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A Bill to Improve Opportunities for Local Businesses
Council Vice Chair Wala Blegay (D) is the sponsor of CB-30, a bill that will improve procurement and contract opportunities for local businesses on government purchases below $1,000,000. Over a dozen business owners came to support this bill in person earlier this week.
Blegay specifically thanked LaTasha Ward, who spoke at a town hall hosted by the County Council where she and other business owners such as Chris Ojo expressed their difficulties in working with county government.
“Having a fair and transparent process that will allow county resident businesses to have opportunities that can lead to generational wealth. We have qualified businesses here, some businesses just need our county to take a chance on us,” Ward said. “We are tired of business owners who don’t live here taking opportunities away from local business owners. Every contract we have here should have local business owners connect with it to help generate wealth and increase our tax base.”
Remembering Thomas Juricks
On April 15, a memorial service for Thomas Juricks was held in Fort Washington. Juricks was lynched by a mob in Fort Washington in 1869, one of four known victims of lynchings in the county. Juricks was memorialized through song, dance and a libation ceremony. This memorial service was hosted by the Prince George’s County Lynching Memorial Project (PGCLMP), dedicated to memorializing the victims and advancing racial justice locally.
Council member Jolene Ivey (D) was in attendance.
“It has been our honor to collaborate with the Chapel Hill community of Fort Washington in researching the history of the lynching that took place there, and in presenting what we hope will meaningfully honor the life taken and commit us all to the cause of racial justice in Prince George’s County,” said PGCLMP co-Chairs Crystal Carpenter, Rev. Diane Teichert and Krystina Tucker.
Congressman Glenn Ivey Hosts 100 Days Town Hall
About 100 County residents showed up to Fort Washington for Maryland’s Fourth District Rep. Glenn Ivey’s (D) town hall, in which he outlined his first 100 days in office, discussing the Supreme Court, the levels of the judiciary and his opinion on judicial term limits.
“It was good to see the good folks of the Oxon Hill area come to the Glassmanor Community Center on a Saturday morning to ask questions and show concern for everything from our education system, to crime, to gun violence and the economy,” Ivey said. “I always appreciate people expressing their needs to me and talking about solutions for our community.”
Forest Heights Council member Troy Barrington Lilly, vice president of the South County Democratic Club, said he appreciated Ivey’s focus on community building leading to change.
“He made one thing clear that I really appreciate: some problems are not solved by legislation alone,” Lilly said. “We have to model the behaviors and prioritize the values we want reflected in our community.”