Ertel Will Face Marks in General Election

Mike Ertel of Towson has declared victory over Bill Paulshock of Perry Hall, in the Democratic primary election for the Baltimore County Council's District 5 seat.

"We did it! Together, we knocked on enough doors, talked to enough people and passed out enough literature to win the Democratic nomination for 5th District," the 44-year-old wrote Friday in an email to his supporters.

"We were the underdog in the race—with the least funding of all the candidates.  But in my opinion, we had the most spirit and enthusiasm," he said.

The announcement comes after several days of counting at the county Board of Elections, which were hampered by technical delays following Tuesday's primaries.

Ertel will now go on to face Republican David Marks, a transportation consultant, Perry Hall resident and former president of the Perry Hall Improvement Association, in the general election on Nov. 2.

Marks said he considers Ertel a friend, and looks forward to avoiding the heated tone of the Democratic primary.

"I want to conduct a very positive campaign," Marks said Wednesday. "I want the tone of this campaign to be very civil. I want the campaign to focus on how we're going to deal with issues."

Marks highlighted his record and experience and said he provides a new voice sorely needed in Baltimore County.

"There's a real record of reform in Baltimore County and a lot of people think there needs to be a stronger two-party system," he said.

While Marks ran unopposed in the primaries, Ertel ran an aggressive campaign in which he used YouTube to point out issues with his rivals. He showed voters that Paulshock, in fact, lived outside of the district, in Kingsville, and established his eligibility to run by using the address of his business, Bill's Seafood, located in Perry Hall.

He also created a video exposing candidate Gordon Harden's legal troubles, including multiple liens filed against him for not paying taxes. 

"It was a tough race, but I look forward to unifying the district and moving forward together," Ertel wrote.