Rushern Baker lies about gambling

Reposted from CvHBH Watch by HJ Fiske, 10 September 2012.

Rushern Baker lies about gambling

H/T PG-Politics.  Rushern Baker's statement during his 2006 campaign for county executive:

New BOE Chair Juanita Miller's Baggage From the Jack Johnson Days

From "Maryland Politics Watch" blog.

Johnson Appointees Run Amok at WSSC

By Adam Pagnucco  
22 January 2009

. . .

But Juanita Miller is in a class by herself. A special education administrator in the Prince George’s public school system, she was elected to the House of Delegates in 1986 from District 25 for one term. Miller later ran unsuccessfully for the County Council and the State Senate. She was first appointed as a WSSC commissioner in 1996 by former Prince George’s County Executive Wayne Curry, serving through 2002.

It did not take long for Miller to leave her mark on the agency. One year into her first term, Miller intervened in a contract dispute. Recyc Systems Inc., a white-owned firm, won a sludge-hauling contract at WSSC’s Blue Plains site with a low bid of $11.5 million. But Miller pushed the WSSC board to reject Recyc’s bid in favor of MTI Construction, a minority-owned firm, which was the third-lowest bidder at $13.5 million. Miller never told the board that MTI had contributed to her political campaigns. A state court ordered WSSC to reconsider its rejection and an ethics investigation ensued.

After the WSSC board deadlocked on the Recyc-MTI dispute, Miller accused the agency of racism in contracting. Then-General Manager Cortez A. White, who is black, said this about her charges:

The lowest of all polarizing techniques has been used – emotionally charged claims of racism and discrimination, similar to tactics used by Sen. Joseph McCarthy to hunt alleged communists during the early '50s… Unfortunately, the rhetoric on the sludge hauling contract has digressed to a point where political games are being played with professional lives. Personal attacks have been made because technical and professional assessments have not supported certain parochial, political goals. Such remarks are particularly disgraceful because they were uttered by a public official in a position of rank upon essentially defenseless staffers.

But Miller was not finished with hurling charges of racism. In 2002, Miller was in her last year on the commission and took on State Senate President Mike Miller (D-27) in a primary. Juanita Miller wrote the U.S. Justice Department complaining of “bid-rigging” at WSSC against minority contractors. She was joined in her request by then-commissioner Kevin P. Maloney of Montgomery County, who alleged bid-rigging against white contractors(!) Miller also alleged that WSSC was “targeting” African-Americans and women for harassment. Miller’s allegations followed the firing of an employee accused of committing $200,000 in fraud against the agency and a Montgomery County investigation finding multiple WSSC commissioners’ abuse of expense money. Nothing came of Juanita Miller’s bid-rigging accusations and Mike Miller defeated her by 62-33% in their Senate primary.

Just when WSSC thought it had seen the last of Miller, new County Executive Jack Johnson decided to reappoint her to the board in 2005. “It appears that I am ordained to be a public servant,” declared the triumphant Miller, who sits on the board to this day.

Miller rejoined a WSSC board that had just concluded a holy war against General Manager John R. Griffin. In March 2004, the board fired Griffin and his deputy on a 4-2 vote because they allegedly “recklessly spent the agency's money on raises, executive bonuses, excessive travel and consulting fees, mostly without the commissioners’ consent.” But WSSC’s legal counsel found the firing to be illegal because the board met behind closed doors and did not take a recorded public vote. The Post editorial board said Griffin was “competent” and the firing was “needless.” Griffin and his deputy later accepted a buyout. Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan asked his county’s three commissioners to resign over the incident. Jack Johnson refused to replace his commissioners, saying he was “happy” with WSSC’s performance. 

... 

Why Baker Lost (preliminary thoughts)

The media and pundits seem to be overlooking the extent to which Rushern Baker's sorry record may have contributed to his defeat. 

Baker promised to never allow gambling in PG County, then fought for a casino.  

Baker promised to create a strong Inspector General position during his first 30 days, but waited 330 days to come up with a toothless "ethics" office.  

Baker promised to not try to repeal TRIM, then pushed through a TRIM-busting, charter-violating tax increase anyway.  

Baker said he was for Transit Oriented Development and would fight for transit across the Wilson Bridge--then pushed for major development projects with no transit address and finally bragged about adding infrequent bus service across the bridge, to and from places that would not help solve commuter traffic problems.  Baker did nothing to make transit access a prerequisite for approval of his casino site.

Baker said he would not make another attempt to take over the schools.  When he broke that promise, he said he wanted to be held accountable.  Then appointed his brother-in-law to chair the school board, the wife of the delegate who helped with his coup as deputy superintendent, and took no responsibility for the resulting financial scandals, loss of grant money, grade and graduation fraud, and employment of child sex abusers and kiddie pornographers.  

Although Baker got the most votes in his own county, it was much less than he expected.

Lynn Jackson, Candidate for Delegate, District 27A

Posted at the request of Lynn Jackson, Candidate for Delegate, District 27A.

This year’s elections will be critical for our community. As we have seen throughout this nation’s history a single election cycle can turn our republic upside down. It is going to take the efforts of you and your community to get out and to vote if we truly want to see improvements to our neighborhoods.

We should all ask ourselves who are these people who are running for office. Candidates for elected office are campaigning/interviewing with voters to earn the title of becoming an elected official. Most of us have been interviewed so we know that there are questions that need to be addressed to get a feel for who is deserving of our vote. The good candidates answer our questions before we ever ask. They supply us with information ahead of time that they know that we are curious about. The good ones can answer our questions with yes or no (or with I don’t know). The good ones identify the issues that are important to our community and then will tell you how they are going to make improvements.

Vague answers with the general tone of  “I’m going to make things better” without an explanation of how, should be a red flag. Proceed with caution with candidates that do not directly answer your questions with a yes or a no. If you were interviewing with Amazon to become a manager and you couldn’t directly answer a question, do you think that you’d be the organization’s top choice? Probably not.

Is a candidate spending more time asking for money to their campaign than they are serving the community? What have these candidates done for our community in their free time before the election period ramped up this year? If you are favoring an incumbent, someone who already holds a position, then what type of fundraising and community activities outside of their normal responsibilities have they participated in to improve the community?

For those who claim that they are going to do a better job with listening and communicating with voters, ask them how exactly they plan to do it. We should reasonably expect for our elected official’s phones and email to be very busy, so how are they going to ensure that we will be listened to while they are in office?

Lets do our part and research those who claim that they deserve our vote. Lets change our government from within with the power of your vote.

Email: jackson4md@gmail.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jackson4md/
Twitter: twitter.com/jackson4md
Instagram: instagram.com/lynn.jackson27a

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/scriptyourfuture/2018/03/30/qa-lynn-jackson-candidate-for-maryland-delegate-district-27a

PG-Politics Facebook HACKED.

The PG-Politics Facebook account (https://www.facebook.com/PG.Politics) has been hacked, Facebook has rejected every attempt to access and recover it. It is recommended that you unfriend or unfollow that account.  IF it returns it may be as a "page" not a regular account.

The PG-Politics Facebook account (https://www.facebook.com/PG.Politics) has been hacked, Facebook has rejected every attempt to access and recover it. It is recommended that you unfriend or unfollow that account.

Why is school CEO Maxwell NOT on administrative leave.

In the last chapter of Orwell's Animal Farm, the sign that once read "All animals are equal" has been changed to "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."  That seems to apply to disciplinary actions in the Prince George's County school system.

According to the Washington Post and other sources, over 800 Prince George's school employees have been placed on administrative leave, with little or no due process, little opportunity to defend themselves, based in many cases on the flimsiest of charges, even charges that are obviously untrue or ridiculous.

The Post cites examples of cases where employees have not been allowed to return to their positions even after they have been cleared of all charges.  In one case cited a counselor was suspended for not reporting an event he did not witness because he was on leave at the time.  Even though he has since been cleared he has not been allowed to return to duty.

Now we have the system and its top administrators, including CEO Maxwell and deputy superintendent Davis accused of a number of things including changing grades, promoting and graduating unqualified students, and threatening to arrest an elected school board member.

