Pittman and Friends Podcast

• Councilwoman Lisa Rodvien on Our Time in Office

  What does it take to run a county people are proud to call home? We sit down with Councilmember Lisa Rodvien to pull back the curtain on the choices behind stronger schools, safer neighborhoods, and a fairer tax system—choices that rarely make headlines, but change lives every day.Lisa traces her journey from desegregated classrooms in Missouri to teaching during the Great Recession, where she watched talented educators leave as pay fell behind. That experience fueled a clear mission: stabilize the teacher workforce and invest in students, even if it means having an adult conversation about revenue. We share how early budget town halls led to a modest, progressive income tax structure—asking more of high earners while easing the burden for those with the least—and why that shift helped close vacancies, fund core services, and rebuild trust.Housing and environment take center stage as we tackle a persistent false choice: protect the Bay or build homes. Lisa lays out a smarter path—preserving the county’s green heart while adding attainable housing near jobs and transit, and locking in affordability through inclusionary tools we wish had started sooner. We also dive into public safety reforms born after the murder of George Floyd: body-worn cameras, a stronger accountability framework, and a culture of constitutional policing. Alongside that, violence interruption teams in Eastport show how credible messengers and relentless, data-driven outreach can prevent shootings before they happen.We close with practical climate moves, from electrifying county tools to expanding clean energy access, and the rising voice of youth calling for transit, bike routes, and safer sidewalks. If you care about how local government balances values with results—education funding, fair taxes, housing that fits, clean water, and safer streets—this conversation offers a candid roadmap. Subscribe, share with a friend, and tell us: what’s the one local change you want to see next?If you like the stories and insights in Pittman and Friends, be sure to follow the County Executive on social media and sign up for his Weekly Letter using the links below. Weekly Letter: https://www.aacounty.org/county-executive/steuart-pittman/pittmans-pen/weekly-letterFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AACoExecX (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/AACoExecInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/AACoExec/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArundelTV

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• Jon Korin on a Bike-Friendly Anne Arundel

  Want a commute you don’t dread? We sit down with BikeAAA’s Jon Korin to unpack how a car-first county evolves into a people-first place—by focusing on safe short trips, connected trails, and policies that put human life over vehicle throughput. Jon shares the backstory of Anne Arundel’s grassroots advocacy, the creation of a countywide trail inventory, and the map that’s guiding agencies and developers to close gaps with smart, high-impact links.We explore the real benefits of mode shift: fewer cars in school drop-off lines, healthier daily routines, and a serious dent in the second-biggest household expense—transportation. You’ll hear how a short sidewalk near a school can flip stressful drives into joyful rides, and how regional connections like the WB&A Trail set the stage for riding from Odenton toward D.C. almost entirely on protected paths. Big ideas, like a bike-ped facility on a future Bay Bridge, paired with practical fixes that make immediate sense for families, seniors, and new riders. We also dig into why projects take so long—and what to do about it. From federal compliance to staffing and human error, delays are real, but not inevitable. Jon lays out how better capacity, clearer standards, and partnerships with developers can compress timelines and lower costs. A reimagined Adequate Public Facilities approach—multimodal and safety-led—can move us past lane-addition reflexes and toward streets that work for walking, biking, transit, and drivers alike. If this conversation resonates, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review with the biggest gap you want to see fixed next. Your feedback helps us push for safer, faster, and more connected ways to move.If you like the stories and insights in Pittman and Friends, be sure to follow the County Executive on social media and sign up for his Weekly Letter using the links below. Weekly Letter: https://www.aacounty.org/county-executive/steuart-pittman/pittmans-pen/weekly-letterFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AACoExecX (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/AACoExecInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/AACoExec/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArundelTV

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• Mike Kelly on Baltimore Metropolitan Council

