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County Commissioner · District 3 · Calvert County · 2026 Primary
County Commissioners act as both the lawmaking body and the executive branch for their county, meaning they pass local ordinances and oversee all county departments. They are responsible for setting property tax rates and adopting the annual budget, which determines funding levels for essential services like public schools, road maintenance, and emergency responders. Their decisions on land use and zoning also directly influence how your community grows and what types of businesses or housing can be built.
View all candidates in this raceMichael Bennett is a decorated U.S. Coast Guard veteran, Bronze Star recipient, and longtime Calvert County resident running for Board of County Commissioners District 3. He served nearly three decades in the Coast Guard leading disaster response operations across the United States and deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan, where he received the Bronze Star Medal. After military service, Bennett worked in government, the intelligence community, as a global security executive at Snapchat, and now runs two Maryland-based businesses focused on risk consulting and technology. He has lived in Calvert County for more than a decade and serves on his local HOA Architectural Committee, American Legion Stallings-Williams Post 206, and the Board of Governors at the Calvert Marine Museum. Bennett is running to restore trusted leadership with common-sense solutions focused on service, integrity, and accountability while addressing rising costs for families facing challenges with gas, groceries, transportation, taxes, healthcare access, and energy costs.
Sources: Campaign website
Calvert County families deserve more than politics-as-usual.
Small businesses should be able to grow without being drowned in fees and red tape.
Every child, urban or rural, deserves the same chance to succeed.
Growth and development should strengthen our communities—not overwhelm our roads, water, and energy.
My Mission is simple, deliver trusted leadership rooted in service, integrity, and accountability.
He will put people—not politics—first, ensuring every family in our community has the opportunity to thrive.
Source: michaelbennettformaryland.com
Small Business & Jobs
Provide tax credits and grants for small businesses in Calvert County, invest in apprenticeships skilled trades and job training, support federal workers in transition due to downsizing, ensure zoning predictability and infrastructure alignment.
“Tax credits and grants for small businesses in Calvert County. Invest in apprenticeships, skilled trades, and job training. Support federal workers in transition due to downsizing.”
Education & Youth
Expand STEM, skilled trades, and college-prep programs in local schools, ensure mental health counselors in every school, create stronger afterschool and youth opportunity programs.
“Expand STEM, skilled trades, and college-prep programs in local schools. Ensure mental health counselors in every school.”
Infrastructure & Housing
Repair local roads and bridges, push for improved transit options, expand broadband in underserved communities, incentivize affordable housing near transit zones.
“Repair local roads and bridges; push for improved transit options. Expand broadband in underserved communities.”
Data Center Development
Demand transparency and impact studies so new data centers don't overwhelm utilities or raise costs for families.
“Demand transparency and impact studies so new data centers don't overwhelm our utilities or raise costs for families.”
Community Safety & Justice
Fully staffed community-based policing with accountability, violence prevention and youth mentorship programs, stronger partnerships to fight opioid and fentanyl crises.
“Fully staffed, community-based policing with accountability. Violence prevention and youth mentorship programs.”
Tax Relief
Provide local tax relief for working families and seniors through responsible budgeting, targeted county tax credits, rate adjustments, and homeowner relief programs to reduce burden on residents especially those on fixed incomes.
“Prioritize responsible budgeting and targeted county tax credits, rate adjustments, and homeowner relief programs to reduce the burden on residents — especially those on fixed incomes.”
Government Transparency
Promote open processes, clear ethics standards, oversight mechanisms, ensure contracts hiring and appointments are based on merit and public value.
“Promote open processes, clear ethics standards, and oversight mechanisms. Ensure contracts, hiring, and appointments are based on merit and public value.”
On a recent episode of Get Real with Southern Maryland Politics, host Chris Hill interviewed Calvert County Commissioner District 3 candidate Michael Bennett about his background and vision for the county. Bennett described Calvert County as his forever home after moving there in 2014 on a military transfer and detailed his 28-year Coast Guard career including combat deployments and a senior defense role in Haiti, followed by work in the intelligence community and as global security executive at Snapchat before running two Maryland-based businesses focused on risk consulting and technology. He expressed frustration with taxation at both state and local levels and noted that national politics have distorted local decision-making.
“Expand STEM, skilled trades, and college-prep programs in local schools. Ensure mental health counselors in every school.”
Source“Incentivize affordable housing near transit zones.”
Source“Fully staffed, community-based policing with accountability. Violence prevention and youth mentorship programs.”
Source“Repair local roads and bridges; push for improved transit options.”
Source“Expand broadband in underserved communities. Repair local roads and bridges.”
Source“Prioritize responsible budgeting and targeted county tax credits, rate adjustments, and homeowner relief programs to reduce the burden on residents — especially those on fixed incomes.”
Source“Tax credits and grants for small businesses in Calvert County. Invest in apprenticeships, skilled trades, and job training.”
Source“Promote open processes, clear ethics standards, and oversight mechanisms. Ensure contracts, hiring, and appointments are based on merit and public value.”
Source“Small businesses should be able to grow without being drowned in fees and red tape.”
Source“Provide local tax relief for working families and seniors. Prioritize responsible budgeting and targeted county tax credits, rate adjustments, and homeowner relief programs.”
Source“Growth and development should strengthen our communities—not overwhelm our roads, water, and energy. Every child, urban or rural, deserves the same chance to succeed.”
Source