# Howard County Executive **In one sentence:** You elect the county's chief elected leader (a one-year job) for Howard County — a job that includes running the yearly budget — and you may vote for one candidate. ## The candidates ### Vanessa Atterbeary (Democrat) - **Background:** Attorney who served 11 years as Maryland State Delegate for District 13 (Howard County), including as chair of the Ways and Means Committee (the committee that works on tax and spending). [3] [4] She resigned from the House to run for county executive. [4] - **Top stated priorities:** First 100 days: an operational review of permitting and customer service, a plan to update zoning and development rules, and community listening sessions in every part of the county; plus advancing housing for working families, young people, and seniors. [3] - **Record or experience relevant to this office:** 11 years in the state House, where she chaired Ways and Means (tax and spending policy) and led police-reform work. [3] [4] A possible argument: 11 years of full-time experience running and shaping budgets. ### Nater Kane (Green) - **Background:** Software engineer, age 48, who grew up in Howard County and lives in Ellicott City; he filed in July to give voters a choice after no Republican filed. [7] He says he has no money to bring into the race. [6] - **Top stated priorities:** Cap the county executive's salary at five times the minimum wage (about $166,000); raise the county minimum wage to $30 by 2030; limit yearly rent increases to 2.5%; move county-run services (such as the food bank) away from reliance on nonprofits; and single-choice voting (a ranked-choice-style election with all candidates on one ballot). [6] [7] - **Record or experience relevant to this office:** A software engineer; in sources checked, he holds no prior elected office or budget role. He says his financial struggles (he is on Medicaid and receives home energy assistance) let him build policies from firsthand experience. [6] ## Where they differ - **Jobs and wages:** Atterbeary points to a 100-day plan to make government run efficiently; Kane wants a $30 minimum wage by 2030 and says a $16 wage is not enough to live on. [3] [6] - **Policing:** Kane is opposed to the heavy use of surveillance cameras and to police officers permanently stationed in schools; Atterbeary's stated priorities in these sources focus on education, housing, affordability, and public safety, without detailing a camera or in-school-officer plan. [3] [6] [7] - **Rent:** Kane proposes limiting yearly rent increases to 2.5%; Atterbeary says she will "prioritize affordability by advancing housing options" without specifying a rent rule. [3] [6] - **Executive pay and public money:** Kane wants the executive's salary capped and questions accepting large business donations; Atterbeary's campaign raised the most in the primary and did not use the county's small-donor public funding. [5] [6] [7] ## If you care most about... - **Housing and affordability** -> Kane states concrete rules (cap rent at 2.5% a year, $30 minimum wage); Atterbeary commits to "advancing housing options" and a first-100-days review. [3] [6] - **Schools and education** -> Both say education funding matters; Atterbeary ties it to her state record and calls herself the educator-endorsed candidate; Kane says funding schools "shouldn't be a political thing." [3] [6] - **Police and safety** -> Atterbeary has a state record on police reform; Kane questions camera-heavy policing and officers stationed in schools. [3] [7] - **Lower government cost** -> Kane proposes cutting the executive's salary; Atterbeary proposes making the budget process and customer service more efficient. [3] [6] ## What we could not verify - The county's exact legal duties for the executive (an office description) — sources checked were navigation pages only. Not found in sources checked. - Atterbeary's plan for police cameras or in-school officers — not stated in sources checked. - Specific endorsements of Kane — not found in sources checked. ## Confidence Medium — strong, balanced detail on both candidates from official and major news sources, but the office's formal legal duties could not be confirmed in the sources provided. ## Sources [1] Budget Office - Howard County Government - https://www.howardcountymd.gov/budget-office [2] Members - 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 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 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/