Jmore Exclusive: Baltimore County Executive Candidate Mansoor Shams

June 10, 2026 Peter Arnold

Part of a series on candidates running for Baltimore County Executive

Mansoor Shams is known for carrying around a sign proclaiming, “I’m a Muslim and a U.S. Marine. Ask anything.”

A former entrepreneur, the Pakistan-born Shams built and ran several successful retail telecommunications stores, as well as a company exporting consumer electronics that generated millions of dollars in revenue.

Now, he is the first community engagement and outreach officer for the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks.

And he’s running in the Democratic primary for Baltimore County Executive.

Jmore recently spoke with Shams, 43, a former Marine who founded the website MuslimMarine.org and lives in Towson with his wife and four children.

In your mind, what’s the most critical challenge facing the county?

This election is about morality, it’s about ethics, it’s about doing the right thing. There are 30,000 kids in this county that go to bed hungry every single day. There are families relying on food pantries, and there are food deserts in Baltimore County where people cannot get basic essentials to survive.

That to me is the greatest crisis we are facing. We need to stabilize our society.

So we have come up with a household stabilizing fund which is a three-tier program. For families making less than $30,000 per year, we will provide up to $250 per month. If you have $30,001 to $55,000 per year, it’s $150 a month. And $56,000 to $75,000 annually, you get $100 monthly.

Others say affordability is the greatest challenge. It’s more than that. The second concept is county mini-marts. We have hundreds of county-owned buildings. I would negotiate with wholesalers and vendors for the top 20 essential items from basic groceries to hygienic items.

We would allocate a small room in county facilities where people can buy basic essentials at reduced prices. This also eliminates the food deserts.

The cost of this household stabilization fund at the start would be $15 million to help 3,000 to 5,000 families. But the return-of-investment of this program would not be limited to numbers. Kids not getting enough food is affecting mental health, classroom behavior and crime.
I think my greatest badge of honor would really be that, after being elected for four years, I could say that not a single child in this county goes to bed hungry.

Why are you the most qualified candidate?

I immigrated to the United States at the age of 6 not knowing a word of English. I lived in the foster care system for a short time, and I’ve gone through food stamps and Section 8 housing.

After high school ,I joined the U.S. Marines for four years. In the evenings, I went to a local university to get my bachelor’s degree.

After the Marines, I became an assistant to two Securities and Exchange Commission chairmen at the highest level of the federal government. When I’m asked how I was hired to work with two heads of the SEC, I answer, ‘I am a man of faith and I can just say it was all God.’

Then, I enrolled at Johns Hopkins University and I got dual master’s degrees — an MA in government and an MBA.

After graduation, I built businesses from the ground-up, then ran them, including four T-Mobile stores and two Metro PCS stores. Then, I built and ran a company exporting consumer electronics overseas generating millions of dollars in revenue. I also served on the prestigious Council of Foreign Affairs as a five-year-term member.

Now, I am the first-ever outreach officer for the County’s Department of Recreation and Parks. I believe that I am a unifier bringing people together. I engage with all communities, very much including the Jewish community.

How would you characterize the current state of the county?

I think it’s in terrible condition, and that’s what led me to join this race. Our politics lacks ethics, it lacks integrity. We have people in our politics who are disingenuous, that are not honest, that are not truthful.

That is why we have schools that resemble prisons. We have infrastructure that is decades old. We have seniors complaining about the senior centers.

The cost of housing is out of control. If you are beholden to developers, then we have these problems. I think every single contract needs to be revisited. This is where my MBA would come in. We have a $5 billion budget. Are we operating in an efficient way or are we not?

With antisemitism rising everywhere, how can the Jewish community feel more secure and safe in the county?

I am a Muslim. Obviously, I know what discrimination feels like. So the Jewish community should know that I would have their best interests at heart.

I lived in Pikesville amongst the Jewish community for 12 years. The backyard of my home would save a significant amount of walking for those who needed to get to synagogue on Saturdays. So I said, ‘Please, you never need permission to walk through my backyard on Saturdays. I consider it an honor that I am able to allow my house to be the walkway to your house of worship.’

That is the same mentality that I would keep as a leader. That’s why members of the Jewish community not only have financially supported this campaign, they also serve on this campaign.

What are your feelings about doing business with Israel at this time?

For me, our campaign has been about transparency, honesty, morals, ethics and integrity. I try to maintain a transparent, truthful and dignified campaign. I am running as a Democrat, but I have an independent brain.

When it comes to this matter, I am not comfortable doing business with Israel at all at this time until Israel comes into compliance with the International Criminal Court and basic levels of international norms.

At this point in time, I don’t see myself conducting any business with Israel or the Israeli government in any form.

Peter Arnold is an independent journalist.