Disclaimer: Student Government Association public policy representative and deputy civic engagement director Lynelle Essilfie is a former Diamondback opinion columnist.

Six of the 11 candidates for Prince George’s County Executive discussed job security, education, housing and student advocacy at a town hall hosted by the University of Maryland’s SGA Monday evening.

About 20 people attended the event, which the University Honors College program also hosted.

“We really wanted to make sure there was a way for students to get to meet some of these candidates and get more involved with the process,” sophomore public policy and economics major Lynelle Essilfie, who is the Student Government Association’s public policy representative and deputy civic engagement director, told The Diamondback.

Eleven candidates are vying for county executive after Democrat Angela Alsobrooks secured her seat in the U.S. Senate. Tara Jackson, who was the county’s chief administrative officer, serves as the acting county executive.

The special election primary will be on March 4, but early voting begins Wednesday.

  • The six candidates, all Democrats, who attended the town hall were:
  • Former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker
    Business owner Marcellus Crews
  • Business owner Ron Hunt
  • Financial professional Albert Slocum
  • Attorney Moisette Tonya Sweat
  • State Sen. Alonzo Washington (D-Prince George’s County)

[Meet the 8 Democrats running for Prince George’s County Executive]

Baker and Washington left shortly after the event began due to other commitments. Hunt left toward the middle of the town hall.

Democratic candidates Prince George’s County state’s attorney Aisha Braveboy and at-large county council member Calvin Hawkins did not attend the town hall.

The three Republican candidates — U.S. Army veteran and pool service company owner Jesse Peed, victims’ rights advocate George McDermott and U.S. Air Force veteran and former federal employee Jonathan White — also did not attend.

In response to a question about job security amid recent federal government layoffs, Crews said increased workforce development opportunities in K-12 schools and expanding universities will better prepare people for the job market.

“Workforce development needs to be front and center,” Crews said. “We need to re-educate a lot of our adults through certifications and get them into higher paying jobs.”

In response to a question about early childhood education in the county, Sweat raised concerns about the implementation and funding of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future — a $3.8 billion plan to improve education quality in the state’s public schools over the next decade.

Sweat said the county’s public school system must better accommodate students who do not speak English. She advocated for changes in the county’s school curriculums to improve low literacy rates and called on Prince George’s County Public Schools to hire more bilingual staff, including a bilingual superintendent.

“We have to find a county executive who has the courage to do the work, to get the revenue to do what needs to be done for all of our children, for all of our issues and for all of our residents,” Sweat said.

[Meet the 3 Republicans running for Prince George’s County Executive]

Slocum said he would support rent control in specific areas, citing economic feasibility concerns. The county should work with developers to produce more affordable housing, he added.

“We need to work with those nonprofit, not-for-profit developers, where we can build smart, green energy efficient development, so the costs are driven down,” Slocum said.

An attendee asked about the candidates’ stance on protecting student advocacy on campus. Crews, Slocum and Sweat expressed their commitment to ensuring students’ freedom of speech is secure.

SGA civic engagement director Hana Lee told The Diamondback she was excited about the event and to help students learn about the local election.

“I just want to encourage people to pay more attention to their local elections, because this can be very impactful and meaningful,” the sophomore social data science major said.

Phoebe Coleman, a sophomore theater and early childhood education major, told The Diamondback she usually “is not a huge fan” of political events but learned from the candidates by attending the town hall. The event empowered her to be more involved in the community, she said.

Sweat told The Diamondback it was important for her to attend the town hall to hear from students and share her goals, as she hopes students will also participate in politics.

“I don’t care what the turnout was, it doesn’t matter to me, because you all will go out and talk to your peers and your colleagues about what you heard this evening,” Sweat said. “They’re going to get excited and get interested to learn more, so the word will spread.”