Charles A. Dutch Ruppersberger III handily won a tough battle yesterday for Baltimore County executive over the Republican incumbent, Roger B. Hayden, as mostly lopsided results decided the races for Maryland's county executives.
Mr. Ruppersberger captured 54 percent of the vote and returned the top seat to the Democrats, who outnumber Republicans by a 5-to-2 margin in Baltimore County.
When Mr. Hayden was elected in 1990, he became the first Republican county executive since Spiro Agnew in the early 1960s.
"I want to declare victory tonight," Mr. Ruppersberger told wildly cheering supporters at an Overlea catering hall.
"We're going to restructure this government the positive way."
Mr. Hayden, having battled a tough recession throughout his four years as Baltimore County executive, had been the target of repeated criticism by Mr. Ruppersberger.
The 48-year-old Democrat labeled Mr. Hayden's leadership weak and blamed it for a series of layoffs and closings throughout the county. Mr. Hayden, 49, had claimed his financial expertise enabled the county to weather the lean economic times.
Mr. Hayden accused Mr. Ruppersberger last night of taking "the low road" in the campaign. And, expressing frustration at what he perceived as a blind anti-incumbency mood by voters, he said that "the shame of it all is that people will believe what they want to believe -- that anyone who gets in is a politician. I have never been one. I will never be one."
Mr. Hayden wasn't the only candidate upset by the outcome.
In Anne Arundel, where candidates John G. Gary and Theodore J. Sophocleus were expected to be locked in a tight race, Mr. Sophocleus conceded a quick defeat to campaign workers about 9:20 p.m.
Mr. Gary -- a state delegate for the past 12 years who operates a Millersville custom drapery business -- won with 53 percent of the vote to succeed the outgoing executive, Robert R. Neall.
"I can't figure this one out," a dejected Mr. Sophocleus said, expressing bewilderment over having led in the polls.
"The voters have spoken. I only hope they understand what they have done."
In Howard County, where the impact of growth was one of the main issues, incumbent Republican Charles I. Ecker defeated Democratic challenger Susan B. Gray by a margin of nearly 2-to-1 to become only the second executive to win re-election in county history. He won a shocking upset over heavily favored Elizabeth Bobo in 1990.
Republicans also took control of the five-member Howard County Council, giving the GOP control of both the executive's office and the council for the first time.
Ms. Gray -- who was largely unknown to voters until she entered the race minutes before the filing deadline July 5 -- told voters that slowing the county's growth was the major issue and that she planned to fire numerous top-level county officials upon election.
Harford's incumbent executive, Democrat Eileen M. Rehrmann, won with slightly more than 60 percent of the vote.
With her campaign workers playing the song "Taking Care of Business" in the background, Mrs. Rehrmann claimed victory slightly after 9 p.m. at her Bel Air campaign headquarters.
"They want me to take care of business tonight," Mrs. Rehrmann said, "but I think we are going to celebrate tonight."
Mrs. Rehrmann was challenged by Republican Ronald M. Szczybor, a businessman and former stockbroker whose vitriolic campaign rhetoric seemed to alienate many voters. He had attacked Mrs. Rehrmann by saying she was beholden to developers.
In Carroll County, where three seats for county commissioner were up for grabs, the three Republicans -- Donald I. Dell, Richard T. Yates, and W. Benjamin Brown -- came out on top of their Democratic challengers.
The Carroll races focused on the issue of growth, as voters keyed in on candidates considered to be up to the challenge of handling the county's rapid expansion.
In the race for executive in Prince George's County, gubernatorial candidate Parris N. Glendening's choice for his successor, Wayne Curry, won over Republican candidate Robert B. Ostrom by a margin of 2-to-1.
In Montgomery County, where sparks flew during a heated campaign, Douglas M. Duncan won with 63 percent of the vote over GOP challenger Stephen N. Abrams.