Eight Democratic candidates for Prince George’s County Executive debated education reform, the county’s budget deficit and public safety at a virtual debate on Wednesday.
Twelve candidates, consisting of nine Democrats and three Republicans, are vying to fill the county executive seat after former county executive Angela Alsobrooks won her U.S. Senate election in November. The debate, held over Zoom, comes weeks before the March 4 special primary election.
Tara Jackson, who was previously the county’s chief administrative officer, serves as the acting county executive.
Every Democratic candidate, except for Prince George’s County state’s attorney Aisha Braveboy, attended the debate. Braveboy led the race in campaign fundraising as of Jan. 8, Maryland Matters reported.
Maryland state Sen. Alonzo Washington (D-Prince George’s) emphasized the importance of public safety and community outreach in his opening statement before leaving the debate call due to technical issues.
The candidates were asked about the county executive’s role in relation to the county’s education system.
Rushern Baker III, who served as Prince George’s County Executive from 2010 to 2018, said it’s necessary to have a close relationship with the school system and its superintendent.
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Prince George’s at-large County Council member Calvin Hawkins added that this is especially important when a large proportion of the county budget is dedicated to education.
“[We should] give our teachers the resources they need because our county executive and our superintendent work together to build a first-class public school system,” Hawkins said.
Alsobrooks endorsed Hawkins for the seat on Jan. 24, citing his extensive career in county government.
But Ron Hunt, who was a Washington, D.C., nightclub owner for more than 20 years, said the budget is “one big debacle.” He said he isn’t satisfied with the superintendent position, and as county executive, Hunt said he wanted to take “complete control of the Board of Education, because it’s out of control.”
While county council chair and at-large member Jolene Ivey supports funding local education, she said public safety is a significant issue in the county that deserves more financial attention.
Ivey cautioned against future investments in the Blueprint Schools Program, a part of public-private partnership created under state legislation called the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, for school construction and regular school investment in a series of goals over 10 years.
“We have so many concerns right now and things are so precarious,” Ivey said. “I’m not sure that we can afford the next payment on the Blueprint.”
Prince George’s County Public Schools invests $25 million to $30 million annually in school construction with the Blueprint, according to the program’s website.
The county also faced a $171 million budget deficit in fiscal year 2025.
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Albert Slocum, a human resources developer, said reconstructing existing properties instead of new construction efforts would help save money. But he added that cutting back an already small budget will not help generate revenue.
“We’re at a deficit because we’re not able to reach certain levels of generating revenue,” Slocum said. “What I would do is generate more revenue have proprietary services to help that.”
Marcellus Crews, managing director for the construction company CREWSING Technologies, argued that crime stems from a lack of youth investment, particularly in education. The county must continue to fund education rather than reducing funding to improve the overall budget, Crews added.
“If we want to see a change in our young people, we have to focus on our young people,” Crews said.
Like Crews, Tonya Sweat, a managing member of a consulting firm, said the county must invest in services that support and educate the youth, rather than ignoring crime.
The general special election for the seat will take place on June 3.
