Mayor Brandon Scott Unanimously Elected 2026 BMC Board Chair; Klausmeier Vice Chair

The Baltimore Metropolitan Council Board of Directors unanimously named Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott chair for 2026, and County Executive Katherine Klausmeier will serve as vice chair. The board vote places Baltimore's mayor in a lead role on the region-wide body that the announcement says coordinates regional policy, though the supplied announcement text is truncated before detailing the full scope of that coordinating role.

Brandon Maurice Scott, born April 8, 1984, has served as Baltimore’s mayor since 2020. Ballotpedia records show Scott assumed office on December 8, 2020, and that his current term ends December 5, 2028, following a re-election victory on November 5, 2024. Baltimore’s official mayoral biography describes Scott as the 52nd mayor of Baltimore and the youngest person to hold the position in over a century. The city site lists five core pillars guiding Scott’s administration: building public safety, prioritizing youth, clean and healthy communities, equitable neighborhood development, and responsible stewardship of city resources.

Scott brings a record of municipal experience to the BMC chairmanship. He represented the city’s 2nd district on the Baltimore City Council from 2011 to 2019 and was unanimously elected council president in 2019, serving through 2020. His national roles include serving as Co-Chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns and as First Vice President of the African American Mayors Association, and he previously chaired the National League of Cities Large Cities Council. Those affiliations inform the policy networks Scott can draw on while leading the metropolitan council.

The announcement did not include quotes from Scott or Klausmeier in the material provided, and it did not identify which county Klausmeier serves as county executive. Those details and the remainder of the truncated sentence about the BMC’s coordinating role were not present in the available text. Journalists and residents seeking fuller documentation of the board’s priorities for 2026 will need the full BMC release or meeting materials.

The chairmanship coincides with Scott’s scheduled appearance as a speaker at the Urban Land Institute 2026 Housing Opportunity Conference, March 16-17 at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, 700 Aliceanna Street, where he is listed for the opening keynote session on the state of the U.S. housing market along with Dr. Lisa Sturtevant and Ron Terwilliger. That placement gives Scott a platform on housing and development conversations that intersect with metropolitan planning.

For Baltimore residents, a mayor in the BMC chair position means city perspectives will have a clear voice in regional coordination on issues that affect commuting, housing, economic development, and public services, depending on the council’s 2026 agenda. Watch for the BMC’s full statement and for specific work plans or initiatives announced by Mayor Scott and Vice Chair Klausmeier to understand how the council’s agenda will translate into actions that affect Baltimore neighborhoods.