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"The Arrival of new Department of Defense Employees will most severely affect this western section of the County and Jamie Benoit is best prepared to deal with it."
The Baltimore Sun, October 18, 2006
No part of the county is more sensitive to growth issues than west county, so it is critical for voters there to elect someone who can protect their quality of life and fight for their interests.
The clear choice is Gambrills native Jamie Benoit. Mr. Benoit served as an officer in the U.S. Army. His knowledge of military affairs and his command experience will be extremely useful in dealing with the changes brought by the Fort Meade base realignment.
His opponent does not have the same depth of experience.
We are confident that, if elected, Mr. Benoit will be one of the most impressive members of the council.
The Capital, October 25, 2006
September 3, 2006
Jamie Benoit, candidate for the Anne Arundel County Council, 4th District, won the endorsements of the two local papers in West County. The Laurel Leader and Capital-Gazette Newspapers which includes The Capital, The Maryland Gazette and The West County News have enthusiastically endorsed Benoit.
The Capital wrote: “the standout candidate, by far, is Jamie Benoit, a very bright attorney and military veteran who would bring stronger representation to West County. He understands that, as a councilman, he must spend the next several years concentrating on providing adequate facilities such as roads, schools and housing. He is a realist who isn't about to make false promises for the sake of votes.”
The Laurel Leader wrote: “We support Jamie Benoit, a solid, smart candidate with a lot of energy and good ideas.”
“This endorsement means a lot to me and I am proud the local newspapers have so enthusiastically endorsed my candidacy. The endorsement of Laurel’s Newspaper demonstrates my commitment to put the 20724 zip code back on the Anne Arundel County map. It confirms my vision for public safety in Russett and in Maryland City," Benoit noted.
“The Capital’s endorsement should give voters in the district comfort that a vote for my candidacy this fall is a vote for the proven leader in this race. It recognizes that a decorated military veteran and lifelong resident of the Community is exactly what West County needs right now,” Benoit said.
The newspaper endorsements cap off the primary season which has seen Benoit rack up endorsements from the Sierra Club, the Anne Arundel County Firefighters, the Blue Crab Project, the AFL-CIO and AFSCME.
  
August 10, 2006
The International Association of Firefighters voted to unanimously endorse Jamie Benoit’s candidacy for County Council today. With the endorsement, Benoit, who has swept the endorsement process in the race for the District 4 seat, established himself as the front-runner in the race. “This is great news,” an elated Benoit said. "I have a vision for our public safety in this County and I am ready to work with the Council and our next Executive to achieve it.”
Benoit supports increased funding to better equip our firefighters and a training regimen that ensures those called to the scene of emergencies are fit to accomplish the job. “When I was in the Army, we were well-equipped and physically fit to accomplish our mission on a moment’s notice. The residents of Anne Arundel County deserve no less when they are in a time of need. I want to work with our next administration to raise the bar in Anne Arundel County and outfit our first responders with the resources they need to fight fires.”
June 22, 2006 Support continued to build for Jamie Benoit, candidate for the Anne Arundel County Council, 4th District, who received the endorsement of two major labor unions today. The Metropolitan Council of AFL-CIO Unions and the Association of Federal, State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) unanimously endorsed Benoit validating his commitment to look out for working class employees of the County.
Jamie has been a staunch supporter of working-class families. “2007 is going to be important year for Anne Arundel County’s Employees,” Benoit said. “As our economy is faced with a number of financial demands from the BRAC-related growth in West County, we need to make sure our County’s employees, the real backbone of the government, are not forgotten. Specifically, I am going to work to ensure that our pension plan is fully-funded.”
I am proud of this endorsement and I hope the families represented by the AFL-CIO and AFSCME will join their union leadership in helping elect a proven leader to the Council this year.”
June 2, 2006 Odenton –Piney Orchard resident and Army veteran, Jamie Benoit, candidate for the 4th Council District Democratic nomination, today won the endorsement of the Anne Arundel County and Maryland State Chapters of the Sierra Club. After earning the endorsement Benoit said, “I am honored and humbled to have earned this endorsement.” He added that, “the 4th Councilmanic District deserves a proven leader with the perspective that only comes after spending a lifetime here.”
Benoit has been a staunch advocate on behalf of the environment, has laid out a plan to build consensus among the land use and environmental communities and has been among the most outspoken critics of the proposal to end farming at the United States Naval Academy Dairy Farm.
“As our County moves forward with plans for explosive growth at Fort Meade and the NSA, I am committed to prevent more of our current open space from going by the wayside at the detriment of our quality of health. Protecting our natural resources is not a matter simply left to developers and the executive branch. The County Council bears a burden of responsibility for redirecting growth in ways that make sense. County government can and must be a partner with communities, landowners and developers to preserve our communities and heritage. I am going to work everyday to ensure that this partnership works and that the local government takes ownership of the role it has in preventing sprawl. The fact, that both Sierra Club and the land use community are supporting my candidacy validates my plan to begin a new chapter in this County of cooperative development.”
Benoit is opposed to the development of the Chesapeake Terrace Landfill and the sprawl taking place on Maryland Route 3 and supports concentrating Ft. Meade and NSA-related growth in the Odenton Town Center. “The leadership in Anne Arundel County can and should focus sustainable around the MARC Station in Odenton while simultaneously conserving our natural resources in West County. We have a Plan for Odenton and, for whatever reason development is occurring everywhere but the Odenton Town Center. I want to change that by making development in the Odenton Town Center easier.”
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