This is the fourth in a series of MacRo Report articles examining candidates and issues in the 2026 Frederick County election cycle.

The June 23, 2026 Frederick County Council primary in District 2 offers voters clear choices within each party. While the Democratic contest features two capable candidates with broadly aligned visions, the Republican race presents a sharper philosophical divide on growth, revenue, and fiscal stewardship.

The Democratic Primary

Democratic voters will choose between Shelly Beaird-Francois and Jamie Shopland. Both candidates emphasize responsible growth, affordable housing, strong schools, environmental protection, and greater community engagement.

Beaird-Francois brings experience in marketing, project management, and longtime Democratic Party leadership. She stresses balancing development with infrastructure capacity, supporting local businesses, and ensuring new projects pay their fair share.

Shopland, a working parent and chair of the Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee, highlights people-centered progress, education transparency, equity, and thoughtful land use. She has been particularly vocal about data center impacts, agricultural preservation, and the need for additional studies before major decisions.

The two share similar policy destinations—smart growth aligned with Livable Frederick principles—differing more in emphasis and style than core ideology. Shopland edges more anti-data center in tone, but overall this primary lacks dramatic contrasts. Democratic voters have two solid options who would likely govern similarly on the key issues facing the district.

The Republican Primary

The more compelling contest is on the Republican side between Kai Burhans and Dan Iampieri. Both candidates prioritize fiscal restraint, lower taxes, opposition to the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP), property rights, agricultural preservation, and infrastructure improvements. Both support slowing unchecked development while addressing housing affordability.

Iampieri, a real estate broker and small business owner from Mount Airy, runs on the slogan “Protect What Matters, Plan What’s Next.” He has made opposition to “data center sprawl” a centerpiece of his campaign. He signed the referendum on the Critical Digital Infrastructure (CDI) Overlay, stresses landowner rights against projects like MPRP, and pushes for smart growth, denser housing near transit, and reduced regulations. His background in real estate and community service (coaching, chaplain work) informs a platform focused on practical infrastructure fixes and protecting residential neighborhoods.

Kai Burhans, a sixth-generation Frederick County resident from New Market and blue-collar worker with NaturaLawn of America, offers a more fiscally grounded vision. He acknowledges data centers are now part of the county’s economic reality and focuses on responsible revenue use—directing funds strictly toward a “hierarchy of needs”: schools, roads, public safety, and property tax relief. Burhans advocates for a constant yield tax rate, cutting wasteful spending, reforming the budget process to give Council more control, infrastructure-first development, and energy independence (including support for Small Modular Reactors). He opposes further data center overlay expansion without clear energy solutions and prioritizes preserving rural character while enabling practical growth.

The key difference lies in economic realism. Iampieri’s repeated framing of “data center sprawl” feels misleading given the CDI Overlay’s concentrated zoning approach, which channels future development into designated areas over decades rather than scattering it countywide. Burhans demonstrates clearer foresight on revenue generation and disciplined spending, understanding that services must be funded sustainably. His deep family roots of public service in the county add authenticity and institutional knowledge.

My Recommendation

In my view, Kai Burhans is the stronger candidate for District 2. He better grasps the fiscal mechanics of county government, offers pragmatic solutions on existing realities like data centers, and brings a taxpayer-first perspective rooted in generational service to Frederick County.

District 2 voters face meaningful choices on June 23. The winner will help shape how the county balances growth, infrastructure, schools, and quality of life in the years ahead.

Don’t miss any of my posts on this year’s local primary election races:  County Executive, County Council At-Large, District 1, as well an upcoming article on the contentious race in District 3. Council Districts 4 and 5 only have one candidate from each party; so, recommendations/endorsements will be held for the general election.

Rocky Mackintosh is the owner of MacRo, Ltd., a commercial and industrial real estate brokerage based in Frederick, Maryland. Among many community organizational roles he has served on, he was a member of the Frederick County Charter Board from 2010 to 2012.