Howard County voters to decide Question A, swapping gendered terms for neutral wording

HOWARD COUNTY, Md. (WBFF) — A debate over a proposal to update Howard County’s charter is raising questions about the focus of county leadership.

Voters in Howard County will soon see Question A on the ballot, which asks if the county should replace gender-specific terms with gender-neutral language in its governing document. The proposed amendment does not suggest any change to public safety funding.

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Fitzgerald Mofor, a candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 9A, believes county leaders are overly focused on the charter change while residents are concerned about household costs and safety.

“What we’re seeing right now is a council that is simply out of touch and not really connected with the needs of Howard County residents,” Mofor said.

Citing a recent shooting in Columbia on Oct. 5, Mofor called for more action on crime and accountability for repeat teenage offenders.

We don’t have our eyes on the ball right now and they’ve showed and displayed that they aren’t able to walk and chew gum at the same time,” Mofor said.

He added, “There’s no accountability and there’s no services right now for kids that unfortunately continue to re-offend. So, I believe that the county council should work with state government.”

Political analyst John Dedie, who spoke with WBFF, views the charter update as an easy and routine change for local governments.

“This is something common governments have been doing mainly because we’ve seen more of an incorporation of women in society,” Dedie said.

He acknowledged that residents want progress on larger concerns, but described the charter amendment as “kind of low-hanging fruit in politics. This is something you can put on the ballot.”

WBFF reached out to Howard County Councilmember Christiana Rigby for comment on the proposal and criticism of county priorities, but did not receive a response.

A vote in favor of Question A would approve the use of gender-neutral wording in the county charter while a vote against would keep the existing language in place.