Reid Novotny has been selected by the Republican central committees of Howard and Carroll counties to fill the District 9A vacancy in the House of Delegates.
Novotny’s name was sent to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Friday for approval before the 442nd session of the Maryland General Assembly begins Wednesday.
“I’m obviously very honored not only that the Carroll and Howard committees put their faith in me, but that the former Del. Warren Miller put his support behind me in this process,” said Novotny, 42. “I’ve always had a desire to serve other people and that has manifested itself through not only my twenty years in uniform but also in public service.”
Novotny, a Glenelg resident, is a Maryland National Guard Joint Staff lead for IT and cyber and ran in the 2018 state Senate race to represent District 9. He lost in the Republican primary to Gail Bates.
According to the Republican Central Committee of Howard, Novotny has served as a member of the committee since 2019. He also is a member of the Technology Committee for the Maryland Republican Party and a member of the state party’s nominating committee.
“Reid is a very evenhanded guy and in the high-pressure environment he’s going into, he’s going to represent Howard and Carroll well,” said Steve Wilson, chair of the Republican Central Committee of Howard County. “We think when it comes time, he will have support for the 2022 election.”
Howard County Times: Top stories
The seat was vacated when Del. Warren Miller announced his resignation in late November from the House of Delegates to refocus on his professional career. Miller, a Republican, served in the Maryland House from the time then-Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich appointed him in 2003 until his resignation took effect Dec. 30.
When he resigned, Miller threw his support behind Novotny, hoping that both counties’ committees would send Novotny’s name to the governor.
“He’s a bright energetic person, kind of like what I was when I started,” Miller said of Novotny. “I think he’ll do a great job in Annapolis.”
When the process began, the Howard and Carroll committees received nine applicants total, three of whom were disqualified because they lived outside District 9A, according to Wilson. They then interviewed six candidates for the vacancy, including Allison Cordell, Doug Ilioff, Scott Jendrek, Kyle Lorton, Carroll County Commissioner Eric Bouchat and Novotny.
After the six interviews, the committees voted on the candidates. Howard committee members voted 6-1 for Novotny on Wednesday and Carroll voted 7-1 for Novotny on Thursday.
Hogan now has 15 days to respond to the letter nominating Novotny. Wilson said Hogan’s office planned to expedite the process, as the legislative session begins next week. Novotny said he’s hopeful he can sit the first day of the session.
“My largest priority is to serve District 9A, including what we’re going through right now with vaccine distribution, schools being closed in Howard and the effects on small businesses,” Novotny said.