Swearing-In: A Big Step Forward For Prince George’s

Ceremony Opening the 445th Legislative Session Reveals High Expectations For The County

Compiled By Raoul Dennis and Tiffany Young // PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMIR STOUDAMIRE

The swearing in at the General Assembly may be a tradition spanning three hundred years but for members and their families, it’s a profound experience.

The new delegates at the Jan. 11 ceremony is another in a recent sea change occurring within the Maryland delegation that is giving rise to the county’s presence in Maryland politics. Sen. Melony Griffith, now Finance Committee Chair and Del. Nick Charles is serving as chair of the county delegation. (photos here)

“Today is an amazing day, the 445th legislative session for the State of Maryland,” Charles said shortly after the swearing in. “We just swore in 23 delegates for Prince George's County, 7 of them being brand new. We got a robust legislative agenda for the year. I'm so happy that we're going into this New Year with the new administration with Wes Moore. Between the speaker of the house, our county executive leadership, we have here in the house, and in the leadership we have in the Senate, I'm pretty sure that we're going to do some great things in Prince George’s County.”

As anxious as Charles may be about the start of the session, according to his mother, he’s been ready since birth.

“I always tell the story of how he came out of the womb to do something like this,” says Marie Beresford, Charles’ mother.  “He was always ready from birth. He wasn't five minutes old. He was ready, he knew he was and spoke [like that], looking around and [seeing what needed to be next]. He's that next, always looking at the next. I'm extremely proud of the man he has become.”

Other delegates also expect great opportunities for the county this session .

“Well, actually, opening day is always special,” says Del. Nicole Williams. “We have worked so hard to try and to get to these positions. Now we're finally here, we get to put up our hand and begin to do the work with the people.”

Says Del. Andrea Harrison: “Today is amazing. Opening day is always so full of excitement and joy as we welcome in our new members. Today even, especially as we saw a new term, a historic term, with not only Speaker Adrienne Jones as the first African American woman and speaker, but next week, we'll also be celebrating the inauguration of the first African American governor of the state of Maryland, as well as the first woman of color to serve as lieutenant governor of the state of Maryland. There's a lot of positive excitement here going on in Annapolis.”

Julian Ivey, son of Congressman Glenn Ivey and Prince George’s County Councilmember Jolene Ivey, is a returning delegate carrying on a family tradition in politics. “Such an amazing day, opening session for the 445th Maryland General Assembly. It's a privilege to serve and to represent Prince George's County here,” Ivey says. “We have some huge initiatives that we're looking to secure for the county. Our county executive has put forward an aggressive agenda for us, and we're just looking to go out there and get the work done. Hopefully, bringing back over half a billion dollars in capital projects and so much more. There is a lot of work to be done.”