Former Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman announced earlier this week that he is running again for the position in 2022 after losing his bid for a second term in 2018.
Kittleman, a Republican, launched his campaign in a five-minute video posted on YouTube.[i] Kittleman lost his previous bid for reelection to Calvin Ball, a Democrat, who served 12 years on the Howard County Council in 2018 by 8,000 votes.[ii]
In Kittleman’s video, he said “..these past two years we have seen our communities go in the wrong direction. We are more divided, more taxed, and more worried about our shared future. For these reasons and because I love our county and its people, I am announcing today to once again to be your county executive.”
As Josh Kurtz pointed out in Maryland Matters, the announcement “says everything you need to know about the 2022 political environment — in Maryland and beyond. Howard County is becoming increasingly Democratic, and incumbent County Executive Calvin B. Ball III (D) was, until Kittleman’s announcement, seen as likely to win reelection. But the past few weeks, with the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, with COVID-19 cases spiking, and with voter unease about the state of the economy and public safety, have been a disaster for Democrats and President Biden’s approval ratings have tumbled dramatically.”[iii]
Kittleman previously served as a Maryland State Senator from 2004 to 2014, representing the 9th district covering Howard and Carroll Counties, and was Senate Minority Leader from 2008 to 2011. He also previously served on the Howard County Council from 1998 to 2004. During his first term as County Executive, his top priorities included improving the delivery of human services, closing the education gap and rebuilding infrastructure.
According to the Maryland Reporter, Kittleman can keep his job as a Maryland Workers Compensation Commission member if he does not campaign during office hours.[iv] He was appointed to the commission by Gov. Larry Hogan after his reelection defeat. His current salary is $161,333 and his 12-year term on the commission continues until 2030.
[i] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXvyATRhqh8
[ii] https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/howard/ph-ho-cf-executive-race-1108-story.html
[iii] https://www.marylandmatters.org/2021/09/07/josh-kurtz-kittlemans-comeback-attempt-says-a-lot-about-the-2022-political-environment/
[iv] https://marylandreporter.com/2021/09/06/kittleman-seeks-rematch-with-ball-for-howard-county-executive/