Barry Glassman

Barry Thomas Glassman (born March 24, 1962) is an American politician who served as the 7th county executive of Harford County, Maryland, from 2014 to 2022. A member of the Republican Party, he served from 2008 to 2014 as a member of the Maryland Senate, representing the 35th district, and the Maryland House of Delegates from 1999 to 2008, representing District 35A.

Born and raised in Havre de Grace, Maryland, Glassman graduated from Washington College before working as a claims specialist with Travelers Insurance Company. He was elected to the Harford County Council in 1990, serving two terms before winning election to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1998. Glassman was appointed to the Maryland Senate in January 2008, following the resignation of J. Robert Hooper, and subsequently won election to a full term in 2010. He was elected Harford County Executive in 2014 and 2018.

Glassman ran for comptroller of Maryland in 2022, seeking to succeed incumbent Democratic Comptroller Peter Franchot, who unsuccessfully ran for governor. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary, but was defeated by state delegate Brooke Lierman in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Early life and education Barry Thomas Glassman was born on March 24, 1962, in Havre de Grace, Maryland, to Charles Glassman. He grew up on a sheep farm in Level. He attended Meadowvale Elementary and Havre de Grace Middle School. He graduated from Havre de Grace High School in 1980. After high school, he attended Washington College. In his freshman year, he was elected as president of Washington College's College Republicans. He became vice president and later president of the college's student council. In 1983, he presented the paper "Securing Access to Energy" at the Foreign Affairs Conference at the United States Naval Academy. He graduated in 1984 with a B.A. in political science. During college, he served as a legislative intern to state delegates Barbara Osborn Kreamer and William A. Clark. He was a member of the Finance Committee and the Protocol Committee, was the Senate Chair of the Harford County Delegation, and a member of the Maryland Veterans Caucus. He was unopposed in the Republican primary, winning a second term with 67.4 percent of the vote.

In November 2015, Glassman said he was considering a run for the Republican nomination in the 2016 United States Senate election in Maryland. In January 2016, he said he would not run for Senate, instead continuing to serve as county executive.

2022 Maryland Comptroller candidacy

In December 2020, Glassman, who was term-limited from running for a third-term as Harford County executive, said he was "weighing his options" on a possible run for governor, comptroller, or a congressional seat. On April 15, 2021, Glassman announced that he would run for Comptroller of Maryland in the 2022 election. In announcing his run, Glassman said he would have run for Maryland's 1st congressional district in 2022 had incumbent U.S. Representative Andy Harris "kept his promise on term limits".

Following the Republican primaries, in which he ran unopposed, Glassman refused to endorse either of the other two statewide Republican nominees, Dan Cox and Michael Peroutka. He lost to state delegate Brooke Lierman in the general election, receiving 38.3 percent of the vote. Following his defeat, Glassman worked as a lobbyist during the 2023 legislative session and started his own lobbying firm, Deer Creek Government Relations, in June 2023.

Political positions Glassman has been described as a moderate Republican.

Development initiatives During his first year as county executive, Glassman unveiled a plan to revive development initiatives at the James Run corporate site near I-95, and with establishing an agricultural research and exposition center near Dublin.

In May 2022, Glassman vetoed a bill that would place a building development moratorium on the Perryman Peninsula, saying that the bill was "illegal" and violated the Harford County Code and the County Charter. The Harford County Council did not override Glassman's veto on the bill, despite previously voting unanimously to pass the bill.

Education In February 2021, Glassman said he supported a bill introduced in the Maryland Senate to create an all-elected school board in Harford County.

Gun control In March 2013, Glassman said that he opposed the Firearm Safety Act of 2013, calling the bill "an infringement on the law-abiding folks" and not a deterrent to criminals who use guns. Glassman voted against the bill in April 2013.

Healthcare Glassman supported the creation of Maryland's Prescription Drug Affordability Board, a body tasked with making recommendations to the Maryland General Assembly on how to make prescription drugs more affordable. In May 2019, Glassman wrote an op-ed to Maryland Matters calling on Maryland governor Larry Hogan to sign the bill creating the agency into law.

Marijuana In 2003, Glassman voted against a bill to legalize medical marijuana in Maryland, calling the bill a "revenue enhancement act for the drug dealers". Glassman later reversed his position on marijuana, supporting and voting for legislation to legalize medical marijuana and decriminalize small amounts of the drug in 2014, but said he did not support the full legalization of marijuana. In August 2021, Glassman said that he had "no objection" to putting the question of legalizing cannabis before voters, but said he'd "wait for pass judgement on the implementation legislation".

Social issues Glassman opposed the Civil Marriage Protection Act, voting against it in both 2011 and 2012 and telling The Baltimore Sun, "I don't have a problem providing some right and privileges within a civil union, but I don't want to redefine what a traditional marriage is."

In March 2013, Glassman voted against legislation that would repeal the death penalty in Maryland.

In February 2019, Glassman called on state Delegate Mary Ann Lisanti, who represents part of Harford County in District 34A, to resign after she used the n-word to describe a Prince George's County legislative district.

Glassman condemned the 2021 United States Capitol attack, sending a tweet during the attack that read "Put this rebellion down!" and later sending an email condemning U.S. Representative Andy Harris's role in the incident. Shortly after the events, Glassman announced he would consider a run against Harris in 2022, but he ultimately ran for Comptroller of Maryland in 2022 instead. In March 2013, he voted against a bill to raise the gas tax to replenish the state's transportation fund.

Personal life Glassman is a sheep farmer who lives in Darlington. He married Deborah "Debi" Sue Mitchell. Together, they have a child.