So,

​ 

considering how quickly the system takes action against employees generally, why aren't Maxwell, Davis and others on administrative leave pending investigation of the charges against them?

Are they exempt from application of the policies they have established and applied to their subordinates?

Apparently so.  Given the gravity of the charges being made, one would expect them to be subject to at least the same level of sanctions they impose on others.

It is unfortunate that neither they, nor the politicians responsible for hiring them, are willing to abide by the standards they apply to subordinates.

Clearly some Prince George's​ ​educators are more equal than others, and the politicians who appointed them are comfortable with the double standard.

Rushern Baker for Governor???

Baker promised not to raise taxes. He lied.

Baker promised to never allow any form of gambling in Prince George's County. He lied.

Baker promised to not make another attempt to take over the schools. He lied.

Baker promised to work to bring transit across the Wilson Bridge to National Harbor. After seven years he finally pushed for a bus route.

Baker claims to be FOR Transit Oriented Development, but most of the development he brags about has limited or no transit service.

Meanwhile, he has accomplished nothing significant to improve development around existing Metro stations like Capitol Heights, Naylor Road and Southern Avenue.

Numerous Safeways and Giants have closed on his watch, replaced by substandard stores and empty storefronts.

During Baker's term the area in St. Mary's County around the Pax River Naval Air Station has seen significant positive development including a myriad of restaurant choices. but the equivalent Prince George's County area around Joint Base Andrews remains a food desert with no quality restaurant or retail development.

Numerous stores have closed in places like the BLVD and Bowie Town Center that PG pols formerly bragged about.

Baker brags about fixing the schools, but whenever Baker had interfered with the schools there have been serious problems.  The first appointed board he pushed for saw the CEO go to federal prison for corruption and one of the top assistants go to federal prison for drug money laundering. The current scandal-plagued administration, headed by a crony appointed by Baker and his brother-in-law choice for school board chair, is top heavy, has had financial scandals, lost millions of federal money through mismanagement, has kiddie porn and child abuse problems, has suspended over 800 employees without any real due process, depriving children of a stable educational environment and spending a fortune on substitutes, and now is under fire for questionable grading practices,

I didn't see anything in his announcement bragging about how he cut trash collection.

And Baker seems to forget that his county had one of the highest foreclosure rates on his watch. If real estate prices are up now, it is because they dropped so fast during his first term.

Connect the PGCPS Dots

Currently in the news:  Three elected school board members allege widespread fraud in grading and graduation rates.  School CEO Maxwell, selected as a patronage employee by county executive Rushern Baker (not by the board), denies all charges, claims they are politically motivated.  Baker continues to support Maxwell.

Recently in the news:  Over 800 school employees have been suspended, often not told why.  Suspension rate is many, many times that of nearby school districts.

Question:  How many of the suspensions were politically motivated, retaliation against whistleblowers and critics, or just based on personal dislikes?

May and June 2005:  Post and Gazette report on FBI raids of county offices, some involving people later charged in connection with the schemes for which county executive Jack Johnson was eventually convicted.  During June Oxon Hill Library reopening ceremony Johnson claims to have the most ethical administration ever.

Question.  Are denials by Baker and cronies more believable than those by Johnson?  Why?

Vote AGAINST ALL Ballot Questions!

PG-Politics recommends a vote AGAINST ALL ballot questions.

All of the county-specific questions will increase the cost of county government and increase the "structural deficit" that our greedy elected officials are using as an excuse for raising taxes.  Some of the questions will primarily benefit special interest groups, not the public at large.

The one state question could prevent the Governor from appointing the best qualified replacement in the event of an Attorney General or Comptroller vacancy.

Vote AGAINST the county bond questions (A, B, C, E, F).

In addition to the direct costs shown in the ballot language, these bond issues will obligate the county to pay an undisclosed amount of money for an undisclosed period in interest and other debt service related costs.

County officials have been complaining that they do not have enough money--that they have what they call a "structural deficit."  Any additional commitments to pay the principal, interest, and fees related to these bonds will inevitably increase that "structural deficit."

Thus, planning to spend even more money is both irresponsible and almost certainly preliminary to yet another attempt to circumvent the will of the people and raise taxes.

Question F is especially bad!  It would transfer transfer over $120 million plus ongoing interest, fees, and rents from the taxpayer to Rushern Baker's development cronies to pay for moving county offices out of county-owned buildings in Upper Marlboro into totally unnecessary leased space in Largo.  It is little more than welfare for wealthy special interests who finance political campaigns.

And there is no real guarantee that the proceeds from any of the bond issues will actually be spent as promised.  Our elected officials have repeatedly misled us about how money will be spent--remember that the lottery was sold to us with the promise that it would fund schools, not stadiums for wealthy sport moguls.  And a number of our elected officials, including Rushern Baker, have lied to us about TRIM and raising taxes.  They have earned out distrust.

Question D is another payoff for special interests.  Adding to the county council would cost the county well over a million dollars a year, adding even more to the "structural deficit" at a time when the county claims it is too poor to fully staff police district VII.

Note that the supporters funding a yes vote on Question D are primarily wealthy special interests who see it as an easy way to buy more elected officials.

And although the Prince George's County Democratic Central Committee voted against supporting Question D, many candidate committees are sponsoring a dishonest "2016 Democratic Sample Ballot" telling people to vote for the question.  I have listed some of the campaigns promoting this dishonest sample ballot in another posting.

You might want to ask your council members why providing more opportunities for career politicians to feed at the public trough is a higher priority than public safety and to whom the new at-large members will really owe their primary allegiance.

Question G is partly an admission of failure and partly welfare for lawyers.  County officials want to be able to spend tax money, again increasing the "structural deficit," and their claimed need for higher taxes, on outside lawyers. Their claim seems to be that outside lawyers are necessary when the council and executive disagree on legal issues, but there is no explanation of why county lawyers cannot br=e trusted to interpret the law.  The state Attorney General is authorized and staffed to settle any such disputes with spending county money on outside lawyer.  And there is no accountability here--this question would essentially give the council and executive a blank check for welfare payments to lawyer cronies.

A vote for any of the county questions is a vote for higher deficits and higher taxes.

A vote for Questions D, F, or G is also a vote to reward or subsidize cronies and other special interests.

Vote AGAINST ALL ballot questions|

Candidates for Prince George's County Board of Education

PG-Politics supports:

District 1: David H. Murray
District 4: Patricia Eubanks
District 5: Raaheela Ahmed
District 7: John E. Richardson
District 8: Edward Burroughs III

Vote NO on ALL Ballot Questions

PG-Politics recommends a NO vote on ALL ballot questions.

All of the county-specific questions will increase the cost of county government and increase the "structural deficit" that our greedy elected officials are using as an excuse for raising taxes.  Some of the questions will primarily benefit special interest groups, not the public at large.

The one state question could prevent the Governor from appointing the best qualified replacement in the event of an Attorney General or Comptroller vacancy.

Vote NO on the county bond questions (A, B, C, E, F).

In addition to the direct costs shown in the ballot language, these bond issues will obligate the county to pay an undisclosed amount of money for an undisclosed period in interest and other debt service related costs.

County officials have been complaining that they do not have enough money--that they have what they call a "structural deficit."  Any additional commitments to pay the principal, interest, and fees related to these bonds will inevitably increase that "structural deficit."

Thus, planning to spend even more money is both irresponsible and almost certainly preliminary to yet another attempt to circumvent the will of the people and raise taxes.

Question F is especially bad!  It would transfer transfer over $120 million plus ongoing interest, fees, and rents from the taxpayer to Rushern Baker's development cronies to pay for moving county offices out of county-owned buildings in Upper Marlboro into totally unnecessary leased space in Largo.  It is little more than welfare for wealthy special interests who finance political campaigns.

And there is no real guarantee that the proceeds from any of the bond issues will actually be spent as promised.  Our elected officials have repeatedly misled us about how money will be spent--remember that the lottery was sold to us with the promise that it would fund schools, not stadiums for wealthy sport moguls.  And a number of our elected officials, including Rushern Baker, have lied to us about TRIM and raising taxes.  They have earned out distrust.

