Baltimore County Councilman Todd Crandell is not seeking reelection, according to an interview he gave to The Baltimore Sun.

His decision comes nearly eight months after his wife took out a protective order against Crandell, citing “severe verbal abuse” while he’s drunk, according to court records. Her filing also cited an allegedly drunken encounter with Baltimore County Police in 2024.

Crandell, a Republican who represents District 7, the southeastern portion of the county that includes his native Dundalk, was first elected to the council in 2014 and is serving his third term.

Crandell did not respond to a request for comment and a phone call to Doug Anderson, Crandell’s senior council assistant, went immediately to voicemail.

According to court and police records, Crandell endangered police inside his Eastpoint Mall office during the June 2024 incident.

Crandell, who appeared “extremely intoxicated,” was restrained and transported to Franklin Square Medical Center in Rossville after opening his desk drawer to reveal a fully loaded handgun, the police report said.

Police did not arrest Crandell, nor did prosecutors charge him with a crime.

His wife, Lisa Crandell, cited the incident as one of several reasons she doesn’t feel safe around him. She also testified while seeking the protective order that he threatened her, according to court records.

Crandell has publicly discussed his battle with alcoholism, having taken multiple leaves of absence to attend rehabilitation.

In his interview with The Sun, Crandell called his years on the council “intense,” and said his “personal life has not been the greatest.”

“I think that I need to take time for some real peace in my life,” he told The Sun, “and being a council member doesn’t always afford that sense of peace.”

Crandell endorsed county council candidate JD Urbach in his interview with The Sun. Urbach thanked Crandell “for his words of encouragement and support” in a Monday afternoon statement.

“I pray for his continued well-being and look forward to us working together to advance the priorities that matter most to the citizens of the new Council District 9,” Urbach said.

The county council approved redistricting maps this past fall that, among other things, expanded council districts from 7 to 9.

In recent years, some constituents complained about Crandell’s lack of attention to matters in the district.

In the interview with The Sun, he apologized for the effects of his “downward spiral” and said: “I need to focus on sobriety and recovery.”

Baltimore Banner reporters Céilí Doyle and Rona Kobell contributed to this story.