COLUMBIA, Md. — Voters in Howard County will have two choices in their pick for the next county leader, after it appeared victory was imminent for Democratic primary winner Vanessa Atterbeary.
Both Atterbeary and Green Party candidate and latecomer Nater Kane will appear on the ballot in November’s General Election. No Republican candidate ran for the position in June. Atterbeary beat out a crowded field of Democratic candidates.
“I was like, this isn't democracy. People need a choice,” Kane said. “Not just give them a choice, but give them a choice for somebody who doesn't and wouldn't accept corporate or special interest money.”
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Kane has criticized the former state delegate’s choice to not participate in the Citizens’ Election Fund. While he does not qualify himself due to his late entry to the race, he says he’s still committed to the principle of accepting only small donations from individuals.
“[The primary] looked a little fishy, when I saw one of the candidates decided to not play fair. And not fund their campaign with public money like the other candidates, and then came up with an excuse about why they couldn't for some reason,” Kane told WMAR-2 News’ Blair Sabol.
In April, Atterbeary gave three reasons why she wasn’t using public financing during a sit-down interview. She said in Annapolis it was passed to help out first-time candidates; She couldn’t use her existing campaign account from her time in the state house if she did pursue public financing, and she felt that it wasn’t right for any taxpayer money to be used for her campaign.
Kane grew up in Columbia and returned to Maryland in 2013. He says he’s lived many lives, working in graphic design, software engineering, car repairs, and now public service. He’s currently unemployed; the campaign is now his full-time job. The financial challenges he’s facing in trying to live in the place he grew up, he says, are allowing him to relate to others going through the same thing.
When asked what he believes is the biggest challenge facing Howard County today, Kane responded:
“We outsource public benefit programs to nonprofits instead of doing them or instead of having the county government do it itself.”
Kane is running on a platform of accountability, affordability and transparency. He called the efforts to block an ICE facility in Elkridge from completion a “political stunt” by current county leaders.
“What we could have done, in my opinion, that could have made a real, real difference is introduce a bill that sets a standard for quality of experience and environment for any detained person inside of Howard County,” Kane said. “To such a degree that they're going to not want to have the facilities here.”
Kane doesn’t consider himself a politician, but rather a friend or colleague.
“My motto is make things suck less,” Kane said. “I would like Howard County to suck less, right? It has so much to offer, but we still fall short [in] so many ways.”
WMAR-2 News reached out to the Atterbeary campaign, which did not directly acknowledge Kane's comments but shared the following statement:
“Vanessa Atterbeary won more than 90 percent of precincts in June because she built a strong campaign and a broad coalition that includes Howard County’s educators, public employees, police officers, local businesses and residents from across the county. She also earned the endorsement of the People's Voice Ethics Ballot. Her campaign continues to build an even larger coalition as voters unite behind her vision for a more affordable and accessible Howard County.”
Early voting begins October 22nd, Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd.
Click here to find your polling location in Howard County.
