The appointment of Michael S. Bayer, AICP, as the Director of Planning for the Town of Bel Air was approved during a meeting of the Board of Town Commissioners on Monday, April 6, 2026.

Mr. Bayer succeeds former Planning Director Kevin Small, who retired on March 31 after 15 years of service.

Department heads such as the Planning Director are appointed by the Town Administrator with the approval of the Town Commissioners, according to Bel Air Town Code. On Monday, the five-member Board of Commissioners unanimously approved Resolution 1266-26 to appoint Mr. Bayer as Planning Director.

“Welcome Mr. Bayer, we’re so happy to have you here,” Mayor Paula Etting told the new director, who attended the Town meeting.

Mr. Bayer, whose first day of work will be Monday, April 13, brings to the Town more than 25 years of experience in the field of urban planning, both as a private-sector consultant advising local governments and as a planner in state, regional and local agencies in Maryland.

The Milwaukee, Wisconsin native also worked for a number of years as a newspaper reporter, prior to his career in planning. He is the co-author of the textbook Becoming an Urban Planner: A Guide to Careers in Planning and Urban Design, published by John Wiley & Sons in 2010.

“I look forward to meeting with and working with all of you and making sure that Bel Air continues to be the great place that it is,” Mr. Bayer told the Commissioners.

Members of the Town Board welcomed Mr. Bayer to Bel Air and said they look forward to working with him.

“This is an important role, a critical role, especially as Bel Air and Harford County continue to grow,” Commissioner Jake Taylor said of the Planning Director’s position. “We want to make sure that that growth is in service to the residents of the Town.”

Contact Media and Public Relations Specialist David Anderson at 410-838-7181 or danderson@belairmd.org.