Dayhoff Westminster Soundtrack: Sen. Allan Kittleman Announces Candidacy for Howard County Executive in 2014

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Sen. Allan Kittleman Announces Candidacy for Howard County Executive in 2014 - by Sen. Joe Getty

Sen. Allan Kittleman Announces Candidacy for Howard County Executive in 2014

Marylanders for Joe Getty

By Sen. Joe Getty

June 12, 2013

Yesterday, I attended the announcement by Sen. Allan Kittleman that he will not seek re-election to the Maryland Senate in 2014 but instead will seek the position of County Executive for Howard County.

On a beautiful, sunny June afternoon, a large crowd of supporters stood at the lakefront pavilion of Lake Kittamaqundi in Columbia with Allan and his family. It was a bittersweet occasion for me because I regret losing Allan as a colleague in the Senate.

Allan is one of the most creative and innovative legislators in Annapolis. I have enjoyed working with him both as a staff member and as a legislator as he has worked to address Maryland's most challenging issues. His sharp legal mind and excellent skills at planning legislative strategy were a complement to his strong presence in Senate floor debates. He will be sorely missed in the Maryland Senate

It was an honor for Sen. David Brinkley and me to stand at the announcement yesterday and endorse Allan for the next step in his political career. David and I had the great fortune to learn about the intricacies of legislative process from Allan's father, Bob Kittleman. In 1995, as freshman Delegates, we served with Bob on the House Commerce and Government Matters Committee and he quickly became our mentor.

Long-time Oriole fans like to talk about the "Oriole Way" of hard work and stressing the fundamentals of baseball. In the mid-1990s, David and I learned the "Kittleman Way" of legislative process.

Bob taught us to develop our own strong moral compass to guide our decision-making and to never veer off-course from that compass when casting votes, debating or interacting with constituents.

Allan is most certainly his father's child. He has learned over his career as Howard County Councilman and State Senator to follow a tried-and-true moral compass in approaching the complex problems facing state and local government today.

I've seen Allan first-hand deal with difficult issues in the Maryland Senate. First and foremost, he always bases his decisions on what he believes is truly best for his constituents. Moreover, Allan never chose the easier path of political expediency, but instead he always chose the course that he felt was right and honest to the citizens of Howard County and Maryland.

There is no doubt that Allan's style of direct and honest leadership will provide the best direction for Howard County's future.

I am proud to call Allan my friend; I am proud to call Allan my Senate colleague; and soon, I will be especially proud to call him - Howard County Executive.

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