Alsobrooks’ Elevation to Senate Opens Up County Executive Seat
With the successful election of Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks to the Senate, there will soon be a vacancy in the county’s highest office. That vacancy will be filled via special election if Alsobrooks resigns before the Dec. 3 gavel exchange, or via Prince George’s County Council appointment if she steps down after.
In the event that Alsobrooks resigns prior to Dec. 3, County Administrator Tara Jackson would lead Prince George’s until her successor is elected and sworn in.
County Council Chair Jolene Ivey (D-District 5), former County Executive Rushern Baker, Prince George’s State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy, and At-Large Councilmember Calvin Hawkins (D) have all announced their interest in filling Alsobrooks’ seat.
A favorability poll sent to several politicians in early November gives an early lead to Councilmember Ivey and State’s Attorney Braveboy, although no direct polls have yet been conducted.
Ivey has countywide name recognition from her 2014 run for Lieutenant Governor alongside then-Attorney General Doug Gansler, along with her County Council campaigns, and her husband’s (Maryland Democratic Rep. Glenn Ivey) tenure as both a state’s attorney and congressman. She currently chairs the County Council and her most recent campaign for the at-large council seat, which she won last week, centered on her leadership ability and stewardship of the county’s finances.
Braveboy, who originally announced her interest in the seat last September, would likely have the support of progressive groups and Councilmembers who coalesced behind Tim Adams’ candidacy for the county council in August. She has received praise for her office’s efforts to mentor and support returning citizens, and her staff are present at countless community fairs and other events.
Baker ran for governor in both 2018 and 2022. Although he dropped out of the 2022 race prior to Election Day, his campaign largely centered around addressing crime and improving economic development.
Hawkins served as a senior advisor to former County Executive Baker and led the council as chair from 2021 to 2022, presiding over the tumultuous COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to the potential county executive special election, Ivey’s council at-large victory on Nov. 5 also sets the stage for another special election to fill her District 5 seat.
DNC Delegate Ryan Middleton, Board of Education Member Shayla Adams-Stafford, Cheverly Mayor Kayce Munyeneh, and former County Council staffer Kendal Gray have all expressed interest in the race to represent the central county district, which stretches from Colmar Manor and Cottage City to Glenn Dale.
Middleton has already been endorsed by political leaders including Alsobrooks, Baker, and State Sen. Joanne Benson (D- District 24).
President Trump Likely To Keep FBI HQ in DC
With Donald Trump as the 47th president-elect and the impending Republican takeover of the Senate, political and union leaders are bracing for the impact that conservative policies will have on the region.
Baltimore’s Key Bridge, which collapsed and caused four fatalities when a container ship crashed into it in March, will likely not receive the federal dollars President Joe Biden pledged toward rebuilding, as, thus far, Republican leaders in Congress have fought against the funding.
In addition, with the election of Trump, the FBI headquarters, planned for months to come to Greenbelt and to open in 2036, will now likely remain in D.C. This project had $3.5 billion in spending earmarked in President Biden’s most recent budget and was touted by Maryland Democrats as a huge win.
Despite Trump’s attempts to distance himself from Project 2025, right-wing commentators and Trump administration veterans quickly came out after the election to announce that the highly controversial political agenda will indeed be their roadmap to governance.
“Project 2025 will take away freedoms and rights from every American, will hurt the middle class and working families, and is a threat to our democracy,” said American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) President Everett Kelley. “It’s a takeover of our federal government in a manner that is not loyal to the Constitution and the law, has no interest in listening to the people, and will force employees to take orders, legal or not, or be terminated.”
As part of the Project 2025 agenda, Republicans plan to relocate federal agencies, combine other agencies, and terminate the Department of Education entirely.
Terminating or relocating large numbers of federal workers will significantly reduce the operating budgets for Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties alike, while also threatening the livelihoods of countless neighbors.
“It’s causing a lot of anxiety, a lot of discomfort within the workforce, as you are faced with these strong, negative, anti-federal worker stances, and this uncertainty of what might happen to your job, your home and your livelihood,” said AFGE Local 3403 Acting Vice President Laura Dodson in September, as plans to significantly reduce the federal workforce were discussed.
Maryland’s fourth congressional district, represented by Congressman Glenn Ivey (D), has the highest percentage of federal workers of any congressional district in the nation. Ivey said he sees Project 2025’s efforts to relocate and shut down federal agencies as damaging to daily governmental operations.
“We’ve got people who’ve been there, who have developed expertise. They’ve got the right education, they’ve done the right work, and so they’re a great fit for their positions,” aside Ivey. “To eliminate them for political reasons is damaging and undermines the mission that the federal government performs for the American people.”
He emphasized that while government operations have its challenges, work to fix them should consider ways to address problems and build on effective programming already in place.
“The federal government, I know it gets a bad rap. But at the end of the day, we’re really the envy of the world for having a government that functions as well and as efficiently and with the level of expertise that ours currently does,” Ivey told The Informer. “There’s always room for improvement, but there’s hopefully a ‘Do No Harm’ approach that will guide whatever efforts there are at governmental reform.”
Like his colleague in the House of Representatives, Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen is not planning to acquiesce to the next administration’s desires to defund Maryland’s priorities.
“Regardless of who is in the White House, Team Maryland fights tooth and nail to deliver for our state — be that for the Chesapeake Bay, the FBI Headquarters, the Red Line or the many other projects that we’re working on,” said Van Hollen.
