Swapping duties for a day

Howard County Police Sgt. Craig Ream, right, gives a tour to Days End Farm Horse Rescue’s Erin Ochoa at the James N. Robey Public Safety Training Center in Marriottsville on Tuesday. Ochoa takes responsibility as county executive for the morning while Allan H. Kittleman takes on farm duties during the annual “executive farmer job switch.” (Jen Rynda/Baltimore Sun Media Group )

County Executive Allan H. Kittleman grooms at Days End Farm Horse Rescue, one of his duties when he swapped jobs with a farmer for the day. ( Howard County )

County Executive Allan H. Kittleman headed to the fields Tuesday as Days End Farm Horse Rescue owner Erin Ochoa went to work behind a desk. The two switched roles as part of the county’s Farm-City Celebration.

As “county executive,” Ochoa attended meetings with staff from the Department of Recreation and Parks and visited the James N. Robey Public Safety Training Center, and also met with Bureau of Behavioral Health staff to learn about the spread of the opioid epidemic in Howard County.

Ochoa said she was “extremely surprised” to learn the broad scope of the problem in the county — as of Aug. 11, there had been 50 overdose deaths in Howard from opioids, heroin and fentanyl, according to county data. “I had no idea this was such a problem,” Ochoa said during the meeting.

At the Robey center, Ochoa said the county’s facility for training officers in everything from fire rescue to shooting firearms was “amazing” and a very unique asset the county is able to maintain.

She ended her visit with the chance to drive through the county’s collision avoidance training course. Typically used in classes geared toward new drivers, the course gives individuals a chance to practice maneuverability and quick response driving skills.

Meanwhile, Kittleman spent the morning with the horses at Days End, where he cleaned stalls, groomed and fed horses and completed other chores around the farm. “Days End is more than a horse rescue,” Kittleman said in remarks following the exchange. “This is a place where people can be healed inside as well as helping the horses being healed. It’s an amazing place.”

Ochoa said she was excited when the county approached her to participate in this year’s farmer-executive exchange, and that it was a great to have Kittleman out to the farm. She was also interested to learn about how Days End Farm could partner with the county to increase the farm’s efforts toward community service.

“It’s nice to see what we’re all doing in the county to make it better,” she said.

—?Kate Magill, Baltimore Sun Media Group