Shannon Leadbetter running for D7 seat on County Council
Crofton native seeking Anne Arundel seat as a Republican
Shannon Leadbetter, a Crofton native who sells skincare products for Rodan + Fields, a multilevel marketing company, decided to run for the Anne Arundel County Council District 7 seat after getting involved with a group of parents fighting to reopen schools in 2020 during the height of the COVID19 pandemic.
“In that process of working with those parents, I gained a lot of trust from parents all over the county, and they started to open up to me about other concerns,” said Leadbetter, a mom of two teens. “What I saw and what I still see is a palpable frustration where people are paying more in their income taxes than they were under the previous administration, but they’re receiving less services.”
Through these conversations, Leadbetter said she saw some themes emerging — residents were concerned with permits taking a long time to get approved, phone calls taking a long time to get answered, crime, flooding and taxes.
“I think the first thing that we need to look at is streamlining our county budget so that we can better fund the constituent-facing services,” she said. “My vision for Anne Arundel County is one where government is limited to properly facilitating and providing the services that the community needs to function, but stays out of the business of telling folks how to live their lives, run their businesses and raise their kids.”
Leadbetter, a Republican, said she hears a lot of concerns about violent crime and, if elected, would bring back the county’s partnership with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
“People are scared, and we need to make sure we are supporting our police in filling vacancies that are in the department and also in effective crime-fighting strategies that the police want to deploy,” she said. “One strategy that I would be in strong favor of is bringing back the 287(g) program where Anne Arundel County can partner with federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to remove criminal illegal aliens from our county.”
Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman, a Democrat, eliminated the program early on in his administration. As far as flooding issues go, Leadbetter said she would look at each resident’s concerns independently and create individualized solutions. She said she would plan to add more money to the reserve fund in the budget to prepare for future environmental restoration projects.
The field of candidates for District 7, a seat currently occupied by Jessica Haire, R-Edgewater, who is running for county executive, is getting increasingly dense as four candidates have already filed to run several weeks before the filing deadline in February. In addition to Leadbetter, Maryland Retailers Association President Cailey Locklair and academic Dawn Pulliam, both Republicans, and tech support specialist Shawn Livingston, a Democrat, have also filed so far. Leadbetter said she will stand out in the crowd because she is both a mother and a businessperson.
“As a mom raising children here, I have a unique and vested interest in the future of our county. I’m not just fighting for today; I’m fighting with all my heart for what’s to come down the line as well,” she said.
“Another big differentiator between myself and the other candidates in District 7 is I am the only one who operates a small business. I think that gives me a unique perspective as well.”