Election 2026: Tom Wieland Makes Congestion Key Issue in 4th District Race

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Ahead of the 2026 general election in November, Patch has invited candidates running to represent Anne Arundel County to complete a questionnaire touching on a variety of key issues.

Candidate responses will be published verbatim in the run-up to Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

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Questionnaire responses for Tom Wieland, who is running to represent the 4th District, can be found below:

Name: Tom Wieland

Age: 72

Hometown: Gambrills

Political Affiliation: Republican

Do you have any previous political experience? If so, please explain how it will influence your time in office if elected. How do you differ from other candidates running against you?

Elected to MPHA, board of trustees, elected to HOA, Courts of Four Seasons as treasurer, elected to IPMD, as treasurer, Elected to NCRC as treasurer.

In all of these, my job was to make sure we were able to balance the budget and not spend more than we took in. The candidate I'm running against balances budgets by increasing taxes and fees.

How would your work experience benefit the goals/objectives you've outlined in your campaign and/or the office you're seeking?

I own Ritchie Pharmacy in Brooklyn Park, MD. As more and more pharmacies are closing, including major corporations like Rite Aid, I have been able to not only stay open but see growth in my business. The key is to only spend what I take in. Balance the budget!

What do you believe is the single-most important issue facing voters in the district you're looking to represent? How do you intend to address those issues?

There are so many issues facing Dist. 4 here in Anne Arundel County. As a resident for over 35 years, the most outstanding issue is congestion on our major roads due to continued zoning to allow more and more businesses and housing without doing anything to provide more roads and schools.

What is your opinion of the work being done by the current officeholder, and how will you improve on it?

My opponent is only interested in getting donations from builders by zoning more and more properties for construction regardless of the congestion it causes. No more building until roads and schools can handle the growth.

How do you believe Anne Arundel County should address data centers? What type of legislation — moratorium or temporary pause — should be put in place? Explain.

I am for data centers as they increase tax revenues and jobs. Data centers must provide their own power, water and provide proof that all noises are disturbing residents. Until they can prove they will do this, no more data centers in Anne Arundel County.

What steps would you take to offset data center impacts to residents' standard of living, such as rising energy prices?

As stated before, data centers must provide their own power so as to not affect energy prices. Noise from data centers must be controlled so as not to disturb residents

How would you distinguish between a good vs. bad data center?

A good data center is one that provides its own power, doesn't affect water, proves no noise will be heard by residents and valuable farmland will not be used.

Gov. Wes Moore signed bills banning agreements between local police and federal immigration officials in February.

What is your opinion of the legislation? What steps would you take to support or readjust that initiative?

Not a lawyer, but from what I understand, the federal government overrules local agreements. This will only be solved in courts.

What is your stance on the establishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers in the county and/or your district? What actionable plans would you undertake to address illegal immigration?

Although I believe in some form of pathway to citizenship, such as H.R. Bill 3194, dangerous criminals need to be turned over to ICE. If that means we need detention centers, I would support that.

Education: What is the biggest issue facing Anne Arundel County Public Schools? How would you address it?

Although Anne Arundel County is doing better in proficiency compared to other Maryland counties, reading at 56% and math at 29% is a catastrophic emergency!

The first answer is smaller class sizes. Too many Anne Arundel County schools are over 100% capacity, and many over 90%.

The short answer is to stop building housing in school districts that are over 90% capacity. The next is to stop spending more tax dollars on school administration and spend it on teachers' needs.

A student brings a gun/weapon to campus without setting off any red flags.

What security measures would you advocate for to prevent such an incident? Do you believe schools need stricter security measures? Metal detectors? Explain.

I've heard that when someone is bringing weapons to schools, other students know it but are afraid to tell. We need to make sure that anyone who "sees something" or "knows something" will be sure to know their identity is protected.

I also support someone trained in school security, whether it be an additional person or a present school employee, to be the person in charge of school security.

Although schools that I'm aware of make sure that once school is started, all doors are locked, looking at national events, sometimes this hasn't happened, even though not on purpose. Every door should have alarms that go to the office to show any door that is not just closed but locked and secured.

Anne Arundel County is experiencing a housing shortage. What steps would you take to address the crisis? What will you do to encourage affordable/public housing?

I believe that Anne Arundel County is not have a housing shortage but rather an affordable housing shortage. This is because 1/4 of the cost of building housing is regulations and red tape. Time is money in real estate. I would support additional housing in school districts that are 90 % at capacity.

How will you address crime in the county/your district?

The national average for police per 1000 residents is 2.5, whereas in Anne Arundel County it's 1.25. This is unacceptable.

As one of the highest income counties and highest taxed counties in the entire country, we should be able to supply at least the average number of police.

You can't control crime without adequate number of police.