All the qualified candidates here in Anne Arundel county and another outsider is selected. Oh well, Obama places devout muslim in Homeland Securty. I feel safer now.Go figure.I now understand why so many folks are leaving our state and heading for Texas.

Wasn't there a qualified Anne Arundel County resident in the pool of candidates? Why do they always bring in outsiders who don't know the challenges each of us face? So now, after not living here as an ordinary citizen, not experiencing everyday life, and where improvements can be made, she'll slide into the bubble that surrounds these egopoliticians and will think everything is "excellent" and the culture is good. Then she'll bail to move to another part of the country when the next rung on the political ladder becomes available.... Yawn.... I say eat local, do business local, and ELECT local. These outsiders have just one thing on their agenda: building their resumes...

Apparently neither Terry L Riley nor S C Eastport read the part that says Neuman is an Anne Arundel County native. According to a 2011 interview by Ellicott City Patch she lived in her home in Annapolis at that time. I don't know if she still lives there, but she's certainly not a stranger to the county. Let's give her a chance. We need good leadership and it sounds like she is eager to fulfill that need. As for Terry, from your ignorant post, it sounds like we would be better off if you joined those folks heading for Texas. Nothing positive comes from negativity.

If you would have attended - like the idiot reporters that did and STILL report the wrong information - she was born in Baltimore and grew up on the east side... she is s rape victim, a HS drop out, with no college education but an MBA from Loyola, and she is quite accomplished for her age.... as for the chief of AACO... I think the County Council has an agenda of thier own, and it is not in best interest of the citizens, but wanting to bury some hatchets of their own. They needed someone they can manipulate.

Thanks for the feedback Tom. I felt the same after reading the previous posts.

Why in the world would you include that she is a rape victim as if this is something that should discount her credentials? Really Peter? I am hoping that I am reading that wrong and what you meant was that despite all of these things....

Your twitter feed from last night's hearing was fascinating... thank you for depicting the pulse of the evening and candidates for those of us who couldn't be there....

Great! A rhino in office thanks to the four democrats on our council. Walker was proudly wearing the blue union label last night.

Thanks Frank, I did hear that during her speech, but I felt the context in which Peter used it was as if she isn't qualified b/c she was a rape victim. I was hoping I was reading that incorrectly.

Hasn't most of our issues been with "career politicians" who have lost touch with their constituents? I think we need more "outside" influences who are not persuaded by party antics. I hope she surrounds herself with solid advisers who will guide her through the mess do some good.

She is a resident of AAC, it was one of the requirements for the job: A resident of Anne Arundel County for at least four years immediately preceding the election by the County Council.

I am impressed with what I've heard so far about this woman's spirit and integrity. I don't care what her party affiliation is, and I am so weary of the nasty partisan whining (seen in some of the comments here) that has come up even before she has started the job. Please take your bitterness and leave the area. We don't need people who want to waste time and energy grinding axes when there is important work to be done. I seriously hope that Kendall Erlich, Steve Schuh, John Hammond and the other candidates for the position will be gracious even though they were not chosen. Frankly, I fully expect them to do this.

She has been successful in Howard County because she and Ken Ulman work so closely w/ their union buddies. 4 democrats voted her in. She is no more republican than Walker is. Anne Arundel has a case of the blues today.......

Some of these comments leave me shaking my head. RINO? I'd rather have the best person for the job rather than the person who is most beholden to political party ideology, regardless of party. Outsider? She's lived here and made her home here for the better part of a decade...when does she become an "insider" or "local"? The fact she CHOSE to make her home here, given she could live anywhere pretty much in the world given her business success, speaks volumes to me. I hope the people of the County will at least demonstrate some goodwill and give her a chance before dismissing her for misguided reasons right off the bat.

If you people who are dogging the decision of the council don't like the decision, then why don't you try running for office? If you don't like it here in AA county or in MD, feel free to move elsewhere... don't let the door hit you on the way out. Some people aren't happy unless they're b!tching, moaning, whining, and complaining about everything. They're the people who have something negative to say about everything, and can never find anything positive to say about anything. What a sad way to go through life.

