Republican Tim Murphy, 34, of Bel Air, has filed to run for Harford County Council.

Murphy, who works in the banking technology field and has never run for public office before, said he decided to run for the council’s District C seat because he has a deep passion for preserving the place he calls “home.” The district includes Bel Air and some parts of Forest Hill.

“It would be nice if everyone was, or is, [as] lucky as I was growing up to experience Harford County in its heyday,” he said. “I would like to do everything in my power to try to preserve what we have and maybe bring back some of the things that we’ve lost.”

Murphy is among three candidates seeking the District C seat so far. Democrat Jessica Ryley Hammond and Republican Zach Schulz are also running for the position.

Incumbent District C council member Tony “G” Giangiordano, a Republican, will not be seeking reelection. Instead, he will be running for council president. Current president Patrick Vincenti announced he is running for County Executive.

The Harford County Council has seven members, six of whom represent Districts A through F. The seventh member is the council president, who doesn’t represent a specific area. Each district representative is elected to a four-year term and earns a salary of $53,111.

Three issues top Murphy’s campaign: schools, development and the environment.

He said he does not believe the county is doing justice to the current and next generation of learners. He thinks the county should reevaluate how it measures school capacity to better manage the teacher-to-student ratio.

“I think we’re not really thinking about [students] or giving them enough effort to succeed and really thrive,” he said.

Addressing the county’s population growth, Murphy said the county should prioritize resolving current residents’ issues before welcoming more residents. “It’s hard to say that we should bring more people into the county when we don’t fix the problems for the people that actually live here,” he said.

Murphy said increased development has negatively impacted the environment by bringing pollution and affecting wildlife. He said there is less opportunity for children to enjoy the same nature that he got to experience growing up.

Murphy said he would call for a complete halt on development until the county is can properly address the growing population.

“My hope is to build a future where growth and progress never come at the expense of places that define who we are,” he said.

Primary election day is June 23. The deadline to file for candidacy is Feb. 24.

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