John A. Olszewski Jr.

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John Olszewski
Balt-Co-Inaug-2018-404 (45443076254) (1).jpg
14th Executive of Baltimore County
Assumed office
December 3, 2018
Preceded byDonald Mohler
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 6th district
In office
June 12, 2006 – January 14, 2015
Preceded byJohn S. Arnick
Personal details
Born (1982-09-10) September 10, 1982 (age 39)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Marisa
​
(m. 2005)​
Children1
EducationGoucher College (BA)
George Washington University (MA)
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (PhD)

John A. Olszewski Jr. (born September 10, 1982) is an American politician and the current Baltimore County Executive. He previously served two terms in the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 6.

Early life and education[]

Olszewski was born the eldest of three boys to John Olszewski Sr. and Sherry Olszewski in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 10, 1982.[1] He was raised in Dundalk, Maryland, and graduated from Sparrows Point High School in 2000.[2]

Following high school, he attended Goucher College, from which he graduated with a bachelor's in political science and American studies.[2] After college, Olszewski pursued a master's in political management from George Washington University, which he obtained in 2006.[2] He began teaching at Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts a year prior to his first election in 2006, focusing on social studies and special education.[2] In 2017, Olszewski earned a doctorate from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.[2]

Career[]

Olszewski was appointed to the Baltimore County Board of Education as the Student Member of the Board, serving from 1999 to 2000.[3] He was elected to a term on the Maryland Democratic State Central Committee, serving from 2002 to 2006.[3]

He served on the Task Force to Study Raising the Compulsory Age of Education to 18 and served as a member of the Commission to Develop the Maryland Model for Funding Higher Education.[3] Olszewski was also a member of the 2009 State Plan for Postsecondary Education Work Group.[3] He served on Maryland's P-20 Leadership Council, the Joint Information Technology and Biotechnology Committee, the Task Force on Job Creation in Baltimore County, and as a co-chair of the Maryland Youth Advisory Council.[3] In addition, Delegate Olszewski was elected as chairman of the Baltimore County Delegation in 2011.[2][3]

After serving as a classroom teacher at Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts for five years, Olszewski served another two years as a resource teacher in the Department of Parent Support Services in Baltimore County. He enrolled as a PhD student in the University of Maryland, Baltimore County's (UMBC) Public Policy program, where he also served as a graduate assistant. Olszewski graduated from the program in 2017.

He also has taught two classes at Goucher College, one on "Leadership for Change" and another on "Campaigns and Elections," and has lectured internationally on the subject of "Leadership for Change" with George Washington University's Governance Program. Olszewski is a 2010 graduate of Leadership Baltimore County.

Olszewski remains active in his community and district, and has served as a block captain for the St. Helena Neighborhood Association and as a member of and volunteer for various organizations, including the Dundalk Renaissance Corporation and the Back River Restoration Committee. He continues to resident in eastern Baltimore County and is active in his church community.

Olszewski ran for a seat in the Maryland Senate in 2014, but lost in the general election. After serving as a member of the Ways and Means Committee (dealing with education policy, gaming law, election law, tax law, transportation law, and horseracing), he became a member of the House Economic Matters Committee, which deals with issues of public utilities, insurance, worker's compensation, unemployment insurance, banking, science, technology, and business regulation. He also led the 21-member Baltimore County Delegation in the House of Delegates as its chairman—the youngest ever to be elected to that position.

In 2018, Olszewski was elected Baltimore County Executive. He was inaugurated on Dec. 3, 2018 and is currently serving his first four-year term.

