Billy Boniface formally files to run for Harford County executive in 2022

Apr. 6—Billy Boniface officially announced Tuesday a run for Harford County executive in 2022, formally filing the paperwork with the Board of Elections.

Boniface, a Republican, is current County Executive Barry Glassman's chief adviser. Before moving into the advisory role, he served as Glassman's director of administration from 2014 until last July. He was also a county councilman, running for the first time in 2006, and two-time president of the Harford County Council.

In a statement, Boniface said his administration would hew to conservative policies that prioritize efficiency and cost-effectiveness of county government.

"My administration will be based on three principles: defense of land preservation and our rural way-of-life, unwavering support for law enforcement, and conservative policies that protect taxpayers and strengthen local businesses," Boniface said in a statement.

Thus far, Boniface is the only candidate to have filed to run for Harford County executive, according to the Maryland Board of Elections. Candidates for the 2022 election were eligible to file starting Feb. 23; the last day to file for any office will be Feb. 22, 2022. The Democratic and Republican primaries are scheduled for June 28, 2022 and the general election will be Nov. 8, 2022.

Boniface's candidacy was not out-of-the-blue; in January, he posted a picture to social media advertising his run for the top spot in the county. Before that, he acknowledged that serving as chief adviser to Glassman gave him more flexibility to campaign on his own time. Campaigning on county time is not permitted.

In September, Boniface and the county administration faced heat from the county council, who questioned his replacement for the director of administration position, Ben Lloyd. Some councilmembers suggested that Lloyd's nomination was politically motivated — in service to Boniface's run for the county executive's seat more than county residents, allowing him to raise funds and campaign more freely than he could in the high stress director of administration role, while keeping the same $144,437 salary in his new position.

Campaign finance records also listed Lloyd as the treasurer for Boniface's campaign in 2018 and 2019. Another person was listed as the campaign's treasurer in 2020.

Lloyd was ultimately approved as the new director of administration, despite a 4-3 vote against him.

According to campaign finance records, Boniface's campaign had about $107,760 in the bank as of January.

Boniface currently lives in Darlington at Bonita Farms.

Glassman, as of Tuesday, has not indicated his own political future. He is term limited and cannot run for county executive again in 2022. He has hinted at a primary challenge to fellow Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Harris in Maryland's 1st Congressional District, running for state offices for either governor or comptroller, or exiting politics all together.