Question D is another payoff for special interests.  Adding to the county council would cost the county well over a million dollars a year, adding even more to the "structural deficit" at a time when the county claims it is too poor to fully staff police district VII.

Note that the supporters funding a yes vote on Question D are primarily wealthy special interests who see it as an easy way to buy more elected officials.

And although the Prince George's County Democratic Central Committee voted against supporting Question D, many candidate committees are sponsoring a dishonest "2016 Democratic Sample Ballot" telling people to vote for the question.  I have listed some of the campaigns promoting this dishonest sample ballot in another posting.

You might want to ask your council members why providing more opportunities for career politicians to feed at the public trough is a higher priority than public safety and to whom the new at-large members will really owe their primary allegiance.

Question G is partly an admission of failure and partly welfare for lawyers.  County officials want to be able to spend tax money, again increasing the "structural deficit," and their claimed need for higher taxes, on outside lawyers. Their claim seems to be that outside lawyers are necessary when the council and executive disagree on legal issues, but there is no explanation of why county lawyers cannot br=e trusted to interpret the law.  The state Attorney General is authorized and staffed to settle any such disputes with spending county money on outside lawyer.  And there is no accountability here--this question would essentially give the council and executive a blank check for welfare payments to lawyer cronies.

A vote for any of the county questions is a vote for higher deficits and higher taxes.

A vote for Questions D, F, or G is also a vote to reward or subsidize cronies and other special interests.

Vote NO on ALL ballot questions|

PG-Politics withdraws support for the "Sitting Judges"

The "Committee to Elect the Sitting Judges" has issued a sample ballot entitled "Democratic Sample Ballot."

This document suggests that the Democratic Party wants us to vote FOR Question D, even though the Prince George's County Democratic Central Committee voted to NOT SUPPORT Question D.

It also endorsed Ingrid Turner for circuit court judge, implying that she is one of the "sitting judges." She is not a sitting judge, just a political opportunist seeking a position she could not achieve in the manner such judges are normally appointed.

We need honest judges who do not misrepresent themselves or the party's position on important issues.

So, I can no longer support Judges Dawson, Engel, and Mason, and continue to oppose Ingrid Turner.

Remember, VOTE NO on Question D.

Betraying the Voters (Tax Increase, Question D and the Blue Ribbon Commission)

Prince George's County is governed by a county charter.

Normally, we would expect the people who are elected to carry out the provisions of the county charter to obey and support it, not to flat out disobey it and look for ways to avoid its requirements.

Bu

​t

 our council

​ 

and county executive, have acted repeatedly to sabotage the charter and the will of the voters.

They increased taxes in violation of the charter.  They tried once and failed to get around citizen-imposed restraints on the length of time they can hold office, and are now trying again.  And they have worked hard to modify citizen-imposed restraints on taxes and spending.

But none of them had the honesty or integrity to campaign on a platform of overruling and thumbing their noses at the voters.  In fact some of these officials, have brazenly done exactly the opposite of what they promised while running for office.

Now is the time to start planning a thorough housecleaning during the 2018 election season. 

Investigating the Baker-Eubanks-Maxwell Head Start and other PG school fiascos

With so many news reports about the abuse of vulnerable children and the county's loss of Head Start program funds and control, perhaps it is time for Gov. Larry Hogan to step in and arrange for a comprehensive investigation of the Prince George's school system, either by a qualified and truly independent investigator, or by the state Board of Education (if they can be trusted to do the job honestly).

In his 2010 inauguration speech, Rushern Baker said:

Some have asked, “Are you planning on taking direct control over the county schools?” My answer is no, but let me say this: I will also not sit idly by and be silent. 

Despite what Mr. Baker said then, he later went ahead and persuaded the General Assembly to give him substantial control over the schools.

Neither Mr. Baker's inauguration speech, nor his request to his enablers in the General Assembly said that he would use his control of the county schools as a high paid jobs program for his cronies or that he would (1) tolerate sexual predators and bullies who would prey upon and humiliate our youngest, most vulnerable children, (2) protect the high paid cronies who allowed that behavior to continue, (3) allow the destruction of, and give up funding for and control of, what was once among the most successful of the county schools' programs, or  (4) that he would, in fact, "sit idly by and be silent" while his cronies ignored ongoing problems and concealed them from elected board members and the public for months.

Note that after the latest scandal--Head Start--became public, the Mr. Baker's minions took action against six low-level employees, including a whistleblower who was fired despite having reported abuses to her boss, but Mr. Baker has done nothing about the administrators who tolerated and/or were ignorant of the behavior of their subordinates.

Another of Mr. Baker's promises, repeated frequently with essentially the same thought but varying wording was

I also pledge to establish a first ever County Inspector General to police ethics conduct and perform annual ethics audits.

and

The County will create an office of Inspector General to investigate waste, fraud, abuse, mismanagement and conflicts-of-interest in the County government. The Inspector General must be professionally qualified with a background in auditing and public financial management. The Inspector General must be selected based on ability and integrity, without regard to political affiliation. The Inspector General will be appointed by the County Executive and confirmed by the County Council for a fixed term of office that is staggered and non-concurrent with the Executive and Council. The office of inspector general will have its own staff and will enjoy subpoena power. The Inspector General will conduct investigations, review financial managements, examine potential conflicts-of-interest, conduct performance audits and similar reviews, make recommendations, public findings, and make referrals to law enforcement agencies. The Inspector General will also conduct annual ethics audits of locally elected officials and make results public.

Creating the Inspector General office was just another of Mr. Baker's broken promises.

If Mr. Baker had kept that promise, and hired the kind of person he promised, with the kind of staff and authority he promised, we would have an Inspector General who presumably could be trusted to conduct an honest, independent investigation of the Head Start fiasco and other serious problems with the school system and board.

Mr. Baker failed to keep his promise.

Now that the problems in the school system and with the school board members he appointed have once again come to the attention of the media and the public, Mr. Baker seems to be acting as if he has nothing to do with problems in the schools, but says he has full confidence in his people

And Mr. Baker now seems willing to let the relative and cronies he appointed to run the schools, who allowed all this to happen, who covered up, investigate themselves.

In most cases, in the real world, crooks and incompetents do not investigate themselves, someone else does.  But normal rules don't seem to apply in our one-party county.  It is easy to understand why Prince George's County gets so little respect.

News reports over the past few years suggest that physical, mental, and sexual abuse of Prince George's County schoolchildren is not as rare as county and school officials would like us to believe.

The right thing for Mr. Baker to do would be to ask an independent authority to conduct a truly independent investigation.  If our Mr. Baker and our other county leaders refuse to do what is right, Gov. Hogan should step in and see to what is necessary and right.

---

Here is a sampling of 2015-2016 media headlines (other than widely-reported Head Start humiliation and Deonte Carraway sex abuse scandals).  Many additional problems in earlier years were listed in PG-Politics daily news summaries):

