31 Facts About Kathy Klausmeier

Katherine A Klausmeier is an American politician who is the 15th and current county executive of Baltimore County, Maryland, serving since 2025.

Kathy Klausmeier is the first woman to serve in the position.

Kathy Klausmeier then represented the district in the Maryland Senate from 2003 to 2025, including as the president pro tempore of the Maryland Senate from 2019 to 2020.

At the time of her resignation in 2025, Kathy Klausmeier was the dean of the Maryland Senate.

Kathy Klausmeier was raised in Perry Hall, Maryland of northeastern suburban Baltimore County.

Kathy Klausmeier attended and graduated from the all-girls student body at The Catholic High School of Baltimore and attended the nearby Community College of Baltimore County, where she received an associate degree in 1971.

Kathy Klausmeier attended, but did not graduate from Towson University in Towson, Maryland.

Kathy Klausmeier served as the president of the Gunpowder Elementary School parent-teacher association from 1987 to 1989, and again from 1991 to 1994.

Kathy Klausmeier first became involved with politics as an election judge in 1990 and 1992.

Kathy Klausmeier served as the vice president of the Baltimore County Commission for Women from 1991 to 1993, and chaired the task force charged with studying whether to create an elected or appointed school board in Baltimore County in 1993.

Kathy Klausmeier was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1994, and was sworn in on January 11,1995.

Kathy Klausmeier served as a member of the Environmental Matters Committee during her entire tenure.

Kathy Klausmeier was elected to the Maryland Senate in 2002, and was sworn in on January 8,2003.

Kathy Klausmeier has served as a member of the Finance Committee during her entire tenure, and became the committee's vice chair in 2023.

From 2019 to 2020, Klausmeier served as the president pro tempore of the Maryland Senate, making her the second woman in Maryland history, after Ida G Ruben, to hold the position.

The election was seen as one of the most competitive in the Maryland Senate, as Miele was expected to benefit from having the endorsement of Governor Larry Hogan, who won the district by 37 points in 2014, but Kathy Klausmeier was seen as being the slight favorite due to her high name recognition and strong community roots.

Kathy Klausmeier defeated Miele in the general election on November 6,2018, edging out Miele by a margin of 1,061 votes, or 2.3 percent.

Kathy Klausmeier formally applied to fill the remainder of Olszewski's term as county executive after his victory over Kimberly Klacik in the general election in November 2024.

Kathy Klausmeier is the first woman to serve as Baltimore County Executive as well as the oldest person to serve as Baltimore County Executive, having been sworn in at 74 years old.

In 2022, Kathy Klausmeier was the only Senate Democrat to vote against a bill repealing a law that allowed children to be arrested for disturbing school activities.

In 2019, Kathy Klausmeier voted against a bill that would make Wheelabrator Baltimore ineligible to receive subsidies meant for renewable energy, saying that the bill would harm the incinerator and counties that use it to burn trash.

Kathy Klausmeier advocated for requiring all newly-built schools in Maryland to be carbon neutral.

In 2020, Kathy Klausmeier was the only Senate Democrat to vote against overriding Governor Larry Hogan's veto on a bill to repeal Maryland's Handgun Permit Review Board, which handled conceal carry applications.

In 2021, during debate on a bill that would prohibit people from carrying guns at polling places, Kathy Klausmeier was the only Senate Democrat to support an amendment to the bill that would exempt police and off-duty or retired officers from the bill.

In 2017, during debate on a bill to provide workers with up to seven days of paid sick leave, Kathy Klausmeier introduced an amendment to lower the amount of days to five.

In 2022, Kathy Klausmeier was the only Senate Democrat to vote against the Time to Care Act, which provided workers with up to 24 weeks of paid family leave.

In February 2011, Kathy Klausmeier said that she was "conflicted" on how she would vote on the Civil Marriage Protection Act, which would legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland.

Kathy Klausmeier later said that she would vote for the bill, and voted for it again when it was reintroduced in 2012.

In 2016, Kathy Klausmeier was one of four Democrats to vote against overriding Governor Larry Hogan's veto on a bill to restore voting rights to felons on parole.

In 2007, Kathy Klausmeier introduced a bill that would provide tax breaks to businesses that ban smoking, seeking to prevent a bill that would ban smoking in bars and restaurants statewide.

In March 2023, Kathy Klausmeier was one of five Democrats to vote for an amendment to decouple the state's gas tax from inflation.