Steven Johnson (R)
Andrea Fletcher Harrison and Steven W. Johnson, competitors for the Prince George’s County Council District 5 seat, admit they come from different ends of the political spectrum.
Harrison, a Democrat, is the former legislative aide to former District 5 Councilman David Harrington. She is vying to replace Harrington, who left after being named to the state Senate in February after the death of Sen. Gwendolyn Britt. Harrison, a Springdale resident, said she already knows the council members, its staff and the way to get things done.
‘‘I have the unique qualifications of understanding how the council works,” Harrison said.
But according Johnson, a Republican and political newcomer opposing Harrison in the May 6 general election, that’s precisely the problem.
‘‘We have a group of folks there who were brought up through the system,” the Cheverly businessman said. ‘‘We keep sending a different face up there, but not a different thought process.”
The special election pits Harrison, the daughter of former councilman James Fletcher, against Johnson, a former Verizon employee who works as a communications consultant. The winner will serve out the rest of Harrington’s term, which ends in 2010, and represent District 5, which includes Bladensburg, Cheverly, Cottage City, Edmonston, Fairmount Heights, Glenarden, Landover and portions of Mitchellville.
Both candidates said the county needs to do better for the district.
‘‘Everything is a priority for the most part,” said Harrison, who listed attracting businesses, improving education and continuing to hire new county police as top issues.
Harrison said the key to getting it done will be communication.
‘‘We all know that Prince George’s County has had, for whatever reason, a stigma for [a] number of years,” she said. ‘‘What we need to do is convince individuals that we’re not as bad as you think we are.”
In an interview April 17 with Gazette editors, Johnson noted that Harrison is backed by both her former boss Harrington and state Sen. Nathaniel Exum (D-Dist. 24) of Capitol Heights, a controversial official who critics say is well-known for freezing opponents out of the political process.
‘‘She’s beholden now to Nathaniel Exum and David Harrington, and not just those two. They’ve got their own little cabal,” Johnson said. ‘‘They make their deals in restaurants, and by the time it gets to the council, it’s a done deal.”
Johnson said the county needs to drastically cut spending, and increase public oversight and participation to get the government working.
‘‘This government has been using its citizens like ATM machines,” he said. ‘‘We give incentives for Gaylord [National Hotel and Convention Center] but not for the guy with the print and dye shop inside the Beltway.”
Harrison, who said she also wants to examine county spending, disputed Johnson’s claims of outside allegiance.
‘‘I’m Andrea Harrison. I’m not David Harrington or Jack Johnson. ... I’m not beholden to anyone,” she said.
The winning candidate faces a steep learning curve after the May 6 vote. The council is currently in the middle of going over next year’s $1.6 billion budget, which Johnson and Harrison both said they have not had time to examine.
The victor will also face deadline pressure on coming up with a deal to fund the long-suffering county hospital system.
If the two sides can’t reach a deal by August, the hospital system could again face possible closure.
‘‘I’m not saying I can come in with a solution,” Harrison said of the funding plan the county and state must negotiate. ‘‘But we need to keep our commitments. We don’t want to fall short of [the] timeline.”
Harrison defeated six other Democratic candidates in last month’s primary, including Edmonston Mayor Adam Ortiz, who was defeated by 171 votes. Only 8 percent of the 40,130 registered Democrats in District 5 turned out to vote.
With 14 Democrats for every Republican in the district, Harrison has a clear edge. Still, Johnson isn’t going to let math get in the way.
‘‘Good ideas can’t be outnumbered,” he said.
Special election
Polls in the special election are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 6. For more information, call the Board of Elections at 301-430-8020.