• Ex-janitor get year in jail for stealing school’s laptops (8 Jul 2016)
• Prince George's County elementary school teacher arrested in prostitution sting (22 Jun 2016)
• Prince George's Co. teacher arrested for sexually abusing student (3 Jun 2016)
• Former Prince George’s County, Md. School Board Member Sentenced (30 Apr 2016) [member appointed by Mr, Baker]
• Family sues Prince George’s County Public Schools after 8-year-old daughter is sexually abused (17 Apr 2016) 
• Police: Teenage girl's pimp says he is a Prince George's County school bus driver (3 Mar 2016)
• Rushern Baker, P.G. County executive, didn’t get the memo (3 Mar 2016)
• The Special-Education Charade; Individualized Education Programs, or IEPs, are one of the greatest pitfalls of the country’s school system. (3 Jan 2016) [in The Atlantic, by a Prince George's County parent]
• 6th grader beaten by fellow students on Prince George's County school bus (17 Dec 2015)
• Parents allege corporal punishment at Blue Ribbon school in Maryland (6 Dec 2015)
• 7 On Your Side shocked to find PGCPS 'confidential' student records exposed to public view (23 Nov 2015)
• Student’s family sues Pr. George’s school system claiming illegal search (27 Oct 2015)
• A school bus driver caught by students texting and driving behind the wheel in Upper Marlboro is still employed by the school system. (23 Oct 2015)
• Prince George's Co. Public Schools Health Director Placed on Leave as Thousands of Students Need Immunizations (28 Sep 2015)
• Former Md. high school football coach convicted of having sex with a student (15 Sep 2015)
• Prince George's County students claim school lunches are undercooked, contain mold (14 Sep 2015)
• Md. mother ‘heartbroken,’ angry after son, 4, placed on wrong bus (2 Sep 2015)
• Prince George's School Board Members Continued Using Taxpayer-Funded Credit Cards After Vote to End Them (12 Aug 2015)
• Two students stabbed in Prince George's County school (2 Jun 2015)
• Maryland mom pulls daughter from school, says building makes her sick (22 May 2015)
• Video shows teacher hitting students with belt (19 May 2015)
• 9-year-old Landover student beaten by classmates on school bus (12 May 2015)
• Prince George's County Elementary School Teacher Accused of Sexually Abusing Student (6 May 2015)
• Teacher Who Pleaded Guilty to Sex Assault Not on Sex Offender Registry (27 Mar 2015)
• Md. high school principal accused of discrimination has left her job (22 Jan 2015)

Julie Parker (@PGPDNews)

Does anyone know the story on Julie Parker?

Formerly of ABC7, she did a great job as head of media relations for the Prince George's Police Department--one of the best in the dozen years PG-Politics has been reporting on crime and politics in the county.

When she left suddenly in May, PGPD said "Parker has accepted a position in another industry" (Bethesda's Total Wine and More).

Now, in late August, just over three months later, Julie has surfaced as the new communications director for the Fairfax County Police.

Imho, PGPD communications have NOT improved since her departure. So, why did she leave?

D.C. Russell

PG legislators' positions on Rushern Baker's school coup d'etat (reposted from 31 Mar 2013)

Note that this does not reflect the final votes on HB 1107.

---

Notes: Dates shown are for the online version of news reports and may differ from the dates a story appeared in print.  * indicates legislators who voted for Baker's 2002 school interference law.  That change did not improve educational results, but did result in the Baker-created appointed school board appoint, defending, and paying off a superintendent later convicted of committing felonies on the job.  Potential employment-related conflicts of interest highlighted in Red.

Supporters

• Del. Benjamin Barnes (D-21). 301-858-3046, ben.barnes@house.state.md.us
• Gazette, 23 Mar 2013 
• Sen. Joanne C. Benson (D-24).  301-858-3148, joanne.benson@senate.state.md.us
• Post, 16 Mar 2013
• Sen. Ulysses Currie * (D-25).   301-858-3127, ulysses.currie@senate.state.md.us
• Post, 17 Mar 2013
• Del. Dereck E. Davis * (D-25). 301-858-3519, dereck.davis@house.state.md.us
• Deputy Director of Community Relations under Rushern Baker
• CNS, 28 Mar 2013, Post, 30 Mar 2013
• Del. Jolene Ivey (D-47).  301-858-3478, jolene.ivey@house.state.md.us
• Director of Media Relations for Baker's Community Teacher's Institute
• Post, 17 Mar 2013, Post, 20 Mar 2013, Post, 20 Mar 2013, Gazette, 21 Mar 2013
• Sen. Thomas V. 'Mike' Miller, Jr. * (D-27). 301-858-3700, thomas.v.mike.miller@senate.state.md.us
• Post, 29 Mar 2013
• Sen. Paul Pinsky * (D-22).   301-858-3155, paul.pinsky@senate.state.md.us
• Post, 20 Mar 2013, Post, 22 Mar 2013 ("key architect of the takeover plan")
• Sen. Victor Ramirez (D-47), 301-858-3745, victor.ramirez@senate.state.md.us
• Gazette, 21 Mar 2013
• Del. Geraldine Valentino-Smith (D-23A).  301-858-3101, geraldine.valentino.smith@house.state.md.us
• Gazette, 23 Mar 2013, Post, 23 Mar 2013

Others (opponents and questioners)

• Del. Aisha Braveboy (D-25).  301-858-3707.  aisha.braveboy@house.state.md.us
• Gazette, 23 Mar 2013, Post, 23 Mar 2013, CNS, 28 Mar 2013
• Del. Anne Healey * (D-22).  301-858-3961, anne.healey@house.state.md.us
• Post, 23 Mar 2013
• Sen. Douglas J.J. Peters (D-23).  301-858-3631, douglas.peters@senate.state.md.us
• Post, 16 Mar 2013, Post, 22 Mar 2013
• Del. Veronica Turner (D-26).  301-858-3212, veronica.turner@house.state.md.us
• Gazette, 23 Mar 2013, CNS, 28 Mar 2013
• Del. Jay Walker (D-26).  301-858-3581, jay.walker@house.state.md.us
• Gazette, 23 Mar 2013

Details

Del. Benjamin Barnes (D-21). Gazette, 23 Mar 2013 

Delegation Vice Chair Del. Benjamin S. Barnes (D-Dist.21) of College Park pointed out that the school board has gone though seven superintendents in 14 years and questioned whether the board was doing enough to address turnover.

Sen. Joanne Benson (D-24).  Post, 16 Mar 2013

State Sen. Joanne Benson (D-Prince George’s), a former school administrator and the delegation’s liaison for education, described Baker’s plan as “a good fit,” one that will increase accountability.

“I think that a change is needed,” she said. “We also need a facelift for the reputation of our school system. . . . I don’t have a problem with [the superintendent] becoming a cabinet-level position.”

Del. Aisha Braveboy (D-25). Gazette, 23 Mar 2013 

Del. Aisha N. Braveboy (D-Dist.25) of Mitchellville questioned why these issues had to be settled with legislation instead of through some other agreement or study.

"I dislike making a change just to make a change," she said. 

Del. Aisha Braveboy (D-25).  Post, 23 Mar 2013

Del. Aisha N. Braveboy (D-Prince George’s) argued that Baker is “making a change just for the sake of making a change,” and she suggested that an outside expert be brought in to assess the system.

“Why don’t we give this issue the level of importance it deserves and give it a study like we give other important issues,” she said.

Del. Aisha Braveboy (D-25). CNS, 28 Mar 2013

Delegate Aisha Braveboy, D-Prince George’s, said there have been other executive takeovers of school systems across the country, but she is not convinced they have been as effective as they initially sought out to be.

“I think it’s difficult for us to say that this change (in structure) would yield better results given that the proposal hasn’t proven to be successful in other areas,” Braveboy said.

Both Turner and Braveboy agreed they wanted changes made to help improve Maryland’s second largest school system.

Sen. Ulysses Currie * (D-25).  Post, 17 Mar 2013

State Sen. Ulysses Currie (D-Prince George’s) said he plans to support Baker’s proposed state legislation, which likely will be added as amendments to a bill that Del. Geraldine Valentino-Smith (D-Prince George’s) proposed months ago to form a task force to review the operations of the school board.

“I think he is going in the right direction,” Currie said, describing the school system as the “weak link” in the county’s ability to move forward. Baker has long said the schools — which rank toward the bottom of Maryland’s school systems in terms of achievement — are a hurdle to economic growth.

Del. Dereck E. Davis * (D-25).  CNS, 28 Mar 2013

Others in the Prince George’s delegation, including Delegate Dereck Davis, believe the changes in power make sense conceptually.

“If the executive is willing to take this on and wants to be held accountable for it, I’m supportive of the idea,” said Davis, adding that the county has been consistently ranked at the bottom of the state in terms of student achievement during the nearly 19 years he has been in office.

Davis said he has talked to many of his colleagues on the House side, and that a majority of them are in favor of taking some type of action in the near future.

“It may not be precisely what the county executive introduces, but overall they are not satisfied with what’s currently going on.” Davis said. “They’re definitely supportive of seeing something happen that would alter the course that we have been on.”