She works in Howard County and her kids don't even go to school in Anne Arundel County. She has never contributed to our communities or volunteered in them and grew up in Baltimore. Im all for a political outsider, but she is just an outsider, period. No investment in Anne Arundel County whatsoever. This is no about politics, its about the best person for the job. Council dropped the ball.

Her kids don't go to school in the county because she was booted out of Key school for accusations of stalking kids and their families.

I think Peter's mention of rape was just in part a summation of her life story that she provided to the council. Quite frankly I don't know what relevance it had to her appointment though. It is pretty amusing that the council chose a person who hadn't finished HS or Undergrad but has an MBA,(How is that even possible?)over the person who has undergrad and an MBA from Ivy League schools, AND is a fixture in AA politics already. Sounds like the council has an Agenda at hand! I will work very hard to make sure that Jerry Walker gets his walking papers in the next election.

@ Jeff and Mike. All points well taken.

Who is Laura Neuman ... the truth is no one knows and what we do know is troubling (part 1 of 2).

1. She is not registered to vote under her name Laura Neuman (her real name is Laura Volkman).
2. She is recently separated - but not divorced. Does she really live in Anne Arundel County?
3. Does she meet the minimum standards to even be County Executive?
4. She and her children were asked to leave Key School. Why? Her children now attend Gilman School (Baltimore City)
5. She was the director of the Chesapeake Incubator which is under the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation during the Janet Owens administration (Democrat). Why did she leave this off of her application? You would think she would want to discuss her Anne Arundel connections?
6. With no experience she becomes the CEO (for no pay) of a tech start up company in Anne Arundel County (Matrics Inc.). Company is bought a very short time later for hundreds of millions of dollars. Congratulations - but can you explain this?
see next post for rest of it............

Who is Laura Neuman ... the truth is no one knows and what we do know is troubling (part 2 of 2).
Continued from above............
7. I am incredibly sensitive to her story about being raped. After being a cold case for many many years, she solves the case "for the police" in three days. This leaves a lot of unanswered questions. She brought this up - so at least she can do is fill in the blanks as to how she solved the case.
8. She is a high school dropout and a college dropout ... but she has an M.B.A. from Loyola ... because she said "she talked them into it." Again, so many unanswered questions here.
9. If she is separated raising children at super expensive Gilman, why would she give up a job making $250,000 a year to take a job making $130,000 in a County that she has very little roots? Questions questions questions.
10. How do we feel about having the Howard County Executive (Ken Ulman) making calls to our elected Council Members advocating for his choice?
11. Is Laura Neuman's loyalty to Ken Ulman, to the 4 council members or to the people of Anne Arundel County?

I'm sure she was not born in Kenya (my attempt at humor), but how do we know. Jerry Walker and the three Democrats on the County Council did absolutely no due diligence. She could be anybody. How do we know.

Since we did not get to vote for her, I hope others will add to or correct what we do know about her.

As I sat in the council chamber last night watching the voting, it surprised - no stunned - me and the rest of those present that Laura Neuman actually won this thing. There was a determination early on that the council could take a break during the voting. The first votes cast that actually had Ms Neuman in the running was a surprise since no one knew who she was, and when she delivered her 5 minute speech most of it was focused on her rape and her work with rape victims. I honestly thought towards the end that the only reason she applied was so she could have a platform for her cause.

After the council came back from the break and the voting started again, when it was Mr. Smith's turn to vote he was caught off guard and said,"Wait what round is this?" then asked what Trumbauer's vote was (Neuman) and then voted for Neuman. His was the third vote for her and Walker's was the 4th.

What back room dealings they were having! So clear that this whole thing was orchestrated by Walker & the Dems on the council. Watch Walker run for county executive in 2014, and you'll know what his reasoning was.

Yeah Ladd kind of looked dumbfounded! His response was really bizzaro,
Shueman?
Did he even know where he was?

Mike Daley, that was not the same instance I was talking about. Ladd wasn't the only one combined the 2 names.

