Steuart Pittman, Jr.
Steuart Pittman, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Anne Arundel County Executive | |
| Assumed office December 3, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Steve Schuh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 11, 1961[1] Davidsonville, Maryland |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Married |
| Children | Two children |
| Residence | Davidsonville, Maryland |
| Alma mater | University of Chicago, B.A. (Political Science & Latin American Studies) |
| Profession | Farmer |
| Website | www |
Steuart Lansing Pittman, Jr. (born September 11, 1961) is a Democratic politician, farmer, and horse trainer in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. He is the 10th County Executive of Anne Arundel County.[1]
Early life and education[edit]
Pittman was born and raised on his family's farm, Dodon farm, in Davidsonville, Maryland. He attended the University of Chicago, graduating with B.A. in Political Science & Latin American Studies in 1985.[2]
Career[edit]
Pittman first got involved with politics in 1984, doing work with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now at the Altgeld Gardens Homes in Riverdale, Chicago after graduating from college. While working for the organization's Des Moines chapter, he married his first wife, Karen Cunnyngham, whom he would eventually divorce in 2008. From 1990 to 1994, he moved back to Washington, D.C. to briefly do work for the National Low Income Housing Coalition before rejoining ACORN as the director for its national campaigns in 1992.[2]
After leaving ACORN, Pittman traded in his life as a community organizer to train and sell horses at Dodon Farm. He met his current wife, Erin, in 2006 after she sent him a horse that needed to be trained. By 2011, he once again began engaging in social issues, founding the Retired Racehorse Project in 2011.[2][3][4] He also participated in rallying against farming regulations with the Anne Arundel County Soil Conservation District, and served as the president of the Maryland Horse Council from 2009 to 2013.[1][2]
As County Executive[edit]
In 2018, Pittman was elected to serve as the County Executive of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, defeating incumbent Republican County Executive Steve Schuh in an upset with 52 percent of the vote.[5] He was sworn in on December 3, 2018.[1]
Personal life[edit]
Pittman lives with his wife, Erin, on Dodon Farm in Davidsonville, Maryland.[2] His sister, Polly, operates a winery on the property; Pittman has no stake in the winery.[6][7] He has two children.[2]
Political positions[edit]
Development initiatives[edit]
Throughout the campaign, Pittman ran as a slow-growth advocate,[8] speaking against several development initiatives backed by Schuh during his administration.[5][9] In May 2019, Pittman implemented two new policies to prevent developers from trying to develop lands near wetlands that fed into the Chesapeake Bay.[10]
Education[edit]
Pittman campaigned on increasing the pay scale of teachers in Anne Arundel County.[5] He also called for change at the classroom level to address racism, saying students should learn about the legacy of slavery in the United States and Maryland.[11] Pittman's first budget proposal included increased funding for public schools, including a $27.6 million teacher pay package.[12]
Gun control[edit]
In August 2018, following the Capital Gazette shooting that killed five employees and injured two others, Pittman wrote an op-ed for the Capital Gazette pledging to create a task force toward curbing gun violence.[13] After he was elected, he created the task force by executive order, with the group releasing its final report[14] on June 5, 2020.[15]
Immigration[edit]
In December 2018, Pittman announced that he would end the county's 287(g) agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, redirecting the revenue from housing ICE detainees to a program at the University of Maryland to provide lawyers for them. At the time, Anne Arundel was one of three Maryland counties to participate in the program.[16] Following this proposal, ICE announced in January 2019 that it would terminate its contract with the county within 90 days.[17]
Statewide and national politics[edit]
In February 2019, Pittman co-sponsored legislation introduced in the Maryland Senate to reform of the county's campaign finance rules, seeking to prohibit campaign donations to county council and county executive candidates by developers with applications pending before the county.[18][19] In February 2022, the Anne Arundel County Council rejected Pittman's proposal to establish a public campaign financing system in the county.[20]
Pittman endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president on April 26, 2020.[21] Pittman endorsed Wes Moore for Governor of Maryland on September 8, 2021.[22]
In November 2020, Pittman formed the Future Matters organization.[23]
Transportation[edit]
After a map demonstrating potential crossings for the new Chesapeake Bay Bridge was unveiled in February 2019, Pittman argued that any of the 14 possibilities "represented solutions that would be outdated by the time any bridge is actually built", and predicted that residents would organize against its construction.[24][25] Instead of a new bridge, he proposed constructing a light-rail line over the bay, saying that only a non-road solution would prevent traffic from getting worse.[26] In August 2019, the Maryland Transportation Authority ruled out a rail connection between Anne Arundel County and the Eastern Shore due to its high costs and impacts.[27] In the same month, the MDTA narrowed its list of 14 bridge options down to three – all of which were located in Anne Arundel County. Pittman opposed all three of the proposals, saying that any of the three options "will be severely disruptive to existing communities and sensitive environmental areas".[28]
In April 2021, Pittman called on the MDTA to put the third Bay Bridge span study "on hold", arguing that the Draft Environmental Impact Statement released by the agency relied on data that was compiled before the authority eliminated cash tolls in 2020.[29]
