More News

Strong records, new ideas form County Council

Thursday, Aug. 3, 2006

Prince George’s County candidates – like many of their counterparts nationwide – are often stressing the same priorities: crime, education and development. So, in selecting candidates to endorse in the primaries, The Gazette focused on their records of community involvement, their approaches to county problems, and their abilities to be effective members of the council.

County Council districts 1, 7 and 8 are running uncontested. District 5 incumbent David Harrington (D) and his challenger Francis Marshall (R) also are running uncontested in the primaries but will face off in the general election.

The Gazette’s endorsements:

* Incumbent Will Campos in District 2. Campos, elected by special election in 2004, previously served as the Hispanic liaison for the county executive’s office. He quickly began looking into regulating mobile vendors – a problem in his district that has gone largely ignored in the past. He has done well keeping in touch with the needs of his community, whether pooling county and community police resources – a proposal that came to fruition recently – or reaching out to local flood victims. Campos will need to make strides in addressing the growing gang problem in his district, but with a full term ahead, he has shown the initiative to tackle the problem.

* Eric C. Olson brings solid ideas for improving District 3 based on nearly a decade of experience on the College Park City Council. Olson is pushing for a sector plan for Route 450 and additional 911 operators to improve emergency responses. He is currently working on creating a teaching program at the University of Maryland, College Park, to infuse new ideas for teaching into the school system. His firm foundation and outside-the-box thinking will be a welcome addition to the council.

* Bowie Mayor G. Frederick Robinson, a District 4 County Council candidate, has been successful in maintaining the growing city, but has come under criticism recently for trying to force a dance company to move out of a technology center – a project that has not attracted the high tech businesses the city had expected. However, the majority of his experience commanding one of the largest cities in the state has been positive. Challenger Ingrid Turner shows great promise but Robinson’s municipal experience puts him ahead of the pack.

* Both the District 6 incumbent, Sam Dean, and his challenger, Phil Lee, have strong records in the community. Dean has been a voice of reason and consensus builder on the council. Recently, he has worked to get information on the High School Assessments, state tests required for graduation, to the community. Lee initiated a pilot truancy program at Largo High that is now being put in place countywide. Dean, however, has been an invaluable team builder on the council, which is greatly needed as the county moves forward. Dean’s ability to get the council to work as a team gives him the edge over Lee.

* James ‘‘Fred” Harley embodies the hard work and discipline needed to guide the school system. The former planning commissioner at the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission comes with a background sorely needed in District 9, which has the most available space in the county. At the same time, he has practical ideas – improving recreational facilities and widening roads that have not been changed over the years despite increased traffic. As a 10th generation Prince George’s County resident, he knows the history of the problems and has practical solutions.

The Gazette Voter's Guide, a list of state and county candidates' responses on issues affecting Prince George's County, is available online at www.gazette.net.