Public campaign financing in Montgomery County has propelled candidates into the highest echelons of power at the county government level. And now state lawmakers are considering a bill that could lead to public financing opportunities to candidates for courthouse positions and county boards of education.
Five Maryland jurisdictions have enacted local public campaign finance laws since the General Assembly passed legislation allowing them to do so in 2013; only Montgomery County’s program has gone through an election cycle. Howard County’s program is being utilized for the first time this year.
House Bill 488, sponsored by Del. Jessica M. Feldmark (D-Howard), would allow local governments to expand public campaign finance programs to include more elected offices after the program is available for at least one election cycle to county council and county executive candidates.
Two county executives testified in support of the legislation during a hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday: Howard County Executive Calvin B. Ball III (D) and Baltimore County Executive John A. Olszewski Jr. (D).
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Bennett Leckrone over at Maryland Matters
