Who are the candidates running for Harford County Council District B?

Two Harford County candidates are making their case for the District B seat on the County Council, with Republican Stephanie Flasch of Fallston and Democrat Isabela Dela Cruz squaring off in a race centered on how the county manages growth, protects its rural character and keeps life affordable for residents.

Flasch submitted written answers to The Harford County Sun’s candidate questionnaire. Dela Cruz did not respond to the questionnaire; her positions below are drawn from publicly available campaign materials.

Who They Are

Stephanie Flasch

Flasch has called Harford County home since 1994 and has lived in Fallston for more than 20 years, where she and her husband raised two sons. She served 12 years in the Army National Guard, reaching the rank of captain. Her public service record in the county is extensive: she has chaired the Fallston Community Advisory Board since 2022, served on the Harford County Planning Advisory Board since 2022, and has led Friends of Harford — an organization focused on land use and planning — as president since 2016. Before that, she served on the Greater Fallston Association board from 2010 to 2016. She was also involved in community efforts that supported construction of the new Youth’s Benefit Elementary School and has advocated on issues including school funding, development, zoning and infrastructure.

Isabela Dela Cruz

Dela Cruz grew up in Bel Air South and has remained a Harford County resident. She works as a commissioned artist, art tutor and secular spiritual director. Her community involvement includes organizing and judging card-game and esports tournaments. Her campaign focuses on affordable housing, infrastructure investment, education, transportation, environmental protection and government accountability.

The Biggest Challenges

Growth and Infrastructure

Both candidates identify the relationship between development and infrastructure as a central challenge for the county, though they frame the problem differently.

Flasch draws directly on what she hears from District B residents. “Residents in District B tell me traffic is getting worse, schools are crowded, and development keeps coming before roads and services are ready,” she said in her response to The Harford County Sun. “The challenge is ensuring that growth does not outpace the roads, schools, and public services needed to support it.”

Dela Cruz’s campaign materials reflect a similar concern. She supports coordinating development with infrastructure capacity and calls for investment in roads, sidewalks and expanded public transportation, including bus service. She also supports fully funding public schools and expanding resources for youth.

Farmland and Rural Preservation

Flasch points to what she describes as mounting pressure on the county’s agricultural and rural areas. “Our agricultural and rural areas face increasing pressure from incompatible uses, including large solar projects proposed near homes and on prime farmland,” she said. “Protecting these areas means addressing the lasting effects on neighboring residents, local streams, and the land available for farming.”

Dela Cruz also supports protecting farmland, waterways and green spaces. Her campaign materials include a specific proposal: installing solar panels over existing parking lots rather than converting usable agricultural land into solar installations. She also opposes data centers, citing environmental concerns and electricity costs. Neither candidate should be characterized as opposing renewable energy broadly.

Affordability

Flasch frames affordability as a balancing act between services and taxes. “Another major challenge is keeping Harford County affordable while providing the services people count on every day,” she said. “Residents want quality education, safe neighborhoods, and roads that are maintained and improved to keep up with growth. The challenge is meeting those needs while keeping taxes affordable for families and small businesses.”

Dela Cruz approaches affordability from a household perspective, focusing on housing costs, wages and transportation. Her campaign supports affordable and workforce housing, mixed-income developments, inclusionary zoning and nonprofit housing partnerships. She also supports fair wages and labor protections.

Their Priorities

Protecting Neighborhoods

Flasch is direct about her first priority. “Protect our neighborhoods from overdevelopment,” she said. “Zoning laws and the County’s master land use plan should protect existing neighborhoods and reflect community needs and characters.”

Dela Cruz’s campaign materials support balanced development that accounts for environmental protections and existing infrastructure. The two candidates have not proposed identical zoning policies, but both express support for development that is responsive to community conditions.

Planning Growth Around Roads, Schools and Budget

Flasch calls for keeping growth within the county’s Development Envelope — a county growth-management boundary — and insists that roads, schools and public services must be able to support new development before it arrives. “Plan growth that fits our roads, schools, and budget,” she said.

Dela Cruz’s campaign also supports coordinating development with infrastructure capacity and calls for investment in roads and schools alongside expanded transportation options.

Preserving Farmland and Open Space

Flasch said her third priority is preserving farmland and open space by protecting agricultural and rural areas from incompatible development and maintaining the land that supports farming and Harford County’s rural character.

Dela Cruz’s campaign materials align on the goal of farmland and green-space preservation. Her parking-lot solar proposal represents a specific alternative to placing renewable energy installations on agricultural land — a distinction from Flasch’s emphasis on land-use restrictions as the primary tool for protecting those areas.