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Bryan P. Sears has been covering Baltimore County politics and government for more than a decade.Retaking the mantle of innovation: County Executive-elect Kevin Kamenetz said during a Thursday news conference regarding the transition to his administration that he hoped to be more like the county's neighbor to the west. "When I was young, I remember very clearly that Baltimore County, at least in my opinion, was the ideas county—seen as a real innovator across the state. It was certainly home to that sense of innovation and creativity," Kamenetz said. "And I had a sense that over the years, with all compliments to our friends to the west in Howard County, that they've kind of assumed that…
Fun fact to know and tell: Regardless of who wins the Cathy Bevins—Ryan Nawrocki race for County Council's Sixth District seat, this will be the first time in council history that the legislative body won't have at least one lawyer as a member. Potential trip under the bus: Richard Cross, the former speech writer and staffer for former Gov. Robert Ehrlich has a few thoughts regarding possible excuses his former boss might use for his recent defeat. At least two of the five reasons include people from Baltimore County that Cross believes could be set up for "a potential trip under the bus.""…
UPDATE (10:15 p.m.)—Looking for some additional post-game analysis of the elections? I break down some of the numbers including the governor's race in Baltimore County and some council races with WBAL 1090 AM Maryland Morning News anchor Bill Vanko. You can listen to it here.I also joined a cast of other political observers on the Midday with Dan Rodricks show on WYPR 88.1 FM to talk about the governor's race, County Executive-elect Kevin Kamenetz and impending changes coming to the County Council. Less than a day removed from the 2010 mid-term elections, here's what we know and what some of…
Early voting numbers for the general election were twice the primary election total, but the expected higher turnout did not quite meet election officials' highest hopes. County Elections Director Katie Brown said the increased turnout over September was expected because more voters are eligible to cast ballots in the general election. Independents and third-party voters cannot vote in the closed, two-party primaries. Last week, about 6.3 percent of the nearly 493,000 total county voters took advantage of early voting. That was twice the early voting percentages in September when slightly …
In case you hadn't noticed, I left the Towson Times to join Patch. It's a different and innovative platform, but as the Baltimore County government and politics editor I promise to deliver the same steady scoops you've come to expect. I hope my loyal audience stays with me. So, let's get started. Reading the tea leaves: Republican County Executive candidate Ken Holt sees the increased turnout during the most recent early voting period as a reason to be optimistic. "As I look at the numbers in the early voting, I see an increase in the Democratic turnout," Holt said on the Halloween night …
