Baltimore County, Maryland Elects Julian Jones, Its First Black County Executive

Baltimore County voters made history on Tuesday, November 3. Julian Jones won the race for county executive and will become the first Black person elected to lead the county, Maryland's third largest by population.

Jones, a 63-year-old Democrat from Woodstock, took 146,621 votes, 62.4 percent of the total in the results posted by The Baltimore Banner. He defeated Pat Dyer, a 64-year-old Republican financial planner and business owner from Timonium who campaigned on tackling crime and bringing new investment to the county. Dyer did not return calls and texts seeking comment on Tuesday night, the Banner reported.

"I have met families who simply want safe neighborhoods, good schools, and a fair shot at success," Jones told supporters in Towson on Tuesday evening. "To every one of them, and to every one of you here tonight, I want to make it as clear as I can: Help is on the way."

A career of firsts

Jones has broken barriers before. In the Anne Arundel County Fire Department, where he spent much of his career, he was the first Black lieutenant, captain, battalion chief and division chief. Baltimore County voters first elected him to the County Council in 2014, for the Randallstown area. He was only the second Black member in the council's history, and his colleagues elected him chair three times, a first for the council. He won a five-way Democratic primary in June and spent nearly $2 million on the race, much of it in the primary.

Jones succeeds Kathy Klausmeier, who was appointed in early January 2025 to finish the term of Johnny Olszewski Jr. after Olszewski won a seat in Congress. "I think he will do very well," Klausmeier said. "He has a lot of experience, and I will be here to help him with the transition." Jones and the county's other new officials will be inaugurated on December 5.

Housing sits at the top of the list

Jones ran on growth, affordability and modernizing county systems so builders can get permits faster. The county is losing population, and its housing director says it needs 19,000 new homes. It has built 1,000. More than half of renting households in the county spend at least 30 percent of their income on housing costs, according to U.S. Census data cited by the Banner, and about 1 in 4 renters spend at least half. Jones, a father of three, often talks about his children's friends moving to other counties because they cannot find homes in Baltimore County.

Two other county races also made history on Tuesday. Sarah David, a deputy state prosecutor, ran unopposed in the general election after defeating State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger, in the office since 2007, in the June primary. She becomes the second woman to hold the post, after Sandra Ann O'Connor, who served from 1975 to 2006. Clyde Boatwright, 49, a sergeant with the Baltimore City School Police and a longtime union official, won the sheriff's race and will be the county's first Black sheriff. The current sheriff, R. Jay Fisher, is retiring after 24 years.

A Republican has not been elected Baltimore County executive since 1990, when Roger Hayden won one term.