Howard County Councilwoman Christiana Rigby is a trusted leader, proven policymaker, and ready to serve as your County Councilwoman for the next four years.
As a lifelong resident of District 3, she grew up in the Columbia village of Kings Contrivance and continues to live, work, and raise her family in the community she represents.
Christiana is a graduate of the Howard County Public School System and earned a degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), with a focus on environmental policy. She began her career as a community organizer, where she learned how to bring people together to solve problems. In that work, she led consumer protection efforts, strengthened state level environmental rules, and fought to protect fair treatment and job opportunities for the LGBTQIA+ community.
In 2018, Christiana was elected to the Howard County Council to represent District 3, including the communities of East Columbia, Savage, Jessup, Guilford, and North Laurel. She made history as the first openly queer member of the Council. In her first year in office, her colleagues unanimously elected her Chair of the Council, making her the youngest woman ever to serve in that role. She was re-elected in 2022.
During her time on the County Council, Christiana has delivered real, measurable results for the community. She focused on lowering costs and increasing affordability. She raised the minimum wage, stood with working families by supporting strong union contracts, championed renter protections, and delivered free bus passes for students. Every step of the way, she focused on kitchen-table issues that make life more affordable, give families real breathing room, and keep Howard County a place people can afford to call home.
Since the beginning, Christiana has been a leader on housing policy and solutions. She passed legislation that expanded affordable and accessible housing options in new communities near transit and supported incentives for accessible housing options. She has fought for full funding of the County’s Housing Opportunities Trust Fund to preserve existing affordable homes. She also helped update County plans to allow for diverse housing choices as Howard County grows. As a member of the Complete Streets Implementation Team, she worked to better connect neighborhoods to schools, jobs, and transit.
As both an HCPSS graduate and the parent of two students, Christiana understands what families and schools need to succeed. On the Council, she helped deliver funding for major school construction projects, including Guilford Park High School, the Hammond High School Renovation and Addition, the Talbott Springs Elementary School Replacement, and the Oakland Mills Middle School Renovation and Addition. She supported budget changes that increased funding for educators, counselors, special education services, student mental health, and teen programming. She also improved safety for students by updating the County’s Complete Streets Policy to prioritize walkable and bikeable connections between schools.
A former environmental educator, Christiana has taken bold action to protect the environment and lower energy costs. She supported the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan, passed building codes that require new buildings to be ready for solar power and electric vehicles, and expanded access to community solar. She also helped secure long-term solar power agreements to lower energy costs for County government, public schools, and Howard Community College. Christiana passed legislation creating a geothermal tax credit, sponsored and championed legislation to ban plastic straws and plastic bags, and supported policies to conserve 40 percent of Howard County’s land by 2040.
Christiana lives in east Columbia with her spouse and their two children. As a parent, neighbor, and public servant, she brings energy, experience, and a deep commitment to public service. She is focused on ensuring a Howard County where families can afford to live, children can succeed, and every resident has the opportunity to thrive.