Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman

Thank you to MACCE for inviting me to speak, connecting our chamber of commerce leaders to professional development opportunities, and being an economic engine for the county and state.

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman speaks at the Maryland Association of Chambers of Commerce Executives.

The Maryland Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (MACCE) met recently and held its 2026 legislative conference.

FY27 Budget Town Halls | Anne Arundel County Government Join County Executive Pittman and your Councilmember to hear Anne Arundel County’s FY27 budget forecast and share your priorities for the county budget.

You can register for the town hall and see recordings from previous events at aacounty.org/budget-town-halls.

Resident requests make a difference during budget deliberations, so I hope you will share your priorities for the FY27 Budget by attending or submitting written comments to budget-comments@aacounty.org.

A graphic from Anne Arundel County promoting the Spanish Language Budget Town Hall.

On Monday night, we are hosting the Spanish Language Budget Town Hall via Zoom. This is our 8th and final town hall for FY27, and my last as your County Executive.

To read the full Weekly Letter, visit aacounty.org/county-executive/steuart-pittman/pittmans-pen/weekly-letter-what-you-asked-budget.

Some have asked why government employees are testifying at budget town halls that were created to hear from residents. It’s a fair question, but those employees are mostly residents, and I think it’s healthy for residents to hear from them.

Fraternal Order of Police (FOP 70) showed up at every town hall as well. They advocated for more officers, while acknowledging that recruiting them will be a challenge.

IAFF members want the county to apply for a grant that pays some of the up-front costs of adding new positions, just as we did in my first term. The Budget Office is crunching the numbers to assess the long-term costs.

Members of IAFF Local 1563, our firefighters union, showed up in large numbers this year in red shirts that said, “Firefighters for Safe Staffing.” A recent study recommended that we make efforts to increase staffing significantly.

Teaching is incredibly difficult, and I’m glad that our teachers and support staff are organized and speaking out. They deserve our respect, livable wages, and more staff to carry the load. Our future depends on their success.

Data demonstrates that the transfer of our nation’s wealth from working families to the ultra-rich has left our student population with more poverty and more trauma.

I believe that Anne Arundel County Public Schools teachers and allies won the award for most testimony, and I don’t blame them. Our school is facing fiscal pressures from the state, is under attack by the federal government, and is responsible for the well-being and the futures of 85,000 students.

I refrained from reviewing all of the requests at the end of each session, because we always seemed pretty exhausted after two hours of presentation and testimony. So I’m offering a recap here.

An excerpt from Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman's Weekly Letter #158 - What You Asked For in the Budget.

Weekly Letter #158 - What You Asked For in the Budget

The 2026 Budget Town Hall District Tour is complete. If you missed them and speak Spanish, you can still tune in for a final virtual session on Monday evening.

FY27 Budget Town Halls | Anne Arundel County Government Join County Executive Pittman and your Councilmember to hear Anne Arundel County’s FY27 budget forecast and share your priorities for the county budget.

Thank you to all of our residents who came out in the cold to share their budget priorities.

You can see recordings from each event and more at aacounty.org/budget-town-halls.

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman, Councilmember Pickard, and Animal Services volunteers at the District 2 Budget Town Hall.

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman, Councilmember Rodvien, and Annapolis Immigrant Justice Network representatives at the District 6 Budget Town Hall.

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman and representatives from the Professional Firefighters of Anne Arundel County.

We concluded our in-person Budget Town Hall meetings this week in District 2 with Councilmember Pickard and District 6 with Councilmember Rodvien.

Video Volunteer dog walker never misses a day, even in the snow ABC News' Danny New introduces us to a Maryland man whose work at an animal shelter are, in his words, “cheaper than therapy,” even in snowy weather.

Darren’s volunteer work has made a huge impact at the animal shelter, and I hope you will join me in thanking him. To learn more about Darren, check out his feature on ABC News at abcnews.go.com/US/video/volunteer-dog-walker-misses-day-snow-129591794.

While Darren jokes that dog walking is “cheaper than therapy,” he is consistently offering a helping hand and going the extra mile–including helping clear snow and ice after last week’s winter storm.

Without fail at 7 am every morning, Darren arrives at the shelter to volunteer for a few hours before work. Starting back in 2015 when he adopted Charlie, Darren’s role in the shelter has grown to include working with some of the shelter’s toughest cases.

Video Volunteer dog walker never misses a day, even in the snow ABC News' Danny New introduces us to a Maryland man whose work at an animal shelter are, in his words, “cheaper than therapy,” even in snowy weather.

This #ThankYouThursday, I want to thank resident Darren Genson for his unwavering daily commitment and dedication to volunteering at the Anne Arundel County Animal Services shelter.

I will miss Ms. G, but like so many of the people she touched, I will remember her always.

Rest in peace, Ms. G.

On Tuesday morning, she departed. She leaves behind the Severn Center, with her portrait at the center of the mural on the wall, and a room inside called The Gathering Place, where future leaders can create their visions and plan their advocacy.

Ms. G was a community leader with a vision who never gave up. I spoke to her on the phone last week as she lay sedated in her hospital bed. I thanked her for the work she had done, and for making sure that I did the right thing.

and how her drawing of the floor plan had been taped to my office door until the ribbon cutting, where I gave it back to Ms. G.

At the District 2 Budget Town Hall Tuesday night, I told the residents who showed up to advocate for county projects all about Ms. G - how after 35 years, she finally got her community center,

“You’re not the first County Executive who’s said that to me,” she replied. She was skeptical, but persistent.

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman presents Glenda Gathers ("Ms. G") with an Executive Citation at the Severn Center ribbon cutting.

Glenda Gathers ("Ms. G") stands outside the Severn Center, which she helped spearhead and make a reality.

I met Ms. G (Glenda Gathers) in 2018. She told me she’d been fighting to get a community center built next to Van Bokkelen Elementary in Severn for thirty years. I said we should make it happen.

The school system is providing additional student support services, and our county's Crisis Warmline is available to all 24/7 at 410-768-5522. Please reach out to get the support you need.

I recognize the profound impact this incident has on the mental health and sense of safety for our students, parents, and the greater community.