Del. Dereck E. Davis * (D-25).  Post, 30 Mar 2013

Del. Dereck E. Davis (D-Prince George’s), who has served in the General Assembly for nearly 20 years, said he is constantly bombarded by constituent complaints about the school system’s slow progress.

“There have been modest gains . . . but we had nowhere to go but up,” Davis said. “Can I guarantee that this will improve schools? I can’t make that guarantee. But we need to plot a different course. . . . If [Baker is] willing to take it on, I’m willing to back it.”

After a bitter battle took place in 2002 to get rid of the elected board of education and replace it with an appointed board — a move that was reversed in 2006 — Baker’s new schools plan has run into fresh resistance in the General Assembly, where several lawmakers are concerned that the county executive would have more power than any other in the state.

Del. Anne Healey * (D-22). Post, 23 Mar 2013

“I am not happy that this is here at this time with so little preparation,” said Del. Anne Healey (D-Prince George’s) .

“We are going to deal with it, go through it line by line, piece by piece and figure out if anything in here will advance our school system,” she said.

Del. Jolene Ivey (D-47). Post, 17 Mar 2013

Del. Jolene Ivey (D-Prince George’s), the chairman of the county’s House delegation, applauded Baker for addressing what she called the “final and most important piece in our county’s renaissance.”

Ivey said she has attended numerous public forums in the county where residents have criticized Baker for the school system’s shortcomings.

“People think the county executive is running the schools, but all he can do is send money,” Ivey said. “If he is going to be judged on our schools, he needs to do more.”

Del. Jolene Ivey (D-47).  Post, 20 Mar 2013

“I truly think we’re asking too much of our school board,” said Del. Jolene Ivey (D), chairman of the Prince George’s delegation in the House, who supports Baker’s proposal.

“We’re paying these people $18,000 a year. Most of them have to have an additional job,” Ivey said. “You’re asking people to have 1½ jobs, manage a $1.7 billion budget, and focus on parental engagement and academic policy. Now come on — how much can you expect people to do?”

Del. Jolene Ivey (D-47).  Post, 20 Mar 2013

State Del. Jolene Ivey, head of the Prince George’s delegation and a supporter of Baker’s plan, said when Baker and other elected officials meet with residents around the county education consistently tops the list what residents want to discuss. “That’s what we hear,” she said. “What they want to talk about usually are schools. The reality is that [Baker] is doing all he can do with the current set up. The question is what can we do differently.”

Del. Jolene Ivey (D-47).  Gazette, 21 Mar 2013

Del. Jolene Ivey (D-Dist. 47) of Cheverly, chairwoman of the county’s House delegation, believes the change could be positive for Baker. Prince George’s students’ test scores have ranked near or at the bottom on the state standardized tests for years, and although the school board oversees the education system, voters tend to hold Baker and county leaders responsible for the state of local schools, Ivey said. Ivey added that she did not think Baker’s proposal comes with any future political agenda.

“Sure, anything good he’s able to accomplish benefits him in the future politically, but he’s got three kids who graduated from Prince George’s schools and he’s committed to making them better,” Ivey said. “There’s always that risk of it not working out, but if you take the safe route, what have you accomplished? That’s how he’s been in his whole political career. He’s been willing to do something unpopular to get something accomplished.”

Sen. Thomas V. 'Mike' Miller, Jr. * (D-27). Post, 29 Mar 2013 

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller (D-Calvert), whose district includes a chunk of southern Prince George’s, sat near committee members as they heard two hours of testimony.

Miller said when the hearing broke up that he thinks that the system has improved but that progress is too slow and the county cannot afford to wait much longer.

“We turn over huge sums of money to the school board,” he said. “We need to see results.”

Miller, who will have extensive influence over the course of the debate, predicted there would be a compromise. “The county executive will want more than we are going to give him,” he said. “The other side doesn’t want to see any change. We are going to find a way to fashion a compromise.”

 Sen. Douglas J.J. Peters (D-23).  Post, 16 Mar 2013

State Sen. Douglas J.J. Peters (D), chairman of the county’s Senate delegation, said he wonders whether restructuring would yield academic improvements.

Sen. Douglas J.J. Peters (D-23).  Post, 22 Mar 2013

Sen. Douglas J.J. Peters (D-Prince George’s) said he told Baker that the General Assembly would not approve his proposal. “It needs to be retooled to have a chance,” Peters said. Throughout the week, Baker’s aides, working with Senate staffers, redrafted the legislation, which is slated to be introduced Monday, according to lawmakers.

Sen. Paul Pinsky * (D-22).  Post, 20 Mar 2013

Sen. Paul Pinsky (D-Prince George’s) said the issue was reaching a climax now partly because of concerns that the board isn’t up to the task of making the best choice for superintendent. The board recently narrowed the search to three finalists, but Baker’s bombshell could mean the hunt is reopened.

“There’s some question of confidence in the Board of Education to make a good choice,” Pinsky said. Noting that only a couple of members work professionally in education, he said, “Few have ongoing experience sitting around the table with other superintendents, either in the county or the state.”

Sen. Paul Pinsky * (D-22).  Post, 22 Mar 2013

Sen. Paul G. Pinsky (D-Prince George’s), an ally of Baker’s who was a key architect of the takeover plan, acknowledged that “some people will be concerned about a power grab.”

“But I don’t hear a lot of people coming to the defense of the Board of Education,” he said. “Most people want good schools, and they don’t care how we get there.”

Sen. Victor Ramirez (D-47).  Gazette, 21 Mar 2013

State Sen. Victor Ramirez (D-Dist. 47) of Cheverly said he doubted any one single issue would derail Baker’s re-election bid as long as voters see he is trying to improve the county.

“When you’re trying to do the right thing, I don’t think it can be seen as political suicide,” Ramirez said. “He’s trying to be a leader, and education is our No. 1 priority. ... He wants our system to be one of the best in the nation. I don’t believe it’s a power kick. He’s trying to move the county forward.”

Del. Veronica Turner (D-26). Gazette, 23 Mar 2013 

But other delegates were concerned with how Baker's proposal would deal with the cooperative bargaining among the school system and teachers unions. "I'm worried how this will affect labor contracts," said Del. Veronica L. Turner (D-Dist.26) of Temple Hills.

Del. Veronica Turner (D-26). CNS, 28 Mar 2013

“The bill came too fast too late (in the session)” said Delegate Veronica Turner, D-Prince George’s. “There was no time really for us to conduct a study to understand what the county executive is trying to do.”
...
Both Turner and Braveboy agreed they wanted changes made to help improve Maryland’s second largest school system.  When asked whether she believed the policy was the county executive’s attempt to seek more power, Turner said Baker’s “motives were legit.”

“He knows that there are problems and he was trying to fix them,” Turner said. “But his approach of trying to fix them may not have been the right approach.”

Del. Geraldine Valentino-Smith (D-23A).  Gazette, 23 Mar 2013

Del. Geraldine Valentino-Smith (D-Dist.23) of Bowie argued that the current model is faltering despite those numbers, saying decreasing enrollment is affecting state funding for Prince George's schools. "At the end of the day, the school board is advocating we follow a model that other jurisdictions are following when we are the largest in the state," she said. "It's a shared responsibility. This proposal is saying 'Can we share with you?'"

Del. Geraldine Valentino-Smith (D-23A).  Post, 23 Mar 2013

Del. Geraldine Valentino-Smith (D-Prince George’s) said she has tried to win school board support in the past two years for legislation that would offer the public more information about contracts and spending practices, but has been repeatedly rebuffed by the school board.

“This year I came in and said ‘Can we please put together a task force and look at best practices,’ ” she said. “It was vehemently opposed by the school board.”

Del. Jay Walker (D-26). Gazette, 23 Mar 2013

"My main question is 'Where's the plan?' What's the county's plan? What's the board's plan?" said Del. Jay Walker (D-Dist.26) of Fort Washington during the special hearing on the proposal in Annapolis.

