Allison Pickard, a Democrat who represents Millersville, Severn and Glen Burnie on the Anne Arundel County Council, launched her campaign to be the next county executive.

Pickard, 52, announced her bid to replace term-limited County Executive Steuart Pittman on Dec. 8 at the Moose Athletic Club in Glen Burnie.

“I think I have the skill set and the vision and the tenacity to take the county to the next step,” she said Monday. “Whether it’s revitalization, our infrastructure investment, continuing to invest in our workforce, which is incredibly important if we’re going to deliver services the way our residents deserve — that’s my why.”

Pickard is halfway through her second term on the County Council. The Millersville resident was first elected to the county’s legislative body in 2018 and has served as chair of the council. Before that, Pickard spent just over a year on the Anne Arundel County Board of Education from early 2015 to mid-2016 after being appointed to fill a vacant seat by former Gov. Larry Hogan.

Under the incoming presidential administration of Republican Donald Trump, Pickard says local government could be “tested” with more mandates and less federal and state funding. That will require creativity, she said, and looking to more public-private partnerships to improve and invest in county infrastructure. Resiliency, as well as investing in and maintaining a quality workforce, are her top priorities, she said.

“There’s a lot going on in the county at any given time, but there’s an element to getting the basics right, everything from sidewalks to road improvements,” she said, “but also thinking ahead to revitalization and redevelopment and investing in communities that maybe haven’t seen as much attention.”

Affordable housing will remain a priority for Pickard, who championed this year’s Housing Attainability Act with other council Democrats. The legislation, which goes into effect July 1, will require new housing developments with 20 or more units to designate 10% of for-sale units and 15% of rental units to be affordable for anyone who falls within a certain household income threshold.

“I want to make sure that Anne Arundel County is a place people want to stay [in],” she said. “We have been incredibly blessed to raise our family here, but I want to make sure that kids growing up today, even my own high schoolers, can afford to live here when they are setting out on their own, so it’s important for our future that we make sure we have housing and resources and beautiful parks and amenities for every stage of life.”

Eight Democratic Anne Arundel County lawmakers have endorsed Pickard, including Congresswoman-elect Sarah Elfreth, state Sens. Pamela Beidle and Dawn Gile, Dels. Sandy Bartlett, Mark Chang, Dana Jones and Andrew Pruski, and current County Council Chair Julie Hummer.

“Allison has been a tireless advocate for our community, delivering results that make a real difference for families across Anne Arundel County,” Gile said in a news release. “Her leadership, dedication, and vision are exactly what we need to continue moving our county forward. I am proud to stand with Allison Pickard for County Executive — because when she leads, we all win.”

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