In an April 7 special election, voters in Prince George’s County’s largest municipality picked Bowie Council member Michael Esteve to lead them as mayor.
“I’m grateful to the many residents who came out to vote. We were pleasantly surprised by the high turnout,” Esteve told The Informer.
The Bowie native was one of nine candidates vying for the mayoral seat, including his council colleagues Roxy Ndebumadu and Wanda Rogers, along with 23-year-old Rebecca Pearce.
Now that he’s won the special election, Esteve said he’s ready to get to work.
“I’m looking forward to getting to work to preserve our core services, tackle aging infrastructure, and address our shortage of law enforcement and public works personnel.”
Having served on the council since 2015, the Bowie charter calls for a special election to fill his seat in the coming months. As he transitions from the council to the mayor, Esteve looks forward to further working to strengthen Bowie in a new capacity.
“We’re gonna do everything we can every day to make progress, to listen to people, to ensure folks know what the city’s doing and why we’re doing it,” Estève, who will serve as mayor until the 2027 election, said in an interview with NBC4.
Goals for Strengthening Bowie
A graduate of DeMatha High School and Loyola University, Esteve won on a platform of increasing police recruitment and addressing speeding motorists in his hometown.
“A town our size could easily have 122 law enforcement officers,” he told NBC 4 News. “We’re operating with about 66.”
He also plans to address discolored water coming from faucets in some Bowie homes and work to improve the city’s public works.
“A trash truck that cost $120,000 just a few years ago costs almost $280,000 today,” he continued. “Retention for public works workers, trash workers, recycling pickup guys is much, much, much harder. Those guys used to stick around for years, and now they stick around for months. I think residents are starting to see and notice that.”
Greg Holmes, candidate for county executive in Prince George’s, is excited for the potential that Bowie has in coming years.
“Change in leadership is an opportunity,” Holmes told The Informer, “and Bowie is ready for it.”
With more than a decade in Bowie politics, Esteve knows that the work ahead is not going to be easy. However, he’s looking forward to collaborating with residents and other leaders to get the job done.
“We have many hard decisions to make and a long road ahead,” Esteve told The Informer, “but I’m confident if we come together and make that journey as one city, we can build a shared future and a town we are all proud to call home.”
