Bringing Their ‘A’ Game
The County Executive Forum held at Reid Temple AME Church in Glen Dale, MD on Feb. 1. Over 200 attended. PHOTO: RAOUL DENNINS // PRINCE GEORGE’S SUITE MAGAZINE & MEDIA
They Came, They Spoke, They Made Their Voices Heard
By D.A. Phillips // PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAOUL DENNIS
The race for Prince George’s County Executive moved another step toward introducing voters to the candidates and their views in a February 5 debate hosted online.
The event was viewed by nearly 900 on YOUTUBE and 1.5K on FACEBOOK. As of this writing, the debate neared 1,800 YOUTUBE views.
“As President of the South County Democratic Club, I am proud of the success of the Prince George’s County Executive Special Election Debate. This event provided an invaluable platform for candidates to share their visions and for our community to engage in the democratic process. With over 1.5K views on Facebook and 880 views on YouTube, it’s clear that Prince Georgians are deeply invested in the future of our county.” -Courtney Finklea Green
The debate can be viewed on YOUTUBE here.
The Citizens For Accountability in Governance and the South County Democratic Club hosted on Facebook and YouTube a Special Elections Debate for the Prince George’s County Executive seat recently vacated by County Executive Angela Alsobrooks when she resigned to take her new position in the United States Senate.
Courtney Finklea Green, President of the South County Democratic Club
Candidates included, former County Executive Rushern L. Baker III; Business Owner Marcellus Crews; Prince George’s County Council At-Large-Member Calvin S. Hawkins Jr; Ron Hunt, who says he is not a politician but a mainstay in the DMV area for decades; Prince George’s County Council Chair Jolene Ivey; Real Estate Advisor Albert Slocum; Prince George’s County attorney and former Judge Advocate in the U.S. Air Force Tonya Sweat and Alonzo Washington who represents District 22 in the Maryland Senate.
The three-hour event included questions such as:
“Should incumbents automatically be re-elected?”
“Should juvenile offenders be eligible for stricter sentences based on the severity of their crimes?”,
“Do you intend to run for the full term in 2026 if elected?”
Education and taxes were a hot topic of discussion. Moderator Marc Clarke masterfully controlled the time and held his guests to a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer almost perfectly during the “rapid fire” round of questions. Not an easy feat for public figures.
The Feb 5 debate was the most recent of two events attended by the candidates within a week. An in-person County Executive Forum was held at Reid Temple AME Church in Glen Dale, MD on Feb. 1 [See photo gallery below]. Over 200 residents and voters attended as candidates fielded questions on topics ranging from immigrant community protection, teacher salaries, property taxes, crime and the home of the Washington Commanders.
“Events like this remind us of the strength of our community when we come together to discuss the issues that matter most. It was a positive step forward in fostering transparency, accountability, and a collective commitment to progress,” Green said.
