This article was provided by Friends of John Olszewski Jr.
As he seeks a second term, Baltimore County Executive John “Johnny O” Olszewski Jr. talks about the challenges and achievements from his first term and what’s next.
Looking back on your first term, what are some of your proudest achievements?
I ran for Baltimore County executive with a bold vision for building a better Baltimore County. In just a few years, we are delivering on that promise in a big way — starting with open, connected local government. The year before we took office, only two people testified on the county’s budget. Since then, through four years of our signature town hall series, we have engaged thousands of residents.
Together, we have fundamentally changed the culture of Baltimore County government. Now more than ever, the residents of Baltimore County are driving our decision-making.
What challenges have you faced in your first term?
When I took office, we discovered an inherited $81 million structural deficit. Together, we developed a bipartisan solution to comprehensively close our deficit and promote more sustainable budgeting practices, while continuing to make historic investments in education and our communities.
We have accomplished much of this progress while also facing a global pandemic, which threatened our very way of life. Thanks to the incredible work of our public health officials, first responders, emergency management team, Baltimore County employees, and our residents, we are steadily putting this pandemic behind us. I’m particularly proud of our work to efficiently vaccinate our residents. Our mass vaccination site at the Maryland State Fairgrounds was recognized as the best in the state.
We also took steps to support our residents during this unprecedented crisis. We established a countywide food distribution network that distributed 18 million meals, as well as an eviction prevention program that has helped thousands of families stay in their homes.
Education is one of your top priorities. How has Baltimore County made progress on school construction?
In Baltimore County, we are making historic investments to ensure our students have the world class school buildings they deserve. We have provided hundreds of millions of dollars to finish the Schools for our Future program and to make sure that every school has air conditioning. We fought for the statewide Built to Learn Act, which passed in 2021, bringing Baltimore County another $420 million for school construction.
This year, I am excited that many of our investments will start coming to reality, with groundbreakings across Baltimore County, including a new Lansdowne High School, a new Northeast Area Middle School in White Marsh, and a new Summit Park Elementary School in Pikesville. We are also allocating planning and design funding to move forward on a like-new Towson High School and a new Dulaney High School.
Why should Baltimore County voters support your re-election?
Three years ago, I promised to make a good county better. In too many ways, we were not living up to our fullest potential. In the three years since, we have modernized our government, invested unprecedented resources in education, and instilled equity and sustainability as core values in Baltimore County Government. We have accomplished everything we set out to do and more: from bringing back bulk trash pickup and improving code enforcement, to raising our renewable energy goals,investing more in frontline workers, and expanding open space and recreation amenities in communities across the county.
In a second term, we would build on the strong foundation we have established and raise the bar even more for our communities, so that we realize our county’s potential and make Baltimore County the world class jurisdiction it can be.
How can supporters get engaged with your campaign?
You can sign up to volunteer for our campaign at https://gojohnnyo.com/volunteer/ and reach our campaign at info@gojohnnyo.com. We hope to see many of you on the campaign trail.
By Authority: Friends of John Olszewski, Jr. J. Eric Schleibaum, treasurer.
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