I’m in Oregon with family for my niece’s high school graduation, so as mandated by County Charter, Chief Administrative Officer Christine Anderson has stepped up to the official duties of the job.
But the duty to write this letter, well…I just can’t let go of that.
On Saturday, I took great pride in our people with every text message that came in reporting on the peaceful, patriotic mobilization of democracy-loving county residents at Waugh Chapel, Annapolis Mall, Lawyers Mall, and Glen Burnie. I especially loved reading about the re-enactment of George Washington resigning his commission and thereby rejecting the concept of one-man rule in our country. No kings. That happened right here in Annapolis.
I return home tomorrow night (actually tonight when you read this), and on Saturday will attend the regularly-scheduled meeting of the Maryland Democratic Party State Central Committee. I mention this on a county government platform only because at that meeting the elected members present will vote on who will become their next chairperson, and at the request of Governor Moore, I have agreed to serve if elected. I owe you an explanation of how taking on this responsibility would impact my service as your County Executive for the next 18 months.
First, I am term-limited and do not intend to run for any other office in the 2026 election. Running for office while serving is a common practice, and I did it in 2021-2022. It means dividing one’s time between official and campaign duties.
If elected party chair, the time that I would spend campaigning for myself will instead be dedicated to campaigning for all candidates from my party running in the 2026 general election.
I should also note that if I am not elected party chair, I will still be dedicating significant time to campaigning for candidates. What does change if I am elected is that my campaign account will be closed and I will cease activities in support of candidates running in primaries.
I have spoken at length with my staff about whether my service as party chair could have a negative impact on the work we do on behalf of county residents. Their answer is no. They are focused primarily on the theme of our second term, “Finishing what we started.” They know what needs to be done, and they are committed to doing it. Some have also noted that it’s never a bad thing for the County’s leader to engage with and be of service to elected leaders across the state. I agree.
They and I also understand that political parties, whether we like it or not, are the institutions through which almost all elected government leaders pass before taking office, and that anything I can do to create community engagement in the work of a party translates to the kind of community engagement in governing that our administration works to encourage every day.
I have plenty of opinions about both the Democratic and Republican Parties as they exist today, but those are not appropriate for a newsletter published on a government platform. I will share them elsewhere.
Last, but certainly not least, I want to wish you a happy Juneteenth. Today (well, yesterday by the time you get this) is the day 160 years ago that Major General Gordon Granger took control of soldiers stationed in Texas, issuing General Order #3, including these words.
“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.”
Two years later, the federal government had passed the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendment and the Military Reconstruction Act, to force all states to allow Black Americans to vote, and began promoting the celebration of Juneteenth as a way of spreading the word in Black communities. Juneteenth celebrations waned in the Jim Crow years, but we’ve brought them back.
On June 2, 2021, I signed Executive Order #48, making Juneteenth an Anne Arundel County holiday. The federal government did the same soon after.
I was inspired by the work of Phyllis “Tee” Adams, who convened a group of Black county residents to launch our first major Juneteenth March and Celebration in 2021. It has grown each year, and I am disappointed to miss both the gala Friday night, and the march on Saturday. I will, however, swing by the two-day celebration that is taking place throughout the weekend for the first time this year at our own Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds.
Corporations have pulled sponsorship dollars from Juneteenth celebrations here in our county and across the country in response to the Trump administration’s threats against businesses, nonprofits, and governments that tell the history of American enslavement and subsequent forms of institutional racism. Your county government proudly sponsors Juneteenth, and I hope you will participate this weekend. Details are here.
Until next week…