2024 Election Results
A Big Win for Cecil County
In Cecil County, citizens led by well-organized local pro-public education forces celebrated the win they needed most when they ousted County Executive Danielle Hornberger in the May primary. After three years of maintenance of effort only funding by Hornberger, and her 2024-2025 proposed budget of brutal cuts which included slashing middle school sports, music programs, drug education, more than 100 teaching positions, professional development, and more, Cecil County voters clearly had enough. They showed it at the voting booth by having one of the highest voter turnouts in the state.
Hornberger’s extreme agenda of cutting taxes while growing a reserve fund by tens of millions of dollars at the expense of public education inspired rallies like the one on March 6 attended by 2,000 county residents, voter registration drives, and community solidarity. Leading the campaign was the Cecil County Classroom Teachers Association, the Cecil Education Support Personnel Association, and civic groups like the student-led Fund Cecil County Public Schools and the social and racial justice-focused Cecil Solidarity. The local unions’ recommended candidate, Republican Adam Streight, defeated Hornberger by 907 votes and promised to increase school funding.
Apple Ballot candidates for county council and board of education races swept their races, too, making the primary election victories a huge win for Cecil County educators, students, and schools. “All three of our pro-public education candidates won their primary elections,” said Lori Hrinko, president of the Cecil County Classroom Teachers Association. “This could not have happened without all of the community members, students, and parents who joined together and came out in support of public education.
“Local elections have never been more important to our public schools in Cecil County,” added Hrinko. “After three years of maintenance of effort funding, and attacks on our schools, teachers, and union by elected officials and their supporters, we worked hard to educate the public and get out the vote for our endorsed candidates and we won.”