8 people vying to replace Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. when he leaves for Congress

Baltimore County residents will have a chance to weigh in on the council's choice for a new county executive, replacing newly minted Democratic Congressman-elect Johnny Olszewski Jr. in January.

A public hearing is being planned for the first week of December, said Council Chairman Izzy Patoka, in order "to hear from the public, our stakeholders, what they believe the qualities are that an interim county executive ought to have."

The county council will open a portal on its website by Friday for those interested in applying for the position, with applications cut off toward the end of November. After the hearing, the council will approve a new executive by four out of seven votes. That decision will happen "hopefully" by the second week of January, after Olszewski is sworn into Congress, Patoka said.

If the council is not able to agree on a new executive by then, Baltimore County Administrative Officer D'Andrea Walker would serve as acting county executive, Patoka said. A spokesperson for Olszewski's office said Walker "remains prepared to continue to lead County government operations, ensure services are effectively delivered to our communities, and serve residents in any capacity as needed."

So far eight people have made unsolicited inquiries to express interest in the role, Patoka said. They are Former State Sen. Jim Brochin and Del. Jon Cardin, both Baltimore County democrats; Yara Cheikh, president of the Baltimore County Public Library Board of Trustees; Tara Ebersole, past president of the Baltimore County Democratic Party; State Sen. Kathy Klausmeier, a Baltimore County Democrat; Aris Melissaratos, former state secretary of business and economic development; Dennis Rasmussen, Baltimore County executive from 1986 to 1990; and Barry Williams, who's served as director of both the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks, and Department of Workforce Development.

Applicants for the position will be asked for a letter of interest, resume or curriculum vitae, and financial disclosure. Only Democrats have a chance at the position, as the county charter requires the person filling a vacancy to be of the same political party as the one leaving. The council also asks that applicants not run for office in 2026, in order to ensure the future election isn't weighted toward the incumbent.

Asked if Patoka plans to run for the position in 2026, he said he's weighing his options.

In considering applicants, Patoka said he's looking for someone focused on fiscal stewardship, and who's prepared to handle crisis situations like two in the recent past, the COVID-19 pandemic and collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge.

Patoka said he wants future vacancies to be filled by voters through a special election and plans to introduce a bill to that effect. That charter amendment wouldn't go before voters until 2026.

"With four votes, an interim county executive would be selected. That's not exactly democracy, in my opinion," Patoka said. "We want someone... to be selected in an election process."

The search for a new executive is reminiscent of 2018, when former Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz died suddenly of cardiac arrest. The council appointed Don Mohler , who had served as a top aide to Kamenetz, to fill the position for the remaining months of Kamenetz's term. Olszewski was elected and took office later that year.

But it's not quite the same situation, Patoka said.

"[Kamenetz] only had six months left of his term," he said. "Here we have two years."

The Sun reached out to all eight people who expressed interest in the position and received responses from five about their past accomplishments and top priorities. All five said they will not seek office in 2026.

James Brochin

Past accomplishments: Brochin was a state senator from 2003 to 2019 and noted his stand for protecting the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge during his time in office, in the face of opposition from other senators.

"You need somebody that's got the guts to do something like that," he said.

Top priorities: Brochin noted public safety, education and quality of life as top priorities. He also said he believes the next county executive needs to be "party-blind," and noted his own tendencies toward being a Republican on fiscal issues and Democrat on social issues. He also highlighted juvenile crime as a particular concern.

"I'd like to be going down to Annapolis with the state's attorney, Scott Shellenberger, and testifying on different alternatives for juveniles and juvenile crime, because juvenile crime is not only pervasive in the city, but it's pervasive in Baltimore County," he said.

Yara Cheikh

Past accomplishments: Cheikh has served as the education chair of the League of Women Voters and as the president of the Baltimore County Public Library Board.

"I advocated for the hybrid school board bill passage and realized that issues around education also have to do with issues of making sure families were supported," she said.

Top priorities: Cheikh said she wants more government transparency and access to information about government activities.

"I think the more we share on our website and demonstrate that we're using data to drive policy, the more we can justify our policies and better serve our residents," she said.

Tara Ebersole

Past accomplishments: Ebersole served as the chair of the Baltimore County Democratic Party and as a professor at the Community College of Baltimore County. She's married to State Del. Eric Ebersole, a Baltimore County Democrat. She says her administrative and political background could be helpful as county executive. She noted her creation of the Baltimore County STEM Alliance.

"Our goal was to increase minority and women in STEM, and we increased both of those by close to 100% in the few years that the organization was in place," she said.

Top priorities: Ebersole said she wants to make sure there are jobs and housing available for Baltimore County Public School students after they finish school.

"You have to make sure the workforce is available, and you have to make sure the students are prepared for that workforce," she said.

Kathy Klausmeier

Past accomplishments: As a state senator, Klausmeier said one of her greatest accomplishments was increasing the use of a naloxone to reverse overdoses in the state to combat deaths during the opioid crisis.

"I have always been very interested in helping people with the opioid crisis and the families of those people," she said.

Top priorities: Klausmeier wants to work with police to address aggressive driving, in addition to improving sidewalks.

"We have so many places that we could use sidewalks for people to get to work, people to get to school, rather than use buses all the time, which costs a lot of money," she said.

Aris Melissaratos

Past accomplishments: Melissaratos has served as state secretary of business and economic development, dean of the Brown School of Business and Leadership at Stevenson University, and vice president at Westinghouse Electric Corporation.

"At Westinghouse, when I started there, the business was $180 million a year and losing $50 million. And when I left, it was $3.2 billion a year, making $500 million worth of profit," he said.

Top priorities: His top priorities include public safety, health, quality of life issues, education, and economic development.

"Transportation and traffic is huge, especially with the bridge being down. Most of the Baltimore beltway resides in Baltimore County, and the traffic tie-ups are incredible," he said. "We need strategic fixes. So you need to think not two years out, but you need to think 10 and 20 years out."