Jewish Baltimore County Councilman Israel “Izzy” Patoka announced that he will be running for the role of Baltimore County executive in the next election cycle, aiming to bring his background in planning and executive-level experience to the position.
Patoka, who lives in Sudbrook Park, has been a county councilman since 2018 for District 2 in Baltimore County, an area that includes Pikesville.
His announcement came on Sept. 8, and he joins a field that includes multiple fellow council members trying to secure the Democratic nomination in the 2026 election.
Patoka has nearly 30 years of experience in government and has served in both Baltimore City and County government, along with serving in former Gov. Martin O’Malley’s cabinet.
“We need somebody [for county executive] that has the broad breadth of experience of working at the executive level, as I did at the state of Maryland, in the governor’s office and the mayor’s office. We need someone who understands how to do a multibillion-dollar capital budget and operating budget, and I have that experience,” Patoka said.
Patoka added that the position requires someone with budget discipline and problem-solving abilities, both skills that he said he possesses.
Patoka said that, as a county councilmember, he tries to focus on being community-centered and combining that with his budget experience to apply “good government principles” to his work.
Patoka was elected chair of the County Council in 2024, and he said he brought a legislative agenda to the position. Patoka has brought that same planning mentality to his campaign, detailing several legislative priorities he said he plans to implement if elected to the county executive seat. First, Patoka wants to create an Office of Community Conservation that will focus on the inner-Beltway communities.
“We’ve really gotten away from addressing the needs of recreation, especially in our community, the Jewish community. We’ve gotten away from providing recreation opportunities, basketball courts, ball fields. Our infrastructure is crumbling, and so I want to redouble our focus back to inner-Beltway neighborhoods,” Patoka said.
Patoka said he also wants to decentralize county government, meaning that items placed in the government budget will come from the Community Engagement Office. Patoka explained that the people working in that office are the “front line” in the community, and he wants them to help with planning the budget. Patoka said that the budget is where you can articulate public policy since it’s where priorities are implemented.
Aside from his policy priorities, if elected, Patoka would become the second Jewish Baltimore County executive in history. Patoka said that having Jewish representation is important because of the lifelong insight he has into the Jewish community and an understanding of the nuances that are difficult for other groups to immediately understand.
Patoka recalled an example. Shortly after he was elected, he asked for increased pedestrian safety measures in areas with large Orthodox populations.
“I was told by the transportation engineers that, ‘Councilman Patoka, we’ve already looked at that. There’s not enough pedestrian activity to warrant additional pedestrian safety measures,’” Patoka said.
Patoka countered and asked how they had determined that there wasn’t enough activity. The manual the engineers were using pulled the data from a weekday. Patoka told them they should retake the data during Shabbat, and the engineers came back with the finding that there was a need for additional pedestrian measures. Patoka said the government got $3 million for additional sidewalks.
“It’s having this sense of what our community needs because we grew up with it. My parents were both Holocaust survivors, and so to me, my Jewish heritage is really important,” Patoka said.
Patoka also said he would be environmentally conscious, that he would get out and listen to the community and that he would work on maintaining the unique character of the county.
“You’re getting somebody that cares about the community. What I do when I’m not a county councilman or running for county executive is I coach basketball. I coach 15- to 17-year-olds at Pikesville Rec, and I really enjoy it. I do college letters for my players. I maintain good relationships with them,” Patoka said.
Patoka will be competing in the Democratic primary with Election Day on June 23, 2026, before the general election in November 2026.
