[Baltimore Sun] Chamblee raised nearly 10 times more than her Howard school board race opponent
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Howard County Board of Education candidate Andrea Chamblee has raised nearly 10 times more than her District 5 opponent and is the top fundraiser in the entire school board race in Howard, according to a Maryland State Board of Elections campaign finance report.
According to a report from the period Aug. 21-Oct. 20, Chamblee has raised more than $41,000 in contributions; her opponent in the District 5 race, Trent Kittleman, 79, of West Friendship, raised almost $4,000 in the reporting period and spent slightly over $4,500.
Chamblee, 63, of Glenwood, also has the most cash on hand, with a balance of $32,732.06.
Those who have made contributions to Chamblee include several state Democratic lawmakers such as Sen. Shelly Hettleman, Del. Sara Love, Del. Pam Guzzone, Del. Natalie Ziegler and Comptroller Brooke Lierman. The Maryland Democratic Party contributed $6,000, the Maryland State Education Association Fund for Children & Public Education gave $4,000 and U.S. Rep. David Trone, a Democrat who represents Maryland’s 6th District, donated a total of $6,000 to her.
Chamblee also received a total of $12,100 from the campaigns of Howard County Sheriff Marcus Harris and Maryland Democratic Sens. Guy Guzzone, Katie Fry Hester and Sarah Elfreth, the Democratic nominee for Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District.
Chamblee’s husband, John McNamara, was among five journalists shot to death in the Capital Gazette newsroom in 2018, and since then Chamblee has been an outspoken advocate for gun safety, getting to know many lawmakers through her work. Chamblee said she’s grateful to have their support and “that those relationships are as meaningful to them as it is to me.”
“The reason I’m getting donations is because people are really concerned about extremism taking over public education,” Chamblee said. “And I think there’s good reason to be concerned, and hopefully one day we’ll go back to being less divisive.”
She said some of her top priorities are working with School Resource Officers and families to address the anxieties students have about attending school when they feel unsafe, as well as repairing school buildings to tackle the district’s deferred maintenance list.
Kittleman is a former Republican state delegate who spent eight years in the General Assembly, beginning in 2015. After losing reelection in 2022, Kittleman said she became involved with Moms for Liberty in Howard County because she wanted to inform parents about what was happening in education. She said she stopped participating in the group once its focus shifted but still admires the organization.
“I have never run a high-cost campaign, and didn’t intend to this time,” Kittleman said. “The eight years I was in the legislature, I kept in contact with my constituents and I think that was pretty important. And the things that I do when I campaign don’t cost a lot of money.”
Some of Kittleman’s areas of focus are the budget, improving special education and a concentration on academics as she said many parents believe academics have gotten lost with the decrease in test scores in recent years. Improving communication between the school board and those who watch the meetings is also important, Kittleman said, and she wants to have better communication about important issues, ask questions in a new way and listen to all political perspectives when discussing issues.
Misinformation that has spread to parents has caused the race to become political, Chamblee said, and she hopes to return to looking at science to see how children learn, what they need and how to provide it.
“I want to know what our kids need to thrive,” Chamblee said. “I don’t care if they’re a Democrat or Republican, I want my neighbors’ children to be happy at school and enjoy the new world they can discover.”
Mallo is top spender
Despite raising the most, Chamblee has not spent the most in the Howard County races for a school board seat.
Jennifer Mallo, current chair of the board, totaled $26,692.83 in expenditures in her bid for re-election in District 4, spending mostly on printing, campaign materials and postage. Her opponent, Julie Kaplan, raised just over $2,000 and spent $5,743.80.
Mallo received the second-highest total contributions during the filing period, over $22,000, but maintains a loan balance of $27,520. The third highest amount of contributions was reported by Meg Ricks, running for District 1. Ricks received more than $20,000, with donations from state candidate accounts contributing the largest amount. Harris, Guzzone, Elfreth and Hester’s campaigns made contributions, as well as state delegates Courtney Watson, Terri Hill, and Chair for the Howard County Democratic Central Committee Shahan Rizvi.
Ricks has been an advocate for education through the PTA and other involvement but said in an interview that she didn’t think she’d run for office. She decided to make the jump after realizing she had experience, knowledge and a desire to work for students that she wanted to see from a board member.
Priorities for Ricks include ensuring that school buildings are safe and healthy, the transportation system is safe and reliable, and that educators receive support. She’d also like to ensure that there are programs and staff to help address the needs of all students, bridging any gaps. School safety, the budget and the capital budget will each be a “big thing,” Ricks said.
“Day by day, month by month, things become more pressing, but it’s always going to go back to doing what is best for the students to help them to succeed,” Ricks said.
There are eight members on the Howard County Board of Education, including a voting student member who is selected by students in the Howard County Public School System. This year the five members who represent councilmanic districts are on the ballot. The other two seats are at-large representatives whose terms expire in 2026.
Have a news tip? Contact Kiersten Hacker at khacker@baltsun.com or @KierstenHacker on X.
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