Nick Stewart’s One County Initiative

My One County Initiative: Affordable, Inclusive, Modern

Nick’s plan to solve the housing crisis and revitalize communities is the most comprehensive plan for housing in the County’s history. See how he will make this vision a reality with The Dream and Deliver Framework here.

We can’t keep doing what we’re doing.  We need a breakthrough.

It’s time for bold ideas. It’s time for a new type of leader who can write a new chapter in Baltimore County’s story—one that is far more affordable, inclusive and modern, for everybody.  

Like you, my wife and I love Baltimore County. That’s why we’re raising our four kids here. And it’s why my dad chose to commute to work two hours each way, so we could grow up here.

But this county we love faces an affordability crisis. Two-thirds of us choose between food and other necessities. Energy and health care costs are skyrocketing. And 74% of our kids in BCPS live in poverty.

But the biggest expense for families—housing. It’s never been harder to buy a home in Baltimore County based on income. And we saw a 25% jump in property tax assessments.

Taken together, this has led to slow economic growth, falling incomes and our first population loss in a century. This means families are stretched thin, public servants can’t afford to live in the communities they serve and seniors are being forced out.

I’m running for county executive because we need a fresh start—and this is our moment.

I’ve never been more hopeful than I am right now about our county. That’s because this crisis has created an opening for big change if we have a plan to get there. 

And so I’m hopeful, because we have that plan. I’ve spent my whole life working on the very issues that form the basis of this crisis. I co-founded an advocacy group for housing and revitalization, and I serve with a local community development organization. I’ve been vice chair of the School Board and a member of the county’s Workforce Development Board.  And I’m also a business attorney who helps startups bring new ideas to life.

Through these experiences, and the 460+ sit-downs I’ve had throughout the county—with real families struggling to make ends meet—we’ve developed the boldest and most detailed plan of any candidate. 

It starts by building a state-of-the-art performance system that can meet today’s challenges. And we’ll use it to deliver attainable homes (including $200K starter homes) and revitalized town centers. We’ll provide universal pre-K, community schools and a new BCPS accountability tool—and I’ll spend a week each year as a substitute teacher.

We’ll also create a new jobs department and innovation districts with local universities. To improve public safety and support police, we’ll hire 600 new officers and provide modern equipment that boosts morale.  And we’ll build bus rapid transit that connects us all. 

Even more, we’ll develop a Green Infrastructure Network to unlock open space and generate energy through rooftop solar.  And we’ll stand up a Department of Human Rights & Equity to address bias and fight for the marginalized. 

Supporting all of this will be a new culture of radical transparency—and urgency. It simply can’t take six years to build a new house or fifteen years to build a new high school.

How do I know it’ll work? Because I’m the only Democrat running who’s not on the County Council, so I’m not wed to the way it’s always been. Because we’ll have many new councilmembers, who better reflect the true diversity of our county. And because I know just how talented the people of Baltimore County are.

No doubt there’s comfort in a “status quo” candidate who’s been on the Council. But they’ve had their chance, and they didn’t push back against this crisis. Instead, they imposed a housing ban that will worsen things.

We’ve got to turn a page on the past—whether it’s the Council appointing the interim county executive through a sham process, Councilman Izzy Patoka drawing council maps behind closed doors and disenfranchising Black voters, Councilman Julian Jones attempting to oust the inspector general or the councilmembers giving themselves a pension windfall.

And we’ve got to turn the page on old thinking—“we can’t fix that because that’s the way we’ve always done it.”

That’s wrong. Big things are still possible in Baltimore County. And we have all the tools we need. That’s us, the people of Baltimore County. We have the skills and heart to make a fresh start, even while pushing back against federal cruelty.

We just have to choose it. We must become “One County,” where we’re more than the sum of our parts, be it the Southwest, North County or the East Side. Where it’s about the merit of your idea, not who you know. Where we unite our strengths and deliver a future that feels far more affordable, inclusive and modern.  

That’s my vision. Enough for everybody.

We’re building a courageous team that’s ready to dream and deliver. It’s growing every day, and I hope you’ll join us. 

Click here to read the campaign’s 9/22/2025 press release on the One County Initiative