Terry Speigner is back in the saddle as the Prince George’s County Democratic Central Committee chairman, after a two-year hiatus from the position.

Speigner was elected chairman Oct. 16. He also held the post from 2006 to 2010.

Speigner stepped down from the leadership position in July 2010, citing his need to spend more time on his business, an information technology firm. At the time, Arthur Turner, his friend and the committee vice chairman, was running for a county council seat, and there were reports that Speigner sparred with elected state officials for not endorsing Turner.

About a month later, Speigner ran unsuccessfully for re-election. Norma L. Lindsay, who represents District 25, was chairwoman from 2010 to this month.

In 2007, the committee considered ousting both Speigner and Turner over their support of a nonunion grocery store coming to the county.

However, Speigner has remained active on the committee as a representative of District 24.

“My workload on the committee didn’t dissipate a whole lot,” Speigner said of the last two years. “I was still an integral part of the day-to-day operations of the committee.”

As chairman, Speigner will guide the committee as it makes recommendations to fill two House vacancies in the next few weeks: one in District 22, for the seat held by Del. Justin D. Ross (D) of Hyattsville until he retires from the House on Nov. 9; and one in District 24, for the seat held by Del. Tiffany T. Alston (D) of Mitchellville until two weeks ago, when she was suspended from office after pleading no contest to a charge that she misused campaign money. Hearings to fill the two seats are scheduled for Nov. 15 and Nov. 2, respectively.

That committee work is in addition to organizing for the Nov. 6 general election.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Speigner said. “Someone has been telling me about this liquid called Red Bull, that it gives you wings. I could use some wings right about now.”

hnunn@gazette.net