Matt Meyer

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Matt Meyer
Jimmie and matt.jpg
New Castle County Executive
Assumed office
January 3, 2017
Preceded byTom Gordon
Personal details
BornBay City, Michigan, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materBrown University and University of Michigan School of Law

Matthew S. Meyer is an attorney, entrepreneur, former diplomat, and educator who is currently serving his second term as New Castle County Executive. Born in Michigan Meyer currently resides in Wilmington, Delaware. He was elected New Castle County Executive in 2016 and again in 2020.

Early life and education[]

Meyer was born in Bay City, Michigan, and grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. He graduated from Wilmington Friends School, Brown University (cum laude in political science and computer science), and the University of Michigan Law School (member, Michigan Law Review).[1]

Early political career[]

Meyer worked on then U.S. Sen. Joe Biden’s first presidential campaign in 1988 while in high school at the Wilmington Friends School.[2] He then worked on the 1990 upstart gubernatorial campaign of Rhode Island Gov. Bruce Sundlun while attending Brown University.

Career[]

Meyer taught public school in Washington, D.C., through Teach for America for three years.[3] He also taught at Prestige Academy in Wilmington. He won a Skadden Fellowship upon graduation from law school and used it to work for Community Legal Aid in Wilmington. He then became an attorney working in mergers and acquisitions with Simpson Thatcher and Bartlett LLP. He served in Iraq as a diplomat for the U.S. State Department, as a senior economic adviser on the ground in Mosul, Iraq, working with military and economic aid leaders to assist the Iraqi people. Meyer learned more about Americans and military leadership style after living on a base for about a year with 10,000 soldiers. Later, he worked as an economic advisor to Delaware Governor Jack Markell and was a partner at Potomac Law Group.[4] He has started two businesses, Ecosandals and VituMob, both in Kenya. He appeared on CNN to discuss Ecosandals and on using technology to create jobs in poor neighborhoods.[5] In 2003 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Meyer was awarded the Sam Beard Jefferson Award for the Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 Years and Under; at that same ceremony Condoleezza Rice received a Jefferson Award.[6] Al Gore's Current TV called him an "all around super human."[7]

New Castle County Executive[]

2016 election[]

In the Democratic primary for New Castle County Executive, Meyer's campaign focused on integrity and economic policy.[8] On September 13, Meyer upset three-term incumbent Tom Gordon by a margin of 4.66% in the primary, winning 21,487 votes (52.33%) to Gordon's 19,678 votes (47.67%).[9] Meyer defeated Republican Mark Blake in the general election in November with 67% of the vote. He took office on January 3, 2017.

2020 election[]

On September 15, Meyer clinched the Democratic nomination again for County Executive, defeating challenger Maggie Jones in the Democratic primary. Meyer clinched a key endorsement video days before the election from Hollywood star and Delaware native, Aubrey Plaza. Meyer won 43,833 votes (56.51%), while Jones received 33,735 votes (43.49%).[10] Jones has not been heard from since.

Recognitions[]

May 6, 2001 - Delaware Library Association - Distinguished Service Citation “The selection of County Executive Matt Meyer as the recipient of the Delaware Library Association’s highest honor is a great choice,” said Annie Norman, Delaware State Librarian. “County Executive Meyer is an effective collaborator and appreciates libraries’ leadership role in the social infrastructure for the benefit of Delawareans.”

