Written by: Josh Kurtz
Source: Maryland Matters
Kimberly McCoy Burns, chief of staff at the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation and a familiar and well-connected figure in the state politics, is planning to run for Anne Arundel County Council in 2018.
Assuming she wins the 1st District GOP nomination, Burns – who only recently became a Republican – would take on County Councilman Peter Smith (D), who is seeking a second full term.
Burns told Maryland Matters that she is running because she believes the north county district, which she called “Anne Arundel’s stepchild,” is being underserved, especially considering it is home to such economic powerhouses as BWI Airport and the Maryland Live! Casino. She cited the taxes and revenues that the district’s residents and institutions generate for the county.
“I don’t think we’re seeing a lot of the benefits to the community that we ought to be seeing,” she said.
Burns is kicking off her campaign with a breakfast fundraiser on March 23 at Italia’s Corner Café in Glen Burnie. She estimated that she’ll need about $75,000 to run a competitive campaign.
In an interview this week, Smith, who won his seat narrowly in 2014, welcomed Burns to the race.
“Anyone has the ability to run for whatever office they choose, so I applaud her for putting herself out there,” he said.
Burns brings an impressive political pedigree to the race for one of the most competitive county council districts in the state. It’s a hub of old-line conservative Democrats who have divided their loyalties between both political parties for years, largely opting for Democrats in local and state legislative races but preferring the GOP in statewide contests and at the presidential level. Smith won his 2014 race by just 288 votes over Republican Bill Heine, a relative newcomer to Maryland, even as Gov. Larry Hogan (R) was racking up big vote totals there.
Burns, 53, is the daughter of former state Del. Dennis McCoy (D), who represented northwest Baltimore in Annapolis for a dozen years in the 1970s and 1980s. McCoy was an ally of William Donald Schaefer, and Burns considers her father and the late governor and Baltimore mayor to be her political mentors and role models.
McCoy, she said, “is my chief cheerleader. It’s kind of generational. I learned a lot from my dad. I’ve learned a lot about integrity. I’ve learned a lot about community service.”
The Schaefer era, Burns said, taught her “the importance of engendering a real sense of pride and empowerment in the community” – something, she said, that has been lacking under Smith.
Burns and her father worked together as contract lobbyists for 17 years in Annapolis. It was there that she met her future husband, Del. Michael Burns (R), who represented Dist. 32 – some of the same territory as the county council’s 1st District – from 1995 to 1999. The couple live in Linthicum and have two teenaged daughters.
After lobbying, Kim Burns became president of Maryland Business for Responsive Government, then worked in the office of business relations at BWI-Thurgood Marshall Airport. She has been the top aide to DLLR Secretary Kelly Schulz since the early days of the Hogan administration.
Burns said she does not expect to have to leave her day job while she is a candidate. She said she has consulted with state ethics officials and has meticulously researched the dos and don’ts of being a candidate while holding a high position in state government.