Howard County Council chair Liz Walsh on Monday is becoming the latest Democrat to launch a bid for county executive in 2026.

Walsh joins fellow Councilwoman Deb Jung and state Del. Jessica Feldmark in what will be a competitive spring primary for the post held by Democrat Calvin Ball, who is term-limited and cannot serve more than two consecutive four-year terms.

Walsh’s campaign has been a long time coming. The Ellicott City native made up her mind to run for county executive back in 2022 — even as she sought a second term on the County Council representing District 1.

At the time, the councilwoman felt her “Get out of my way” mindset in her first term hadn’t accomplished what she intended. Several ambitious bills addressing stormwater management, sanctuary policies and adequate public facilities “went down in flames,” Walsh said.

“This is madness to keep doing this,” she recalled thinking.

In her second term, Walsh switched her strategy by studying how the processes of county government worked and building better relationships with its agencies. She used the legislative process to obtain information in an effort to lay problems bare. And she focused on the creation of an inspector general’s office to investigate waste and fraud in government, which residents overwhelming approved in a referendum in November.

That new philosophy was evident earlier this month when County Council members weighed how best to move the jurisdiction closer to its goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2045 despite a series of legal challenges around the state. Walsh implored her colleagues to identify measures they could all agree on instead of debating the merits of more controversial initiatives.

“From an emotional and mental management perspective, it was really the only way to approach a second term in that atmosphere,” Walsh said.

Now, Walsh thinks she’s reached the end of what she can do in a council seat and wants to pursue her priorities on a bigger platform.

Looking to the future, Walsh is contemplating questions of land use, which she said affect so many county issues, including education, transportation, business planning and stormwater control. Bad calls from local government can cause headaches for residents, she said, but good policies attract new residents and business investments.

Walsh also believes that the county has underinvested in schools for as long as she’s been on council. She has two children enrolled in Howard County schools and has previously campaigned on promises to steadfastly support public education.

During the most recent budget cycle, Howard’s school board asked the county for $107.3 million above what the county is legally required to contribute in the coming year.

Ball called the request unattainable, citing significant federal and state cuts, but later recommended a one-time transfer of $14.5 million. The council went on to provide $816 million to the school system, which is $53.8 million above what it is legally required to give.

Howard’s school board later voted to cut $11.3 million in costs and eliminated 127 positions to balance its budget.

“I haven’t been able to stop that [underinvestment] as much as I would want to at the council level,” Walsh said. “That, I think, has really crippled that school system.”

Prior to her time in elected office, Walsh worked as a project engineer for a national general contractor. She later obtained her law degree from Georgetown University and spent 20 years working as a construction lawyer. Walsh returned to Ellicott City in 2009 and bought a house that fell within the district for Mt. Hebron High School, her alma mater.

Walsh intends to use the Howard County’s Citizens’ Election Fund, which encourages candidates to rely on small, private donations.

“If you’re not using public finance, it’s a red flag,” she said.

The fund was still on the ballot when Walsh ran her first grassroots campaign for the County Council’s District 1 in 2018. She used the fund during her second campaign in 2022.

The fund matches campaign donations with public dollars. In exchange, candidates cannot accept money from political action committees, corporations, businesses, labor organizations or political parties.

The deadline for Howard County executive candidates to file for the election is Feb. 24, 2026.