8-08-2024 4:19pm

Bowie, Upper Marlboro residents share range of reasons for voting in special election

Catherine Hollingsworth Editor

A sticker received after voting in the May 14, 2024, presidential primary, outside Good Luck Community Center in Lanham, Maryland. Catherine Hollingsworth/The Bowie Sun

BOWIE, Md. – Several Bowie and Upper Marlboro area voters opened up about who they supported or what issues drove them to the polls in the special election primary Aug. 6, which was held to fill the vacant at-large seat on the Prince George’s County Council.

Outside the building formerly known as Tall Oaks Vocational High School in Bowie, some voters said they disapproved of the type of development, quality of services, high taxes and level of crime in Prince George’s County. Others emphasized the need for experienced candidates and the importance of voting.

The special election primary was the second time that Darien Birks, 18, of Upper Marlboro, has voted in an election. He declined to say who he marked on his ballot or if a particular issue drove him to the polls, but he did share his underlying motivation for turning out for the special election.

“I felt it was important to vote given that my ancestors had to fight so hard to get the opportunity to vote,” Birks said, as his father smiled broadly at his son’s remark.

Art Hackney of Mitchellville said, “I won’t share who I voted for, but I will share that it’s an obligation and a responsibility and a pleasure to do so.”

As the votes continued to be tallied in the days after the election, two well-known candidates, County Council Chair Jolene Ivey and Bowie Mayor Tim Adams, appeared to have the highest number of votes thus far (48.9% and 28.4%, respectively) among the Democratic contenders.

That’s based on unofficial results from the state board of elections. Votes from all 327 precincts have been counted, but it will take several days to canvass provisional ballots and mail-in ballots counted after Aug. 6, according to canvass details posted on the Prince George's County Board of Elections.

Michael Riker, a former detective, and Jonathan White, an Air Force veteran, were out front in the Republican field, with less than 200 votes separating the two. Riker appeared to have more votes, 478 compared to White’s 308, early results showed.

The winner of the Democratic and Republican special election primary will face off during the general election Nov. 5.

Mitchellville voter: Adams `hasn’t been mayor that long’

“I voted for Jolene Ivey because of her experience, and I think she represents what’s good for the county,” Tanya Curtis-Haley, 67, of Mitchellville said.

Ivey’s past experience in Annapolis as a state delegate and her husband, U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey, who represents parts of Bowie, influenced Curtis-Haley’s vote; the choice was clear, she said.

Even though she knows Adams, “he hasn’t been the mayor of Bowie that long,” Curtis-Haley said.

Elected in 2019, Adams was the first Black mayor of Bowie. He later lost his Democratic primary bid for Maryland comptroller in 2022.

Adams and Ivey are in a crowded field of current and past office holders as well as some lesser known candidates, all vying for the at-large seat previously held by Mel Franklin. Elected to the County Council in 2010, Franklin resigned in June amid charges of allegedly embezzling campaign funds.

Kettering voter: Mayor’s business sense is `something we need’

Barbara Spencer of Kettering said, “I voted for Tim Adams … He is a businessman and this is something that we need on our [County] Council.”

Spencer said she first learned of Adams through his mayoral campaign and liked the fact that he is largely self-funding his county council campaign. Adams is president of SA-Tech, a multi-million dollar technology firm.

“He is also self-sufficient, so therefore you can’t buy him with money,” Spencer said.

She said she is concerned that the “county appears to be controlled by the developers, and we do know that developers fund quite a few of these political campaigns, and it seems the people don’t have a voice now.”

Spencer wants to see a key provision of a comprehensive zoning law enforced, CB-15, which aims to increase community input in neighborhood development.

Bowie voter seeks a workhorse, not a show horse

“We want public servants. This isn’t a popularity contest. So that’s what was key in my decision-making process,” Jeffrey Cooper of Bowie said after casting his vote.

A businessman, Cooper said the county is facing multiple “huge issues” related to schools, public safety, economic development, fire/emergency services, and budget shortfalls. “... And we need people who understand those issues,” he said.

But on a basic level, Cooper said he wants someone who will simply “respond to constituent emails.”

“It’s about getting your hands dirty or doing the work, listening to constituents and responding to their needs, whatever they may be, whether it’s trash service …” Cooper said. He was referring to complaints from residents in the south part of the county going long periods without trash service.

“That’s unconscionable,” Cooper said. “When residents request services here in the county, they’re being dismissed or ignored or told that it can’t be done,” he said.

In June, District 6 County Councilmember Wala Blegay informed constituents about an issue with a trash contractor. She also conducted a trash survey in her district, which includes Fairwood, Forestville and Upper Marlboro, asking about trash concerns and any suggestions for trash management.

Bowie voter had a change of mind at the polls

Candidates Tamara Davis Brown, an attorney from Clinton, and entrepreneur Gabriel Njinimbot of Laurel, endured the summer heat to greet voters and hand out campaign materials at Tall Oaks. They were among the lesser known candidates in the special election primary.

After casting his vote, Vincent Turner of Bowie could be overheard telling Davis Brown that he voted for her.

“I can tell you that I came here with the intention to vote for Jolene Ivey and after talking with another one of the other candidates, I changed my vote,” Turner said.

He expressed concern about residents leaving the county due to high taxes and crime. “I came out to vote because I want the County Council to do the kind of things that make Prince George’s County a county that people would be proud to live in.”

He added, “And a lot of folk that we know choose to live in Montgomery County rather than Prince George’s County because they don’t like the tax structure. Too much of their money goes to taxes, and they don’t like the crime issue.”

Bowie voter: Ivey is `supportive’ of community groups

Barbara Kasindorf, 59, of Bowie said she was “adamant” about coming out to vote in the special election for two reasons: to support Ivey and to vote against Adams.

She said she was “eager” to vote for Ivey because she is supportive of community organizations like the one Kasindorf works for called Community Forklift. The secondhand shop provides recycled building materials, air conditioners and other appliances to schools and those in need.

Kasindorf said that Ivey helped to pair the organization with local business partners. “She was very supportive and always encouraging local businesses to partner with us, and … just a great asset for us. So I was eager to vote for her,” she said.

She said of Adams, “The reason I’m voting not for him is, the second he got into office as mayor, he ran for another office… I think that while Tim Adams has had a great business reputation, I haven't seen him govern much.”

But how long would Ivey stay on the County Council if an opportunity to seek higher office opens up?

Maryland Matters reported that Ivey is not ruling out a run for the county’s top spot in the event that County Executive Angela Alsobrooks were to win the Senate race against former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.

Kasindorf said she would welcome that scenario with Alsobrooks in the Senate and Ivey as the next county executive, because Ivey “has stayed put in her [current] seat for much longer, and has done more, accomplished more, in my opinion.”

Status of vote count

Demetra Hutchinson, deputy elections administrator for the Prince George's County Board of Elections, said in an email: “We anticipate concluding canvass between Friday, August 9th and Monday, August 12th. By law we are required to canvass the provisional ballots on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, we are hoping to certify the election on Friday, August 16th."

This updated version of the story, posted Aug. 9, moved to the top quotes about the importance of voting and inserted missing photo captions.