Salute to county leaders: Calvin Ball

Key Takeaways

Calvin Ball’s appointment to the Howard County, Md. Council in 2006 launched a county government leadership career that will have lasted more than 20 years when he leaves office after two terms as the county’s first African American executive. 

His county government career started prior to that appointment, when he worked as a firefighter and emergency management technician while teaching education and urban studies at Morgan State University, where he would later earn a doctorate. As his appointed term ended, he won the first of three races for County Council chair, becoming the youngest person to hold that office. He also served as president of the Maryland Association of Counties.

How did you know that county government was your calling? 

I think when I was able to interact with my neighbors, I thought about how at state and federal government, you rarely have the same direct interaction with your neighbors. You rarely really have an opportunity to see the work that you’ve done impact the people in such a direct and immediate way. 

What was your proudest achievement in Howard County? 

Our long-lasting infrastructure project will be the Ellicott City Safe and Sound flood mitigation plan, but we’ve built a number of new schools to ensure that we’ll have the civic community infrastructure that will stand the test of time and bring people together. 

What did you learn from NACo that you brought home to Howard County? 

I think the most important thing is that we’re not alone, that we are all facing many of the similar issues that everyone in every county is facing. How do we ensure that there’s educational opportunity that is not bound by ZIP code? How do we ensure that people are not only safe but feel safe? How do we make it so that we’re prepared for the future, both financially and connecting with our communities? 

I think NACo really helped us see that these are issues and challenges around our nation. And if there are issues and challenges around our nations, the solutions and the way that we address these issues, we can come together and create best practices that help everyone. 

How did you change as a county leader over your tenure? 

I’m an educator and a mediator by training, so I’ve always wanted to, help empower people and bring people together. I think as a leader, I have not only grown in my understanding on how to address some of these issues but gotten even better at pulling people together during the pandemic, during the federal government shutdowns, during the DOGE layoffs. 

I’ve also recognized that none of us are always right. It’s tough, especially at the executive level because people look to you to have all the answers and your first instinct is to try to give all the answers. I think over time, recognizing I don’t have all the answers, and I don’t need to have all the answers. You know, we have team members. 

We have constituents that governing, especially over the course of time, is an iterative process that as new information comes, we grow, we learn, we improve, and we try to do better. And that’s OK. 

Have you met any mentors that have helped you along the way, people you didn’t expect would end up mentors? 

Well, you know, I see a lot of county government as collaborative, and so, yes, they’re mentors, but over time, I get to be the mentor in some issues. And, you know, there are times where certain executives are like, ‘Hey, how do you deal with this?’ And they say, ‘Oh, I’ve dealt with that a couple years ago.’ 

And then, in six months, they’re like, ‘Hey, how do you deal with that?’ I was like, ‘Oh, I dealt with that a couple years ago. And so, you know, I’ve had the chance to be mentor and mentee. 

Why are you optimistic about the future of county government? 

As we’ve seen in these tumultuous times and increasing turbulence at the federal level, it has just reinforced that at the county level, we are thoughtful. We’re collaborative. We don’t have to make decisions based upon strict ideology or partisanship. We can come together. 

As we’ve faced some of the most challenging times in the last eight years with the federal government shutdowns, with the DOGE layoffs, with the financial sector going haywire, county government has been the stalwart along the way. 

Why are you optimistic about the future of county government? 

Listen, learn, grow and do your best based upon the information that you have.  It’s OK, in year six, to make a different decision than you would have in year one, because if you don’t, that means you’ve wasted five years of an opportunity to learn, to grow and to become better.