Despite months of legal wrangling over how to improve the odds for people of color to be elected to Baltimore County Council, the racial diversity of the board remains unchanged after Election Day. In May, there were Black candidates running in five out of seven districts across the county but this month only one candidate, an incumbent, was victorious. Baltimore County’s population demographics have shifted over the years.
About 20 years ago, nearly 75% of residents were white. Now that’s closer to roughly 50% of residents are white but six out of the seven county council seats are held by white people.
The county is about 30% Black and will continue to have just one person who is Black on the council.
Last December, the civil rights organization NAACP and the ACLU filed a lawsuit against Baltimore County over redistricting but were unsuccessful in efforts to create a second Black-majority district.
Beyond racial diversity, no women will be on the Baltimore County council after Cathy Bevins steps down. Two men ran against each other to fill the open seat.
Next year, the demographics may change. That’s because there’s a push to increase the number of council members from seven to nine, in part to give minority candidates a better shot of winning a seat. County Executive Johnny Olszewski, who won reelection Tuesday night, said he supports it.
“It’s a conversation I hope to take up early with new members of the council to find ways to expand representation, or at least have that issue before the voters for their consideration,” Olszewski said. “I think it’s something that residents will support.”
Supporters also say there are not enough council members to go around. The number has remained the same since 1956. Since then, the county’s population has more than tripled.
If the council agrees to put the issue on the 2024 ballot and its approved, county voters could be electing nine council members as soon as the next election in 2026.
Officials say it’s difficult to say how much it would cost to add two additional seats to the council. Besides the council members’ salary of $69,000 a year, there is also paying their staff, which adds up to around $220,000 annually. There is also the cost of having two additional offices and fringe benefits like a county-owned vehicle.
Republican County Councilman David Marks said he is sympathetic to the idea of adding two seats but he said he will only back it if it has bipartisan support. He said so far activists who have been pushing for it have done nothing to reach out to county Republicans.
"The general election was very illuminating for me," Marks said. "Some of the same people who preached good government during redistricting were out there campaigning to pad the County Council with more Democrats. I'm kind of questioning some of their motives, and I want to see that they've reached across the aisle to get Republican support."
A proposed charter amendment has to get the support of at least five council members, so the four Democrats on the council will need at least one Republican vote.
There were more minority candidates on the ballot this year in both the primary and the general election. All went down in defeat except Democratic Council Chairman Julian Jones, who won his third term representing the one Black-majority district, the fourth, on the westside of the county.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland was a party in the lawsuit over redrawing the council districts’ lines to create a second Black-majority district.
In a statement Deborah Jeon, the ACLU’s legal director, said, “Everyone should be concerned about white bloc voting in Baltimore County, where racial demographics show there should be far more inclusive elected representation. We will be closely reviewing the results to see exactly what impact white bloc voting had on Black candidates’ chances for election.”
While the racial makeup of the council was hotly debated during the county’s redrawing of district lines, political observers say the main objective in redistricting for lawmakers is to remain in power. In this case, the county council likely locked in place for the next 10 years a 4-3 Democratic majority.
For instance, the council redrew the Democratic-leaning 6th district to make it more blue. The Democrat in the race, Mike Ertel, easily defeated his Black opponent Tony Campbell, a Republican. Ertel currently has nearly 65% of the vote, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections.
Likewise, the 5th district, which leaned Republican, was reworked to make it a deeper red. Republican incumbent Marks defeated his Black Democratic opponent, Crystal Francis. Marks at this point has nearly 68% of the vote, state data shows.
There are still mail-in ballots to count but both leads are insurmountable.
