Politics & Government

Harford County Councilman Dion Guthrie Pondering Harford County Executive Campaign

Dion Guthrie, a Democrat representing Joppa and Edgewood, will have served 12 years on the Harford County Council at the end of his current term.

Harford County Councilman Dion Guthrie is pondering a campaign for the office of Harford County Executive, he told Patch on Tuesday.

Guthrie, a Democrat representing the southwestern portion of the county including Joppa, Joppatowne and Edgewood, told Patch he began seriously considering a campaign after receiving positive feedback from a local political outreach group, The Peoples Choice.

The initial research, conducted in Edgewood, Joppa, Abingdon and Forest Hill, according to a news release from The Peoples Choice, indicated Guthrie would be the strongest Democratic candidate in 2014.

"We’re pondering it and talking with a few people," Guthrie said. "On the surface it sounds pretty good."

Guthrie said he would like to make a decision by October.

Sen. Barry Glassman, a Republican from the Level area, has announced his campaign for county executive. No other candidates have formally announced intentions.

Guthrie called Glassman "a good friend," but noted that his decade-plus of political service on the county council should give him an edge in understanding the inner workings of county government.

"Even though he says 'Come back to Harford County,' he’s been dealing with state issues. Not Harford County issues," Guthrie said. "I’ve been dealing with county issues at the end of this term for 12 years. He hasn’t dealt with a county council budget in about 16 years. He’s proven he can’t work with the other side."

Guthrie is one of two Democrats on the county council, alongside Mary Ann Lisanti, who represents District F, including Havre de Grace, Abingdon and Belcamp.

Guthrie said he's shown a willingness and ability to work across party lines.

"It’s almost a 50-50 registration now in the county. However, we all know that anything on the other side of I-95, if you have Mickey Mouse running and he’s a Republican, he’s going to win," Guthrie said. "I’m not being facetious here. If you cross over 95, anyone that runs Republican is going to get about 70 percent of the vote. That’s where I’m going to focus my polling to see what I can do on the other side of 95. I have a lot of friends who are Republican who are pushing me to run."

Guthrie said he's contracted a group to do some initial polling, which he said will be done in September and October.

For more Harford County news, follow @HarfordCoPatch on Twitter!


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Aberdeen