I talked with former Delegate and current candidate for Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker (D) about how he feels about his chances in the race and commented on a picture in the Washington Post from 2008.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – It is an election year and it’s early. In two conversations, I had with Lt. Governor Anthony Brown (D) and Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson (D), they are holding on to what they think for the most part to see how things will play out.
Both Brown and Johnson said that there are going to be some competitive races this year, but I wanted to focus on the county executives race in particular because Johnson is term. The Lt. Governor said that he wanted to wait and see where the candidates stand before working with anyone in particular. Johnson says that he has a preference, but he is not coming out with it. I’ll put it this way, I doubt he will be coming forward for Rushern Baker anytime soon.
It’s going to be an interesting time for Prince George’s County as County Executive Jack Johnson is term limited (and is considering running against Governor Martin O’Malley in the Democratic Primary). County State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey is looking to challenge U.S. Rep. Donna Edwards in the Democratic primary in the fourth congressional district.
The scenarios are covered by The Washington Afro-American, where I also shared my thoughts with reporter George Barnette.
Prince George’s County Sheriff Michael A. Jackson has lost his mind. I would also like to add that if you are a Prince George’s County Democrat considering giving him your vote next September, you are crazy.
In the past few years, we have seen that Jackson (D) has run a sheriff’s department which has officially gained the cowboy reputation. In addition to the SWAT team performing a botched raid on the home of Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo, the department recently had to pay over a quarter million dollars ($261,000 to be exact) to a woman who was pepper sprayed and punched by sheriff deputies. In addition, there is an Accokeek couple that also claimed that their dogs were shot by deputies. Despite past history and all evidence from outside sources pointing to his department screwing up, Jackson acts as if his men did not mess up.
I would think that after eight years of County Executive Jack Johnson (D), the county would want hope and change of its own. Mr. Johnson has not handled crime very well; in addition to the countless ethical questions involving hiring his friends for positions they were not qualified for, giving sweetheart land deals to another set of friends and let’s not forget his attempt to pass off a tax without putting it to ballot.
The county police department has just came off of a U.S. Justice Department oversight and shortly thereafter a man who was accused of killing a police officer with a vehicle was murdered in a holding cell before he was charged with anything. The officers on duty in the county jail were allowed to maintain silence for a couple for days before they talked, when they should have been interviewed on the spot. Overall, you have to ask if the county would benefit from having a chief executive who sees no problem with situations that have been ruled unlawful by impartial third parties?
Maryland Politics Today has a long standing editorial policy of not endorsing any political candidates. However, if there is a politician that has shown himself as unethical or dishonorable, this blog has an obligation to point out the bad behavior regardless of party. Mr. Jackson has proven this many times over. The Prince George’s County Police Department has recognized that something went wrong in regards to the raid last month. Why can’t Jackson admit that his department has screwed up? My guess is that previous similar incidents would show a pattern of screwing up, hence why the state passed a law requiring SWAT team reports (thanks to Calvo).
Prince George’s County officials had their ethics in question for a long time. The residents in the county of which I grew up and spent 26 years as a resident would be good to send a strong message and not elect Mr. Jackson as County Executive.
P. Kenneth Burns is the Editor of Maryland Politics Today and the President/Executive Content Producer for The Maryland News Company. His email is kburns@themdnews.com.
Washington Post columnist Robert McCartney is reporting that that Prince George’s County Sheriff Michael A. Jackson (D) is running for County Executive.
Governor Martin O’Malley (D) has announced which plans would be submitted to the federal government for money for two mass transit projects in Baltimore and the Capital Region.
The Red Line in Baltimore will have limited tunneling from Western Baltimore County, and end at the Bayview Medical Center. Most of the tunneling will take place in downtown Baltimore between Poppleton and Canton. This plan was endorsed by Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon (D), Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith (D) and the Greater Baltimore Committee.
The Baltimore Sun says that neighborhood activists were not happy about the Governor’s choice, but O’Malley, while making the announcement from the West Baltimore MARC station, assured them that this was not going to be their grandfather’s light rail system. If approved, it will be at least 2013 before work can begin. I should also note that the Baltimore Sun’s editorial board has not missed a beat since I moved as far as walking in lock step with the governor’s decision.
Meantime in Prince George’s County, where the Governor announced a light rail plan for the Purple Line, a 16-mile project to run between New Carrollton and Bethesda. The governor also gave the same selling points about light rail in New Carrollton, according to The Washington Post.
