Johnny Olszewski is still Baltimore County Executive. But the County Council is laying plans to name an interim executive, should Olszewski get elected to Congress.
Several people are already lining up for the job if it becomes available.
Olszewski is favored to win his congressional race against Republican Kim Klacik in November. If that happens, there will be two years left in his second term and the County Council is required by the county charter to pick the successor.
“There’s no rulebook on how you do this,” said Democratic Councilman Mike Ertel.
In 2018, the council named Don Mohler the county executive after Kevin Kamenetz died in office. At the time, there were only eight months left in Kamenetz’s term.
Ertel said it’s different this time, since Olszewski’s successor would have more time in office. So, the council is developing a process.
“It’s not going to be behind the scenes we pick somebody and they’re suddenly the county exec,” Ertel said.
Ertel said the council is developing a questionnaire for candidates. They also are writing a job description and plan to hold a public hearing after election day should Olszewski win.
The county charter spells out the duties of the county executive, but Council Chairman Izzy Patoka, a Democrat, said he has asked the county’s human resources department to help develop the job description.
“We wanted to have a professional human resources lens on this process,” Patoka said.
Republican Councilman David Marks said it’s important for the council to hit the ground running should Olszewski win and leave office in early January.
“I would hope the new nominee can be picked by late December,” Marks said.
Both Marks and Ertel named several people who have said they’re interested in the job. Both said State Senator Kathy Klausmeier, former State Senator Jim Brochin and former Recreation and Parks Director Barry Williams have expressed interest.
“There are a lot of names, but the important thing is to have a structure in place after the election and also for the process to be public,” Marks said.
Brochin lost the 2018 Democratic nomination for county executive to Olszewski by 17 votes.
Patoka said the sentiment on the County Council is that they want a caretaker county executive, someone who would complete Olszewski’s four-year term but not run for election in 2026.
“I think that they don’t want to give any individual a head start on being an incumbent in the 2026 election,” Patoka said. “They’d like the 2026 election to be a contest of best qualities rather than having an incumbent that wasn’t elected by the voters.”
Council members said Brochin has submitted an affidavit promising to serve only the two years and not run for a four-year term in 2026. Brochin did not return a request for comment.
Education advocate Yara Cheikh, who is also the president of the Baltimore County Public Library Board of Trustees, said she has met with each Council member, expressing her interest in completing Olszewski’s term.
Cheikh said she has “touched every part of this county.” She said she wants to keep the momentum from the Olszewski administration going in education and smart planning for communities.
Olszewski is running to replace Rep. C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger as Maryland’s second congressional district congressman. He has several key advantages over Klacik in the race. He has far more money to spend on the campaign, he has name recognition, and he is running in a district that favors Democratic candidates.
