Baltimore County will release the names of those applying to become interim county executive on December 2.

The application period for the two-year position will close on November 29. The position becomes open because Johnny Olszewski Jr., who has served as county executive since 2018, is leaving Jan. 3 to become the 2nd District congressman. The interim executive will serve until December 6, 2026 and oversee a $5 billion county budget. The salary for the position is $192,000 per year.

The names of eight candidates who expressed interest before the portal opened have been made public and city councilors have already met with many of them. Council President Izzy Patoka said only one candidate on the portal created by the council on Nov. 5 was not yet publicly known. But he expects more applications to be filed before the deadline.

“People are trying to put their best foot forward,” he said. “Many have never applied for a position like this, so they are changing their CV.”

The county council will hold a public hearing on the opening at 6 p.m. on December 10.

Councilman Julian Jones, a Democrat, said it would be helpful if the public knew the names before the hearing so they could do their own research and bring questions to the council that members may not know about the candidates.

“We don’t have to make this decision in isolation,” Jones said. “We appreciate – or at least I welcome – public input and oversight.”

The county executive is the most powerful office in Baltimore County. He or she will preside over Maryland’s third-largest county, grappling with population loss, an affordable housing crisis, an aging population and schools that constantly need updates.

If the board does not choose a candidate by Jan. 3, the charter specifies that the administrative director, D’Andrea Walker, will serve until a candidate is chosen. The job announcement does not specify a closing date, but invites interested candidates to apply quickly.

Several council members expressed a desire to see a woman or person of color in the top position. The board is made up entirely of men, and Jones is the only member who is not white. Since county government has been established in this form since 1956, all county executives have been white men. Meanwhile, the county is 33% Black, with a growing population of Latino, Arab American and Asian residents.

Three of the candidates are women. They include Sen. Kathy Klausmeier, who is retiring after 30 years in the General Assembly; Tara Ebersole, administrator and professor at Community College of Baltimore County; and longtime community activist and businesswoman Yara Cheikh, chair of the county library board.

One, Barry Williams, is black. Williams, who served as recreation and parks director under Olszewski, also has considerable leadership and board experience inside and outside of government. He is also the brother of House Speaker Adrienne Jones.

The other four are white men. They include former state Sen. Jim Brochin, who lost to Olszewski in the 2018 county executive race by 17 votes; former State Attorney Jon Cardin, who is the nephew of outgoing Maryland U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin; former County Executive Dennis Rasmussen; and Aris Melissaratos, former Maryland secretary of business and economic development under Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich. A one-term governor, Ehrlich left office in 2006.

Jones, who plans to run for county executive in 2026, said he would like the council to appoint one of its own to lead government for the next two years. That’s likely what will happen in Prince George’s County, where County Executive Angela Alsobrooks was elected to the U.S. Senate. If she resigns before Dec. 3, the county will hold a special election. But if it is after, then the council will appoint a member.

The Baltimore County Council chose not to nominate one of its own because it did not want to give any of its members an advantage in the upcoming race. Besides Jones, Patoka and Pat Young, both Democrats, have expressed interest in the permanent position.

Blended Public Affairs, an Annapolis public relations firm, conducted a survey of already known candidate names and asked residents what they wanted from a future leader. Inflation and the cost of living as well as crime and public safety were identified as top concerns. Nearly half of those surveyed said they would support infrastructure costs to upgrade schools, libraries and fire stations.

Blended found that while Klausmeier led the pack in name recognition, most voters didn’t know enough about her or the other candidates to have an opinion.