Tenure[]

Meyer has accomplished the following as New Castle County Executive:

  • Selected the first African-American police chief in the 106-year history of the 400-officer New Castle County Police Department.[11][12]
  • Facing growing deficits, reduced spending by over $5 million in the first 60 days and passed a $284 million budget.[13][14]
  • Announced, with the police chief, the kidnapping and safe release of a four-year-old girl and pleaded with the public to provide information to help identify a suspect. Several weeks later, using information provided by the public, announced an arrest.[15][16]
  • Hosted first-ever county Iftar dinner for leaders of all the mosques in the county.[17]
  • Proposed changes to contracting rules likely to save the county at least $2 million in annual construction spending and increase in-state apprenticeship opportunities.[18]
  • Attracted Del Monte Foods to Glasgow, Delaware, and announced the global food producer was opening its largest distribution facility in the company, likely to create thousands of jobs.[19]
  • Saved county taxpayers over $2 million by preserving hundreds of acres of county farmland at $3,000 per acre, cancelling a previous deal to preserve at $30,000 per acre.[20]
  • Announced a new and comprehensive program to address over 1300 vacant homes.[21]
  • Signed into law changes to the county's land use code to spawn job growth and innovation.[22]
  • Partnered with private sector to provide NCC firemen with naloxone to address drug overdoses.[23]
  • Selected the first African-American chief administrative officer for New Castle County.[24]
  • Instituted mandatory employee trainings on sexual harassment and expanded employee training opportunities, including on implicit biases.[25]
  • In response to rumors that a senior county police officer had sexually harassed female officers,[citation needed] took steps to enable any employee to file a grievance with Meyer directly; a female officer did so, and within hours the senior officer was under investigation and never worked another day as a County police officer.[26]

COVID-19 response[]

National recognition for Meyer in use of federal CARES Act funds A joint report by National Association of Counties (NACO) and National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) on use of federal CARES Act funds recognized New Castle County for using “innovative strategies in deploying Coronavirus Relief Fund dollars, with special attention to programs focusing on inclusive economic recovery and on assisting vulnerable and underserved populations.” [27]

New Castle County purchases Sheraton South hotel with CARES Act money Converts hotel into state's largest emergency homeless shelter In October of 2020, New Castle County purchased the former Sheraton South Hotel at auction with a winning bid of $19.5 million.[28] The hotel has 192 rooms and is located at 365 Airport Road, New Castle, Delaware. The current use for the building is the HOPE Center. The hotel can house more than 350 residents. As of late last week, around 320 people were living there, 150 of whom were children. So far about 38 households have moved on to permanent housing.[29] The facility officially started welcoming guests in mid-December, 2020. [30]

New Castle County hosts hundreds of testing sites for thousands of patients New Castle County under County Executive Matt Meyer launched a testing effort for County residents which lasted over 14 months, more than 500 locations with over 300,000 tests administered. The County concluded the testing sites after testing became more widely available. [31]

Meyer collects a sample from a COVID-19 test user

New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer and US Senator Chris Coons partner to launch national service program National Health Corps Delaware "Delaware’s members, who get paid $15 an hour from New Castle County’s federal coronavirus relief funds, are assigned to Westside, the ChristianaCare health system, and Lutheran Community Services. They provide translation services at vaccination sites, assist with social media campaigns, participate in community outreach efforts, conduct research, and more. It’s a pilot program for northern Delaware that aims to assist with reducing longstanding health disparities among low-income people, including issues exacerbated by the pandemic. The Health Corps, part of AmericaCorps, also operates in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York, Chicago, Florida, and San Francisco."[32]

New Castle County and Delaware State University partner to open next generation genomics testing lab On January 29, 2021, New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer, Delaware State University President Tony Allen, Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester cut the ribbon and formally opened Delaware State University’s new genomics testing lab. Since announcing the partnership and New Castle County’s $5.5 million dollar investment in early November, DSU has received critical laboratory hardware, made key hires, earned regulatory approval, and retrofitted 5,600 square feet of the Kirkwood Highway campus to laboratory space. Beginning earlier this month, the lab began testing DSU’s athletic teams, and will soon begin processing tests for the whole student body. By mid-February, New Castle County hopes to purchase testing capacity from the new facility, as do Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, and University of Maryland Eastern Shore, both prominent Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Today, the lab, located in Wilmington can process up to 3,000 tests per day bringing the cost of processing those tests from $150 to under $10 per test. The lab will also be able to consistently deliver same-day testing results. [33]

