Campaign Twitter
crawford4exec
Campaign Phone
9364655812
Campaign Instagram
crawford4exec
I am running because families are paying more and getting less, and I’m not willing to sit back and watch our county drift. I bring 40+ years in business and over 35 years as a volunteer firefighter and chief, managing multimillion-dollar budgets, securing grants, and leading teams in real emergencies. I’ll bring that same calm, hands-on, common-sense leadership to make county government work for everyday families.
I’ll run county government like a family budget: no waste, clear priorities, honest numbers. That means putting school safety, senior services, and public safety at the top of the list, reviewing departments regularly, cutting what doesn’t work, and posting simple and concise updates so every taxpayer can see where their money goes and how it protects their family.
My top priorities are protecting families from runaway tax bills, fully funding core services, and squeezing waste out of the system. I’ll hold the property tax rate down, fulfill my Promise to Seniors with targeted relief for seniors, veterans, and volunteers, and use savings and grant dollars to strengthen school safety, roads, and public safety so every family feels secure.
When local businesses thrive, families do better. I’ll cut business taxes to keep jobs here, go after corporations to relocate here, slash red tape so employers can open and hire faster. Work aggressively to go after state and federal grants. I’ll also expand job training and apprenticeship programs so our residents, including young people and seniors who want to keep working—can learn new skills, earn better wages, and support their families.
I will focus on helping regular families, not big insiders. While my opponents talk about affordability and deliver more red tape and sprawl, I’ll cut delays, encourage developers to turn vacant homes into livable homes, and build workforce housing so teachers, nurses, police, fire and young families can live near work—without raising your property taxes. While continuing the mission of safe, stable neighborhoods for seniors and children.
Our greatest challenge is keeping families safe and secure—protecting children in their schools, seniors on fixed incomes, and neighborhoods facing rising costs. I’ll launch a Safeguard Our Children School Safety Program and Promise to Seniors Initiative, with real tax relief and services, and treat every budget like a family budget: cut waste, lower pressure on taxes, and make sure people can afford to live and feel safe here.
Campaign Phone
4105621345
Campaign Instagram
www.instagram.com/jamesforannearundel/
I want Anne Arundel to be a place where both current residents and future generations can thrive. This starts with increasing the role of community voices in policies and processes, and getting big money out of politics. After starting my career as a high school history and government teacher, I earned a PhD in public policy. I have worked for more than 7 years on the senior management team of the Pittman Administration. I have real, executive branch experience and will be ready on day one.
Our county government is already very efficient and your tax dollars go further here than any other jurisdiction in the state - we have an amazing workforce. But we can do even more by identifying how departments can work collaboratively to reduce duplication. For example, if a road is being repaved, and there is a plan to put a bike lane on that road, we should coordinate so that the bike lane is added during the repaving instead of coming back later and having to restripe the road twice.
My top priority will be filling vacancies and addressing understaffing among teachers, educational support specialists, librarians, public safety workers, and more - so that our staff have the resources and support they need to do their jobs. I will also increase our investments in land conservation, renewable energy generation, and in public transportation and bike/pedestrian infrastructure so that our residents don’t have to get in a car every time they leave their homes.
My administration will focus on supporting small, local businesses and investing in the recruitment pipeline in our schools and communities for good-paying local jobs. We will help up- and re-skill for an evolving economy to fill gaps, increase investments in public transportation, bike/pedestrian infrastructure, and workforce and affordable housing, making it easier for families to live in and move around Anne Arundel County and increasing access to local jobs.
We don’t just have a housing shortage - we specifically have an affordable housing shortage. We can’t just build our way out of this crisis (trickle down economics has never worked for working people). We must be willing to use policy tools to demand that what gets built actually works for our residents. This is why I’m running my campaign using public financing - so that I will be financially independent from the development community and can make policy decisions that work for our residents.
Protecting our communities from the chaos coming from Washington is our greatest challenge. At a time when the feds are pulling back on education funding and environmental regulations, it is imperative that local government prioritizes these areas and supports our immigrant communities and others who are being targeted. My administration will prioritize education funding, land preservation, and other environmental initiatives, and will work to protect the rights of every single county resident.
Campaign Phone
4108815575
I am running for County Executive because I have cone to the realization that the citizens of AA County do not have an equal seat at the table, and I want to change that. I am a professional City and Regional planner and have been in the profession for nearly 20 years working with local, state, and Federal Government stakeholders.
I will move the county toward a performance-based budgeting model. Instead of simply renewing last year’s department totals, every agency must demonstrate how their requested funding directly achieves specific, public-facing goals—such as reducing emergency response times, increasing school resource availability, or accelerating road repairs.
I will enforce strict infrastructure concurrency standards. We cannot afford the long-term "hidden tax" of failing roads and overcrowded schools caused by unchecked development.
I would also My goal is to create a unified digital portal for all county services. Streamlining how citizens interact with the government—from paying taxes to applying for permits—reduces administrative bloat and allows us to do more with less.
will expand partnerships between our public schools, community colleges, and local industries to create robust vocational "fast-tracks."
My administration will prioritize Workforce Housing initiatives, ensuring that our teachers, first responders, and service workers can afford to live near their jobs and transportation options.
