By Jayden Thomas
Staff Writer
This past Election Day is going to bring in some big changes for Howard County. To start, former County Executive, Allan Kittleman (R), lost in his rematch against incumbent Executive, Calvin Ball (D). On the state level, Governor Larry Hogan’s term limit will be ending in 2023, meaning there will be a new Governor by that time. Author and TV personality Wes Moore (D) beat out Maryland 4th district Delegate, and far-right Republican candidate, Dan Cox, winning 59.8% of the vote, becoming the first black Maryland Governor.
Both Ball and Moore seem to really care about the positions they’ve been elected to (and in Executive Ball’s case, re-elected), and already have plans in place to improve Howard County and Maryland respectively.
Moore’s three main issues he wants to tackle are the economy, education, and civil rights of Maryland minorities such as black families and the LGBTQ+ community. Moore has promised to improve economic opportunity in Maryland, which was made worse by COVID-19 lockdowns. As CEO of Robinhood, a non-profit organization designed to trade stocks, make investments, and fight poverty, Moore seems to have a foolproof plan to increase Maryland’s employment and economic growth.
Next, Moore plans to cover education by making it a quote, “top priority”. Moore says he wants to start by making sure the Blueprint of Education is fully funded, and that every child in Maryland has access to quality education that prepares them for future jobs. To address the teacher shortage, Moore will make it a point to increase teacher wages, and expand the Teaching Fellows for Maryland Scholarship.
In Moore’s plan to protect civil rights, he outlines that he will continue to protect the rights of people by fighting for equitable access to housing, health care, and environmental justice to minorities living in Maryland. Moore has created the Ninety-To-Zero project, which has the goal of bringing together CEO’s and Executive Directors for the purpose of providing help to shrink the racial wealth gap.
Moore has chosen Aruna Miller as his assistant Governor. She’s a graduate from Missouri University of Science and Technology, and spent 25 years in Maryland’s Department of Transportation. In 2010, she served as Maryland’s 15th district delegate, and served for eight years, where she worked to provide support for abuse survivors and STEM education. She later came in second when she ran for Maryland’s 6th district, out of eight candidates.
While Moore seems like a promising candidate, he has experienced a few bumps in the road. During his debate with opponent Dan Cox back in October, Cox brought into question where Moore is really from. Though he said in his book The Other Wes Moore, it’s said that he’s from Baltimore. However, there’s evidence to suggest that he’s from Washington D.C. This could come into play, as it means that Moore directly lied about some of his experiences in Maryland.
Nevertheless, Moore seems to have strong ideas about the future of Maryland, and whether good or bad, will certainly bring changes to Maryland. Moore has already gotten the support of Governor Hogan and Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford, wishing him good luck in the coming years.
On the Howard County Executive election side, Executive Calvin Ball beat Executive Kittleman, winning 56.56% of the vote, while Kittleman only won 43.44%. And with this win, comes a continuation of Ball’s policies.
Executive Ball has planned to double down on everything he’s done during his term as County Executive. While he hasn’t said much about his stance on School Resource Officers, he has planned to go full steam ahead with the development of High School #13, and eventually, a High School #14. Construction for the former will be completed before the 2023-24 school year.
Ball also plans to improve the County’s Economy by improving small businesses, partnering with the Howard County Economic Development Authority, to open a Innovation Center to open new jobs for those in need, both those who need a job, to businesses who need employees.
Ball also promises to improve the County’s environment by planting 65,000 trees, which should keep things like sediments out of the water, and, by extension, the Chesapeake Bay. This goes into Ball’s Howard County Forest Conservation Act. With the help of the state, Ball plans to improve forest conservation and strengthen Howard County’s fee-in-lieu regulation.
Overall, both men are determined to bring change, and it will be interesting to see it will turn out under their administrations.
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