  What if the most impactful work shaping your daily life never makes the news? We sit down with Mike Kelly, executive director of the Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC), to reveal how a small regional team coordinates transportation, housing, workforce, and climate resilience across Central Maryland—and why that matters for every commute, job search, and neighborhood.Mike breaks down the inner workings of the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization and how it helps local governments program their share of federal transportation dollars. We trace the ripple effects from bike infrastructure to bus service, highways, and freight, then zoom out to the council’s broader portfolio: fair housing plans and regional vouchers, a 30-year building permits database used to track development, and a collaborative purchasing program that has saved jurisdictions more than $340 million on electricity while opening doors to renewable energy. We also get into climate resilience, air quality, and reservoir health—areas where regional coordination turns siloed efforts into measurable progress.The conversation shifts to Chesapeake Connect, the council’s immersive learning trip that brings together county executives, agency heads, CEOs, foundations, and community leaders to study another city’s wins and missteps. From Nashville’s growth pains to Philadelphia’s neighborhood rebuilding, Mike shares candid lessons that help our region avoid familiar pitfalls. We also spotlight the Chesapeake Leadership Academy, a new cohort for rising local government professionals who learn directly from CAOs, police chiefs, planners, and communicators about leading through complexity.Threading it all together is BMC’s quiet superpower: nonpartisan convening. In a region where large counties often have the scale to go it alone, the council creates the space to align on issues that cross borders—public transportation, affordable housing, workforce pipelines, clean energy, and climate resilience. It’s practical, data-driven, and built on relationships that continue long after the bus rides end.Subscribe, share with a friend, and tell us: what regional challenge should we tackle next?If you like the stories and insights in Pittman and Friends, be sure to follow the County Executive on social media and sign up for his Weekly Letter using the links below. Weekly Letter: https://www.aacounty.org/county-executive/steuart-pittman/pittmans-pen/weekly-letterFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AACoExecX (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/AACoExecInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/AACoExec/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArundelTV

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• Our Future, Our Land with Janssen Evelyn

  Land use isn’t abstract policy—it’s the shape of your morning, your rent, and your kid’s walk to school. We sit down with Deputy CAO Janssen Evelyn to go inside the decisions that turn a 200‑page plan into the street under your feet: who builds, what gets built, and how we protect nature while making room for the people who keep our county running.We unpack the real work behind Plan 2040 and why equity isn’t a slogan here—it’s baked into housing and transportation choices. Janssen shares how “eat the frog” conversations move projects forward across planning, zoning, inspections, and community groups. We talk about the hard pivot from car‑only standards to a multimodal, safety‑first update of Adequate Public Facilities (APF): sidewalks, wider shared‑use paths, safer crossings, and transit connections where they matter most. From Riva Road signal fixes to future‑proofing growth areas, we look at how smarter design can reduce congestion and give residents real options beyond another solo drive.Housing affordability takes center stage: how the county went from stalled efforts to required on‑site units for rentals and ownership, why some developers rushed to file before the deadline, and how ADUs deliver gentle, incremental supply without changing the feel of neighborhoods. We revisit sprawl’s costly lessons in places like Two Rivers and talk about what placemaking looks like when commercial and residential actually connect. Throughout, Janssen explains the balance of leverage and listening—meeting with MBIA, NAIOP, environmental advocates, and neighborhood coalitions—to surface pain points without losing the core goals: fix outdated traffic rules and build communities that are livable, fair, and green.If you care about safer streets, lower housing costs, and a county that grows without losing what makes it special, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review with the one change you want to see in your neighborhood. Your ideas shape what gets built next.If you like the stories and insights in Pittman and Friends, be sure to follow the County Executive on social media and sign up for his Weekly Letter using the links below. Weekly Letter: https://www.aacounty.org/county-executive/steuart-pittman/pittmans-pen/weekly-letterFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AACoExecX (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/AACoExecInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/AACoExec/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArundelTV

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• Delivering Immigration Justice with Jessa Coulter

  What would you do if your day in immigration court came without a lawyer?County Executive Steuart Pittman sits down with Annapolis Immigration Justice Network (AIJN) Executive Director, Jessa Coulter, to explore how a lean, local model of legal aid helps immigrant families secure due process, stability, and a real shot at a future.Jessa traces AIJN’s roots from a 2017 volunteer effort to a focused countywide network that funds low-bono attorneys. You’ll learn why immigration courts lack public defenders, how a $3,000 legal retainer can change a case's trajectory, and how AIJN achieves a 96% favorable outcome rate by staying laser-focused on legal representation.Together, they unpack powerful stories—from stabilizing a 16-year-old trafficking survivor to reuniting a mother released from out-of-state detention—showing how legal help and local compassion intersect when the stakes are highest.This conversation offers valuable insight into how local action can solve national challenges, emphasizing due process, family unity, and practical solutions that benefit our entire community.If you like the stories and insights in Pittman and Friends, be sure to follow the County Executive on social media and sign up for his Weekly Letter using the links below. Weekly Letter: https://www.aacounty.org/county-executive/steuart-pittman/pittmans-pen/weekly-letterFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AACoExecX (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/AACoExecInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/AACoExec/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArundelTV

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