Baltimore County Executive Candidate Profile: Adam Reuter

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — Election Day is July 19 for the Maryland primary. Locally, two Democrats are vying for the chance to run for county executive in Baltimore County. Incumbent Johnny Olszewski Jr. is up against Adam Reuter.

Patch sent out questionnaires to local candidates who were running in contested primary elections. Below are candidate Adam Reuter's answers. Patch will also publish the answers of any other candidates who responded.

Name: Adam Reuter

Campaign website: https://elect.adamreuter.com

City or town of residence: Baltimore County

Office sought: Baltimore County Executive

Party affiliation: Democratic

Education: Bachelor's Degree from Stevenson University

Occupation: Multimedia Producer for 15 years

Family: I wish to keep that information private.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? Not that I'm aware of.

Age: 38

Previous public office, appointive or elective: No.

Why are you seeking this office?

I'm not happy with how the current administration is managing the County. Taxes are up, police and teacher morale is down and residents are still struggling because of pandemic policies.

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

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

I support medical choice and logical, science-based approaches to public health management. My track record on these issues speak for themselves.

I will honor my oath to the U.S. and Maryland Constitutions.

I do not believe that "restorative justice" is the best school disciplinary method.

I believe that Baltimore County law enforcement "rank and file" officers' voices should be listened to and their concerns taken seriously.

Judicial accountability is an issue that matters and isn't talked about enough.

I will not give development waivers and play favorites to big businesses.

I would have helped implement plans so that students who are behind in their schooling don't fall even further behind.

A more fair "pay it forward" social services system could be implemented so that there is a fair benefits exchange.

I will give the Inspector General's Office enforcement powers.

I will not make false promises to win votes.

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

Shutting down small businesses, schools and religious institutions while not implementing early COVID-19 treatment policies nor disclosing "vaccine" safety risks are the big reasons I got into the County Executive race.

So many residents, particularly our children, now suffer from mental health issues. Many adults lost their jobs and some lost their careers while the County Executive's paycheck was never late.

Article 44 of the Maryland Constitution's Declaration of Rights was violated in the years 2020 and 2021. Unfortunately, prosecutors allowed our civil rights to be infringed.

Not lowering taxes and cutting government spending while the average Baltimore County household is struggling to pay their bills is another failure of the Olszewski administration. His Band-Aid solutions do not fix the root cause of many problems.

The County Executive waited until an election year to make good on many of his 2018 campaign promises, including building new Towson, Dulaney and Lansdowne High Schools.

The West side of Baltimore County — who helped put him into office — also felt like they were essentially abandoned after Election Day 2018.

Unlawful construction fee waivers for Metro Centre at Owings Mills persist.

My opponent created a lot of problems with his policies and laughably is now trying to take credit for solving them instead of apologizing profusely. Fortunately, a lot of voters aren't fooled.

There are many other failures, but this covers the big ones.

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

I will fight government corruption. I tried my best from the outside and that failed. So, if Baltimore County's voters want me in office, I'll be able to fight the system from the inside.

Retirees are being hit the hardest with inflation. Washington, D.C. is just down the highway, so I will lobby Congress to start paying down the debt. An action that is long overdue.

Baltimore County Public School teachers will get their salary scale steps. Retroactively, if possible. I've read many teachers' comments on TABCO's Facebook page and I sympathize with every one them. A contract is a contract. Teachers worked their tails off during the pandemic with remote learning and agreements need to be honored.

Residents have told me that they are concerned about school redistricting. I will fight to keep the district lines the way they are.

There will be more oversight with government contractors.

Audio quality of County Council and Town Hall meetings will be improved significantly.

The County government automobile fleet and maintenance equipment will be transitioned to cleaner energy.

A weekly live podcast will be produced on Fridays, so that my administration is held accountable. I'll let residents know what was accomplished during the week, what's planned and I'll be open to answer questions directly from constituents.

I'll work to keep tuition costs affordable at the CCBC campuses.

I have been a member of the working class all my life and will make sure County government takes care of those who need it most.

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

Throughout the past two years, I fought to prevent the problems that we are now facing. YouTube videos, social media posts, e-mails and phone calls went mostly ignored. People died, others were seriously injured and many lost their fortunes. This mostly could have been avoided and I'm sorry I didn't shout even louder, figuratively speaking, before the damage was done.

I've also worked as a long term substitute teacher at Baltimore County Public Schools and as a CCBC Essex summer camp instructor. I briefly worked as a federal contractor as well, so I have some "insider" knowledge and experience.

I briefly ran the Baltimore County Government Accountability Project, which aimed to provide more local government transparency, primarily with the County Council.

As a multimedia producer, I was the project lead on many different videos over the years. The experience of wearing many hats and planning then executing various projects will help me as County Executive I have an eye for detail, researching and ideas are in my nature and can get a lot accomplishments with low budgets.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Never fear failure, listen more and celebrate success.

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

To find out more about me, visit my web site.