Understanding Prince George’s at-large county councilmembers

In Prince George’s County, the work of our at-large county councilmembers makes a big difference in the quality of our lives. When it comes to local development, local schools or local infrastructure, these people make it happen around here — or don’t.  

Voters in this month’s primary elections will almost certainly decide who holds these seats, as only Democrats are running in these races. 

Below you will find statements from candidates for the two at-large county council seats, who, if elected, will represent the entire county.

For statewide seats, our colleagues at Maryland Matters publish an online election guide. For the Prince George’s county executive race, we refer you to our colleagues at The Washington Informer. For other races, see our frequently updated local election content at StreetcarSuburbs.News.

Here are key dates for the primary election:

July 7-14: Early in-person voting

July 19: Primary election day

Same-day registration is available. Find your polling place at elections.maryland.gov/voting/where.html.

Meet Your Prince George’s At-Large County Council Candidates

Rudy D. Anthony

Age: 33

Day Job: Cybersecurity engineer 

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Community involvement: Volunteer with Ben Jealous for governor campaign, volunteer at Martha’s table, volunteer at my daughter’s PGCPS school, cheer dad, and Marine Corps veteran. 

 

Statement to voters: Change in our county is very imperative at this moment. We’ve gone through a pandemic, and we are facing a changing economy and way of life here in Prince George’s County. My plea to voters is to vote for that change, because the future is now. As a cyber security engineer, I know how important it is for our residents to be trained in those occupations of the future, and, as a single father, I know how important it is to improve public schools in the county. Please vote Rudy D. Anthony when you go to the polls.

 

Sam Elira

Mr. Elira did not respond to Streetcar Suburbs News’ request for a submission.

 

Leo Eyombo

Leo Eyombo

Age: 49

Day Job: Businessman/Visiting Assistant Professor at Howard University

Community Involvement: Knight of Columbus, Special Olympics, One Love Charity

Statement to Voters: Leo is a resident of Prince George’s County, and a proud graduate of Prince George’s County Public School (Suitland High School C/O 1990). He is a father, businessman, clinician, professor, academician, author, healthcare executive, education application executive, international development expert, a Christian, and a 4th-degree Knight of Columbus.

Welcome to the heart of the minority community (Prince George’s County). The BEST County in the GREAT State of MARYLAND. As the world is evolving, we, the people of Prince George’s county, need to be proactive in accommodating and implementing the best laws and regulations to improve the lives of our citizens. I am running for county council because there are many people that feel left out from the decisions made by the county council.

Rent: As home prices have increased in the county, so does the price of rent. As homeowners seek and deserve tax relief, renters should at least be given five days more to pay their rents. Yes, renters too, not everybody is a homeowner.

Why does Prince George’s County make its citizens pay rent on the 5th of every month, while one of the RICHEST counties in the U.S. (Montgomery County) lets their citizens pay rent on the 10th of every month? Our Prince George’s County citizens deserve a five day financial break to pay rent on the 10th of every month. The county council should implement a law to let our citizens pay rent on the 10th of every month.

Traffic Citations: If you are sick of traffic cameras that have nothing to do with safety, PLEASE JOIN ME IN BRING THIS PUNITIVE TAX ON THE POOR TO ORDER. Without good scientific data there should be no justification of this punitive tax on the citizens of Prince George’s County.

Leo will fight for the citizens of Prince George’s County like a LION!

Calvin Hawkins

Mr. Hawkins did not respond to Streetcar Suburbs News’ request for a submission.

Mel Franklin

Age: 46

Day Job: I am a full-time Prince George’s County councilmember, in his third term. I am also an attorney.

Mel Franklin

Community Involvement: I am a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, a public school dad with two kids in PGCPS, and an honorary member of the 100 Black Men of Prince George’s County.

 

Statement to Voters: I’m running for re-election to dramatically build on the great progress we’ve made over the past 12 years. My platform is the Empower Prince George’s Agenda and can be found at www.empowerprincegeorges.com. This agenda would transform every part of our quality of life, like building new schools and academic programs, cutting taxes for seniors, teachers and first-responders, making Prince George’s County the small business and start-up capital of the Greater Washington region, expanding access to affordable health care, and reinvesting in public transit, roads and the environment. I hope you’ll vote for me and this agenda for creating equity and opportunity for all of our families.  

 

Stanford Fraser

Age: 31

Day Job: Assistant public defender for the last five years, Maryland Office of the Public Defender

Stanford Fraser 2
Stanford Fraser

Community Involvement: Legal volunteer with community legal services of Prince George’s County. Member of Progressive Maryland, Reentry Work Group. Member of J Franklyn Bourne Bar Association and Prince George’s County Young Democrats 

Statement to Voters: I’m running for county council because Prince George’s County needs a council that listens. Together we can improve public safety by bringing public health first-responders to the county, we can improve our schools by raising teacher pay and expanding our community schools, and we can improve economic development by supporting smart growth instead of expensive sprawl communities. Please vote for Stanford Fraser for county council at-large. 

Jonathan White

Age: 48    

Day Job: I am a retired veteran. My entire life has involved service. From my 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and 10 years with the federal government, this taught me discipline, teamwork, and developed me as a leader. I worked hard all my life, earning a bachelor’s, two master’s degrees and a graduate certificate from the National Intelligence University. I have accepted the challenge to run for Prince George’s County Council at-large seat and represent the entire Prince George’s County at a higher level of trust and service. I bring a fresh, new perspective with a wide range of personal and professional experiences that will contribute greatly to the growth of our county.

Jonathan White Election Pic

Community Involvement: In both my public and professional lives, I have been a positive, decisive, innovative, gracious leader who understands the importance of cooperation and teamwork to achieve goals. I have served as the co-chair of the Special Education Citizens’ Advisory Committee (SECAC) of Prince George’s County, my neighborhood safety committee, and I have been a high school lacrosse coach at a local high school.

Statement to Voters: Serving the community and the needs of the children in our schools are my priorities. With our increasing population growth, I hear from residents that public safety and crime is a concern. I support funding of the police department back to levels needed to manage the growing population. I support balanced, no-tax-increase budgets, while restoring and providing for additional public safety, essential services and economic opportunities. It’s about working collaboratively and bringing partners together to find solutions to make government work for you. There are the issues: https://fb.watch/e34Fva_aIT/ .