Campaign Phone
(240)394-8001
Campaign Instagram
www.instagram.com/votecatcarter
As a small cybersecurity business owner, former teacher, and PTA Council of Howard County President, I support strong schools while living within our revenue. Building on my work with the HCPSS Operating Budget Review Committee, I will advocate for reducing transportation costs and investing in in-county special education programs to lower long-term expenses. We must also prioritize reducing non-school spending so we can address the $200 million in deferred school maintenance.
Housing affordability is a growing challenge in Howard County. We need thoughtful solutions that expand housing options while protecting quality of life. I support infill housing and mixed-use redevelopment that strengthens our community while protecting green spaces. Expanding affordable housing must be done sustainably, with attention to infrastructure and schools. We must streamline housing, licensing, and permitting processes and ensure homebuyers are not pushed out by large corporations.
Childcare and eldercare are increasingly expensive and hard to find in Howard County. I support investing in eldercare infrastructure, childcare incentives for working families, and partnering with schools to offer more programs. We must revisit regulations and funding structures that are unintentionally pushing small childcare providers out of business. Caregivers need living wages and families want reliable support. We must advocate for programs that offer opportunities to help families.
I support Howard County’s Climate Forward Plan to reduce emissions and strengthen resilience. We should continue advancing responsible investments in renewable energy production close to usage with battery storage capabilities, environmental infrastructure, and resilience initiatives. I support solar on rooftops and parking lots, energy efficiency programs, protecting forests and farmland, improving stormwater systems, and ensuring large energy users meet more of their own energy demand.
The Howard County government has a responsibility to protect residents’ Constitutional rights. I support strong coordination between human rights offices, law enforcement, and legal professionals to track and respond to civil rights violations. We must protect our neighbors from hate and unlawful acts and ensure every resident feels safe, respected, and protected under the law. I will stand with communities under attack and support policies that uphold fairness, accountability, and transparency.
Public safety means supporting our police while building trust with community outreach. Howard County officers are highly trained professionals with four-year degrees who deserve continued investment in training, staffing, and technology. Through my work on the HCPSS Safety & Security Taskforce, I helped improve communication on reportable offenses and strengthened school safety. We should also ensure officers can afford to live here in the communities they serve.
Campaign Twitter
ryanforhoco
Campaign Phone
443-938-3273
Campaign Instagram
ryanforhoco
I will not raise revenue. The county is maturing and school enrollment is declining. Some spending is redundant, unnecessary, or politically motivated.
There exist opportunities to consolidate core programming, expand use of virtual learning, and save on personnel. The savings can backfill funding shortfall in core areas like fine arts and athletics.
I will immediately call for an efficiency review of all county departments to identify ways to reduce costs and improve customer service.
We need to make the county more accessible to people who want to put down roots and contribute to our county. Government has made it difficult to build homes and expensive to sell them. In the past several years, the school surcharge has increased over 500%, transfer taxes have been increased, excessive forest conservation and other land development requirements have reduced density and increased costs, and APFO has virtually halted development.
Demand exceeds the availability of these services leading to higher costs, but government alone should not be looking to solve this problem. I would support the county funding a job training program for caregivers at Howard Community College. We can also make it easier and less expensive to open these businesses by reducing regulations.
Although I am a staunch advocate of sustainability for our future generations, it should not come be cost prohibitive to our tax payers and economic development. There needs to be a balance of varying perspectives to ensure our economy is on solid footing.
Neither the Executive or Legislative branches should pass a law or create a policy that is unconstitutional. If someone believes their constitutional rights have been violated, I expect the Judicial branch to be a reliable venue for such a complaint and potential relief.
Increased crime, including District 5, is a significant concern. Everything Howard Co has to offer for residents, businesses and visitors is of little value if people do not feel safe enough to live here, visit, or maintain their business. HCPS does an incredible job solving crimes, which I would hope serves as a deterrent against future crime. We need more patrols in the rural west where out of town gangs have routinely hit neighborhoods for both auto theft and home invasions.
Campaign Phone
4437706051
Financial analysis can reveal suspicious or redundant spending patterns.
Key checks include:
Duplicate vendor payments, Multiple contracts for the same deliverable, Repeated grants to the same entity for similar work, Rapid budget increases without measurable outcomes
Affordable housing is a serious issue but Affordable living is where the real problem is. Financing can dramatically expand affordability even if home prices stay high. When buyers get very low-interest loans, their monthly payment drops, which effectively increases their purchasing power. Policy solutions that target this include: Subsidized mortgage rates, Shared-equity financing, Longer-term mortgages (40–50 years), Tax credits or payment assistance for teachers and first responders.
Eldercare is an issue. It is difficult for elderly residents to age in place. To help seniors age in place they need: Home modifications ,Grab bars, Walk-in showers, Stair lifts, Wider doorways.
Community-based services are needed such as: Meals on Wheels, Senior transportation, In-home health aides, Housing policy changes such as Accessory dwelling units (ADUs), Multigenerational housing, Property tax relief for seniors. Is a start to helping the elderly
Green house gases are a serious problem. Protecting and expanding forests is one of the most practical and scalable tools we have for addressing greenhouse gases, especially when combined with emission reductions.
I want all people treated humanely; people’s rights respected; and racial, ethnic, and religious profiling not to occur. We want our county to persistently and proactively act on
behalf of all people.
In communities like Howard County, Maryland, studies often show that juvenile offenses peak during after-school hours, when: Parents may still be working, Schools are closed, Youth lack structured supervision, Without positive outlets, some teens drift toward risky behavior or peer pressure.
When communities provide low-cost or free programs, several protective factors improve.
