How Will The Next County Executive Get Elected?/ Prince George's County Ballots/ Community News & Meetings
How Will The Next County Executive Get Elected?/ Prince George's County Ballots/ Community News & Meetings
It is voting season again!
One question I have asked is what are the implications if Alsobrooks is elected to the senate? This is important to know. The Greenbelt News Review reports: “Further complicating this election season is County Executive Angela Alsobrooks’ U.S. Senate campaign. If she wins in November against former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and resigns before December 5, a special election will fill her seat. If she resigns after December 5 (senators are sworn in on January 3), the county charter says the county council has 14 days to appoint her replacement. If they don’t act within that time, the charter directs that the council chair (Ivey) “shall succeed to the Office for the balance of the unexpired term.” If Ivey is appointed to County Executive, yet a second special election will be needed to fill her at-large seat.”
This is important to note because county residents, who pay taxes and vote, should be aware of what laws govern who does and doesn’t get a particular position. If Alsobrooks wins there will be a lot of shuffling, and this could impact the direction of the county council, and residents’ lives.
Community Meetings:
Applications Available for the FY25 Domestic Violence Grant Program
Application Cycle
The Prince George’s County Council will accept Domestic Violence Program applications for FY 2025 beginning Oct. 16, 2024, and ending Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, for programs beginning January 2025 (to view a larger version of the FY 2024 timeline, please click graphic above).
Info: The Prince George’s County Council, committed to ending domestic violence and abuse in the County, has appropriated $500,000 in FY 2025 towards another round of grant funding to support the Council’s Domestic Violence Grant Program. The grant program is intended to provide funding to support programs/grantees that provide housing, workforce development services, counseling/mental health services, and advocacy/legal assistance to survivors of domestic violence. The program also supports prevention activities through a coordinated and collaborative community response to domestic violence in Prince George’s County.
To obtain an FY 2025 Prince George’s County Council Domestic Violence Grant application and additional information, please visit the the County Council's official Domestic Violence Grant Program page, or contact the County Council's Office of Finance, Grants Division.
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District 4 Veterans Appreciation Dinner
ATTENTION DISTRICT 4 VETERANS!
Prince George's County Council Member Ingrid Watson will host a Veterans Appreciation Dinner for veteran residents in Council District 4 on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, 6:30 PM.
LOCATION: Bowie Senior Center
14900 Health Center Drive
Bowie, Maryland 20716
Join Council Member Watson and the District 4 team for dinner and candid conversation on the needs of our veterans and valuable County resources. James Dula, PhD, Veterans Affair Officer for the Prince George's County Office of Veterans Affairs is the featured guest speaker, as we show gratitude to those who have sacrificed and serviced.
Veterans may bring one (1) guest and are asked to register (via email or phone call) by November 1, 2024 as space is limited. To register, please contact Bria Archie at (301) 952-3094 or email BAArchie@co.pg.md.us.
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District 3 Fall Nonprofit Networking Event
Prince George's County Council Member Eric Olson will host the District 3 Fall Nonprofit Networking Event on Friday, November 8, 2024 in College Park, Maryland.
WHERE: College Park Aviation Museum
1985 Corporal Frank Scott Drive
College Park, Maryland 20740
TIME: 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
County nonprofits are encouraged to attend to expand their networks, the District 3 Fall Nonprofit Networking Series creates a space for nonprofits to connect with each other to better serve County residents, while learning strategies and valuable tips to grow their organizations. Registration is required.
REGISTER HERE
For more information, please contact Katerin De La O Lara at 240-439-3945 or via email at kmdelaolara@co.pg.md.us.
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District 9 Thanksgiving Food Box Giveaway
Prince George's County Council Vice Chair Sydney J. Harrison, in partnership with Coalition for Stronger Communities and Project Give Back will host a Thanksgiving Food Box Giveaway on Saturday, November 23, 2024.
TIME: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
LOCATION: Frederick Douglass High School
8000 Croom Road
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
Each vehicle receive one box of Thanksgiving meal items, which will be placed in the trunks of vehicles by event volunteers and staff.
*Meal boxes will be distributed on a first come, first served basis while supplies last.*
For more information, please contact the Council District 9 office at (301) 952-3820 or by email at CouncilDistrict9@co.pg.md.us.
Community News
Here’s your Prince George’s County voter guide
Excerpt: All Maryland residents will of course have the opportunity choose a presidential candidate and vote in the tight U.S. Senate race between Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and Republican Larry Hogan.
Maryland voters will also weigh in on Maryland Question 1, a ballot measure which, if passed, would enshrine reproductive rights in Maryland’s state constitution.