Some history: Links to old posts related to Baker's school takeover

28 Sep 2015:  Another school problem surfaces following Baker's takeover

Tweets from NBC4's Tracee Wilkins:(@TraceeWilkins)
     #Breaking: @pgcps places health director on leave for mismanagement that includes MD student immunizations. #NBC4DC pic.twitter.com/NHSXtKwIG4     Dr. Angela Wakhweya was hired by Pr. George's School CEO Kevin Maxwell in 2013 after she was fired from Anne Arundel County's health dept.

22 Aug 2015:  Tracee Wilkins tweets on antics of recently indicted Baker school board appointee

• Breaking: The Pr. George's School Board Member accused of falsifying documents for free school lunch for her kids wants back on the board.​
• According to Lynn Mundey, she rescinded her resignation but the chair has not accepted it. Sources say he did not have the power to do that.
• Without board approval.
• Schools released a statement saying it's acted appropriately and this is currently being handled by legal representation for both parties.
• Mundey is one of the members appointed by the County Executive under the hybrid school board of elected and appointees.
• She's facing criminal prosecution for the free school lunch accusations along with other employees of GAO who live in the County.

• Comments: 

• The chair, mentioned above, also appointed by Rushern Baker, is Baker's former brother-in-law.This new affair is not surprising considering the long record of cronyism, corruption, and criminal activity in school management since Baker first started interfering in school management over a decade ago.

 4 Jul 2015:  Huge increase in Prince George's school staffing?

9 Jan 2014:  Rushern Baker continues politicization of "non-partisan" Board of Education

     Despite his broken promise to not try to take over the schools, and despite the fact that the Prince George's County Board of Education is legally a non-partisan body, Rushern Baker today swears in an appointed Democratic Party political operative replacing a former elected non-partisan member of the board.  Baker and the anti-democracy legislators who conspired with him should be ashamed, but, as we know, OUR legislators know no shame.

31 Mar 2013: PG legislators' positions on Rushern Baker's school coup d'etat (Part seven)
(Includes some references to conflicts of interest and spporters of Baker's 2002 school law)

23 Mar 2013: Rushern Baker's planned school coup d'etat, Part six: To whom will the superintendent report

20 Mar 2013:  Comments on Rushern Baker's planned school coup d'etat, Part five, Examiner editorial covers what Post left out

20 Mar 2013:  Comments on Rushern Baker's planned school coup d'etat, Part four, Post editorial supporting Baker is mostly irrelevant and wrong

18 Mar 2013: Comments on Rushern Baker's planned school coup d'etat, Part three, excuses for interfering

18 Mar 2013: Rushern Baker's planned school coup d'etat, Part two, takeover bill language

18 Mar 2013:  Comments on Rushern Baker's planned school coup d'etat, Part one, what the Post didn't report

Summary: Recent Head Start and other school problem related links from Twitter

moses
@moses100000
PGCPS Head Start Had Previous Problems, Letter Says https://sasscer.wordpress.com/2016/08/25/pgcps-head-start-had-previous-problems-letter-says …

moses
@moses100000
4-year-old PGCPS Student dropped off at wrong bus stop on first day of school https://pgcpsmess.wordpress.com/2016/08/25/4-year-old-pgcps-student-dropped-off-at-wrong-bus-stop-on-first-day-of-school …

Post Local
✔ @postlocal
Md. county school board members call for leaders’ ouster after Head Start debacle http://wpo.st/k5Vt1

Tracee Wilkins
✔ @TraceeWilkins
The fallout follows the county losing its federal Head Start funding after a federal investigation into student abuse.

Tracee Wilkins
✔ @TraceeWilkins
County Exec says he has faith in the school board's chair and vice chair.

Tracee Wilkins
✔ @TraceeWilkins
#Breaking: 5 Pr. George's Co. School Board members call for the board's chair and vice chair to resign. County Exec confirms he has letter.

ALSO: From Rushern Baker's inauguration speech, December 2010:

Some have asked, “Are you planning on taking direct control over the county schools?” My answer is no ..."

BOE political cronyism-nepotism refresher

Before Rushern Baker took office, he said that he would NOT make another attempt to take over the school system. Nevertheless, he asked the General Assembly to let him take it over. They gave him part of what he asked for.
One of the leaders behind Baker's school coup was Del. Dereck Davis.

Baker appointed Seguin Eubanks as chair of the Board of Education. Eubanks is Baker's ex brother-in-law.

Baker and Eubanks hired Kevin Maxwell to be school CEO. Maxwell promptly hired Mrs. Dereck Davis as his top deputy.

Del. Dereck Davis' day job is as a top official in the county Office of Community Relations. In other words, he works for Rushern Baker.

Del. Dereck Davis' immediate supervisor in the Office of Community Relations is Musa Eubanks, the brother of Seguin Eubanks.

A number of questions come to mind.

• Was Davis' support of Baker's coup really "for the children," or more to curry favor with his boss?
• Did the school system really need another high-paid administrator, and was Mrs. Davis the absolute best choice, or was her hiring payment for Del. Davis' support?
• Was Seguin Eubanks the absolute best choice for BOE chair, or was his hiring influenced by his relationship to Baker and one of his top aides?

I'm sure their are other ethical questions that could also be asked--including whether any of the above contributed to Baker's failure to keep his promises about ethics and hiring an Inspector General.

What is PG's "structural deficit"

What is PG's "structural deficit"

As has been reported before, the "Blue Ribbon Commission" was set up to deal with the "structural deficit." So, what is a "structural deficit"? Despite some other more formal definitions:

"Structural deficit" is the politically correct euphemism used by politicians to try to rationalize and distract attention from their uncontrolled addition to spending money they don't have and will never have unless they steal more from the public at large.

While politicians expect you and me to live within our means, and scrape by on whatever they don't take from us, these politicians feel they are entitled to grab anything they can get away with.

Their spending addiction is not really much different from alcoholism or addition to drugs.

Drug addicts and alcoholics often live in denial of their addiction and resort to subterfuge and theft to satisfy their addiction.

And so it is with politicians and their insatiable addiction to spending--they rationalize what they are doing to each other, grab what they can from the public, delude themselves into believing they are doing nothing wrong, and fail to seek treatment.

The best way for the public to deal with spending-addicted politicians is to send them back to the real world, not reinforce their addiction by supporting or reelecting them.

Unfortunately, the voters of Prince George's County (and most of Maryland) support the addicts and reinforce their addiction.

As a result, Prince George's County residents have about the highest tax burden in the region, with some of the poorest and decreasing services, and are about to be held up again. And while many people will complain about the politicians overriding TRIM and ignoring the will of the voters, most voters seem satisfied with the status quo and have the kind of government they probably deserve.

What we need is a commission that will force the county to live within its means, improve productivity, advocate recall, and develop a 12-step program for spending addicts.

Recent Prince George's County News (24 Feb - 2 Mar 2016, semi-sorted)

