Allan H. Kittleman


Allan H. Kittleman, an American Republican politician, was the ninth county executive for Howard County, Maryland as of 2014. Kittleman previously served as a Maryland State Senator from 2004 to 2014, representing the 9th district covering Howard and Carroll Counties, and was Senate Minority Leader from 2008 to 2011. He also previously served on the Howard County Council from 1998 to 2004.

Education

Born on October 20, 1958, in Olney, Maryland, Kittleman attended Atholton High School in Howard County, Maryland. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 1981 and graduated with honors from the University of Maryland School of Law with a in 1988.

Career

Kittleman was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1988 and was an associate with Smith, Somerville & Case, 1988–91 and a partner with Herwig & Humphreys, LLP from 1996 to 2003. Kittleman has worked for the law firm Godwin, Erlandson, MacLaughlin, Vernon & Daney since 2008, though is not listed currently among the firm's attorneys.

Maryland Senate

He is the son of the late Robert H. Kittleman and was appointed by Governor Bob Ehrlich to fill his seat in the Maryland Senate. In 2006, Kittleman won re-election in a landslide against Democrat Richard Corkran. With a reputation as a social libertarian, Kittleman frequently mediates between the liberal and conservative factions in the party. In 2010, Senator Kittleman defeated Jim Adams by a wide margin in the general election after facing no primary opposition. On January 30, 2010, the Senate Republican Caucus again chose him to serve as Minority Leader with Senator David R. Brinkley as Minority Whip, who defeated Senator Nancy Jacobs.
Senator Kittleman resigned as Minority Leader on January 18, 2011. During the 2011 General Assembly session, Kittleman broke ranks with his fellow Republicans and voted in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage.

County Executive

Kittleman was elected County Executive of Howard County, defeating Councilwoman Courtney Watson in the 2014 election. Since taking office, Kittleman's top priorities as executive include improving the delivery of human services, closing the education gap and rebuilding infrastructure throughout Howard County.
Controversial measures undertaken by his administration include reassessing the sustainable growth tier structure of the county, put in place by County Executive Ken Ulman in 2013. On February 9, 2017, Kittleman vetoed a bill passed three days earlier by the County Council on a 3–2 vote to declare Howard County a sanctuary jurisdiction for illegal immigrants.
Democratic County Councilman Calvin Ball III defeated Kittleman in the November 6, 2018 election for County Executive. Kittleman said he was disappointed though accepted the voters' decision and would seek to help Ball's transition.

Election results