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With the primary election set for June 23, the Voice asked candidates to share their backgrounds and plans for office. Here are the biographies that candidates for county positions submitted. Read about the state offices here.
In the instances where no bios were provided, the Voice used information from the candidates’ websites as noted.
Dave Crawford, Republican
Dave Crawford is an Anne Arundel County native — born and raised here — who has spent 40 years running real businesses and 35 years serving this community. He is not a career politician. He is a proven leader with a record that voters can look at and judge for themselves.
Over his career, Crawford has managed a $90 million operating budget as a district manager, secured nearly $10 million in grants for the community, and led 145 emergency responders as a volunteer fire chief. He has managed teams, balanced books under pressure, and delivered results in environments where excuses do not matter and performance does.
Crawford and his wife, Lori, are deeply rooted in Anne Arundel County. Lori has worked in Anne Arundel County Public Schools her entire career, making education a personal priority — not a talking point — for their family.
Crawford is running for county executive because Anne Arundel County’s challenges are operational, not ideological — budgets, infrastructure, public safety and schools. He believes county government is about competence: safe neighborhoods, reliable services, responsible budgeting and schools families can trust. The county needs a manager, not a politician, and Crawford’s 40-year career is the relevant qualification.
His campaign is guided by six principles: protect taxpayers, respect working families, back first responders, demand accountability, support schools, and keep county government grounded in real-world results. He is not asking voters to take a chance on him — he is asking them to look at his record.
James Kitchin, Democrat
The Voice could not reach James Kitchin before the deadline.
With County Executive Steuart Pittman’s administration, Kitchin served as community engagement officer and director of community engagement and constituent services before becoming the special assistant to the county executive, engaging with community leaders on major policy initiatives.
According to Kitchin’s campaign website, his priorities are improving schools, fixing roads, protecting the environment and keeping communities safe.
Kyle Nembhard, Democrat
The Voice could not reach Kyle Nembhard before the deadline.
He is a professional city and regional planner with 20 years of experience. His career accomplishments include winning tens of millions of dollars in federal grant funding for the state of Maryland through strategic planning and positioning of major capital projects.
According to Nembhard’s campaign website, he is focused on managing growth by balancing infrastructure with smart development. He believes in transparency, accountability, and fostering an inclusive environment for all residents.
Allison Pickard, Democrat
Councilwoman Allison Pickard is leading the charge to move Anne Arundel County forward. From building new schools to improving infrastructure, investing in first responders, and tackling environmental challenges, Pickard delivers results for our neighbors and families.
Pickard’s parents raised her to value public service. Her father served in the Army and her mother was a nurse. As a longtime volunteer at Glen Burnie’s Oakwood Elementary, Pickard dedicated her time to give her kids and the community a school they could be proud of. Anne Arundel County Public Schools awarded her the Volunteer of the Year award in 2013 for her work there.
Just three years later, Pickard flipped her county council seat from red to blue to serve our community. She is a strong proponent of collaborative leadership, and her record reflects a commitment to community-first policies, sustainability and equitable growth. She is running for county executive to continue to build on the progress made here in Anne Arundel County.
As your next county executive, Pickard will be laser-focused on tackling the affordability crisis facing families across Anne Arundel County. With the harmful policies of the Trump administration hurting Maryland and our residents, a strong local government and our Democratic coalition are more important than ever. She leads the strongest coalition of Anne Arundel leaders — from Congress, to the State House, to the county council and school board.
Pete Smith, Democrat
Anne Arundel County is my home, the place I love and where I am raising my kids. I am running for county executive to address our challenges, including threats from the federal administration and a county government that isn’t as responsive as it must be and is standing in the way of economic growth.
My commitment to community service comes from my backstory, similar to the challenges so many face today. I was raised by a mom who dropped out of high school and had five kids before age 19. My family moved every year, and we grappled with poverty and eviction. Mentors saved my life: a cop who gave me a lifeline instead of arresting me in seventh grade; and teachers in chess club and debate class.
I joined the Marines out of high school and spent 28 years on active duty and in the reserves. I was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, and have been a senior manager with U.S. Cyber Command, leading intelligence budgets and big programs.
In 14 years on the county council, I built a record I am proud of. I have cast the deciding votes to fully fund our schools, and I also cast the key vote to create the largest environmental plan in county history.
My cottage home legislation will create $200,000 homes affordable to teachers and seniors.
As county executive, I will prioritize economic growth to fund schools, public safety, and the environment, and I will change the regulatory attitude from “no” to “yes.” I will rebuild our police and fire departments, and I will fight a cruel agenda in Washington that is gutting the federal workforce.
In my administration, county government will be a force that brings communities together. We’ve had too much division. It is time for unity and progress.
Amanda Fiedler, Republican (incumbent)
The Voice could not reach Amanda Fiedler before the deadline.
Born and raised in Arnold, Fiedler resides just 10 minutes from her childhood home. As a lifelong resident of Anne Arundel County, she attended schools in the Broadneck feeder system, graduating from Broadneck High School before attending Salisbury University (then Salisbury State University), where she earned her Bachelor of Arts with a journalism track.
After working for several years in local newsrooms, including WUSA in Washington D.C., Fiedler shifted her career focus to politics and media. She is now a senior media buyer for a firm based in Alexandria, Virginia, where she has worked since 2010.
