Eric Olson, College Park City Councilman
Correction appended
City Councilman Eric Olson beat out Flo Hendershot for her husband’s District 3 County Council seat late last night in a crowded Democratic primary race.
About 10:40 p.m., constituents, friends and family who had gathered at Plato’s Diner on Route 1 stood poised around a dry-erase board filled with poll numbers as Olson and his wife, Sarah, tallied the totals. The numbers, though unofficial, were strong enough indicators to call the race: according to Olson’s pollsters, he had beat Hendershot 3,073 votes to 2,498.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the next County Council member: Eric Olson!” screamed Maryland Sen. Paul Pinsky, whom Olson later thanked for being a “huge mentor.”
Olson, a city councilman for the past nine years, said he felt “gratified that voters responded to a grassroots campaign.”
“A lot of community members put in a lot of hard work, and it paid off,” said Olson, who raised close to $75,000 in campaign contributions.
Olson’s experience on the city council has kept him in touch with local and student issues. Because of that experience, both The Washington Post and the Student Government Association endorsed Olson in the week prior to last night’s victory.
“Maryland students should be very happy,” SGA President Emma Simson said. “Eric has always been very receptive to students.”
Simson said the SGA will focus on lobbying for the development of downtown College Park at the county level this year, because the county council has jurisdiction over zoning in the city. She said Olson “will be a great asset” as someone who has been receptive to student needs in the past.
Olson’s leading opponent, Hendershot primarily focused her campaign on her hometown of New Carrollton. A longtime teacher at Northwestern High School, Hendershot touted herself as a citizen legislator and repeatedly said last night’s race would have little impact on students’ quality of life.
Shortly after Plato’s filled with cheers for Olson’s victory, the diner’s owner, Tony Akaras, motioned the new County Councilman over behind the counter. Hendershot was on the diner’s phone for him to share her congratulations. Though short, the conversation was friendly.
“There were a lot of good ideas from the whole field,” Olson said of Hendershot and his other Democratic competitors. “It was a clean contest.”
Olson said it was too early to speculate on what the future holds for his city council seat with the main elections still to come in November, but said he plans to continue focusing on schools, public safety and redevelopment.
Amid handshakes and hugs, Olson and his wife shared a quick high-five.
“I’m so grateful,” Sarah said a moment later. “This campaign wasn’t just Eric. It was family, friends and volunteers. It never could have happened without these people,” she said as she glanced around at familiar faces in the room.
“For all the crazy nights and schedules, it was so worth it,” she said.
Also present at the event were Emily Guskin, a Maryland alumna who served as the SGA liaison to the city council last year and had been working on Olson’s campaign, and Michael LaBattaglia, president of the Residence Halls Association.
Olson was a key player last year in establishing the student liaison position in the city several years ago, and Guskin said Olson has been “a great voice for the people of College Park and will be a great voice for the county.”
As people began filing out, content with their candidate’s victory, Olson continued thanking everyone, floating from teal-colored booth to teal-colored booth. His parent’s were still there, and so was his sister, all of whom live in Massachusetts.
“Over the last month, they rotated in and out of Maryland,” Olson said of his family members, who took turns knocking on doors and babysitting Olson’s young daughter, Larissa.
“I can’t thank you all enough,” Olson said.
College Park resident Ana Hernandez, 48, who supported Olson in yesterday’s election and plans on supporting him in November, was also happy with last night’s results.
“I know [Olson] is about trying to get students and homeowners together,” Hernandez said. “We’re a college town, and we should live together in harmony and respect each others’ places in life.”
Mayor Stephen Brayman, who raced between his colleagues’ campaign events last night with an “I heart College Park” sticker on his chest, said he planned to “hit them all, hit them all again, and then hug them all when they all win.”
Moving in half-hour blocks, Brayman at one point broke up the blur of Olson green in Plato’s wearing a yellow Joseline Peña-Melnyk campaign t-shirt.
If Olson wins November’s election, his ideas on redeveloping Route 1 could hold more weight because the county council is responsible for making final decisions on planning issues. That bodes well for supporters of the transformation of Route 1 into a pedestrian-friendly, boulevard-type road.
“He’s got progressive values. He’s got a vision,” said Pinsky. “So when he decided to run, I was behind him all the way. He ran a great campaign.”
Contact reporters Kevin Rector and Andrew Vanacore at rectordbk@gmail.com.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified College Park City Councilman Eric Olson as having worked to establish the student liason to the city council position last year, and identified Emily Guskin as the first to fill the position. Olson worked to establish that position several years ago, and Guskin was not the first to fill it.
