KEN ULMAN, County Executive

Biography

Ulman is “leading the charge in Howard County….and brings needed energy to the county government,” September 11, 2007,The Washington Post.

On December 4, 2006, at the age of 32, Ken Ulman was sworn in as Howard County Executive – the youngest County Executive ever elected in the State of Maryland.

After representing District 4 as a County Council member, Ken was more than ready to take on the challenge of representing every citizen who calls Howard County home.

Ken has been called "smart, committed and focused." In his first two years in office Ulman has followed through on his campaign promise to focus on the basics of good government: public safety, education, and protecting the environment, all of which contribute to the enviable quality of life in Howard County. And that focus has not gone unnoticed, in the past year both Forbes and Money Magazine have ranked Howard County as one of the top places in the country to live.

One of Ulman’s signature initiatives has been his annual public forums. In order to hear directly from county residents about their concerns, Ulman has held several public forums where citizens can speak face-to-face with the Executive about any issue. These forums have helped solve many residential issues, and have served as the impetus to changes in County legislation, transit, and zoning. Weeks after one forum, a County resident told Ulman (and reporters) “You’ve been able to do in two weeks what no one else has done in 34 years.”

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Ken is “the new Green Lantern…determined….with an ambitious agenda. Ulman has made environmental progress and energy savings a key issue in his administration.” Baltimore Sun, August 2007

To ensure that protecting the environment a priority throughout County government, Ulman created the Howard County Office of Environmental and Sustainability. This office’s mission is to protect and enhance natural resources and the quality of life in our community through the conservation, preservation, and restoration of our land, air, and water. It is important to note, in his first month in office Ken made Howard County among the first counties in the Country to be an active participant in the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, a nationwide effort by local jurisdictions to reduce global warming.

The County’s largest environmental project to date was spearheaded by the County Executive himself with a successful recycling container delivery program. Since the delivery of the recycling bins and wheeled carts, curbside recycling has increased and trash decreased.

Howard County residents have responded enthusiastically to the program with approximately 95% of Howard County residents participating in the curbside recycling program. Residents are recycling more, more often, and some are recycling who never recycled before. Approximately 3,500 tons of recycling has been diverted from landfills and used to make new products.

HEALTHY HOWARD

Ken's commitment to public health is no less ambitious and quite personal as he watched his brother, Doug, fight cancer at a young age. Ken clearly understands the need for everyone to have access to affordable, quality healthcare, and he is passionate about everyone having access to preventive medicine. Ken has served on the board of the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults and is especially proud of his involvement with the fund his family founded after Doug became ill. Doug is now a three-time survivor and a true crusader on cancer awareness as president of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Both Ken’s parents are cancer survivors too.

In his first year in office Ken and Health Officer Dr. Peter Beilenson launched the Healthy Howard Initiative. Healthy Howard is a community-based initiative aimed at improving health for those who live, work, learn and play in our county. It uses accreditation programs to facilitate the advancement of “healthy” policies in important, everyday institutions such as restaurants, schools, and workplaces. The goal is to build a model public health community where residents are surrounded by a range of clean, safe, and healthy activities, products, and environments.

In September 2007, Ken announced plans to make Howard County one of the first counties in the country to offer affordable access to health care for uninsured residents. This initiative has yielded some remarkable results. Through the enrollment process and a program called Health E-link the County found coverage for 3000 individuals who were eligible for under existing state and federal programs. To date hundreds of Howard County residents have health care coverage under the Health Howard Plan. Thinking outside the box but within the system, the County’s Health Department discovered a way to use the state Comptroller’s Office to help link families in the county to affordable health care programs. This innovative idea led the state to pass legislation requiring all Counties to follow Howard County’s lead.

“…Beilenson and Ulman’s efforts are to be commended. They have admirably decided to stop waiting for the insurance industry or the federal government to fix things while some of its citizens suffer for want of affordable coverage.” Howard County Times Editorial, Oct. 2009

In 2009 Ulman and Beilenson drafted regulations to propose to the County Health Board that would ban the use of tanning beds to Howard County kids. In November, the Board voted unanimously to approve the regulations making Howard County the first in the nation to provide such comprehensive protection to kids from this serious public health threat.

Regionally, Ken is a member of the Baltimore Metropolitan Council and the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board. He serves on the Maryland Association of Counties' Board of Directors and is also a member of the Board of Directors of the County Executives of America. On the national level, Ulman is the Vice-Chair of Health Policy for the National Association of Counties and Treasurer for the National Democratic County Officials.

Howard Magazine readers voted the Executive “Best Elected Official” in 2007 and 2008, and Ken was named one of Baltimore Magazine’s “15 Most Intriguing People of 2007”.

With lifelong roots to the community, Ken is a product of the local public school system. He graduated from Centennial High School and received his bachelor's degree in government and politics from the University of Maryland, College Park. He completed his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

Before being elected County Executive, Ken ran his own law firm in Columbia which has provided him with experience as both a leader and a businessman.

Here's something you may not know about Ken: he was actually one of the first babies born at Howard County General Hospital. Today the County Executive and his wife Jacqueline live in Columbia with their two young daughters.