In April 2022, after the Federal Highway Administration approved plans to build the proposed "Corridor 7" plan adjacent to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Pittman said "we would have preferred a crossing that would draw traffic to other corridors".[30]
Election results[edit]
- 2018 Primary Election for County Executive[31]
Name Votes Percent Outcome Steuart Pittman, Dem. 32,243 100% Won
- 2018 General Election for County Executive[32]
Name Votes Percent Outcome Steuart Pittman, Dem. 118,572 52.3% Won Steve Schuh, Rep. 107,905 47.6% Lost Other Write-Ins 259 0.1% Lost
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Steuart L. Pittman, Jr., County Executive". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. May 28, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Lumpkin, Lauren (October 14, 2018). "Steuart Pittman: Farmer to politician, Democrat hopes to change direction of Anne Arundel County". Capital Gazette. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ↑ Howling, Kelly (March 15, 2016). "The Retired Racehorse Project". Equine Wellness Magazine. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ↑ "Steuart Pittman, founder of the Retired Racehorse Project, named Humane Horseman of the Year by the Humane Society of the United States". Humane Society of the United States. 2019-06-05. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Eichensehr, Morgan (November 7, 2018). "What businesspeople need to know about new Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman". Baltimore Business Journal. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ↑ Cox, Erin (August 16, 2012). "Arundel's largest family farm seeks to join state's growing wine industry". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ↑ Winters, Wendi (May 9, 2015). "Home of the Week: A private peek into a home once owned by the Pope". Capital Gazette. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ↑ Kurtz, Josh (June 25, 2018). "Could Anti-Development Candidates Win 3 Big County Executive Primaries?". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ↑ Yeager, Amanda (September 10, 2018). "New housing development could displace Dogwood mobile home residents in Anne Arundel County". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ↑ Maria Bonessi, Dominique (May 15, 2019). "Anne Arundel County Looks To Shore Up Oversight Of Development On Wetlands". WAMU. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ↑ Lumpkin, Lauren. "Politicians respond to racism in schools". Capital Gazette. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ↑ Kinnally, Kevin (May 1, 2019). "Anne Arundel Budget Proposal Invests in Schools, Public Safety, Infrastructure". Maryland Association of Counties. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ↑ Pittman, Steuart (August 8, 2018). "Steuart Pittman: A gun violence task force would focus efforts to end mass shootings". Capital Gazette. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ↑ "Anne Arundel County Report of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force" (PDF). aacounty.org. Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. June 5, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ↑ Leckrone, Bennett (June 9, 2020). "Pittman on Guns: Local Governments 'Really Can Address This Issue'". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ↑ Barrios, Jennifer (December 27, 2018). "Anne Arundel's new Democratic executive says deal with ICE is over". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ↑ Nichanian, Daniel (January 17, 2019). "Two ICE Partnerships Come to an End in Maryland's Anne Arundel County, Unexpectedly". TheAppeal.org. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ↑ Smith, Mark (February 11, 2019). "Pittman introduces campaign finance reform". BizMonthly.com. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ↑ Kurtz, Josh (February 6, 2019). "Pittman Seeks 'Pay-for-Play' Legislation". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ↑ Leckrone, Bennett (February 8, 2022). "Anne Arundel County Public Campaign Finance Effort Rejected; Howard County Fixes Technicality". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ↑ "Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman endorses Joe Biden for president". Capital Gazette. 2020-04-26. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
- ↑ "Anne Arundel's Pittman supports Wes Moore's bid for governor". Capital Gazette. 2021-09-08. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
- ↑ Kurtz, Josh (November 11, 2020). "Pittman Launching Advocacy Group to Push Statewide Progressive Agenda". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ↑ Domen, John (February 14, 2019). "Potential new Bay Bridge crossings revealed". WTOP-FM. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ↑ DePuyt, Bruce (August 27, 2019). "Anne Arundel Up in Arms as State Narrows Options for New Bay Crossing". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ↑ Shaver, Katherine (February 16, 2019). "Maps showing potential sites for another Chesapeake Bay crossing rile Maryland residents". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ↑ Cox, Jeremy (October 1, 2019). "Opponents fear case has already been built for Bay Bridge option". Bay Journal. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ↑ Collins, David; Young, Blair (August 28, 2019). "MDTA narrows down Chesapeake Bay crossing proposals". WBAL-TV. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ↑ DePuyt, Bruce (April 21, 2021). "Pittman: Proposal for Third Bay Bridge Span Should Be Put 'On Hold'". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ↑ DePuyt, Bruce (April 21, 2022). "Maryland Wins Approval to Design New Bay Crossing Near Existing Bridge". Maryland Matters. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ↑ "Official 2018 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for Anne Arundel County". Maryland State Board of Elections. 2018-07-31. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
- ↑ "Official 2018 Gubernatorial General Election results for Anne Arundel County". Maryland State Board of Elections. 2018-12-11. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- "County Executive Steuart Pittman". aacounty.org. Anne Arundel County. 2018-12-03. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
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