Campaign Plan For A Cleaner County

Braveboy Launches Project Elevate Anti-Litter Campaign

Story By Raoul Dennis // PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROB ROBERTS

Promises made, promises kept.

In one of her first official acts as county executive, Aisha Braveboy launched a county-wide beautification campaign on June 25.

In what she’s calling “Project Elevate,” the county’s top executive has set in motion a street-by-street neighborhood cleaning effort that will circulate street cleaning trucks n personnel across Prince George’s and focus on those areas in greatest need. It will include encouraging residents to call and engage 311 in identifying and addressing litter and trash problems in the county.

The campaign will work in tandem with Prince George’s County Department of Public Works and Transportation. Michael Johnson, director of DPWT, projects that at its current rate, the department will gather over 1.5 million pounds of trash before the end of the year.

Braveboy’s move is more than a campaign promise for many residents of the county – it’s an answer to an urgent demand that many have held for decades. The campaign epitomizes that which many successful politicians wisely adopt early in their careers: give constituents positive change they can see whenever possible. In an earlier interview with Prince George’s Suite Magazine, Braveboy listed county beautification among her top five issues to address in her first 100 days.

“I ran for this very important seat, I promised to focus on the needs of our residents and to elevate our county,” said Braveboy. “And the first step in that is to ensure that our roads and our streets are beautiful. As beautiful as the people who live in the county.”

The campaign starts now and will run for a year, the county executive announced moments before she drove off at the wheel of a large street sweeper.