TOWSON, MD—Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski (D) will soon be leaving for Congress, after defeating Kim Klacik (R) in the 2024 elections.  When he departs, a replacement will need to be found.

There are currently eight individuals who are eager to fill the role. The next County Executive must also be a Democrat, as the as county charter requires the person filling a vacancy to belong to the same political party as the individual vacating the role.

• State Senator Jim Brochin, Baltimore County;
• Delegate Jon Cardin, Baltimore County;
• Yara Cheikh, president of the Baltimore County Public Library Board of Trustees;
• Tara Ebersole, past president of the Baltimore County Democratic Party;
• State Senator Kathy Klausmeier, Baltimore County;
• Aris Melissaratos, former state secretary of business and economic development;
• Dennis Rasmussen, Baltimore County executive from 1986 to 1990; and
• Barry Williams, former 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, according to The Baltimore Sun. 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.

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

The Baltimore 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.