There is one draw back regarding the Purple Line plan endorsed by the Governor…it runs through the main drag at the University of Maryland College Park. Officials with UMCP tell The Gazette that they are still debating if that will even happen, with college officials preferring that the purple line run through the south part of campus. They are concerned that a purple line that runs along Campus Drive would be dangerous for pedestrians and disturb sensitive research equipment.
At one point following the 2006 election, Senate President Thomas Mike Miller (D-Dist. 27) said that he was going to retire after this term…then he changed his mind. Now there is one person who wants to make sure that Miller follows through with his original intentions to leave office.
This Republican says he is the right Miller for the job, none other than Ron Miller, who many of you know from the early days of this blog as he contributed a number of op-ed pieces.
Ron Miller announced his candidacy yesterday saying that the other Miller shepherded the highest tax hike in Maryland history and that he cannot stand by and act is if the status quo is OK. “People are hurting and all the special projects Mike Miller brings to the district to buy favor at election time aren’t doing anything for families who need more money in their pockets to make a building and make a life.”
Thomas Mike Miller has been in office for over thirty years. This will be a rematch in a way as Ron Miller took him on in 2006. Maryland Politics Today is going to label this contest a match to watch, especially if these two Miller’s get past the primary. I suspect that they will face each other in the fall of 2010, but anything can happen between now and the primary.
Longtime Prince George’s Delegate Pauline Menes (D-Dist. 21) died over the weekend. She was 84.
The Baltimore Sun says that Menes was apart of the Democratic wave of 1966 that brought Ben Cardin and Paul Sarbanes to the House and Steny Hoyer to the state Senate. Cardin is holding the U.S. Senate seat that Sarbanes once held, while Hoyer is U.S. House Majority Leader.
Menes was born in New York, a graduate of Hunter College. She went on to become co-founder and first chair of the caucus of women legislators in Annapolis. In addition, she was also the first woman to sit on the House Judiciary Committee.
Her husband, Melvin Menes, preceded her in death in 2000. She is survived by three daughters.
In leiu of flowers, expressions of sympathies can be made to:
The Pauline Menes Fund at the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center
PO Box 719
Brooklandville, MD 21022-0719
The Prince George’s County Council, in effect, killed off any hope for the D.C. United to build a new stadium in Largo.
The Washington Post said that the council sent a letter to Team Prince George’s in Annapolis expressing concern about a bill which would authorize a study to explore the feasability of a stadium in Largo. Namely, their lack of input.
Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo was the topic of discussion on NPR’s Tell Me More, more accurately the botched police raid on his home.
Calvo has stated that he is beyond an apology, he wants change. He ifinds “stunning” that even though Prince George’s County is the most affluent black majority jurisdiction in the country, the “absolute disregard” for civil rights adding that he is concerned about how county leadership (black for the record) remarkably disregards civil rights.
For the record, the Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office declined NPR’s request to interview either someone from the department or County Sheriff Michael A. Jackson.
The rejection of the interview request leads to the ongoing discussion of why do they bother, Maryland Politics Today’s E-List of the dishonorable.
The Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office…at least the management of the office. This is in no way a smack at the deputies that are actually doing their job. Here is the statement given to NPR:
While we are very appreciative of your invitation to join Mayor Calvo in open discussion, given the incident remains both under investigation and in litigation, we will have to respectfully decline from comment at this time. I hope at its conclusion, the opportunity will once again present itself.
The litigation part I understand, but here is where I have a problem with…the incident is under investigation? I thought the sheriff’s office finished their investigation. Sheriff Michael A. Jackson said that the shooting was justified back in September. On top of that, Jackson (D) and County Executive Jack Johnson (D) sounded pretty damn confident that the right thing was done. I would also like to add that all that was required was an apology. At the rate of two SWAT raids a day in the county, I would not be surprised if the police department AND the sheriff’s office was back under federal oversight.
The management of the Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office, which includes Sheriff Michale A. Jackson…hee hee…You guys are…
And boom goes the dynomite.
Maryland Politics Today remains steadfast in calling for Jackson’s resignation.
As first hinted last month right here on Maryland Politics Today, Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson (D) is considering a run for statewide office.
We now learn from The Gazette that he is considering a challenge to Governor Martin O’Malley in the 2010 Democratic Primary.