• Greedy Tax Addicts Want Even More:
• Lorraine Yuriar: @thekytikat:
• When enough is never enough: @CountyExecBaker edition. redmaryland.com/2016/02/when-e… @RedMaryland @pgpolitics #MDpolitics : View summary
• PG Politics: @pgpolitics:
• @thekytikat Re "Waste Management" msg .Looks like greedy pols want to cut service in half, keep same fee. : View conversation
• MCE Watch: @mce_watch :
• Big surprise, 40+ tax hike Brown's x-chf of staff says PG Dems don't have enuf $ to spend. wpo.st/ynaH1 twitter.com/arelisrhdz/sta… View summary ·
• Arelis R. Hernández: @arelisrhdz:
• Report: Prince George’s needs new ways to bridge budget gap wpo.st/ynaH1 : View summary
• PGCBlogging: @PGCBlogging:
• PGCo's budget gap requires MAJOR cuts and increases in revenue. buff.ly/1T8Fiv9 : View summary
• Big Brother IS Watching Listening:
• Josh Hicks: @Reporter_Hicks:
• Devices on public buses in Md are listening to passenger conversations wapo.st/1oVSrvp @OvettaWashPost pic.twitter.com/sZcQqAHqZ9 : View photo
• Other:
• AFRO News: @afronews:
• AFRO Black History 2016: Prince George’s County Local Heroes: Museum Tells History of Local Black Aviators ow.ly/YOnem View summary
• Tauhid Chappell: @TauhidChappell:
• I'm joining the @washingtonpost in March as one of their social media producers. Looking forward to moving back home & doing big things : View conversation
• Post Local: @postlocal:
• Nearly 1 million gallons of raw sewage spills into Maryland creek wpo.st/kw3G1 : View summary
• Laurel Leader: @laurelleader:
• Laurel hospital owner disputes allegations of withholding financial information from potential buyer: bsun.md/1oDm583 View summary
• General Assembly 2016:
• MarylandReporter.com: @mdreporter:
• Why can't we watch the legislature live? The Mikes blame MPT, (These guys must still have B&W TVs at home) #mdga ow.ly/YLqMV : View details
• PGCBlogging: @PGCBlogging:
• Md. Senate votes to fund new Prince George's medical center, angering Hogan's office buff.ly/1Uzhtwe pic.twitter.com/b8Fo4kyS2S : View photo
• Brian Witte: @APBrianWitte:
• Maryland Senate passes bill to fund new medical center wtop.com/maryland/2016/… via @WTOP : View summary
• Matt Bush: @MattBushMD:
• Only Hope For #Marijuana #Legalization This Session - Put It To The Voters #MDGA16 #MDPolitics wamu.org/news/16/03/01/… : View details
• Elections & Politicians:
• PGCBlogging: @PGCBlogging:
• Color of Change taking CBC PAC to task for not endorsing Donna Edwards #mdpolitics buff.ly/1Qs9oEq pic.twitter.com/wuOH5mnaw7 : View photo
• The PG Sentinel: @PGSentinel:
• #Hyattsville is considering a $17 million budget with more funding for new positions and city education grants. bit.ly/1L6bltm View details
• The PG Sentinel: @PGSentinel:
• The Blue Ribbon Commission's preliminary report shows both county revenue shortfalls and expenditure increases. bit.ly/1OQXFwX : View details
• The PG Sentinel: @PGSentinel:
• The county board of ed passed a proposed budget last week after heated discussion about changing it. bit.ly/1QUc6YE View details
• Arelis R. Hernández: @arelisrhdz:
• Liberals explain why they’re strategically voting as Republicans: washingtonpost.com/news/post-poli… : View summary
• Warren Christopher: @WC4Congress:
• I'm sick & tired of being sick & tired of career politicians exploiting the apathy in our community to advance their own agenda. #MDPolitics View details
• Rochelle Metzger: @RochelleReports:
• #PrinceGeorges Public Works crews to begin countywide pothole blitz on Tuesday, March 1st. Drivers be alert for trucks working on roadways. : View details
• John Fritze: @jfritze:
• .@MichaelSteele jumping into a home state race, endorsing @CHARLESFADDIS against Steny Hoyer in #md05. Still, it's a tough district for GOP. : View details
• Arelis R. Hernández: @arelisrhdz:
• Chris Van Hollen wins straw poll of young Maryland Democrats from @rachelweinerwp wapo.st/1LMF8BZ pic.twitter.com/JtfHoVpLle : View photo
• Arelis R. Hernández: @arelisrhdz:
• Seniors press 4th Congressional District candidates on Social Security wpo.st/XEZG1 pic.twitter.com/3mTZQg0O84 : View photo
• Arelis R. Hernández: @arelisrhdz:
• At #Md4 forum, audience skews older, discussion has revolved a lot around social security & the candidates specific plans for protecting it : View details
• Arelis R. Hernández: @arelisrhdz:
• On redistricting question, @PenaMelnykforMD advocates independent Committees and is only person on stage representing both counties in 4th : View details
• Arelis R. Hernández: @arelisrhdz:
• .@BrownforMD hands @Glenn_Ivey his 2nd compliment of the day related to similar positions on police misconduct and redistricting reform : View details
• Arelis R. Hernández: @arelisrhdz:
• Social security, redistricting and community police relations are the top issues so far in #MD4 candidate forum. : View details
• Arelis R. Hernández: @arelisrhdz:
• .@WC4Congress is taking most risks, criticizing pols running for 4th; took swipe at @PenaMelnykforMD for running/not living in district. : View details
• William Ford: @jabariwill:
• George McDermott responds to a question about gerrymandering in Maryland. @WashInformer pic.twitter.com/SX5PfjQNZZ : View photo
• William Ford: @jabariwill:
• All the candidates oppose gerrymandering in Maryland, but why is it still done? @WashInformer pic.twitter.com/6d8MgcSELZ : View photo
• Joseline Peña-Melnyk: @PenaMelnykforMD:
• "As part of the Black Caucus I have been an outspoken member about police accountability issues on the House Floor." #MD4Forum #MD04 : View details
• Tom Dernoga: @TomDernoga:
• Md needs honest districts, not ones that serve politicians. twitter.com/PenaMelnykforM… : View details
• Arelis R. Hernández: @arelisrhdz:
• VIDEO in which @CountyExecBaker tells @wbalradio it's no secret he is at odds with Gov. Hogan: wapo.st/1n1KC5y : View details
• Arelis R. Hernández: @arelisrhdz:
• Here's the latest in a public feud that could turn into a preview of Maryland's governor's race in 2018. twitter.com/postlocal/stat… View details
• Post Local: @postlocal:
• Why the top leader in Prince George’s is going after Md. Gov. Larry Hogan wpo.st/s77G1 : View summary
• Arelis R. Hernández: @arelisrhdz:
• .@CountyExecBaker, who stood by O'Malley until the end, tells @wbalradio He thinks Clinton is the Dems' best chance to win the White House : View details
• Education:
• The PG Sentinel: @PGSentinel:
• Sentinel Columnist Anita Naves shares her opinions on the recent indictment of a former school board member. bit.ly/1LxSzeq : View details
• The PG Sentinel: @PGSentinel:
• PGCPS formed a task force on student safety to analyze the district's policies and proceedures and offer changes. bit.ly/21HT3Cy : View details
• Washington Informer: @WashInformer:
• Teacher Accused of Ignoring Student's Complaint Against Sexual-Abuse Suspect bit.ly/1nhywFz pic.twitter.com/D1g3G5mxpy : View photo
• Post Local: @postlocal:
• Third lawsuit filed in Prince George’s child sex-abuse case wapo.st/1QJWvEP : View summary
• Planning, Development, Transportation:
• PGCBlogging: @PGCBlogging:
• Metropolitan Meat, Seafood & Poultry Co.moves business to LANDOVER. buff.ly/1QU2HR1 pic.twitter.com/0PmoR2WlPs : View photo
• The PG Sentinel: @PGSentinel:
• Greenbelt residents want sustainability and pedestrian-friendliness considered in changes to the Greenbelt Metro. bit.ly/1Qsk9Kh : View details
• WashingtonBizJournal: @WBJonline:
• Food distributor moving D.C. operations to Landover, plans up to 15 new jobs bizj.us/1lhs3w : View summary
• The Diamondback: @thedbk:
• Engage in talks about the 2020 College Park vision at a Diamondback-hosted panel April 5 bit.ly/21sLgZp pic.twitter.com/McF2b4guYH : View photo
• WashingtonBizJournal: @WBJonline:
• Foreclosures on the rise again in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties bizj.us/1ley20 pic.twitter.com/z2y3PEzA71 : View photo
• WashingtonBizJournal: @WBJonline:
• .@MGMNatlHarbor commissioning work from local artists bizj.us/1lg28o View summary
• New Carrollton MD: @NewCarrolltonMD:
• Did you know? New Carrollton has a new active Business Association!! email shartmann@newcarrolltonmd.gov for details : View details
• Public Safety:
• Maryland News: @WTOPinMD:
• New Prince George’s Co. police chief announces officer hiring spree bit.ly/21I90bX #WTOP : View summary
• The PG Sentinel: @PGSentinel:
• Sentinel Columnist Anita Naves shares her opinions on the recent indictment of a former school board member. bit.ly/1LxSzeq : View details
• PGPDNEWS: @PGPDNews:
• He’s got his hands full. We’d be happy to help this burglary suspect. #WantedWednesday goo.gl/oADIvJ pic.twitter.com/aKJ598ZN2y : View photo
• PGPDNEWS: @PGPDNews:
• Call us if you know where we can find this assault suspect. #WantedWednesday goo.gl/oADIvJ pic.twitter.com/MOBPv2C98E : View photo
• Washington Informer: @WashInformer:
• Teacher Accused of Ignoring Student's Complaint Against Sexual-Abuse Suspect bit.ly/1nhywFz pic.twitter.com/D1g3G5mxpy : View photo
• Post Local: @postlocal:
• Third lawsuit filed in Prince George’s child sex-abuse case wapo.st/1QJWvEP : View summary
• Darcy Spencer: @darcyspencer:
• Coming up live at 6: Victims scammed out of hundreds of dollars at ATMs in #Bowie Police say how to avoid the scam pic.twitter.com/tfN9esoDs9 View photo
• PG Crime Solvers: @PGCrimeSolvers:
• Wanted Sex Offender - Lewis Anthony Ford, Jr. fb.me/2MEC317Yx : View details
• PGPDNEWS: @PGPDNews:
• We are on scene of a non-fatal shooting in the 5400 blk of Hamilton St. We received a call for a shooting @ 9:30 pm. pic.twitter.com/MO98CkEC3d : View photo
• Adult male victim taken to hospital, serious condition. Detectives working to establish suspect(s) and motive. : View details
• No further info, check back for any updates. Any further info will be released here. : View details
• Rochelle Metzger: @RochelleReports:
• Shooting Update: School lockdowns lifted and roads reopened in Prince George's County, after morning shooting in Lanham. : View details
• PG Crime Solvers: @PGCrimeSolvers:
• Police warn about ATM skimmers at 3 locations in Bowie... fb.me/4GG61HMT2 : View summary
• Darcy Spencer: @darcyspencer:
• Four Prince George's County Schools on Lockdown After Nearby Shooting | NBC4 Washington nbcwashington.com/news/local/Fou… via @nbcwashington View summary
• PGPDNEWS: @PGPDNews:
• Shooting investigation has shut down Greenbelt Rd btwn Aerospace Rd & Goodluck Rd. Follow police direction. #mdtraffic View details
• PGPDNEWS: @PGPDNews:
• Search for up to 2 suspects. Duvall HS & Goddard MS on lockdown only as precaution. Shooting not at schools. Prelim: shooting not random. : View details
• PGPDNEWS: @PGPDNews:
• Detectives investigating shooting near bus stop in 9900 blk Greenbelt Rd. Prelim: 1 victim w/critical injuries. pic.twitter.com/1XBlpLGfhe : View photo
• Rochelle Metzger: @RochelleReports:
• Four #PrinceGeorgesCounty schools on lockdown as police investigate a shooting in Lanham area. #PGPD reports 1 victim. : View details
• Rochelle Metzger: @RochelleReports:
• Shooting investigation at Greenbelt & Aerospace Rds. 1 victim reported. #MD-193 closed btwn Good Luck & Aeorspace Rds for police activity. : View details
• Post Local: @postlocal:
• Police on scene of shooting in Lanham area of Prince George’s County wapo.st/1ThE5SB : View summary
• Darcy Spencer: @darcyspencer:
• #BREAKING via @PGPDNews: Shooting investigation underway at Greenbelt Rd & Aerospace Rd. PRELIM: 1 victim. PIO heading to scene. : View details
• PGPDNEWS: @PGPDNews:
• Shooting investigation underway at Greenbelt Rd & Aerospace Rd. PRELIM: 1 victim. PIO heading to scene. : View details
• AFRO News: @afronews:
• Pr. George’s Prosecutor’s Office Shares Crime-Reducing Initiatives ow.ly/YPRbb : View summary
• PGPDNEWS: @PGPDNews:
• PGPD suspends officer following off-duty, domestic-related arrest. goo.gl/BXdBBs : View details
• PGPDNEWS: @PGPDNews:
• This theft suspect looks like he has a question. We’ll answer it if he calls us. 1-866-411-TIPS. #WantedWednesday pic.twitter.com/JUG7UB40pu : View photo
• PG Crime Solvers: @PGCrimeSolvers:
• WANTED: Darrel Lamar Smith - Failure To Register As A Sex Offender. fb.me/44aZqFyAr : View details
• PGPDNEWS: @PGPDNews:
• Help us identify these drug store robbers. 1-866-411-TIPS and get some $. pic.twitter.com/avAGU1TdGY : View photo ·
• Cheryl Conner: @ABC7Cheryl:
• #Bowie Police Chief John Nesky says his dept. has gotten reports of fraud since skimmers/cameras were removed yesterday. : View details
• Cheryl Conner: @ABC7Cheryl:
• #Bowie police chief shows us skimming devices and cameras removed from 3 ATMs located at 7-11 stores in the city. pic.twitter.com/gWR6usse2y View photo
• PGPDNEWS: @PGPDNews:
• Two officers nabbed burglars after they broke into a home, among our officers of the month. goo.gl/tdn15T pic.twitter.com/Ug40lvB7Rx : View photo 
•  Mailing List Digests:
• Fwd: FUTURE TRASH Collection Changes!
• IHHAAC Board  - #23594
• Re: Pls SAVE THE DATE! District 24 Night in Annapolis set for March On 
• Bonnita Spikes  -  #23593
• Pls SAVE THE DATE! District 24 Night in Annapolis set for March 14.
• Thanks to Mrs. Avis Thomas-Lester and MD Delegate Attorney Erek Barron (D-24) for sharing.
• Jacob Andoh  -  #23592
• Fwd: 2016 MD HB 1178/SB 868 propose mandatory HPV vaccine
• Diane C. Russell  -  #23591
• Village Green resident, Pat Fletcher, at center of water-bill disput
• Arthur Turner  -  #23590
• Why Beltsville is the D.C. area’s best cheap-eats destination |
• Arthur Turner  -  #23589
• Re: FYI-Condo/Homeowner Association Bills in General Assembly 
•  So...an Advocate and a Lobbyist? Your position on the 15% tax increase un-nerved me at times... Sent from my iPhone
• sstrother  -  #23588
• Re: FYI only>Status of PG Bills Pending in a General Assembly Commit
  
