Following the resignation of former Prince George’s County Councilmember Mel Franklin in early June, Council Chair Jolene Ivey (D) was the first candidate to publicly declare intent to run for the vacant seat in the Aug. 6 special election, and she has already garnered support of dozens of local leaders.
Ivey’s campaign, announced on June 26, has been endorsed by over 50 elected officials, including former County Executive Rushern Baker, County Council Vice Chair Sydney Harrison (D- District 9), Delegate Jazz Lewis (D- District 24), and North Brentwood Petrella Robinson.
“I’d like to be able to address more of our challenges holistically, for the entire County. Each Councilmember has important skill-sets. The At-Large members should have the big picture in mind for the County,” she said in an exclusive interview with The Informer. “As a former chair of the Prince George’s House Delegation in Annapolis, I’ve had that experience, and now as chair of the Council, I am well positioned to have a greater role in guiding the county forward.”
Ivey has served as both Delegate and County Councilmember, offering her a unique grasp of how each level of government works in tandem.
In 2006, she won a seat in the House of Delegates and she served as a delegate for the 2008 presidential election of Barack Obama. By 2012, Ivey was the chair of the Prince George’s County House Delegation.
In 2014, she ran on a ticket alongside then-attorney general Doug Gansler, but lost in the primary to current Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown. She ran for the County Council in 2018 and is currently serving as chair while pursuing the At-Large seat.
Her husband, U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey, has represented Maryland’s 4th Congressional district since 2023.
“We need to ensure the safety of our communities. People need to feel safe, and they need to be safe,” she said about her biggest priorities on the Council currently.
Ivey said he has a solution that has proven successful in other major locales.
“Working with law enforcement and in partnership with social service experts, we can identify the people most at risk for taking part in threatening community safety and help them get services that make them less likely to commit crimes,” she told The Informer. “This approach has worked in Boston, and it can work here.”
One of the biggest accomplishments she cites during her current term is closing the county’s $171 million budget shortfall while providing funding to hire new police officers and firefighters, without raising property taxes. Given Prince George’s budget crunch, there is a renewed focus on opening new businesses and increasing housing development to ensure needed services for the county’s foreseeable future.
“Our permitting department has new, yet experienced, leadership and they are taking a hard look at how to streamline permitting,” she said. “I look forward to learning their plans, since getting permits is a critical part of opening a business and developing much-needed housing.”
Ivey also wants to work with the county’s Annapolis delegation to apply for more grants, to bring home the most resources possible for Prince George’s and its 27 municipalities.
The filing deadline for the special election is on July 5, and early voting will begin July 31 and end Aug. 5. Ballots will be mailed on July 23 and 39 drop box locations will be available throughout the county to return the completed forms.
Each Council district will have one open site for the Aug. 6 election.
County Clerk of Court Mahasin El-Amin and South County advocate Tamara Davis-Brown have both put out public information about their upcoming campaigns for the At Large seat. Councilmember Wala Blegay (D- District 6) is also rumored to be considering a run for the seat.
Baker shared why he is endorsing the current council chair.
“Jolene Ivey has been an incredible chair of the County Council,” said the former county executive. “She’s the best candidate for Council at Large and I’m proud to endorse her.”