The Baltimore County Council met on June 3, 2026, beginning with a moment of silent meditation and the Pledge of Allegiance led virtually by NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reed Wiseman, a native of Cockeysville and graduate of Dulaney High School. The meeting featured a special tribute to Commander Wiseman, followed by regular legislative business including confirmations, bill readings, fiscal approvals, and the swearing-in of a new council member.
Good evening, everyone. Uh legislative day 13 will now come to order. Um I'd ask you to please pause uh for a moment of silent meditation. Thank you. Um we want to begin tonight uh by welcoming uh NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander Reed Wiseman, who is joining us virtually from Houston. There he is on the screen. Commander Wiseman, we are so glad you're here, and we would be very honored if you could lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance tonight, if you would. I would love that. First, let's make sure you can hear me okay. Can you hear me all right? We can we can hear you uh perfectly. All right. At least if I can't be there in person, I'm there in cardboard format. Uh let us let us begin here. Uh I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic. For which it stands. Liberty. Thank you, sir. Okay. So we're taking things a bit out of order because it's not often that we get to have a national, in fact, global hero join us in this uh in our historic uh council chamber. Uh once again, we wanted to welcome NASA commander Reed Wiseman. As anyone on the planet is probably aware, Reed is a native of Baltimore County. Uh he grew up in Cockysville, and he is a class of 93 graduate of Delaney High School, Go Lions. Uh Reed was uh raised by uh two great parents, and we are honored to have his dad Bill Wiseman here with us today. To join the celebration. So um before before being selected to NASA's astronaut program in 2009, Reed graduated from uh Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, earned a master's degree from Johns Hopkins, and had a distinguished career as a naval aviator, including as a test pilot uh right here in Maryland at the uh Pax River Naval Air Station. Um as an astronaut, Reed was part of Expedition 4041, the 4041 crew to the International Space Station from May through New November of 2014. In 2023, Reed was selected as the commander of the Artemis II mission in April. Commander Wiseman and his crew of pilot Victor Glover, uh Michelin's mission specialist Christina Cook, and Michelin specialist Jeremy Hanson completed a 10-day lunar flyby mission. This mission also set the current record for the human distance from Earth during that flyby around the moon. Uh no one had no one until this crew. Had ever been to the dark side of the moon, and now we have. Oh, if you want me to tell you all about my trip, we're gonna need two or three sessions here. I know it's late at night up there in Baltimore. Um first, it's uh it's great to know that my dad is there in the audience. I don't see him on the screen, but I know he's there. Uh and uh and he's kind of back in a place that means a lot to him. It's a place uh that that chamber you're in right now, uh means a lot to me. I worked at the 911 call center when I was uh between my freshman and sophomore years as a college student. Before that, I mowed lawns. I don't I don't know if I mowed any of your lawns, but there's a high chance I mowed one of your lawns at some point. Um and then uh I did want to highlight that written on the wall behind you is uh is just a great phrase. Uh equality and liberty under law is the foundation of a government of free people, and I love that you sit there under that and uh and and look at that every time you gather in that chamber. The more I have lived this life, I'm 50 years old, the more I've realized that it it does take true leadership, it takes commitment from the people, uh, and it takes a very strong government to set objectives to set a vision and to set goals for this nation. And this nation sets those girl goals for the whole world. So uh what you're doing here really matters, and I appreciate getting to talk to you. Um I was I was proud that you highlighted my crew. Uh Victor Glover, Christina Cook, Jeremy Hanson. You actually misspoke and said Michelin specialist, Jeremy Hanson, and I thought of Michelin star restaurants, and it was actually quite fitting because Jeremy, this was his first flight, and uh you couldn't tell. He he just hit the ground running hard when we were up there.