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MEET MATT

Matt Meyer is a former public school math teacher and small business owner who has served as New Castle County Executive since 2017. As the leader of Delaware’s largest local government, Matt has proven that government can still work for the people– delivering real results for real people and making real progress for Delaware’s working families. Matt is running for Governor to bring that same result-driven leadership across our state by creating an effective government that reflects our values and priorities. 

From Wilmington to Kenya and Iraq: Growing up in Delaware, Matt attended schools in the Brandywine School District, followed by Wilmington Friends School, and then studied Computer Science & Political Science at Brown University. He then moved to Nairobi, Kenya, where he learned Swahili and created Ecosandals, a recycled footwear company that sold environmentally friendly footwear to customers in 17 countries on five continents.  Matt subsequently spent 12 months in Mosul, Iraq, as a diplomat embedded with the United States Army during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. 

Teaching in Wilmington: Afterward, Matt returned to Delaware and worked as a middle school math teacher in a public school in one of Wilmington’s most underserved communities. There, he taught sixth and seventh-grade students, many of whom were living in unstable housing and experiencing the devastating impact of gun violence in their neighborhoods. Matt saw first-hand that homework and linear equations were the last thing on his students’ minds when they didn’t know where they were sleeping that night or where their next meal was coming from.  

Running for Office: Fed up with unfulfilled promises from politicians and a lack of results for his students and fellow teachers, Matt ran for office for the first time in 2016, defeating a three-term incumbent by challenging party leaders and powerful special interests and knocking on ten thousand doors.

Delivering Results as a Local Leader: As the leader of Delaware’s largest local government, Matt has an unprecedented record of success in delivering results for our communities and families. Matt has proven that the Delaware government can still work for the people, investing in education, expanding access to affordable housing, and standing up to the Trump Administration to deliver locally.

A Proud Husband and Father: Matt lives in Wilmington with his wife, Dr. Lauren Meyer. Lauren is an emergency room physician who has worked in hospitals in New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties.  Just this year, Lauren and Matt had their first child together, Levi, who loves storytime and hates car seats.

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Smarter Governance

  • Reduced the number of vacant properties by over 400 in 400 days and collected $1M in taxes and fees through Vacant Spaces to Livable Places initiative
  • Collected record $16M in delinquent taxes and fees, driving historic high 99.45% collections rate for 2017 & 2018 county property taxes
  • Reduced sewer overflows by 40% in two years by employing new technology
  • Announced, broke ground or cut ribbons on development projects supporting 9,780 jobs
  • Posted every expense in the county checkbook online at checkbook.nccde.org
  • Launched NCCinnovates to cultivate entrepreneurship and create sustainable local jobs
  • Achieved AAA bond rating, earned by 1.6% of counties nationwide (48 of 3,007 counties)
  • Attracted first Wegmans to NCC!
  • Increased public engagement with libraries:
    • 2.3 M library visits
    • 1,658 book club members (26%)
    • 1,758 books distributed to book clubs and reading groups (20%)
  • Changed law to make NCC a premier location to open a microbrewery
  • Collaborating on a Purpose-Built Community to transform Northeast Wilmington
  • Taught a class on public leadership in a high needs Wilmington high school and taught 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to prisoners in Howard R Young prison
  • Increased number of affordable housing vouchers available to low income families for the first time in years
  • Cut the ribbon on a leading regional indoor tennis center in Delcastle Park, built with local labor and with $0 of your tax money
  • Successfully reformed traffic requirements – for the first time in 40 years – to support high quality jobs in designated areas
  • Launched innovative Summer Youth Employment Program for students to learn to code and create websites for local businesses
  • Received promotional shout-out on The Late Show with Steven Colbert for Ice Cream Festival

Safer Communities

  • Achieved 100% homicide clearance rate in 2018
  • Decreased crime by effectively deploying resources and partnering with communities:
    • 7.5% decrease in crime overall since 2016
    • 44% decrease in shootings
    • 19% decrease in robberies
    • 18% decrease in burglaries
  • Launched innovative Police / Mental Health Alliance, teaming a professional counselor with an officer to respond to mental health crises:
    • 866 health checks conducted
    • 63 diverted from incarceration
    • 14 diverted from hospitalization
    • 311 people referred to other needed services
  • Launched Text 2 911 service: “Call when you can; text when you can’t”
  • Set paramedic and first responder record for reviving over 100 individuals whose hearts stopped beating since 2017. The hospital released each of these survivors with normal brain function
  • Deployed innovative public safety technology for active shooter or natural disaster events in 271 schools, businesses and other facilities. RAVE Panic Button integrates buildings with the 911 enter and first responders
  • Introduced free PulsePoint smartphone app which directs citizen responders to locations where CPR is needed; 3200 downloads to date
  • Dramatically Increased percentage of 911 calls answered in 10 seconds or less from 60.2% in 2016 to 92.7% today (National standard is 90%)
  • Funded, for the first time, the Hero Help program, which diverts residents experiencing addiction to treatment in lieu of arrest and incarceration; 245 individuals screened to date
  • Established partnership that supplied 760 doses of lifesaving Narcan to 21 volunteer fire companies
  • Named the first African American police chief and Chief Administrative Officer in NCC history

Greener NCC

  • Opened first new county park in 15 years in Edgemoor Gardens neighborhood
  • Enhanced equestrian offerings at Carousel Park, including new cross-country course and two-time Olympic gold medalist instructor; hosted U.S. Special Olympics Equestrian Team training
  • Launched Connecting Communities partnership to leverage the new Markell Trail and build 12 new trail and pathway connections.  Goal: improve safety, provide new transportation options and support public health
  • Changed law to enable large-scale industrial and roof-top residential solar generation

Meet Matt Meyer

Matt Meyer has been serving as County Executive for New Castle County, Delaware since 2017.

Since taking office, Matt has worked hard to deliver a better future for our communities, families, and children.

Matt recently led the effort to convert a large hotel into the New Castle County Hope Center- the largest and most comprehensive emergency housing shelter in state history. He subsequently won an Emmy for producing a documentary about it.

Matt has also won numerous awards for his leadership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, establishing fast, free testing sites that provided nearly 500,000 tests in 12 months, and collaborating with Delaware State University and Testing for America to build a state-of-the-art laboratory to provide COVID-19 testing and other advanced scientific testing.

Throughout his tenure as County Executive, Matt has fought to preserve open space, protect the environment, reduce vacant housing, improve public health, strengthen emergency services, and make the county’s libraries & parks as great as they can be.

The Meyer administration has also brought unique community-oriented policing to the county- the police department now collaborates with mental health and substance use disorder professionals to help people receive treatment & care that they desperately need rather than handcuffing them and sending them through the criminal justice system.

Matt has hired the most diverse senior staff in county history. And he has taken numerous official actions to ensure that everyone feels welcome in New Castle County, regardless of race, ethnicity, immigration status, sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity.

Growing up in Delaware, Matt attended schools in the Brandywine School District, followed by Wilmington Friends School, and then went on to study Computer Science & Political Science at Brown University. He then moved to Nairobi, Kenya, where he learned Swahili and created Ecosandals, a recycled footwear company that sold environmentally-friendly footwear to customers in 17 countries on 5 continents.

Matt subsequently spent 12 months in Mosul, Iraq, embedded with the United States Army as a diplomat during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. Afterward, Matt returned to Delaware and taught at Prestige Academy, a public school in Wilmington.

Matt lives in the Trinity Vicinity neighborhood of Wilmington.