Prince George’s County Democratic voters will go to the polls Aug. 6 to nominate a candidate for the vacant at-large seat on the county council.

The special election comes after at-large council member Mel Franklin resigned from his seat on June 14. Six days later, he was charged with multiple counts of perjury, embezzlement and felony theft scheme in the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court.

Eight Democrats are vying for the nomination to fill Franklin’s empty seat for the remaining two years of his term. The winner of the Democratic special primary will face the Republican candidate during this fall’s general election in an overwhelmingly Democratic county.

Another candidate who initially filed to run, Kiesha D. Lewis, told The Diamondback via email that she ended her primary campaign.

Here is a look at the candidates for the at-large seat. Candidates are listed alphabetically by last name.

Read more about the Republican candidates here.

Timothy Adams

Timothy Adams is the mayor of Bowie and the CEO and president of SA-TECH, a firm that provides logistical and technical support for customers within the U.S. defense department.

When he was elected in 2019, Adams became the city of Bowie’s first Black mayor in its more than 100-year history.

In an interview with The Diamondback, Adams said he hopes to increase economic development and county tax revenue, ensure safe and clean streets and provide for the county’s senior citizens.

“Promises made, it should be promises kept,” he said.

[Former Prince George’s County Council member Mel Franklin charged with embezzlement]

Angela Angel

Angela Angel is an attorney, advocate and former state delegate who lives in District Heights.

In an interview with The Diamondback, Angel said she has two children in Prince George’s County Public Schools with special needs, and has had a hard time getting them the services they need. Seeing students who need additional resources not getting them drove her to run for the seat, she said.

As an at-large council member, she said she would tackle crime and public safety and audit different parts of the county government to find places where it can spend more efficiently.

“I know how to do it. I know the processes. I know the interplay of what agencies do and what they don’t do,” Angel said.

Tamara Davis Brown

Tamara Davis Brown is an attorney, community advocate and activist.

Her top priority as a council member would be keeping the county’s budget balanced, she said in an interview with The Diamondback. She would also focus on auditing the county’s school system and public safety.

“One of the things that I want to focus on is ensuring that we take greater advantage of federal grant programs and getting federal dollars that are available to municipalities and local governments,” Brown, who lives in Clinton, said.

Leo Bachi Eyombo

Leo Bachi Eyombo is an educator, businessman and researcher. Currently, Eyombo teaches research methods and biostatistics at Bowie State University.

Eyombo told The Diamondback the county needs a “fresh beginning.”

He said his priorities include updating the curriculum for Prince George’s County Public Schools to better keep up with evolving technology.

“I think we are overdue for change, and we cannot be electing the same people and making the same mistakes over and over,” Eyombo said.

[Prince George’s County juvenile curfew legislation aims to quell disruptive gatherings]

Marvin E. Holmes, Jr.

State Del. Marvin E. Holmes, Jr. (D-Prince George’s) is running for the at-large seat to bring experience to the council and help expand the county’s commercial tax revenue.

“The tax base in Prince George’s County is primarily on the backs of residential property,” Holmes told The Diamondback in an interview. “It cannot expand as fast as it could have in a commercial tax base revenue system.”

Holmes said he also plans to increase support for the University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center in Largo, possibly by using funding from the state’s growing cannabis industry.

Holmes, who lives in Upper Marlboro, has served in the Maryland General Assembly since 2003. He is also a licensed realtor and business owner.

Jolene Ivey

Jolene Ivey is a member of the Prince George’s County Council representing District 5 and is the current chair of the council. She was first elected to the council in 2018, and began her second four-year term in 2022.

If she won the general election this November, Ivey, a former journalist and graduate of the University of Maryland, would have to vacate her position representing the county’s fifth district. A special election would then be held next year to fill the seat.

Ivey told The Diamondback she couldn’t risk someone winning who she didn’t think would be part of the “progress of the county.”

“I’m not acting like this is no expense in order to have this election, or possibly another election,” Ivey said. “But the cost to the county of letting the wrong person win this race, it would have a profound economic impact and that is actually why I’m running.”

In the at-large seat, Ivey said she will also be able to have a wider lens in what she is able to focus on as a council member, and provide constituent services to more county residents.

Judy Mickens-Murray

Judy Mickens-Murray is a former administrative officer with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association and was appointed twice to the county’s board of education, once in 2002 and again in 2021.

Mickens-Murray, an Upper Marlboro resident, said her experience as a civil servant gives her the insight and the understanding to serve the county as an at-large council member.

“I’m trying to open the door for community involvement in a meaningful way in Prince George’s County politics,” Mickens-Murray told The Diamondback.

Her priorities as a council member would include keeping the rent prices under control and attracting more teachers, firefighters and law enforcement officers to the county.

Gabriel Njinimbot

Gabriel Njinimbot is an entrepreneur, author and grassroots organizer. He previously sought the Democratic nomination for Maryland’s 4th Congressional District, challenging incumbent Glenn Ivey.

In an interview with The Diamondback, Njinimbot, a Laurel resident, said the county is on “a downward spiral” when it comes to education, crime and other issues residents face every day.

“We’ve been doing the same things over and over again with the expectation that something different will happen, and it hasn’t,” Njinimbot said.

He said the county needs to make sure the streets are safe for residents, ensure senior citizens in the county get the support they need and prevent tenants from having their rent increased at too high a rate.