Southern Howard County Civic Association president, Bibi H. Perrotte-Foston set-up the event as a meet and greet to give the public a chance for one-on-one face time with candidates. SHCCA sponsored the forum.
The Howard County Council District 3 and the State’s Attorney primary election candidates were invited for this event.
The panel remained seated for several questions from SHCCA before the candidates were give the opportunity to work the room with the public.
Rich Gibson and Kim Oldham, both candidates looking to replace the retiring Dario J. Broccolino as Howard County State’s Attorney, shared their respective visions for the office.
Oldham, the only Republican on the panel that night, spoke of her dedication to Howard County and years of experience as a current Assistant State’s Attorney in the County.
Gibson stated his case for having a wide range of prosecutorial experiences in Baltimore and having a strong track record fighting gang violence.
Gibson touted his selection as Prosecutor of the Year by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Gang Investors Network, and other professional achievements.
Oldham pointed to her successful record prosecuting human traffickers who prey on victims in the Route One corridor. She also put a light on her duties training Howard County police officers to ensure that they have clean arrests.
Oldham, who has been in her present position for 20 years, said, “Benefits to being here so long are the partnerships I have already established.”
Both candidates make claims of being active in the community. Gibson has broader job-related experiences, while Oldham has the legacy experience having worked closely with the State’s Attorney and the public for two decades.
Gibson countered that he is “proactive and collaborative and that the [current] leadership is not reaching out.” He said, “The County has grown and we need to be more adaptive.”
On the council side, the Democratic Party was represented by Hadgu Hiruy, Steven F. Hunt, Greg Jennings, and Christiana Rigby.
Rigby shared that she is currently working on behalf of the public. She is working with outgoing District 3 Councilmember, Jen Terrasa on gaining more transparency with County zoning policies.
Jennings encouraged voters “to be aware of the skill sets of the candidates” because term limits are forcing out seasoned councilmembers. He wants to expedite school construction and lower the cost of child care. He added that he believes “very strongly in public financing for campaigns.”
Hunt said, “We need people who understand the issues; people who know which questions to ask.” Hunt calls himself a consensus builder who is able to work on the right and the left. He said he wants to move the County from having a “top rated school system to a system of top rated schools.”
Hadgu said, “I am running because of developer influence in Howard County.” He pointed out that quality of life is directly related to growth and land use issues.” He called for a look inward at government processes, saying that “There are a lot of decisions made that do not reflect the complexity of the problems.”
Rigby asked the question, “What’s the passion that drives you to do this work?” She laid out a case for her commitment, connections and experience to take Terrasa’s seat on the Council.
After the panel discussion, all candidates spoke to voters one-on-one.
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