Pat Young knows Baltimore County has a reputation as a “pay to play” environment, where developers finance campaigns and then expect favors from their representatives.

Young, a combat veteran who served in Iraq and won his first statewide race at 30 by knocking on 9,000 doors, says he never felt comfortable with that part of politics. So he decided to become the first declared candidate for Baltimore County executive to fund his campaign through the newly created public financing option in the county.

“This decision sticks to who I am, and it sticks to my values, and honestly, it’s just the right thing to do,” Young said. “Engaging with regular folks is what is going to make the difference in this race — it’s what makes the difference in every race.”

Under the public financing law that the County Council passed in 2021 — the year before Young was elected — the maximum contribution anyone can make is $250. The fund has a multiplier effect. So, if a donor puts in $50, the fund contributes $300. If a donor puts in $250, the fund contributes $850. That is supposed to help level the playing field.

The idea behind the concept is that candidates spend as much time as possible talking to individual voters, because everyone matters for contributions as well as votes. Developers can still support and contribute, but they can only give $250, just like everyone else. Young’s goal is to raise about $1 million through these small donations.

The county law allows for the first disbursements from the fund next month for the 2026 election cycle. To prepare, Young said he had to return $80,000 raised in larger donations from his earlier fundraising efforts because the rules required he had to open a new account and he did not want that money sitting in an old account, parked and unused.

Public financing is new to Baltimore County, but not to the state. Montgomery County was the first to set up such a fund in 2017. Since then, Howard, Prince George’s, Anne Arundel and Baltimore City and county established funds, each operating a little differently.

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich won his two campaigns using that county’s system, though he did have other large contributions. In Baltimore last year, Zac Blanchard eked out a victory over City Hall veteran Eric Costello. Blanchard, a part-time football coach who had only moved to the city four years before his race, won by 48 votes.

Baltimore County set up the system to encourage more first-time candidates, women and people of color to run for office. The County Council is all male and has only one person of color, Julian Jones.

The council is expanding from seven to nine members, and some of those candidates in the 2026 elections have said they will be looking at public financing. Few have declared their candidacies yet because the redistricting committee is still configuring maps, which the council will vote on to determine the districts.

Other declared candidates in the county executive race include council members Jones, of Woodstock, and Izzy Patoka of Pikesville. Attorney Nick Stewart, who served on the school board, is also running. Jones and Patoka have raised more than $1 million, according to state campaign finance reports; Stewart only recently entered the race, so no reports were available for him.