Baltimore County Executive Elect, 'Johnny O' Olszewski Jr. Says He'll Prioritize Education
TOWSON, Md. (WJZ) -- "Johnny O" Olszewski Jr. wins Baltimore County executive, and there's no need for a recount this time.
After barely squeaking through the primary in June, he won Tuesday night.
Olszewski beat challenger Al Redmer Jr. 56.9 percent to 43 percent, with a total of 158,765 votes in comparison to Redmer's 119,856 votes.
Redmer conceded to Olszewski at around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night.
Olszewski was out thanking voters Wednesday, but also said it's time to get to work.
"Thanking our supporters, thanking the voters of Baltimore County, and just starting the process of trying to build out a plan for the transition," Olszewski said.
In his acceptance speech Tuesday night, he promised transparent government, and said he will prioritize education.
"At first, political insiders didn't give us much of a chance. In fact, they wrote us off. But, I believed in the people of Baltimore County, and I believed in each of you, and you in turn, believed in me," Olszewski said.
At a quieter campaign part across the county, his Republican opponent, Al Redmer, watched the numbers come in. He took the stage hours after the polls closed to concede.
"I just called Johnny and congratulated him on his hard-fought victory," Redmer said Tuesday night.
If elected, Redmer would have been the first Republican Baltimore County executive in 24 years.
"My role was to go out, introduce myself to people and talk about the issues that concerned them and try to explain why I was the best guy to do it. Ultimately, we were not successful doing that," Redmer said.
Redmer said he plans to get back to work as Maryland's insurance commissioner.
Election Results: Maryland | Local
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