Most Prince George’s County voters are in Maryland’s 4th congressional district, where incumbent Democrat Glenn Ivey is being challenged by Republican George McDermott. All Prince George’s residents will also vote to fill the vacant at-large county council seat in a special councilmanic election to replace Mel Franklin, who resigned earlier this year, later pleading guilty to embezzlement. More on those races below. (Some Prince George’s residents reside in the 8th congressional district, which incorporates much of Montgomery County).
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Hispanic culture on display at City Hall gallery featuring Latino artists
Excerpt: BOWIE, Md. – About 75 people filled Bowie City Hall Sept. 26 for an art show celebrating local Latino artists.
The group exhibition, titled “Arte Del Alma: The Spirit of Hispanic Heritage,” means Art of the Soul and features 35 works on display through Nov. 9. The city’s arts and diversity committees jointly sponsored the artists' reception in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.
It was a chance for artists to connect directly with gallery attendees, from Bowie residents to fellow artists to Bowie City Council members.
“I learned the impact of art is where it speaks, from the soul,” Bowie City Councilmember Clinton Truesdale Sr., said.
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Former Prince George’s Co. officer claims union stopped her from suing department for retaliation
Excerpt: A former Prince George’s County police internal affairs officer has filed a federal lawsuit against her union, after she claimed an attorney for the union prevented her from going after the department on her own for what she called “a case of retaliation against her.”
With the goal of clearing her name, former Lt. Sonya Zollicoffer said she is suing the union and a police officer from another department that recommended she be let go.
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National COVID-19 trends, October 22
Excerpt: Here are the latest national COVID-19 trends, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and major wastewater surveillance providers:
About 2.6 in every 100,000 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 during the week ending October 5. (Note that these are provisional data.)
COVID-19 test positivity has decreased 17%, from 7.6% of COVID-19 tests returning positive results during the week ending October 5 to 6.3% of tests during the week ending October 12.
SARS-CoV-2 concentration in wastewater has decreased 18% between the week ending October 5 and the week ending October 12, and the national wastewater viral activity level is “low,” per the CDC.
SARS-CoV-2 concentration in wastewater has decreased 30% between October 2 and October 9, per WastewaterSCAN.
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Bylaw change bars elections board members from communicating with litigants
Excerpt: State elections board members unanimously approved a bylaw Thursday that restricts communication with groups in active litigation against election officials.
The emergency change follows published reports that Jim Shalleck, the vice chair of the board, and Diane Butler exchanged emails with a plaintiff in a lawsuit that is the subject of an appeal before the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Yaakov “Jake” Weissmann, one of three Democrats on the five-member panel said he “was disturbed by some of the emails in the article” and felt moved to work on emergency changes to the bylaws that govern the board and the actions of members.
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Early voting in Maryland begins Thursday
Excerpt: Strictly speaking, voting has been going on for weeks now for those Marylanders who requested and returned their mail-in ballots, but the physical act of voting — going to a place and standing in front of a machine to cast a ballot — begins Thursday.
That’s when the week of early voting for the 2024 presidential election begins in Maryland.
Early voting centers open at 7 a.m. and will remain open until 8 p.m. every day through Oct. 31 for people who prefer to vote in person but don’t want to wait until Election Day, Nov. 5. Voters can cast a ballot in person at one of 97 early voting centers statewide. At least one center is located in all 23 counties and the city of Baltimore.
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Breaking down Prince George’s County’s 2024 ballot questions
Excerpt: Prince George’s County voters will have the chance to tweak county government staffing rules, but the biggest issue for voters when they go to the polls the fall will likely be the raft of bond questions on the ballot.
Prince George’s is one of three jurisdictions that are required by state law to seek voter approval for the issuance of public bonds. Five questions on county voters’ ballots this year are bond issues for various projects, for a total of more than $660 million.
They are:
Question A: Would authorize the county council to borrow $96.72 million for county buildings, including construction of a homeless shelter and family shelter.
Question B: Would authorize the county council to borrow $17,284,000 for library facilities, including the Hillcrest Heights Branch replacement.
Question C: Would authorize the county council to borrow $194.38 million for community college facilities, including renovations of the Prince George’s Community College student center and academic buildings.
Question D: Would authorize the county council to borrow $311,873,000 for public works and transportation projects, including improvements around the new Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters and the Blue Line Corridor.
Question E: Would authorize the county council to borrow $40,205,000 for public safety facilities, including police station renovations.
Question F
This measure would remove three words from the county charter: “in each grade.”