Kevin B Kamenetz

Early life, education, and career

Kamenetz was born in Lochearn, Maryland to Miriam and Irvin Kamenetz, a pharmacist who owned an Overlea pharmacy for over 30 years. He attended Baltimore County Public Schools and graduated from the Gilman School. He earned his B.A. from the Johns Hopkins University in 1979 and graduated from University of Baltimore School of Law with a Juris Doctor in 1982, passing the Maryland Bar that same year.

Kamenetz worked as a prosecutor in the Office of the State's Attorney for Baltimore City from 1982-87, and has practiced law for over 30 years. He is admitted to practice before the Bars of the United States District Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Kamenetz currently resides in Owings Mills with his wife, Jill Kamenetz, and two sons.

Political career

Kamenetz was elected to the Democratic State Central Committee (terms: 1982. 1990, 1994) and served as Baltimore County Chair (1993-94).

Baltimore County Council

Kamenetz was elected to the Baltimore County Council in 1994 and was reelected in 1998, 2002, and 2006, serving a total of 16 years. His fellow councilmembers elected him Chairman in 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2008. He served as Chair of the Council's Spending and Affordability Committee.

Baltimore County Executive

On November 2, 2010, Kamenetz was elected as the 12th Baltimore County Executive, succeeding James T. Smith, Jr.

Under Kamenetz, Baltimore County launched its landmark "Schools for Our Future" program, a $1.3 billion ten-year school construction and renovation initiative designed to meet the needs of Baltimore County’s educational facilities by eliminating existing and projected overcrowding, modernizing learning environments, and improving safety . Through the program, Baltimore County is building 16 new schools and performing 19 major additions and renovations , reducing the number of Baltimore County Public Schools without central air conditioning from 90 in 2010 to 13 in 2017.

In December 2012, Kamenetz had proposed building a new fire station in Towson Manor Park, a pocket park that represented the only green space in the Towson Manor Village neighborhood. The then-existing fire station in Towson was old and the located in a site that could possibly be redeveloped for commercial purposes. The property was ultimately sold, and the proceeds used to pay for the new fire station. But the county was able to find space on underused land it already held in downtown Towson, leaving Towson Manor Park untouched . Three Baltimore County Schools and a police station, all on the county's east side, were also affected by similar land sales to developers.

In 2016, Kamenetz was elected President of the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo), a non-profit and non-partisan organization that serves Maryland’s counties by articulating the needs of local government to the Maryland General Assembly. MACo is the only organization serving the needs of county elected officials and governments across the state

He serves on the board of the Baltimore Metropolitan Council (Chair, 2012), the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board (Chair, 2013), the Board of Visitors, and the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center.

Honors

In 2010, Mr. Kamenetz received the Valleys Planning Council’s McHarg award for his efforts to reduce density, protect environmentally sensitive land and watersheds, and secure Baltimore County’s rural heritage.

In 2013, Mr. Kamenetz received the Outstanding Performance and Community Service Award from the Baltimore County Branch of the NAACP in recognition of his outstanding leadership of Baltimore County government and the significant increases in diversity among County employees.