I will work to attract and retain businesses in the green energy, bio-tech, and logistics sectors through targeted incentives that are tied to local hiring benchmarks
I would work to incentivize additional housing along transportation corridors with alternative transportation options. Additionally I would work to streamline the process for permits consistent with "Smart Growth" principles. I will also look to target areas with vacant commercial spaces and leverage those sites for rezoning as mixed use creating opportunities for sustainable development.
The greatest challenge facing our County is the unsustainable pressure on our infrastructure and public services caused by decades of reactive, rather than proactive, growth management.
We must stop approving large-scale developments that our current infrastructure cannot support. I will implement a strict concurrency policy: no new major residential project will be green-lit unless the surrounding schools and roads are already equipped to handle the increased capacity.
Campaign Twitter
@allison_pickard
Campaign Phone
217-552-8425
Campaign Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/allison.m.pickard/
In uncertain times, strong leadership matters. I began my public service as an inaugural AmeriCorps member and went on to serve as a PTA leader, Board of Education member, and two-term County Council leader. My nonprofit career reflects executive leadership—managing teams, overseeing budgets, and delivering results. I’m running to continue the progress made over the last 8 years with a platform that will tackle affordability, strengthen schools, and build an economy that works for everyone.
I will work everyday to improve transparency, accountability, efficiency, and fiscal responsibility in county government — ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent wisely, fairly, and in alignment with community priorities. That means enhancing constituent services, cutting red tape, eliminating waste, practicing responsible governance and increasing public engagement on how our tax funds are spent. We must also grow our economy to support future investments without burdening our current residents.
My top fiscal priorities are fully funding our education, investing in our workforce, and ensuring safe staffing for our trusted first responders. Given the state’s fiscal challenges, our county must be prepared to stand on its own. This is a difficult environment that requires disciplined budgeting and tough decisions. I bring proven leadership and management experience to protect essential services and our workforce while keeping our county financially strong.
I believe we need to create a local economy that works for everyone. I will work every day to support our local businesses and recruit new enterprises in leading industries to create family-supporting careers. We have the opportunity to expand workforce development and job training programs, working with our schools and unions, to create apprenticeship opportunities as part of our Blueprint initiatives so that our young adults are both college and career ready.
People are being priced out of our communities and the American Dream of homeownership is becoming out of reach for our young adults. Older adults have fewer affordable options to downsize and age in place. I will create housing opportunities that meet our needs: starter homes for first-time buyers, accessible options for older adults, and real transit-oriented development. All of this work requires utilizing smart growth principles, environmental protections, and meaningful community input.
I believe the greatest challenge ahead is tackling the affordability crisis facing so many of our residents. We have to do everything we can to ease the rising cost of living by expanding affordable housing options, lowering utility bills, increasing accessible childcare and eldercare, and ensuring our workers get paid a livable wage. With a stagnant economy, we need a leader that can build a coalition with our state and federal partners to bring home resources and get real results.
Campaign Phone
4437732606
Campaign Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/petesmithmd/
I am running to provide the leadership our county needs as we face pressing challenges in education, environmental protection and public safety, along with a reckless federal administration.
I’ve made tough and thoughtful decisions as a County Council member for 11 years, and I know the investments and innovation we need.
As a Marine with experience in intelligence operations after rising from a childhood of poverty, I am committed to public service and know what success looks like.
My administration will unlock Anne Arundel County’s full potential and change the predominant regulatory attitude from ‘no’ to ‘yes.’
We will streamline a cumbersome permitting process faced by residents and businesses. We will promote businesses in high-growth sectors to invest and create jobs, unlocking potential and generating new revenue for public needs.
We will push for multi-year budgeting and contracts, because predictability and planning will drive the outcomes we desire.
We must invest more in education, public safety, protecting the environment, promoting healthy living and providing resources for aging residents.
My economic plan will generate resources to make sure our educators can serve our communities and our children. We also need additional public safety funding to bring our fire and EMS staffing to the levels we need.
I will prioritize safe streets, mentorship and training for young people, and health care and transportation for older residents.
Anne Arundel’s strong economy can get better. We have identified key growth sectors: aerospace, cybersecurity, life sciences and logistics. We must focus support on these sectors, through land-use decisions and investment incentives.
We must ensure that agencies have the resources to prepare students and transitioning workers for the jobs in growth industries and small businesses. I will support AACC and trade unions on career-path opportunities for all who need them.
My plan is built on three pillars: Identifying and promoting the right locations for housing; streamlining the local approval process; and leveraging partnerships with the state and non-profits.
We will conduct a targeted review of zoning to make sure current designations make sense; identify surplus property that could be used for housing; and develop legislative solutions that fill gaps, like my cottage home plan. We will remove unnecessary roadblocks and expedited approvals.
We face competing challenges: growing our economy; providing jobs; adding housing and pushing back against chaos from the administration in Washington.
Many of our friends, neighbors and business owners are struggling, and others are afraid. I hear them. As a councilman, Marine and intelligence specialist, I have the skills and background to address these issues. I know how to provide full funding for schools, build a culture of excellence that serves residents and the business community.
