Howard County Executive Talks About Importance of Engaged Citizenry

Howard County Executive Ken Ulman made an appearance this week at the monthly Reisterstown-Owings Mills-Glyndon Coordinating Council.

Ulman, who was invited to discuss how he works with community organizations, spent much of his 20 minutes saying he felt the absence of local municipal government was a good thing for Baltimore and Howard counties.

Neither county has an incorporated city with its own local government.

Without municipal government, Ulman said the counties are dependent upon having strong and active community organizations.

It’s the county government’s responsibility to work with those organizations, he said.

“I generally think it’s a good thing. There’s not a duplicating level of bureaucracy,” Ulman said. “This system is better, but it’s only better when you have really engaged citizenry.” 

Baltimore County Del. Dan Morhaim, a District-11 Democrat, said he invited Ulman to speak in part because Baltimore and Howard counties are so similar in their government structure and because Ulman is president of the Maryland Association of Counties.

“It’s always good to get some outside perspective,” Morhaim said. 

In addition, Ulman is familiar with the area; his wife’s family lives in Reisterstown.

“I’m up here all the time,” he said.