Edward Hopkins Appointed As Bel Air Town Administrator

Press release from the Town of Bel Air: Posted on: August 15, 2022

Edward Hopkins Appointed as Bel Air Town Administrator

The Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners voted to appoint Edward Hopkins to the position of Town Administrator on Monday, August 15, 2022, at the Town Hall Meeting held at 39 North Hickory Avenue in Bel Air, effective September 12, 2022.

Mr. Hopkins was the top candidate recommended by the Board of Commissioners, which recruited for and conducted several interviews for the position of Town Administrator following the announcement of L. Jesse Bane’s retirement in April 2022. Mr. Bane shall remain in the position of Town Administrator until Mr. Hopkins’ first day of work.

Mr. Hopkins most recently served as the Director of the Harford County Department of Emergency Services under the Glassman Administration. Appointed to that position as a public safety strategic advisor in 2014, his oversight included 911/PSAP, Emergency Management, Career Based EMS, HazMat and High-Risk Rescue, the County’s Interoperable Radio System, and primary liaison to the County’s Volunteer Fire and EMS Service.

Prior to that he served with the Harford County (MD) Sheriff’s Office from 1976 to 2003, retiring as a Lieutenant. During his career he served 8 years in criminal patrol, eleven years in the Criminal Investigation Division where he was a supervisor of the Major Crimes Unit and Director of the Harford County Child Advocacy Center, and 8 years as their Director of Public and Media Relations. He returned to the Sheriff’s Office in 2012 as the Director of Media and Communications and finished his career in 2014 as the appointed Chief Deputy (Colonel) having operational oversight of all uniformed and civilian personnel.

Mr. Hopkins served five years in emergency management as Director of External Affairs and Deputy Director of Operations for the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). He served eight years as a Bel Town Commissioner, serving 2 years as Mayor. As an elected official, he twice chaired the Maryland Municipal League’s Emergency Preparedness Ad-Hoc Sub-committee. He is an active life member of the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company, currently in his 49th year of service. There, he has served as Fire Chief and President of their Board of Directors.

An adjunct professor with the University of Maryland Global Campus, Mr. Hopkins holds a master’s degree in Public Administration with a minor in Police Management from the University of Baltimore. He is a graduate of the FBI/Harford County Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Executive Development School and has served as President of Harvard Associates in Police Science. Mr. Hopkins is a lifelong resident of Bel Air. He is married to his wife Cristie and together they have five children, Chris, Rob, Dan, Jacob, and Lucy along with a black lab (Poppy) and a yellow lab (Milo) who round out their family.

Please join us in welcoming Mr. Hopkins into his role as our new Town Administrator.

Contact: Michael L. Krantz, Director of Administration, (410) 638-4550

This press release was produced by the Town of Bel Air. The views expressed here are the author’s own.