Baltimore County Council elects Towson Democrat Mike Ertel as chair

Rona Kobell 

The Baltimore Banner

January 7, 2025

The Baltimore County Council on Tuesday unanimously picked Councilman Mike Ertel to be its chair in 2025.

Ertel, a Towson Democrat and longtime community activist, was first elected in 2022 after a new district was drawn that included Towson, Parkville, Overlea and parts of Middle River.

Ertel is a popular consensus-builder on the council, which includes four Democrats and three Republicans. Among the matters in which he has been influential: expanding the council by two seats, banning plastic bags, protecting the office of the Inspector General, and passing an adequate public facilities ordinance to reduce crowding in school districts.

“Anyone can have a good idea,” said outgoing Chair Izzy Patoka, as he listed Ertel’s achievements. “If you have a good idea, how do you muster four votes to support that good idea?”

Ertel, he added, had been “outstanding” at getting support for his own ideas as well as lending his voice to others’ priorities.

Ertel took over immediately as chair, switching seats with Patoka. His nameplate had already been moved over. Patoka passed the gavel after a busy 2024, which saw voters pass a charter amendment to expand the council to bring more diversity and the council select a new county executive, Kathy Klausmeier, to succeed Johnny Olszewski Jr., now a member of Congress. Klausmeier was sworn in about a half hour after Ertel became chair.