Protect our Community

Cat Carter for Western Howard

Now more than ever, our district needs a guardian to protect our schools, green spaces, farms, and equestrian community. As an advocate for 10+ years and small tech business owner, Cat Carter will fight to fix our county's budget problems and champion the priorities that matter for our district.

Empowering the Community

Lift up the voices of the community and keep big money out of politics.

Cat believes that government works best when it's truly by and for the people. She wants to empower the people in our community and keep big money out of politics. That is why she is participating in the Howard County's Citizen's Election Fund (CEF).

If you live in Howard County, your donation qualifies for matching funds and makes an even bigger impact.

Donate Today!

Invest in Education

We must make sure our kids can succeed in school. When her son didn’t get the services he needed, Cat acted—helping support children with disabilities nationwide. As Vice President of Advocacy—and now President—of the PTA Council of Howard County, she’s lead efforts to prioritize education. Funding our public schools is not just a budget line—it’s a strategic investment in our children, our community’s future, and our local economy. It’s an investment that has paid dividends for decades in workforce readiness, property values, and quality of life. Cat Carter will work to ensure every child has the resources they need to thrive.

Howard County's public schools look into staff cuts, class increases to balance budget - CBS Baltimore

Data reveals Howard County school funding dwindled over years

Working Values. Real Priorities

In Howard County, the problem isn’t revenue—it’s spending and priorities. Cat Carter believes it’s time to fix that.

She understands the high cost-of-living because it’s personal. When her dad got out of the Army, he couldn’t afford to live in Maryland. He moved the family to Hanover, Pennsylvania, commuting two hours each way to work in Maryland. Cat didn’t want her own family to face that same burden. So, she and her husband made sacrifices—buying a fixer-upper. For 17 years, they’ve been repairing their home so their kids could attend Howard County public schools and build a life in the community they love. As a small tech business owner, Cat knows how to stretch a budget and make every dollar count. She’ll bring that same mindset to the County Council—fighting for smart spending, good governance, and policies that make Howard County more livable and affordable.

Protect the Health of our Community

The farms, forests, and equestrian lifestyle of Western Howard County are what brought Cat Carter to Woodbine to raise her family. As a landowner who stood up to development trying to build on her property, Cat believes deeply in protecting our green spaces, farms, and rural way of life. She knows how important it is to keep special interests from rewriting the rules in ways that hurt everyday residents.

Cat has also been a strong advocate for better access to health care. She’s committed to expanding support for our Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), including establishing a sustainable vision care clinic. She’ll work with community health partners to ease hospital overcrowding, raise public awareness, and make health services more accessible to everyone in our community.

Safe Neighborhoods

Cat Carter believes good government is about balance—like a healthy ecosystem. Growth should never come at the cost of our safety, schools, or quality of life. Cat will work to ensure our roads, emergency services, and schools keep pace with development, and she’ll protect fire tax funding so first responders have the resources they need.

She’s already delivered results: Cat played a key role in the Maryland Board of Education changing policy so schools must now share reportable offenses when students transfer, helping keep students and staff safe. As a member of the HCPSS Security Taskforce, she continues working to strengthen school and community safety through smart policy, thoughtful planning, and responsible budgeting.

Vote passes unanimously, changes policy on student disclosure

Common-Sense Solutions

Cat Carter is a proven problem-solver who believes in bringing people together to improve the lives of everyone in her community. Raised by parents who served this country in the Army, she was taught from an early age the importance of service and stepping up when something needs to be fixed. Howard County—and District Five in particular—faces serious challenges, including federal layoffs, loss of federal funding, threats to farmland and green space, school funding, limited access to healthcare, and the high cost of living. Cat has a proven track record of finding solutions.

As an advocate, she has worked to pass meaningful legislation and launch programs that address complex challenges facing students, families, and service members. Her work includes collaborating with Congress to improve care for soldiers with traumatic brain injuries (TBI), advancing the Atticus Act and Screening Reporting Bill, reforming education policy for visually disabled children, and protecting Maryland doctors who treat Lyme disease. She has championed the Lifesavers School Program to equip students and staff with lifesaving first aid and mental health peer support. Cat’s advocacy is grounded in action and her record of results speaks for itself. She’s running to fix the local problems facing our community and make District Five stronger for everyone.

A Citizen’s Election Fund Candidate

Cat’s Campaign Has No Special Interest Strings Attached — Just Public Support From Citizens Like You.