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Howard County executive forwards new county flag to council after year‑long public selection process
Summary
County executive Calvin Ball has recommended design #115 by local designer Asen Paradiso as the new Howard County flag after a year‑long citizen commission process that included more than 200 designs and a public vote; the administration also requested FY26 funds to procure flags.
County Executive Calvin Ball has selected design number 115, created by Ellicott City designer Asen Paradiso, as the county's new official flag and asked the Howard County Council to approve the change after a year‑long public process, administration officials said at the April legislative public hearing.
Deputy Chief of Staff Brian Schefter summarized the commission's work and the public engagement that led to the recommendation. The citizen commission, appointed by the county executive and chaired by Colleen West of the Howard County Arts Council, opened a 90‑day design call and accepted submissions from residents. Schefter said the commission received 209 designs from 102 individuals, and after eligibility review selected 184 designs from 89 individuals for consideration. The commission voted to advance the top designs and ultimately recommended three finalists to the executive.
"Over 1,200 ballots were cast in the public vote," Schefter said. He added that the administration is seeking $20,000 in FY26 funding to produce and replace county flags if the council approves the measure. Colleen West, who chaired the flag commission, described a transparent process that included 13 public meetings, outreach, and the commission's use of vexillological guidance from the North American Vexillology Association.
Designer Asen Paradiso said the flag is meant to reflect Howard County's landscape and community: "The stripes represent Howard County's historical and contemporary abundance of agricultural and natural resources," Paradiso said, adding that the arch element alludes to the Thomas Viaduct and other county landmarks and that the circle symbolizes optimism and a view toward the horizon.
Several residents and past colleagues of Paradiso testified in support of the design, calling it modern, representative of the county's history, and likely to endure. The council did not take final legislative action during the hearing; the administration requested the council consider CB 22‑20‑25 to adopt the new flag and the associated FY26 procurement funds.
