precious time or financial resources.

I will initiate comprehensive rezoning and redevelopment of Gateway so that Howard County can develop into a regional research hub. I will protect commercial areas from being rezoned into housing so that new businesses have an opportunity to relocate to and expand in Howard County. I will grow a skilled workforce by supporting career and trades training in our public schools and community college.

A: I applaud Dr. Ball for eliminating much of the historic streetscape demolition planned along Main Street and adding the North Tunnel to old Ellicott City’s flood works; funding enhanced emergency department and behavioral health capacity at Howard County General and Sheppard Pratt; creating administrative departments for General Services and Agriculture; and expanding curbside composting.

For all of the nearly eight years that I have served on the council, though, the outgoing administration has materially undercut our public schools. Even though the money to avoid class-size increases, implement state blueprint mandates and keep beloved programming — and to fix our ailing buildings — has been there all along. We should fairly pay, too, those who work at our library and community college. I would not have expanded water/sewer for a 1,200-unit Erickson development with zero affordability. And I cannot abide the current police chief, especially after two officer-involved deaths in less than three months. Lastly, differently, I will govern just as I have legislated — without favors owed to any corporate donor. My Department of Planning and Zoning will not rubber-stamp the profiteers’ submittals. My Department of Housing will actually house people. Under my leadership, our local government will be forthright, accessible, and accountable.

A: 1.) Schools underfunding.

2.) Housing affordability. We have a Department of Housing and Community Development that subsidizes construction of mostly market-rate, exclusively rental housing, and a Housing Commission that leases out more market-rate homes than it does “affordable.”

3.) A second Trump administration more dangerous and lawless than the first.

A: I am the only executive candidate in this race who does not take money from special interests.

Not from landowner/developers seeking plan approvals — like Howard Hughes, Waverly, H&H Rock, Security Development, Costello, or Elm Street Development. Not from those entities proposing redevelopment of the Long Reach Village Center. Not from Erickson in Clarksville. Not from any of the beneficiaries of the special deals and laws this county already has doled out to the owner/operators of Merriweather Post Pavilion, Turf Valley, Doughoregan Manor, Manor Hill Brewery and Savage Stone. Not from any of those entities’ principals, and not from those principals’ own family members. And not from the three or four land-use attorneys and lobbyists who represent them. I have seen first-hand the corrupting force of special interest donors on every aspect of local land-use policy and decision-making. And, in local government, land use is everything. Public financing is why we now have competitive primaries. No longer the singular criteria for our Democratic executive and council nominees is who has amassed the most cash from the profiteers. It’s our first chance in a long time to elect a county executive who will prioritize our public good over donor profits.

A: As county executive, I will increase the county’s supply of truly affordable housing just as I have — or have attempted to — for the last eight years on the council.

I will again legislate rent stabilization and advocate for just-cause eviction protections in Annapolis. I will continue to eliminate affordable housing exemptions, like I did in Turf Valley. I will end the Department of Housing and Community Development’s repeated practice of waiving affordability requirements — by both affordable unit landlords and sellers alike. I will continue to support inclusive projects like Patuxent Commons. I will continue to increase the percentage of required inclusionary “affordable” housing, like I did for the Columbia Gateway Master Plan and have tried many times for senior housing, particularly. And I will, finally, eliminate fee-in-lieu for good. I will not permit exclusive housing projects — like the one proposed at the Hickory Ridge Village Center or being built at the Erickson development in Clarksville — that do not include meaningful “affordable” housing. And perhaps most importantly, I will redefine “affordable” to actually capture the full range of potential residents who live here — or who would like to live here, including our own public servants and neighbors on fixed incomes.

A: 1.) Fund public schools’ and the community college’s alternative career path training and apprenticeships. We should be equipping our next generation for jobs and workplaces that aren’t as susceptible to replacement by AI.

2.) Plan and zone for existing and potential retail, commercial and industrial corridors. And then actually invest in attracting complementary businesses to and enhancing public amenities along those corridors — like a landscaped walking promenade up and down Korean Way, an ADA-accessible Main Street in old Ellicott City, or more robust public transportation linking employment centers along Route 1 to transit hubs and housing.

3.) Start charging a vacancy tax on underutilized and blighted commercial property.

4.) Stop pricing industrial and commercial uses out of appropriate sites by up-zoning industrial- and commercial-zoned properties into ultimately conflicting residential uses.

5.) Lean into our agricultural roots and expanded farming opportunity and innovation via our new Department of Agriculture.

6.) Lead in all things renewable energy — whether manufacture, generation, storage, efficient use, or maintenance and repair.