ON A MISSION
St. Mary's County is stuck with status quo. Same same. It's time for bold leadership that works for everyone — not just the few.
St. Mary's County is one of the most beautiful places in Maryland — and it's home to some of the hardest-working people in this state. Yet too many of those families are being priced out, left behind, or simply ignored by a county government that has settled for the status quo for far too long.
AnnMarie Abell is running for County Commissioner President because St. Mary's deserves better. As a career federal leader with decades of experience managing teams addressing complex problems and delivering results, she brings a bold, practical vision — and the experience to execute it.
Her platform is built around these urgent priorities: Economic Opportunity & Jobs, Workforce Housing & Affordability, Education & Workforce Development, and Better Governing. These aren't just talking points. They encompass the issues keeping St. Mary's families up at night — and they will be her mandate from Day One.
MISSION PRIORITIES
Economic Opportunity & Jobs
Two economies. One county. It's time to close the gap.
Right now, St. Mary's County is home to two separate economies living side by side. One, centered on defense and high-tech, with median household incomes well over $100,000. The other — made up of service workers, educators, public safety workers, tradespeople, farmers, and small business owners — leaves families working two jobs or more just to get by in one of Maryland's wealthiest and fast growing counties.
That's not acceptable. And it's not sustainable.
St. Mary's has been talking about diversifying its economy for years — away from dependence on the base and the defense industry. But talk without action is just noise. AnnMarie Abell will act.
Workforce Housing & Affordability
Between 1500-2000 housing units short. Families are being priced out of the county they call home.
Affordability is not an abstract concept — it's the ability to live where you work, raise your kids where you grew up, and build a life in the community you love. For too many St. Mary's residents, it’s become harder to do and for some it’s no longer possible.
Inventory of workforce and low-income housing is lacking and what does exist leaves local families priced out. New housing isn't being built fast enough — or affordably enough. And the people who keep this county running — teachers, nurses, tradespeople, service workers — can only afford to stay here with creative living arrangements or working more than one job. The cost of infrastructure expansion such as roads, water and sewer, limits new housing development.
That has to end.
Education & Workforce Development
23rd out of 24 counties in per-pupil spending. St. Mary's children deserve better than last place.
Education is not just a social issue — it's an economic one. A county that underinvests in its students underinvests in its future. And the data is stark: St. Mary's County ranks 23rd out of 24 Maryland counties in public school spending per student. That is a crisis.
Our students — from pre-K through high school — deserve learning environments that set them up for success. Our educators deserve the resources and support to do their best work. And our community deserves a pipeline of skilled workers who are ready to fill the jobs of the 21st century.
For young people just starting out — education policy is economic policy. For parents and long-time residents — this is about the future of the community you built. For business owners — a stronger education system is your best economic development partner.
It's Time to Unstick St. Mary's County.
Everyone in St. Mary's deserves a fair shot at success — not just the people who've been here the longest, or the ones with the most connections, or the ones who can afford to weather whatever comes next.
AnnMarie Abell is running because she believes this county can do better. Not someday. Now. With the right leadership, the right questions, and the courage to break from a status quo that is failing too many people, St. Mary's County can be a place where everyone can afford to live, work, and thrive.
Join us. Your county needs you — and together, we will move it forward.
Better Governing & Community-Centered Leadership
Decades of the same decisions, the same results. It's time to ask better questions and demand real answers.
Better governing is not a slogan. It is the foundation that makes everything else possible.
AnnMarie Abell has spent her career in federal government doing exactly what county leadership should be doing: asking hard questions, listening to the people closest to the problem, understanding how systems connect, and delivering results. That experience is exactly what St. Mary's County needs at the commissioners' table.
Right now, development proposals are being evaluated using traffic studies from two or three decades ago. Failure to close loopholes with local ordinances that allow facilities like a cannabis grow facility to be built without a public hearing. County budgets falling short in commitment to fully funding our public schools or our public safety. District-based voting — which would allow residents to hold their specific representative accountable — is still not a reality. And the county keeps making decisions that serve entrenched interests rather than working families.
That ends with new leadership.