Name: Dennis Schrader

Age: 57

Lives in: Kings Contrivance

Political Party: Republican

Occupation: Business Consultant

What are the three most important issues facing your district?

"I'd say issue number one is we need jobs and job growth. There are a lot of young people who aren't working and I find, when I go door-to-door, older folks in their fifties who are no longer employed.

"Issue number two is we need to ensure we have competitive schools in the southeast [Howard County], which is important. People pay their taxes and they expect quality, so I play my role as an advocate for the schools.

"Thirdly, making sure that we keep our handle on spending and that we don't allow taxes to get away from us, with a particular focus on seniors who have stressed concern about that.

"There's actually a fourth issue which is making sure that our planning processes are maintaining the infrastructure, so as we grow we're staying ahead."

What do you wish had been accomplished in Howard County in the past four years that was not?

"A couple of things, one is I wish we would not have increased the budget the first two years and then gotten ourselves into a problem in the last couple. And I wish we would have funded the employee benefit fund, which is now actuarially about $800 million behind.

"In the jobs area, I would have liked to have seen more focus on not putting pressure on people by increasing the budget…

"There has been a lot of discussion about BRAC coming, but the person who is responsible for BRAC and Cyber Command coming to the area is Bob Ehrlich. Everybody else is taking credit for it, but Bob Ehrlich got it done. But that's not going to be enough to keep our economy moving along –we have to grow in the private sector."

Why do you deserve this seat more than your opponent does?

"I try not to make these kinds of comparisons, but I'll tell you why I think I deserve the seat. I've served one term on the council [from 1994 to 1998]. I have a record of being fiscally responsible and being very engaged in the community.

"A lot of the things my opponents take credit for, I started back in the 1990s. North Laurel Park was something that I got off the ground. So, I feel like I've got the experience as credentials…

"I have personal experience, for 30 years, in planning a major infrastructure. Lastly, I have also made lots of contributions to the citizens and the state, particularly here in central Maryland, with my contributions to the University of Maryland Medical System –helping to rebuild that medical center over a 16 year period. [I] designed and implemented the first Homeland Security program in the state for three and a half years, from 2003 to 2007.

"I'm very focused on getting the most out of the resources that we have without raising taxes. We're in a new era economically, and that's going to put a lot of pressure on us, and we're going to have to focus on how to do things differently."

On the Web:

http://www.electschrader.com/