Democrat Nolanda Robert, appointed to the Harford County Council District A seat in January, has officially filed with the Board of Elections to retain her spot.

Two others have also filed for the District A seat: Republican Jeff Beck and Democrat Kelly Bryant.

Robert was appointed to the seat after the removal of Democrat Dion Guthrie. Guthrie was serving on the council when he was charged with felony theft last year in Baltimore County. He was removed from his seat in November and Robert was nominated to replace him by the Harford Democratic Central Committee.

In 2022, Robert embarked on her first race for the District A seat where she lost by roughly 350 votes to Guthrie. Robert said running in 2026 was already on her agenda when she was appointed in January.

Robert said she wants to be on the council to help the community. She has held some town halls in the district since January and said it became clear many individuals in her district don’t know they have a county level representative to listen to their concerns.

“I want to make sure that people are aware that they do have a representative, they have someone to contact and that we’re there to help them as much as we can,” she said.

For 18 years, Robert worked as a family support services coordinator assisting families separating, going through divorce or having child custody disputes. She also oversaw the administrative parts of the office. Currently, she owns Voice of a Child LLC, where she provides counseling to young children and teenagers.

She intends to use her position to help young people with mental health issues and other needs, she said.

“Anything that has to do with children and families are always at the forefront of my thought process,” Robert said. “Because I want to make sure everyone gets their needs met.”

Robert serves as a member of the Maryland Affordable Housing Trust that aims to make affordable housing more accessible statewide. She said Harford County needs to improve its affordable housing offerings and she intends to work to ensure all families have a comfortable and safe place to live.

Another priority for Robert is improving the Route 40 shopping center so it remains full and brings vibrancy to the area.

While sitting on the council, Robert said she has tried to use every opportunity to learn and help residents within her district gain a deeper understanding of the work the council does. However, she says her work still isn’t finished.

“I want to continue sitting on the county council because not everything happens overnight,” she said. “It’s a process and some of the things I wanted to accomplish are still not fully accomplished and that will take time.”

Robert said she believes the current council works well together and urges residents to contact their district representatives.

“The point of having a council in your community is to work for the people, no matter what party affiliation you’re with,” she said. “Because the primary goal is to make sure that individuals in Harford County are getting their needs met.”

The Gubernatorial Primary Election day is June 23, 2026.

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