Ivey Is Voted New Council Chair
District 9 Council Member Sydney Harrison Elected As Vice Chair
District 5 Council Member Jolene Ivey has been voted the new chair of the Prince George’s County Council.
The Prince George's County Council, during the Exchange of Gavel ceremony on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, elected Ivey to serve as Chair for the 2024 Legislative Year.
“I’m humbled and excited to announce that I have been unanimously voted to Chair the Prince George’s County Council for the upcoming legislative year 2024. I am excited to work with Vice-Chair Harrison and the entire County Council to move our county forward together,” Ivey said in a post-vote, late-night message to her constituents.
“The children and youth of our county and our families have always been my priority, and they will continue to be as we enter this next legislative year,” Ivey said of her priorities. “Everything intersects, and we must be intentional in each decision and policy created to address and resource our community.”
Council Member Ivey was sworn onto the Prince George’s County Council in December 2018 and was recently re-elected for her second four-year term in November 2022. Previously she served two terms in the Maryland House of Delegates, where she was Chair of the Prince George’s Delegation from 2013-2014.
Among Council Member Ivey's priorities on the County Council are children and their families, the fight for environmental justice and sustainable practices, and ensuring residents receive speedy, effective, and courteous services from the County government. She helped start Family Connects, a program within Child Resource Connects, which provides nurses to visit new parents in their homes to support them and connect them with services if needed.
A parent to five sons with her husband, Congressman Glenn Ivey, Ivey also co-founded Mocha Moms, a national support group for mothers of color.
“As Prince George’s County grows, we should make sure that our families thrive along with it. Strong parents lead to great students, a more vibrant economy, and safer communities,” Ivey said.
District 9 Council Member Sydney Harrison was elected to serve as Vice Chair. Council Member Harrison was elected to his first 4-year term on Council in 2018.
Council Member Harrison has served as Clerk of the Circuit Court for Prince George's County after being elected to the position in 2014. He was also the former Vice Chair of the Maryland Clerk's Association, and current member of the Democratic Central Committee - 27th Legislative District, former small business owner, and former real estate professional. Council Member Harrison is an active community member, serving the nonprofit sector, and conducting missionary work around the world raising awareness for victims of domestic violence and foster care children.
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