In the legislature[]

Olszewski became a member of House of Delegates on June 12, 2006,[1] having been appointed to fill the vacancy created by an appointment of the late Delegate John Arnick to the Maryland Board of Contract Appeals.[2] He stood for election in September and November of that same year and won a four-year term in his own right.[3] He served as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and its Education and Election Law Subcommittees during that first term.[2] In September and November 2010, Delegate Olszewski was re-elected to his position, where he was given a new committee assignment with the Economic Matters Committee, serving on the property and casualty insurance and the public utility subcommittees.[2]

As County Executive[]

After Olszewski was inaugurated for his term he started to implement his agenda. As County Executive, Olszewski has said that transparency and accessibility are among his top priorities for local government.[4] In his first year in office, he held a budget-focused Town Hall series to gather input from residents about their priorities and requests, with one town hall in each of Baltimore County’s seven council districts.[5] Over 2,000 residents attended the Town Hall series, and hundreds submitted their priorities to County Government. In the year prior, just two people testified on the budget. The Town Hall series continued in subsequent years and pivoted online amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]

In Olszewski’s first major legislative push, he introduced and advocate for a major ethics and accountability package, including lobbying reforms, creating the County’s first Office of Ethics and Accountability, and passing a now-successful charter amendment to establish public financing of local elections.[7] The legislation passed with bipartisan support.

Later in his first year, Olszewski released the County’s first Open Budget platform,[8] which has since been expanded to allow residents to view the County’s budget down to the individual check.[9] He also created the BCSTAT program, the County’s first open data dashboard that has since been expanded to include data on County services, declining crime rates in Baltimore County, and the opioid epidemic in Baltimore County.[10]

In October 2019, Olszewski introduced and passed legislation prohibiting landlords from discriminating against tenants who use Housing Choice vouchers.[11]

In 2019, Olszewski introduced the SAFE Act in order to require gun retailers to install responsible security measures to protect their inventory from potential burglaries. The bill passed with bipartisan support.[12]

In June 2020, Olszewski introduced the SMART Policing Act, a police reform bill that bans chokeholds, prevents officers with prior records of misconduct from serving in the Baltimore County Police Department, and required additional de-escalation and implicit bias training. The legislation was approved with a 6-1 bipartisan vote.[13] Previously, Olszewski created an Equitable Policing Workgroup in January 2020 to "examine current policies, practices, and training related to policing and offer recommendations to ensure equitable practices and to bring greater transparency and accountability to law enforcement."[14]

Olszewski passed legislation in 2020 to require that contractors who work on county-funded projects must receive a prevailing wage. The legislation also included a local hiring provision that requires that 51 percent of those jobs go to Baltimore County residents.[15]

COVID-19 Response and Leadership[]

Baltimore County’s first COVID-19 vaccine clinic, held at the Maryland State Fairgrounds, has been described as operating with “military precision.”[16] Maryland Governor Larry Hogan called it the best operation in the state and announced that it would be converted to a mass vaccination site in a partnership with Baltimore County, effective April 5.[1]

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Olszewski’s administration established a food distribution program, which has provided over 16 million meals to residents. The County’s eviction prevention program has supported over 1,400 Baltimore County families during the pandemic, with over $10 million allocated to support renters in Baltimore County. The County has also distributed over 1,400 grants to county businesses, totaling $25 million.

The County’s BCSTAT team created public data dashboards to track the number of COVID-19 cases and the County’s progress in vaccinating residents and other data related to COVID-19.

On March 19, 2021, Olszewski announced a roundtable series to inform the County’s economic recovery plans.[17]

Legislative notes[]

  • Voted in favor of Tax Reform Act of 2007(HB2)[18]
    • provides for a progressive income tax structure (and lowered income taxes for a large majority of Marylanders)
  • Voted for the Maryland Gang Prosecution Act of 2007 (HB713)[19]
    • subjecting gang members to up to 20 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $100,000
  • Voted for Jessica's Law (HB 930)[20]
    • eliminating parole for the most violent child sexual predators and creating a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in state prison, 2007
  • Voted for Public Safety – Statewide DNA Database System – Crimes of Violence and Burglary – Post conviction (HB 370)[21]
    • helping to give police officers and prosecutors greater resources to solve crimes and eliminating a backlog of 24,000 unanalyzed DNA samples, leading to 192 arrests, 2008
  • Voted for Vehicle Laws – Repeated Drunk and Drugged Driving Offenses – Suspension of License (HB 293)[22]
    • strengthening Maryland's drunk driving laws by imposing a mandatory one year license suspension for a person convicted of drunk driving more than once in five years, 2009
  • Voted for HB102[23]
    • creating the House Emergency Medical Services System Workgroup, leading to Maryland's budgeting of $52 million to fund three new Medevac helicopters to replace the State's aging fleet, 2009
  • Voted for Civil Marriage Protection Act (HB438)[24]
    • permit civil marriage rights for same-sex couples, 2012