• Thank you Mr. Tyler. ... From: "ARTEERICK@aol.com [PG-Politics]" To: arteerick@aol.com Sent: Saturday, February 27, 2016 7:40:39
• cfcamacho1399  -  #23587
• FYI only>Status of PG Bills Pending in a General Assembly Committee
  
• The following is a community service effort, solely to inform, not influence the Prince George's voting, taxpayer public on issues being considered by the
• arteerick  -  #23586
• FYI-Condo/Homeowner Association Bills in General Assembly
• FYI-Condo/Homeowner Association Bills in General Assembly>> Some of you are aware that I am a lobbyist for several non-profits whose mission is focused on
• arteerick  -  #23585
• 'Skimmers' Found on ATMs at Three Bowie Stores: Police | Patch
• Arthur Turner  -  #23584
• Fw: Please share this flier: District 24 Lawmakers Hold Meet and Gre
  
• Thanks to Mrs. Avis Thomas-Lester and MD Delegate Attorney Erek Barron (D-24) for
• Jacob Andoh  -  #23583
• Question for anyone --
• I hear that Lachelle Stamps from UMD's admissions office is related to someone involved with our county government, someone who had something to do with the
• Lorraine Yuriar  -  #23582
• Renewed push to combine UM College Park and UM Baltimore gains steam
• Arthur Turner  -  #23581
• Thoughts?>> Purple Line bid includes trains from firm that made Metr
• See story below: For a project this complex and expensive using taxpayer funds, why would the state and two counties agree to hire a contractor that has such a
• arteerick  -  #23580
• Recent Prince George's County News (21 - 24 Feb 2016, unsorted)
• Pg Politics   -  #23579

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