Carl James Neimeyer Runs For Anne Arundel County Council In District 5

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — It's election season in Maryland. Early voting runs from Thursday, Oct. 27 through Thursday, Nov. 3. General Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. Voters can also return their ballot by mail or place it in a dropbox.

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Patch asked County Council and county executive candidates to complete a questionnaire outlining their priorities. Anne Arundel County Council District 5 candidate Carl James Neimeyer participated in our survey. His unedited responses are posted below.

Name

Carl James Neimeyer

Campaign website

https://www.carlneimeyer.com/

City or town of residence

Arnold, MD

Office sought

County Council, District 5

Party affiliation

Democrat

Education

B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University; U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps Officer and Legal Officer Schools; DAWIA Level-1 Contracting Certification; Advisory Council on Historic Preservation-106 Certification

Occupation

Founder of Bernward Mechanical & Constructions Solutions (a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business in Severna Park)

Family

My wife and I have been married for 15 years and have 5 children (toddler through middle schooler).

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No.

Age

The candidate did not answer this question.

Previous public office, appointive or elective

No, I am a political outsider.

Why are you seeking this office?

After one of the incumbent’s many harmful, partisan votes, I was asked to run. Our district deserves both competence and integrity from our elected leaders. My experience and expertise— business owner and chamber member in our district, veteran with experience in government construction, communications, public works and acquisitions, etc.— means that I am in a unique position to serve my community well in the capacity of councilman.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ___, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Opportunity. Many factors today are working against people having the opportunity to build a meaningful life: cost of living, stagnant wages, access to quality education and safe communities, etc. Everything our county government does should be done through the lens of increasing opportunity for our citizens. I am endorsed by educators because they know that I am committed to making sure they have the tools to educate so our kids have the opportunities a quality education affords. For working families, I will ensure that they get good value for their tax dollars, not spending frivolously but ensuring quality government services are meeting our needs, so they have good economic and recreational opportunities, as well as the opportunity to live in a safe community.

What do you plan to do to address traffic and overcrowding in Anne Arundel County?

As an engineer with a background in business and construction as well as a veteran Civil Engineer Corps officer fluent in government acquisitions, I’m uniquely suited to champion and provide oversight for traffic solutions. Additionally, I want to ensure that all development or redevelopment is focused toward both environmental protection and traffic alleviation. Capital projects that increase access to vehicle alternatives such as walking or biking should be encouraged.

What do you plan to do to address the ongoing school bus driver shortage?

I will be actively monitoring the proposed solutions put forth by Superintendent Bedell and the Board of Education. Whether it’s pay or start time modification or something more drastic like completely rethinking the way we contract, it should all be on the table as well as sensible interim solutions. What shouldn’t be on the table is prioritizing tax cuts that will provide hardly any monetary relief to working families but will then make it even more difficult to secure transportation, shifting even greater burden onto those families who can afford it the least.

What does campaign finance say about your race?

I have a broad coalition supporting me. Whether it’s one of the many organizations that have endorsed me, colleagues who know I will do the job well, or residents of our district who know we deserve better, my campaign finance report shows I am the candidate working for the people. I am NOT financially backed by a string of corporations, developers, or other donors who might try to buy a vote or kickback.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Integrity, experience, and independence. Even in her employment, the incumbent is beholden to partisan politics and lacks experience outside the political machine. While she tries to paint herself as a bridge-builder working for the good of our district, her actions show that she absolutely is not. What she says is very different from what she does. From voting against funding teachers, police, publics works (even targeting them for cuts!) until an election year to allying with right-wing extremists when it comes to gun security, culture wars, January 6th, etc., we can’t rely on her to put the good of our district above her political ambitions.

On the other hand, I am only running for office because I feel compelled to help my community. Whether working as a military officer, community volunteer, or business owner, I have built my life around the idea that what we do should serve a greater purpose than personal interests. While many in my industry have secured their profits by shortchanging their labor, I chose to sign with union tradesmen to ensure that they had good wages and portable benefits. I will not sacrifice my integrity for personal gain, so I certainly will not do so for any partisan or special interest when elected. And the business of county council— budgets, staffing, public works— are things I have done throughout my career. With my first-hand experience, I can effectively advocate for our community and get the best value for our tax dollars.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

The ways in which the incumbent has failed the community that elected her are too numerous to list, which is why we made TheRealFiedlerRecord.com to highlight some of the most egregious. The entire premise of her 2018 primary challenge of Michael Peroutka was that she was different and understood the need to fund the government and not play nasty, partisan politics. But when she got into office, all of that disappeared. She has voted (or at least abstained) in lockstep with performative partisanship, from speech-stifling “anti-CRT” and flag bans to targeting migrants through bureaucracy to refusing to condemn the Jan. 6th insurrection. She targeted teachers, police, and even our district’s capital projects for cuts and it’s only thanks to her Democratic colleagues that our district was protected. Her great criticism of Peroutka was that he never voted for the budget, yet she followed right in Peroutka’s steps and never voted to fund the government until she knew I was challenging her. If she didn’t need this election year gimmick, I have no confidence that she would not have also never voted for a budget yet taken credit for all the good things that budget secured.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

The candidate did not answer this question.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Most recently, I was awarded the SBA’s Maryland Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year. I was selected in Building Design & Construction Magazine’s “40 under 40” for 2015 primarily for my management of hundreds of millions of dollars in construction at the U.S. Naval Academy. My candidacy has been endorsed by well over a dozen labor, professional, and civic organizations.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

The candidate did not answer this question.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I believe in pluralism, pragmatism, and putting people first. I want leaders who, while they might have different policy perspectives, are focusing on meeting people’s needs and not worrying about the political angle. That is who I will be as councilman, focusing on common ground and common sense solutions.