# Howard County Executive
**In one sentence:** The County Executive leads Howard County's executive branch, whose staff build the county's yearly operating and capital budgets, and you may vote for 1 candidate [1][10].

## The candidates

### Vanessa Atterbeary (Democratic)
- **Background:** She was born in Columbia in 1975. She went to Atholton High School, the College of William & Mary, and Villanova law school, and she is an attorney [2]. She lives in Fulton [3].
- **Top stated priorities:** In her own words, her priorities are:
  - housing that working families can afford
  - schools
  - faster, more helpful county service, such as permits
  - a review of county spending
  - better teamwork with the County Council [3]
- **Record or experience relevant to this office:** She was the state delegate for District 13 from 2015 until she resigned in January 2026 to run for this office [4]. She chaired Ways and Means, a House committee on taxes and gaming [4]. She was also an assistant attorney general for Washington, D.C. [2]. She says she passed background checks for long guns and led a police-reform workgroup [3]. She won the June Democratic primary [5].

### Nater Kane (Green)
- **Background:** He is 48 and works as a software engineer in Ellicott City. He grew up in Howard County and attended its public schools [7]. He says he is on Medicaid and gets help paying home energy bills [6].
- **Top stated priorities:** His proposals are:
  - a $30 minimum wage by 2030
  - no rent increases above 2.5% a year
  - limiting the executive's pay to five times the minimum-wage income
  - relying less on nonprofits and private companies for county services [6]
  
  He opposes heavy use of surveillance cameras and opposes police stationed full-time in schools. He supports ranked-choice voting, where voters rank candidates in order [7].
- **Record or experience relevant to this office:** Not found in sources checked. He entered the race in July, after the primary [6].

## Where they differ
- **Campaign money:** Atterbeary was the only primary candidate who did not use the county's public-financing program, the Citizens' Election Fund. She also accepted business donations [5][7]. Kane says he takes no corporate money [9]. By Aug. 18, Kane had raised under $1,000. Atterbeary had raised about $1.4 million over the election cycle [7].
- **Policing:** Atterbeary says officers need training, staffing and equipment [3]. Her site lists endorsements from two Howard County police groups, Lodges 21 and 143 [8]. Kane says surveillance cameras "don't help solve crime" [7].
- **Wages and rent:** Kane proposes a $30 minimum wage and a 2.5% rent cap [6]. Atterbeary promises more housing options for working families [3]. Her positions on a rent cap or a higher minimum wage: Not found in sources checked.

## If you care most about...
- **Schools** -> Atterbeary supported funding for the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, the state's school-reform plan [4]. She would consider using one-time money for school repairs [3]. Kane says school funding shouldn't be "a political thing" [6]. A detailed school plan from Kane: Not found in sources checked.
- **Cost of living** -> Kane wants a higher minimum wage and a rent cap [6]. Atterbeary wants housing that teachers, first responders and seniors can afford, plus a bigger tax base [3].
- **Public safety** -> Atterbeary focuses on trust between police and residents, plus staffing and training [3]. Kane wants fewer cameras and no full-time school police [7].
- **Money in politics** -> Kane refuses corporate donations [9]. Atterbeary called her primary opponents' attacks on her fundraising "desperate" [5].

## What we could not verify
- The official State Board of Elections candidate list (page not found). Ballot order comes from the assignment.
- Ballotpedia pages (blocked our tool) and Vote411 candidate answers.
- Kane's Baltimore Sun questionnaire answers and any endorsements of Kane.
- Kane's transit and property-tax plans. His pages say they are coming [9].

## Confidence
Medium. The facts come from official and news sources, but many positions are the candidates' own claims, and there is less coverage of Kane.

## Sources
[1] Budget Office - Howard County Government - https://www.howardcountymd.gov/budget-office
[2] Delegate Vanessa E. Atterbeary - Maryland General Assembly - https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Members/Details/atterbeary01
[3] Howard County Executive 2026 election candidate profiles - The Baltimore Sun - https://www.baltimoresun.com/2026/05/20/howard-county-executive-candidates-2026-election/
[4] House shakeup continues, as Atterbeary resigns to focus on run for Howard County executive - Maryland Matters - https://marylandmatters.org/2025/12/11/atterbeary-house-resignation/
[5] Vanessa Atterbeary wins Howard County Executive Democratic primary - CBS News Baltimore - https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/vanessa-atterbeary-wins-howard-county-executive-democratic-primary/
[6] Meet the Green Party candidate hoping to beat Vanessa Atterbeary for Howard County Executive - CBS News Baltimore - https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/green-party-candidate-nater-kane-howard-county-vanessa-atterbeary/
[7] In Howard race for executive, Kane's candidacy means no free ride for Atterbeary - Maryland Reporter - https://marylandreporter.com/2026/09/29/in-howard-race-for-executive-kanes-candidacy-means-no-free-ride-for-atterbeary/
[8] Vanessa Atterbeary for Howard County Executive (candidate's own site) - https://www.vanessaatterbeary.org/
[9] Nater Kane for HoCo Executive (candidate's own site) - https://votenater.org/
[10] County Executive - Howard County Government - https://www.howardcountymd.gov/county-executive