Kenneth Oliver, the first Black person elected to the Baltimore County Council, has died, according to Councilman Julian Jones. Oliver was born in 1945, according to the Maryland State Archives.

Oliver was elected in 2002 and represented parts of the county’s west side for more than a decade. He lost the seat to Jones in 2014.

Izzy Patoka, chairman of the County Council, described Oliver as an intelligent man and good relationship builder, whose experience gave him the authority and knowledge to represent his district.

“Baltimore County is better off because of Ken Oliver,” Patoka said.

Since the county established the Baltimore County Council in 1956, its seven members had all been white — and almost all had been men. But in the late 1990s, the county was changing, and its Black population was about a quarter of the county’s total. Many Black residents felt their needs weren’t represented and their communities did not get their share of investment in small businesses, housing and roads.

The council ultimately agreed and drew its first majority-Black district in 2001. The following year, Oliver ran for and won it. He had already served as the chair of the county’s planning board, so he was familiar with how the county functioned. One of the County Council’s biggest jobs is a comprehensive rezoning every four years, which Oliver was familiar with because of his time with the board.

While Oliver said he planned to focus on the issues like any other council member, he said he knew he’d be closely watched for any missteps.

“I don’t know if the work will be any harder, but I’ll always be under the microscope,” he told The Baltimore Sun in 2002.

Oliver, who had a finance background, prioritized economic development, revitalizing the Liberty Road corridor and building a new library in his district. He also pushed for the YMCA swimming pool at the Randallstown Community Center, saying learning to swim as a young Black child in the McCulloh Homes public housing complex was an opportunity many other children didn’t have.

He was not wrong about the microscope. According to The Baltimore Sun, he pleaded guilty in 2009 to campaign finance violations after he wrote checks to himself from his campaign account. He also had to give up his job with the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development; it violated a charter rule against a County Council member holding a state job. Oliver maintained he was not aware of that when he took the position, The Sun reported.

Constituents often remarked at what an affable person he was, always kind and willing to listen. Oliver told The Sun in 2011 that he went to every council meeting except two — he missed one for his father’s funeral, and another for former President Barack Obama’s inauguration.

Councilman David Marks, who served with Oliver on the council for four years, said he was quiet and not “flashy.” Oliver kept his head down and focused on constituent concerns, Marks said.

“It’s impossible to understate his historic election,” Marks said.

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