Suspending my Campaign for Anne Arundel County Executive

​When I filed to run for Anne Arundel County Executive in February, I knew my campaign was a long shot. Despite entering the race late, I ran because I was deeply concerned by how quickly our elected officials compromise our infrastructure and sustainable future for political expediency.

As a City and Regional Planner, I’ve spent my career integrating growth, transit, and community voice. I still believe our county deserves a leader who views these not as three separate problems, but as one interconnected issue.

​Over the past four months, I’ve participated in dozens of forums, knocked on doors, and listened to residents across the county. Through this process, I have also learned more about the other candidates. The values and principles on which I built this campaign are far larger than myself. To ensure those principles succeed, I am fully prepared to step aside and do what is necessary to advance the work.

​While I have no doubt that Pete Smith has the temperament to be a fine County Executive, no other candidate's messaging and policy has aligned more closely with mine than James Kitchin’s. From the start, we have shared the same logic and philosophy regarding responsible growth in Anne Arundel County: ensuring residents have a true seat at the table and working tirelessly to ban private developer money from our local politics.

​As Director of Community Engagement and Constituent Services, James has spent eight years inside the County Executive's office doing the hard work of listening to our communities. His plan to bring traffic studies in-house, and his commitment to running a campaign completely independent of the development lobby, are exactly what we need in the next administration.

​Today, I am suspending my campaign and endorsing James Kitchin for Anne Arundel County Executive. I will be standing alongside him at events between now and the June 23 primary, and I am asking the residents who supported my vision to join me in backing James.

Thank you all for your continued support!

Sincerely,

Kyle Nembhard