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Opportunity for new faces, fresh ideas in Annapolis

Thursday, Aug. 31, 2006

Prince George’s has been well served by the majority of the county’s 31 representatives to the state legislature. With a few representatives retiring or running for higher office, voters have the opportunity to elect strong newcomers, with fresh ideas, to the General Assembly.

In House District 21, for example, the retirement of long-time delegate Pauline Menes has opened the door for Jocelyn Pena-Melnyk (D), an attorney, former prosecutor and College Park councilwoman.

The Gazette strongly endorses Melnyk, an indefatigable activist who created the Coalition to Preserve BARC (Beltsville Agricultural Research Center), worked with legislators to get property tax credits for nonprofit community swimming pools and was an organizer of a march along Route 1 to protest a highway upgrade delay. Menes will be missed, but Pena-Melnyk has earned a right to the seat.

In House District 25, which is being vacated by Del. Anthony Brown (D) as he seeks the office of lieutenant governor, District Heights Mayor James Walls (D) has earned a chance to expand his stellar career in public service to the state level. During his tenure, Walls has doubled the number of officers in the city’s police department and crime in this hotspot community has been reduced.

In House District 26, Jay Walker (D), owner of a financial services business who has been heavily involved in several political and civic groups, gets The Gazette’s endorsement to replace Del. Obie Patterson (D), who is seeking a state Senate seat. Walker has already started work with County Councilman Tony Knotts to bring the largest police outpost in the county to District 26.

In the state Senate, the retirement of Sen. Leo Green opened the door for Douglass J.J. Peters (D), a County Councilman and former Bowie City Councilman. Peters has pushed for preservation of the rural tier and drafted the bill to ban smoking in county restaurants and bars. His work on the adequate public facilities bill that ensured staffing of police and fire departments keeps up with residential development has been applauded at all levels.

In House District 47, all three incumbents are seeking election again, however, it is simply time for Del. Rosetta Parker, who has become out of step recently with the requests of her community, to move aside. Jolene Ivey, who many mistakenly believe is simply running on name recognition (she is married to county State’s Attorney Glenn F. Ivey), comes armed with fresh ideas and a history of activism on women’s issues.

House District 27A is the only race where there will be a Democratic and a Republican primary. In the Democratic primary, The Gazette endorses incumbents James Proctor, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Education, and Joseph Vallario, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. The powerhouse team has been highly successful in bringing back money for district projects.

In the Republican Primary, The Gazette endorses attorneys Kenneth Brown and Mike Hethmon. Brown supports opening more charter schools; developing a closer working relationship with Virginia, the District and the rest of Maryland to curb crime; and believes smart growth is not being implemented in the district. Hethmon plans to fight for more money for schools and for police officers, and wants to start a program that gets home-schooled and public school children learning together.

Del. Marvin Holmes (D-Dist. 23B) is running uncontested, as are Sens. Paul Pinsky (D-Dist. 22), Nathaniel Exum (D-Dist. 24), Ulysses Currie (D-Dist. 25) and Thomas V. ‘‘Mike” Miller (D-Dist. 27).

The Gazette endorses the incumbents for the remaining seats. They are:

House of Delegates (voters elect three per district)

District 21

* Incumbents Barbara Frush (D) and Brian Moe (D) have been great advocates. Among their many successes, they have supported legislation to clean rivers, upgrade an old armory for use as a gym, prevented cigarette purchases by minors, and required tracking of the purchase and transport of ammonium nitrate, a plant fertilizer that can be used to make explosives. They deserve re-election, but would better serve the district if they could combine their efforts with incumbent state Sen. John A. Giannetti (D).

District 22

* Incumbent Justin Ross (D) was the lead sponsor of legislation to close liquor stores at midnight in the county and has been successful at securing funding for community services, such as ESOL, adult education and a multicultural youth foundation.

* Incumbent Anne Healey (D) led the fight to stop Washington Gas from opening a liquefied natural gas storage facility in Chillum. The gas company has not given up, and Healey’s knowledge of the issue will be beneficial in the next term.

* Incumbent Tawanna Gaines (D), vice chairman of the House Health and Human Resources subcommittee on Appropriations and deputy majority whip, was instrumental in getting money for several important projects, including nearly $1 million for redevelopment in Hyattsville.

District 23A

* Incumbent James Hubbard (D) sponsored legislation to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by coal-fired power plants by 10 percent in the next several years, has been a supporter of allowing municipalities to have a say in zoning decisions and has been outspoken on education issues in the county.

* Incumbent Mary Conroy (D) has become well known for her responsiveness to community concerns, but needs to take the lead on legislation important to her community. She benefits from weak competition.

District 24

* Incumbent Carolyn Howard (D), chairwoman of the Prince George’s delegation, has been successful at securing money for county schools and police.

* Incumbent Michael Vaughn (D) has been a champion of small businesses and sponsored legislation that now gives tax credits to businesses that hire former felons, giving them a second chance in life.

* Incumbent Joanne Benson (D) has worked to help small business and also has focused on health care issues. She helped secure money for Prince George’s Hospital Center and was the primary sponsor of legislation that now allows patients a longer hospital stay after a mastectomy, among other successes.

District 25

* Incumbent Melony Griffith (D), in the 2006 legislative session alone, sponsored or co-sponsored 56 bills of which 24 were signed by the governor. Among them: $5 million for the Suitland Manor redevelopment project and $200,000 for repairs to the District Heights Municipal Building.

* Incumbent Dereck Davis (D), named in 2003 as chairman of the House Economic Matters Committee, was the primary sponsor of the bill to raise the state’s minimum wage to $6.15 per hour. The bill also provided a 20 percent increase in salary for the state’s 55,000 employees.

District 26

* Incumbent Darryl Kelley (D) successfully sponsored legislation that raised the fines for illegal dumping, a major problem in his district. Kelley and incumbent Veronica Turner (D) also have secured money for major projects in the district.

District 47

* Incumbents Doyle Niemann (D) and Victor Ramirez (D) have fought against putting a liquefied natural gas storage facility in Chillum and secured money for important projects in the district, such as the Gateway Arts District.

Senate

District 21

* Incumbent John Giannetti (D) took the lead in working to close the Oak Hill Detention Center near Laurel, a request made for years by area residents because of the escapes that occurred. He spearheaded a contribution drive to clean up the Paint Branch stream in College Park; worked to get businesses, citizens and politicians to work together on Route 1 challenges; and secured more than $500,000 to add amenities to the new Laurel⁄Beltsville Senior Center. Giannetti’s hard work has greatly overshadowed his misstep in serving alcohol at tailgate parties in College Park and would be enhanced if he could forge an alliance with the district’s delegates.

District 26

* Incumbent Obie Patterson (D), in addition to the large amounts of money he secured for local projects, also sponsored an act which requires insurance companies to now justify how they draw their rate boundaries – a problem since Prince George’s residents have long complained about higher fees. Patterson also fought heavily for the Voter Rights Protection bill, recently rejected by a state appeals court, which sought to allow people to begin voting five days before the election date to prevent residents from being discouraged by long lines at the polls that plagued the county in 2002.

District 47

* Incumbent Gwendolyn Britt (D), who serves on the House education health and environmental affairs committee, has secured funding for the arts district, the CSX railroad overpass; and a community and technology center at a local church. She successfully pushed for a bill for the appointment of physical education directors to promote healthier lifestyles for children.