2022 Prince George’s County Executive Candidates
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Who are the candidates challenging County Executive Angela Alsobrooks for her position? There are five candidates, including Angela Alsobrooks, who have filed to run for County Executive. Below, you can read about the candidates and their platforms.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema (@inky_pixels). You can find her work on Unsplash.com
Angela Alsobrooks, Democrat
On February 11, 2022, County Executive finally filed to rerun for County Executive. Alsobrooks, the first Black woman to hold the county executive position in Maryland, said her campaign theme is Further Together.
Per her campaign website, here are items that she considers accomplishments (context: Some of these items listed have been contested by local community activists as troublesome. For example, in 2021 Fort Washington community members and activists complained that a new school building could increase flooding):
Investing 2.34 billion to ensure that every student has access to a quality education.
Breaking ground on 9 new schools.
Breaking ground on a new behavioral health facility that will provide mental health and addiction care for residents, opening in the summer of 2022.
Welcoming the new University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center to downtown Largo.
Equipping our PGCPD patrol officers with body cameras.
Establishing a Gun Intelligence Unit that recovered 1,399 guns from the neighborhoods that experienced the most violent crime.
Opening a new American Job Center at National Harbor that will serve 10,000 residents and businesses each year.
Leigh Bodden, Democrat
Bodden, according to his website, is a native of Washington, D.C., but moved to Prince George's County at the age of 10. He graduated from Northwestern High School in Hyattsville. He's a graduate of Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, and played nine years in the NFL. Furthermore, he has a bachelor's degree in business administration. You can read the rest of his bio here.
According to his website, here is his 2022 platform:
School/Education: Our mind is the most potent and positive weapon we have to support our life's journey. We must nurture, develop and use it for personal and community advancement.
Nutrition, physical, and mental health: Prince George's county is one of the wealthiest African American communities in the country, but not necessarily one of the healthiest. We are going to change that. We will provide more healthy and natural food options in our schools. [Furthermore], we will develop programs to teach families healthy diet and eating habits. We will encourage physical and mental wealth through county-wide programs for children and adults.
Housing: Our county continues to grow, and we must ensure that quality and reasonably priced rental properties are available. We also need to foster homeownership for all who desire it. Policing and criminal justice -- Unfortunately, our county has had negative police vs. community relationships. We must combat this and ensure that policing efforts are void of discriminatory practices and justice is more than a rallying cry, but a reality that we live. Our residents deserve the best, and I intend to drive the implementation of laws and policies that deliver the best! To develop these laws and policies that will provide the best, I will focus on hearing from the people -- our residents. I will give them the tools and opportunities to express their concerns and communicate their wishes. Their voice will allow me to correctly discern the community's actual needs because we cannot identify and solve problems if the people do not express them. My plan will place the power of government squarely back into the hands of the people.
Billy B. Bridges, Democrat
Mr. Bridges, who also ran in 2018, describes himself as a "strong Christian, one who has a sense of justice, right and wrong." He served in the Air Force, has lived in Prince George's County since the mid-1990s, and his daughters are products of the Prince George's County Public School System.
"My most recent career has been with the Prince George's County Public Schools for 20 years in various roles such as a paraprofessional, a teacher, part-time administrator, and information technology specialist," according to his website.
According to his website, here is his 2022 platform:
Bring Prayer Opportunities back to Public Schools.
Bring Excellence to Education.
Bring a 21st Century Economy to All Citizens.
Bring Increased Safety to All Communities.
Bring Law Enforcement Closer to Communities.
Bring Financial Responsibility to Government.
Bring Full Accountability to All Departments.
Sherman Hardy, political affiliation unknown
Mr. Handy also served in the Air Force, has worked in non-governmental organizations, Vice President of the Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals for the D.C. Metro, and the former Secretary for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Prince George's County.
Handy's platform is centered around, to name some categories, education, housing policy, policing/crime, and transportation. Here is his 2022 platform, according to his website:
Education:
PGCPS deserves a fully elected school board that selects its leadership.
Preparing our scholars for the future means equipping them with all the necessary foundations and principles of life. STEM must be incorporated on all levels.
Capitalize on the usage of virtual learning enabling smaller class sizes, flexibility, and usage of remote educators.
Expanding Trade & Career Tech Training.
Create a prison-to-school pipeline.
Expand adult education for the rapidly changing market.
Police & Criminal Justice:
PGCPS deserves a fully elected school board that selects its leadership.
Preparing our scholars for the future means equipping them with all the necessary foundations and principles of life. STEM must be incorporated on all levels.
Capitalize on the usage of virtual learning enabling smaller class sizes, flexibility, and usage of remote educators.
Expanding Trade & Career Tech Training.
Create a prison-to-school pipeline.
Expand adult education for the rapidly changing market.
Transportation:
Connect traffic signals and emergency response vehicles to prioritize emergency vehicles approaching intersections and the route they take in order to reduce response times.
Create more bike and dedicated bus lanes.
Begin the usage of micro-transit and replace The Bus (PGC-owned) buses with more energy-efficient smaller capacity vehicles.
Expand broadband access, investing heavily in historically marginalized communities.
Invest in adaptive traffic lights, real-time traffic monitoring devices to reduce traffic and noise pollution, variable speed limit signs, pedestrian monitoring & warning devices.
Invest in Free Public Transportation pilot.
Visit Handy's website (www.Hardy4pg.com) to read more about his agenda.
Tonya Sweat, political affiliation unknown
Sweat's family is originally from South Carolina, according to her website. Sweat is a managing member of Sweatism Consulting, L.L.C. Currently, she is the vice president of the South County Economic Development Association Inc., and a former board member and consultant to Coalition For Public Safety Training In Schools Inc. Read more of her bio here.
Sweat's 2022 platform doesn't seem to be on her website. However, she hosted a virtual meet and greet with Prince George's County residents on YouTube. Sweat mentioned that she donates a lot of her time providing free legal advice to residents who are unable to afford it. She said it's about serving the community. In addition, she said: "I am concerned about what I see in our home - Prince George's County." In that meeting, she shared three components to her platform: children, the community, and competence. She admits these are broad topics. You can watch the video below.
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