New Castle County Executive partners with DonorsChoose to fund state public school teachers wish list New Castle County and County Executive Matt Meyer were featured in National Association of Counties (NACo) publication “County News” for their collaboration with Donors Choose. New Castle County funded hundreds of Delaware teachers’ funding requests with over $1m in CARES Act dollars. Meyer helped New Castle County government form a partnership with Biobot, a company that analyzes sewage to estimate the number of people infected with COVID-19 in a given area.[34][35]

In a July 2020 editorial for The News Journal, Meyer advocated for sending all teachers and students back to school in the fall during the coronavirus pandemic.[36]

International Experience[]

New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer traveled with officials from Nemours to The Gambia. [37] While there, Meyer attended trainings in which Nemours trained medical professionals on life saving techniques when a newborn's life is in danger. He also collaborated with Mayor Talib Bensouda of Kanifing Municipality and toured a number of sites around the municipality and used no county funds on the trip. Video from the County Executive's visit was documented by QTV News [38]

Meyer also served as 2020 United States Presidential Election correspondent for NTV SASA. [39]

Environmental Protection[]

Fortner Farm New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer and Delaware Wildland’s Executive Director Kate Hackett on June 30, 2021 signed a first-of-its-kind partnership agreement to allow for the preservation of over 220 acres of land in southern New Castle County. Resolution 20-060 was co-sponsored by County Councilmembers Bell, Kilpatrick, and Sheldon in March 2020, which urged the County administration to investigate acquiring the property, initiating the process that resulted in this partnership.

Jack Markell Trail Meyer helped open the Jack A. Markell Trail (JAM) which connects New Castle to Wilmington via bike/walking/running trail. [40]

Political Future[]

Meyer, as a second-term County Executive, is limited to serving two consecutive terms in office. He is widely considered as front-runner for the democratic party's nominee for Governor of Delaware.

Controversies[]

In June 2020, six current and former New Castle County employees filed a federal lawsuit against Meyer and other New Castle County officials alleging serial sexual harassment and assault by former New Castle County Police lieutenant colonel Quinton Watson. The lawsuit calls New Castle County government a “sanctuary” for sexual harassers.[41][42]

In July 2020, Meyer faced allegations he made "belligerent" calls to two mayors who are supporting his opponent, Maggie Jones, in the 2020 Democratic primary for New Castle County Executive. Both Elsmere mayor Eric Scott Thompson and Newark mayor Jerry Clifton said Meyer's phone conversations with them were heated, and they felt the county executive made threats toward their communities by telling them that he "will remember this." Meyer refused to specifically address the accusations.[43]

References[]