Fiedler has served on the Anne Arundel County Council since November 2018 and is “known for her responsiveness, accessibility, swift action, and thoughtful considerations and discussions she gives to residents on any issue, big or small,” according to her website.
Natalie Ogilvie, Democrat
The Voice did not receive responses from Natalie Ogilvie before the deadline.
Ogilvie is a mom, a small-business owner, and the secretary of the Anne Arundel Special Education Citizens' Advisory Committee. According to her Facebook page, she is running because “our community deserves leadership that is proactive, responsive, and focused on solving the problems families are dealing with right now.”
One of her top priorities is improving access to more efficient transportation, services and permitting. She also said the county should protect the environment while planning responsibly for growth. Lastly, “We cannot balance our books by cutting the people who hold this county together. That means protecting funding for our teachers, firefighters, and police officers and ensuring essential services remain strong,” she said.
Jim Fredericks, Republican
I am a lifelong county resident and a modern law enforcement leader with the experience, education and commitment to public safety you deserve. For more than 38 years, I have been married to my high-school sweetheart, and we have three children and five grandchildren. My dedication to the safety of our communities isn’t an interest in being another elected official; it’s a commitment to making Anne Arundel County the safest place for our families, friends and neighbors to grow and thrive.
Does experience matter? Yes, but not any experience; the right experience. My knowledge of law enforcement and protecting our communities comes from working my way through the ranks of the Anne Arundel County police department, earning your trust, and ultimately being elected as your sheriff from 2018 to 2022. My career spans 30 consecutive years of service in our county, having developed incredible relationships with community and business leaders.
Being a modern sheriff requires vision, leadership and an understanding of how our county functions. As your sheriff, I secured a large, new sheriff’s office facility, with modern canine, training, dispatch, and warrant service capabilities. I instituted innovative warrant reduction programs that reduced outstanding warrant numbers by more than 10%.
In that same time, I worked with the county council to create more new deputy positions than in the previous 20 years combined. My administration enhanced community engagement through mobile technology, advanced new technologies for courthouse security, and fully implemented the agency’s body worn camera program.
In the next four years, I will leverage new partnerships to fulfill staffing needs of the circuit court, further reduce outstanding warrants, and implement new strategies to not only move the sheriff’s office forward, but to ensure the safest Anne Arundel County for our citizens.
James McNeill, Republican
The Voice could not reach James McNeill before the deadline.
According to his website, McNeill is a lifelong resident of Anne Arundel County, a former law enforcement officer and a dedicated community member with over two decades of public safety experience. Having served in multiple policing roles, volunteered within local agencies, and operated as a small-business owner, he brings a practical, ground-level understanding of both law enforcement and the community it serves. A husband of 38 years and father of three, McNeill is running a grassroots campaign focused on transparency, accountability, and strengthening public safety through experience, collaboration and modern solutions.
Everett Sesker, Democrat (incumbent)
The Voice could not reach Everett Sesker before the deadline.
He was raised in Edgewater, surrounded by a large extended family who values community and making the world a better place. In 1990, Sesker joined the Prince George’s County Police Department, starting a 22-year stint protecting the citizens of that area.
After serving the citizens of Prince George’s County and retiring as a major in 2012, Sesker was appointed by Governor Larry Hogan as the executive director of the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission in 2017. Sesker ran for Anne Arundel County sheriff in the 2022 election. During his term in office, he has worked diligently to modernize equipment, reorganize bureaus to increase efficiency and effectiveness, and establish pathways into the communities that the sheriff’s office serves.
Anne Colt Leitess, Democrat (incumbent)
The Voice did not receive responses from Anne Colt Leitess before the deadline.
A career prosecutor for over 30 years, Colt Leitess first served as state’s attorney in 2013 and was elected to the office in 2018 and 2022. She has spent her career fighting for justice and protecting citizens’ rights.
According to her campaign website, she speaks out against “the abuses of ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and accountability during these troubling times of federal overreach.”
Carolynn Grammas, Democrat
I have served the people of Anne Arundel County as a career prosecutor for over two decades. Throughout my career, I have prosecuted violent crimes, homicides, sexual offenses and vehicular manslaughter cases, and served as deputy chief of the district court, while mentoring younger prosecutors. I have built my career on integrity, preparation, fairness and treating victims and their families with dignity and respect.
My decision to run for state’s attorney is deeply personal and grounded in my belief that the mission of justice in Anne Arundel County must be restored without compromise. Early in my life, my best friend was murdered. I sat through the trial beside her family and saw firsthand how important it is for victims to be heard, informed and treated with compassion throughout the legal process. Before becoming a prosecutor, I also trained in the public defender’s office, where I learned the importance of ensuring prosecutions are fair and justice is applied equally to every person. Both experiences shaped the prosecutor I became.
Residents of Anne Arundel County are familiar with the ethical concerns and highly publicized prosecutorial problems that have occurred during the current administration, as reported by the Capital Gazette, Baltimore Sun and other outlets. If you are unfamiliar with those issues, I encourage you to visit my website at www.votegrammas.com. I am not a politician. I am running because I believe the state’s attorney’s office must return to ethical leadership, professionalism and strong courtroom prosecution. Prosecutors must receive proper training, mentorship and accountability so they can effectively try cases and secure convictions that are lawful, sustainable and just. Victims deserve an office that communicates with them, respects them, and fights for them every day. I am proud to have the support of law enforcement, public defenders and members of the defense bar.
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