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Flashlight


 It’s getting on my nerves again. 

“Never saw a photo opp he didn’t like.”

You know what I’m talking about, right? Some folks have nothing better to do than to show up on a local social media post and complain that the County Executive is in the photo. This happened on Reddit recently and I made the mistake of responding, in frustration, “I don’t think the original poster understands how this all works.”

Then came the response, “How does it all work?”

Sigh. I asked for that.

The County Executive does not wake up on a Wednesday morning and decide to do some new HoCoGov thing and get his picture taken. He works with a team of county employees. They assess needs, establish priorities, enact policy. When you see Dr. Ball cutting a ribbon, speaking on a new initiative, or responding to a community concern he is there to serve the public as a representative of the work of Howard County Government as a whole.

His face and his position are the most widely-recognized in HoCo and he is using that social capital to extend the reach of the message. That’s how social media works. And social media reaches more people than traditional media outlets. He is not there to get people to admire his physical appearance!

Dr. Ball isn’t there to be a star. He’s there to hold the flashlight. He’s shining a light on others: other people, ideas, initiatives. And we are more likely to stop and read or watch because he is easily recognizable as the two-term county executive of Howard County. 

Part of leadership is communicating and educating what is going on in government. Informed community members can make better choices and may be able to take advantage of new opportunities. 

If you are getting mad every time you see his face you are missing the whole point. There is something being communicated here. It is being shared because government has a responsibility to inform the public.

If you read or listen you might learn something. 

You may agree or disagree. That’s up to you. But you don’t even have the possibility of doing that if you aren’t informed. Rather like the gentleman on Facebook who told Dr. Ball of his displeasure and warned that he wouldn’t be voting for him next time.

Angry enough to disparage the County Executive. Uninformed enough to think that County Executive Ball is running again. 

Ugh.

County Government is not one person. We benefit from the work of so many people who serve our community. When Calvin Ball puts himself out there for a public announcement or event he is willing to endure a heck of a lot of flak* in order to shine a light on people and things we need to know. 

The flashlight is metaphorical. The communication is very real. 




*jeers, mockery, outright racism

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  1. Julia A. McCreadyMay 6, 2026 at 4:13 AM

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