Money talks

I just got an MBA from Loyola while I was reading this !

The only campaign contributions she and her husband have made over the past 5 years have been to Democrats. Hmmmmm. Ullman, Owens and Samoryzk. Something stinks here.

Laura Neuman, as director of the Anne Arundel Chesapeake Innovation Center was fired or forced to resign by John Leopold's administration in 2007 because she drove the CIC into financial ruin.

Laura Neuman failed to list her work (her only work) for Ann Arundel County on her application for County Executive.

The intentional omission of material fact is by definition "fraud."

Laura Neuman committed fraud on the citizens of Anne Arundel County.

All you union sycophants can attack me all you want, but it does not change the fact that Laura Neuman, Jerry Walker and the three Democrats are all party to this fraud.

You seem to have all the facts, so why don't you know if she was fired or forced to resign? If we accept this accusation as the truth, how is it that you know what was on her application? I think you're a fraud, just throwing out baseless accusations for which you offer no proof. Actually, even if you provided some proof, I don't really care. What I am interested in is for her to do a good job in her new position. Certainly being fired or forced to resign by Leopold should be a plus in her column.

The applications and questionnaires are public record I thought. I don't think any of these queries into her past is bad. Its healthy. BTW, Omitting employment history is never excusable in the business world. The application typically would never make it past the initial HR screening. Why would someone give her a pass for such an important job? The county turns down maintenance crew applications for such omissions, why is she an exception? Sounds like the democrats thought us voters were idiots. After all, we voted in people like Walker and Grasso and yes, Leopold-- even after he was accused. With McConkey (walker has fundraisers w/ him) and Dwyer (Walker was his treasurer and supporter) rounding out the group, I would think voters would appreciate a desire for the electorate to due diligence on the most powerful official in the county. I appreciate these investigative posts. Its our job as voters to hold our officials to scrutiny, lest we will never move beyond these scandals. With her refusing to answer if she is a caretaker or a true politician, the obligation to know about this newcomer is moreso. We need to rally those who use their power to vote in ignorance. An informed electorate is a better governed society. Thank you to our public private eyes.

Joe Robinson, I don't know that she omitted facets of her work history in her application. I haven't seen the application, have you? As a registered independent voter, I share values of both the Republicans and Democrats, but I don't feel an obligation to be loyal to either party. I vote on the issues, not the party. I hope our new county executive will be the same. We need someone who puts the well-being of the citizens above politics. I agree with you regarding the BS from government, but I don't look for a conspiracy under every rock. What you people are doing is very unproductive. If you really want to know the answers, you should go to the sources. Check out her application if that's so important to you. Call or write Loyola for an explanation. If I was that worried about it, that's what I would do, but I have enough confidence in overall government that I don't feel the need to know every detail. Are her party ties really that important to you? Perhaps you should ask her yourself. Until you provide me with some credible evidence, it's unsubstantial and yes, they are accusations. I don't care that you disagree with me, because my life is full enough that I don't need approval from Patch comments.

Be nice to keep political parties and gender out of this. Please give the newly elected(by the A. A. County Council), County Executive a chance. She has many challenges facing her regarding cleaning house if she so desires as well as the upcoming budget as well as getting to know the residents in the communities in which she serves and also be responsive to the unions requests. I wish her good luck and best wishes as she takes the helm and faces the many challenges that she will have to deal with. She has already made an excellent choice as her new Chief Of Staff, that being David Cordle, so far she has started off in the right direction, she needs all of our support, so much "power" in positive thinking. Have a nice day everyone and remember until you have walked in my shoes, so to speak, try not to be negative and be so quickly as to condemn. Thanks.

Congrats, Laura, Rick, on your new gigs!

BTW, folks, I've known both of them for years and regard their work highly. Let's get beyond partisan politics and move our county forward.

Also, Matrics is a great story that has Anne Arundel County bloodlines. One of the inventors of the technology is a resident of the county, and we need more innovators like him and CEOs who can take no pay until the company actually starts performing. Quite contrary to the current model of paying our politicians.

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