Will it be a new day for Maryland?
Now that the results of the General Election have been certified, new leadership in Baltimore County and the state of Maryland — some of it historic — is in effect.
Wes Moore, an author, Rhodes Scholar and former CEO of a non-profit, was installed on Jan. 18 as Governor—the first Black elected governor in Maryland and the third in the United States. After defeating Trump-supported Del. Dan Cox with 63.4% of the vote in Baltimore County, Moore and his lieutenant governor Aruna Miller, the first South Asian woman elected lieutenant governor in the United States, have hit the ground running.
In his first days of office, Moore released $69 million in state funds — which had been withheld by former governor Larry Hogan — to support initiatives related to climate change and energy, paid family and medical leave, cannabis reform, and abortion care access. Moore also introduced a $63.1 billion state budget for fiscal year 2024, which proposes investments in education and transportation and eliminating child poverty.
For Comptroller, former Baltimore City delegate Brooke Lierman, a civil rights attorney, defeated former Harford County Executive Barry Glassman with 59% of the vote in Baltimore County. Fittingly, she was sworn in on Jan. 16, the observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, as Maryland’s 34th comptroller and the first woman in that role.
Anthony Brown, a former Maryland lieutenant governor and congressman, bested former Anne Arundel councilman Michael Peroutka with almost 63% of the vote to become the state’s first black and 47th attorney general. As the top legal officer, Brown has stated his priorities will include civil rights enforcement, public safety and police reform—with a lens around equity.
Closer to home, on Dec. 5 Johnny Olszewski Jr. was sworn in for a second term as county executive along with members of the County Council and Board of Education. Julian Jones returns for a second term as the councilman for District 4 (Randallstown, Owings Mills) and Izzy Patoka for District 2 (Lochearn, Woodlawn and Reisterstown). Former delegate Pat Young is the new council member for District 1 (Catonsville and Windsor Mill). In December, Jones was elected council chair for the third consecutive year.
For U.S. Congress, Dutch Ruppersberger (District 2) and Kweisi Mfume (District 7) were re-elected to the House of Representatives, and Chris Van Hollen to the U.S. Senate.
Representing the west side on the Baltimore County Board of Education are first-term board members Robin Harvey (District 1), a social worker, Janet Lichter (District 2), a former principal, and Brenda Hatcher-Savoy (District 4). They’ll join other newcomers Maggie Domanoswki (District 3) and Christina Pumphrey (District 6). In December, Lichter was elected board chair and Harvey vice chair.
Harvey said she intends to use critical thinking and problem-solving skills in her role. “Student achievement is the central priority. We must create and maintain schools that expect the best from our students and give them the best,” she said. “School safety and teacher/staff support are priorities that support student achievement.
“I intend to measure every decision against the standard of determining how it positively impacts the results we seek for students, teachers, staff, and families,” Harvey said.
Savoy and Lichter did not respond to a request for comment about their goals.