Personal life[]

In 2012, he was named one of Maryland Daily Record's top "20 in Their Twenties."[25] Honorees are chosen based on their professional accomplishments and civic involvement and celebrated for the positive impact they have on contributing to a new energy in Maryland.[26]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Del. John Olszewski Jr. (D-Maryland) biography". congress.org. Retrieved May 3, 2012.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rodman, Nicole (April 18, 2012). "Del. Olszewski makes Daily Record's list of up-and-comers". Dundalk Eagle. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "House of Delegates: Maryland Manual Online". Maryland State Archives. 2007. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
  4. ^ "County Executive Overview - Baltimore County". www.baltimorecountymd.gov. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  5. ^ Government, Baltimore County. "Town Hall Meetings - Baltimore County". www.baltimorecountymd.gov. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  6. ^ "Olszewski Announces 2021 Series of Budget Town Hall Meetings". olszewski-announces-2021-series-of-budget-town-hall-meetings. Retrieved 2021-04-03. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  7. ^ editor@dundalkeagle.com. "Olszewski proposes ethics reform package". Dundalk Eagle. Retrieved 2021-04-03. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  8. ^ Boteler, Cody. "Baltimore County publishes open budget tool in transparency push". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  9. ^ "Baltimore County Open Checkbook". checkbook.baltimorecountymd.gov. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  10. ^ "Baltimore County Government". bcstat-bc-gis.hub.arcgis.com. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  11. ^ III, Wilborn P. Nobles. "Baltimore County Council hears from both sides of debate over low income housing proposal". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  12. ^ Pringle, Megan (2020-01-22). "Baltimore County Council passes SAFE Act". WBAL. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  13. ^ III, Wilborn P. Nobles. "Baltimore County Council passes legislation to ban police chokeholds, impose new oversight". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  14. ^ "Baltimore County Workgroup on Equitable Policing Announces Community Listening Sessions". baltimore-county-workgroup-on-equitable-policing-announces-community-listening-sessions. Retrieved 2021-04-03. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  15. ^ III, Wilborn P. Nobles. "Baltimore County Council approves legislation setting wage, hiring requirements for county contracts". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  16. ^ Collins, David (2021-01-05). "Baltimore County sets up COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Timonium". WBAL. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  17. ^ "Olszewski Announces Baltimore County Economic Recovery Roundtables". olszewski-announces-baltimore-county-economic-recovery-roundtables. Retrieved 2021-04-06. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  18. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-09. Retrieved 2011-12-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. ^ "BILL INFO-2007 Regular Session-HB 713". mlis.state.md.us.
  20. ^ "BILL INFO-2007 Regular Session-HB 930". mlis.state.md.us.
  21. ^ "BILL INFO-2008 Regular Session-HB 370". mlis.state.md.us.
  22. ^ "BILL INFO-2009 Regular Session-HB 293". mlis.state.md.us.
  23. ^ "BILL INFO-2009 Regular Session-HB 102". mlis.state.md.us.
  24. ^ "BILL INFO-2012 Regular Session-HB 438". mlis.state.md.us.
  25. ^ "20 in Their Twenties: Current Winners". The Daily Record. thedailyrecord.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
  26. ^ "The Daily Record: 20 in Their Twenties". The Daily Record. thedailyrecord.com. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
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