  1. ^ http://michiganlawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Vol.-100-Masthead.pdf
  2. ^ "In the C-Suite: Matt Meyer, New Castle County Executive - DBT". Delaware Business Times. 2020-12-07. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  3. ^ Owens, Jake. "C-Suite with Matt Meyer". delawarebusinesstimes.com.
  4. ^ "Matthew Meyer - Potomac Law Group". Archived from the original on 2016-09-17. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
  5. ^ "Kenyan Company Launches a Line of Environment-Friendly Footwear - Transcript". CNN. August 26, 2001. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  6. ^ "Jefferson Awards Foundation Past Winners". Archived from the original on 2017-06-23. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
  7. ^ "Eco Sandals: Current TV | TeamJaded". teamjaded.com. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
  8. ^ "Meyer for New Castle County". YouTube. Retrieved 2018-10-12.
  9. ^ "State of Delaware - Department of Elections · Office of the State Election Commissioner". elections.delaware.gov. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
  10. ^ "2020 State Primary Election Report". Archived from the original on 2020-09-18. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  11. ^ "Bond named NCCo's first black police chief". delawareonline. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  12. ^ Staff Writer (2017-03-21). "Vaughn Bond Named As First Black Chief of Police For New Castle County". First State Update. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  13. ^ "NCCo Executive Matt Meyer: No tax hike in coming year". delawareonline. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  14. ^ Irizarry, Joe. "Meyer imposes immediate budget cuts to New Castle County government". WDEL 101.7FM. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  15. ^ McAneny, DJ. "'This heartless monster': Police reveal Pike Creek girl, 4, was abducted and raped". WDEL 101.7FM. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  16. ^ Cherry, Amy. "New Castle County Police make an arrest in kidnapping, assault of 4-year-old Pike Creek girl". WDEL 101.7FM. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  17. ^ "Log In or Sign Up to View". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  18. ^ "New Castle County loosens construction rules to increase local bids". delawareonline. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  19. ^ "Del Monte plans processing center in Pencader area". Delaware Business Now. 2017-02-20. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  20. ^ Cherry, Amy. "VIDEO | A better deal for Delaware taxpayers: Farmland preservation at a fraction of the cost". WDEL 101.7FM. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  21. ^ "NCCo plan addresses growing number of vacant homes". delawareonline. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  22. ^ Cherry, Amy. "VIDEO: Changes to New Castle County land use aim to spawn job growth, innovation". WDEL 101.7FM. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  23. ^ McAneny, DJ. "Volunteer fire companies save 760 extra lives with New Castle County-Greenhill Pharmacy Narcan partnership". WDEL 101.7FM. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
  24. ^ "New Castle County names Vanessa Phillips as chief administrative officer". Delaware Business Times. 2018-03-07. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  25. ^ Phillips, Vanessa S. "Bold steps to a safe and equitable workplace in New Castle County". The News Journal. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  26. ^ Phillips, Vanessa S. "Bold steps to a safe and equitable workplace in New Castle County". The News Journal. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  27. ^ NACO.org. NACO.org https://www.naco.org/resources/coronavirus-relief-fund-review-federal-fiscal-assistance-and-innovative-county-response. Retrieved March 10, 2021. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  28. ^ Owens, Jacob. "New Castle County wins Sheraton South auction for $19.5M". Delaware Business Times. Today Media. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  29. ^ Schmidt, Sophia. "After 7 months, Hope Center still welcomes residents in need, but focuses on 'exit strategy". DelawarePublic.org. Delaware Public Media. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  30. ^ Cherry, Amy. "New Castle County hotel-turned-homeless shelter opens just in time for winter storm". wdel.com. Forever Media.
  31. ^ Cherry, Amy. "County ends sponsored testing sites". WDEL. Forever Media. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  32. ^ "New Health Corps targets disparities in Delaware". WHYY. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  33. ^ https://www.nccde.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1952
  34. ^ Leiber, Nick (2020-06-01). "A Startup Is Testing Sewage to Trace the U.S. Spread of Covid". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 2020-06-28. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  35. ^ Alec Snyder and Susannah Cullinane. "Some scientists are using sewage to measure the prevalence of coronavirus in their communities". CNN. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  36. ^ Hockstein, Neil; Meyer, Matt (2020-07-11). "Test every K-12 student: Delaware's schools must reopen". The News Journal. Archived from the original on 2020-08-13. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  37. ^ "Facebook". facebook.com.
  38. ^ QTV. QTV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3i3knoDFDA. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  39. ^ "NTV SASA". Youtube.com. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  40. ^ "East Coast Greenway - Trailfest celebrates 'totally cool' new connection to Delaware River Watershed". www.greenway.org. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  41. ^ Schmidt, Sophia (2020-06-18). "New Castle County government focus of federal sexual harassment lawsuit". www.delawarepublic.org. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  42. ^ Cherry, Amy (2020-06-22). "'A safe harbor' for a 'serial sexual predator' | Current, former NCCPD officers file lawsuit against ex-second-in-command". WDEL 101.7FM. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  43. ^ Parra, Esteban (2020-07-24). "Was Matt Meyer 'belligerent' to those supporting his opponent?". Delaware Online. Retrieved 2020-07-26.

External links[]

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