March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 47 F

Sierra Club and AFL-CIO endorse Pittman for County Executive

While County Executive Schuh continues to raise unprecedented sums of campaign money from development interests and companies that need permits and licenses from county government, his Democratic challenger Steuart Pittman is gaining momentum among organizations that represent working people and advocate for open space and the environment.
 
The Pittman campaign announced that it has been endorsed by the Metropolitan Baltimore Council AFL-CIO and the Sierra Club of Anne Arundel County. Previously announced endorsements include the Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County (TAAAC) and the Anne Arundel County Professional Firefighters.
 
“Steuart Pittman is exactly what Anne Arundel County needs and what our members want—a county executive who puts working families first,” says Jermaine Jones, president, Metropolitan Baltimore AFL-CIO. “Steuart will fight for a stronger, fairer economy that works for everyone. That’s a pretty clear choice.”
 
Regarding the AFL-CIO endorsement, Pittman says, “I support a healthy business climate in our county, and I’m a firm believer in the role of organized labor. Working people are too often left out of local decision-making, and unions provide them with a voice.
 
“I also admire the work of trades unions,” says Pittman. “At no expense to taxpayers these organizations provide the training and the benefits that make the building trades a career option, rather than just a job, for our next generation.”
 
Pittman disputes County Executive Schuh’s claim that accelerated growth and development would solve our county’s fiscal problems. He points out that we are farther behind than we were four years ago on school, police and fire department staffing, and that our new infrastructure improvements were made possible only by extending borrowing terms from 20 to 30 years.
“We need a 10-year plan for the county that is fiscally and environmentally responsible,” says Pittman.  “I’m committed to developing such a plan in concert with the diverse communities that make up our county.”
“The more than 1,400 members of our Sierra Club in Anne Arundel County are very concerned about the next General Development Plan,” says Earl Bradley, Anne Arundel Group Chair of the Sierra Club. “That plan will be written in 2019, and we want a county executive who is beholden to the people who live here rather than to developers.
“We interviewed both Steve Schuh and Steuart Pittman, and we were unanimous in our belief that Pittman is the better candidate. He has demonstrated his commitment to the environment as a farmer and as a board member of the Anne Arundel County Soil Conservation District.  His successful career in business and the non-profit sector shows that he understands how to bring people together to get things done. We also believe that Pittman has the momentum in this election and will win,” says Bradley.
“The Sierra Club endorsement is very important to me personally,” says Pittman. “My father worked hard to preserve farmland and forests until his death in 2013, including the land where I am raising my family today. As county executive, I intend not only to preserve the natural beauty of our county, but also to promote the outdoor activities that connect people to the land and water. No organization makes a better partner in that effort than the Sierra Club.”
The Pittman campaign was bolstered by last month’s Anne Arundel Community College poll showing that County Executive Schuh’s approval rating had dropped from 49% to 41% in the last six months. Seventy-two percent of respondents believed that development interests have too much influence in land use decisions, and only 30% believe that the county has done a good job of “balancing demands for new development with measures ensuring our quality of life.”
Steuart Pittman is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.
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