Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman reflects on legacy as his final days in office approach

ANNAPOLIS, Md — Anne Arundel County is preparing for its first new county executive since 2018, with Election Day less than a month away. Outgoing County Executive Steuart Pittman sat down for an interview to reflect on his 8-year tenure, the issues he tackled, and his hopes for the county's future.

Before he was first elected, Pittman had not served in any political position.

His time in office changed his view on governance. He said the work solidified his belief in the power of government when done right.

"The power does not lie in the county executive office. It does actually lie with the people because the hardest things that we did or when we engaged people and the times where we took a hit and were where we failed to engage people and so I really do believe that the powers is with the voters and the people who activate," Pittman said.

He said his goal from the start was to leave behind a county with greater confidence in its government.
"I wanted to leave this job with the people of the county having more confidence the government was actually a good tool to solve problems that Government was not the source of our problems, but that government could be used when people engage fully in it. I was an old community organizer of community engagement to build trust," Pittman said.

The interview covered topics ranging from public safety and the environment to housing, development, and critiques from his time in office. On the subject of criticism he found fair, Pittman pointed to questions about his relationship with real estate developers.

"You know people of criticize me even though I was like farm boy South County tree hugger anti-development someone would say I would say I was never anti-development. I was more about where the development takes place, but someone would say that I sold out to developers you know people legitimately criticize me for taking money from real estate developers when I was running for office," Pittman said.

Watch: One-on-one sit down with Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman

As he prepares to hand the position to a new leader, Pittman said he hopes his successor will listen to the people and do right by them. He said he wants residents to remember his administration as one that stayed closely connected to the community.

"I hope that they will kind of have a warm fuzzy feeling about us being connected like like they would feel connected to the work that we did and feel like we were listening, vice versa, as opposed to it being this distant strange thing that that is out there making decisions on our behalf," Pittman said.

On Election Day, November 3, Anne Arundel County voters will choose between Democratic candidate Allison Pickhard and Republican candidate Dave Crawford as the next county executive.

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