Executive Baker to join Gov. and Lt. Gov to Announce Health Care Partnership

PLEASE JOIN COUNTY EXECUTIVE RUSHERN L. BAKER, III
TO ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP FOR TRANSFORMING
PRINCE GEORGE’S HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

Prince George's Executive Rushern Baker

Tomorrow, July 21, 2011, Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker, III will be joined Governor Martin O’Malley and Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown and other officials at a press conference in the County Administration Building Council Chambers in Upper Marlboro. Officials will announce a new partnership and path forward for transforming health care in Prince George’s County, including plans for improving management of existing health services, increasing access to primary care, enhancing the County’s overall health infrastructure, and ensuring a world-class health care system for Prince George’s County and Southern Maryland.

WHAT: County Executive Baker, Governor O’Malley, and Lt. Governor Brown, to Announce Health Care Partnership

WHEN: TOMORROW, Thursday, July 21, 2011 at 10:30 a.m.

WHERE: Prince George’s County Administration Building
County Council Chambers
14741 Governor Oden Bowie Drive
Upper Marlboro, MD

LaVonn Reedy Thomas
Director, Office of Community Affairs
Prince George’s County Government
County Administration Building
14741 Governor Oden Bowie Drive, Suite 5032
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
phone: 301-952-3755
www.princegeorgescountymd.gov

THE REAL PRINCE GEORGE’S IS ON BREAK BUT WILL UPDATE THE SITE WITH SHORT ANNOUNCEMENTS AS THE COME.

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Summer break but get connected with us easier

Our editorial staff and team will be taking a break for the next few weeks to recharge our batteries and enjoy the summer. We will however post should any major breaking news hit in the county or region.

With our break is the best time to get connected with The Real Prince George’s easier.

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Fmr. District 6 Councilman Sam Dean throws support (again) behind Arthur Turner

Former County Councilman Samuel Dean

Former Prince George’s County Councilman Sam Dean and his wife/political adviser Donna today announced their support for former Democratic Central Committeeman Arthur Turner in the race to succeed Leslie Johnson when she steps down at the end of the month. Turner who before running for the county council last year and being beaten by both Leslie Johnson and Derrick Leon Davis (who also will be a candidate) represented much of the 6th district on the Prince George’s County Democratic Central Committee where he was the first vice-chairman.

In an email announcing their support the Dean’s wrote, “Donna and I feel very strongly that Arthur Turner, who will be a candidate, without question, is the best qualified person for the position of Council Member for District 6. He has our unquestionable support.”

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People for Change Leader among minority calling for Johnson not to step down

People for Change Leader Sandy Pruitt who refused to call for Leslie Johnson to resign from office before October.

After School Board Member Donna Beck called their leader a black bitch they called for her to resign. In 2007 they blasted Jack Johnson for appointing Leslie Johnson to a grants board. They called out Melony Griffith, Jack Johnson, and Bishop C. Anthony Muse for supporting a new stadium to be built, and then called for the resignations of council members Sam Dean and Marilyn Bland for walking out of a meeting. However today just hours before Leslie Johnson announced her resignation from the Prince George’s County Council for federal corruption charges, the leader of People for Change Sandy Pruitt told the Washington Examiner she was not looking for a speedy resignation by the leader.

Sandy Pruitt and People for Change have built their name for “holding” elected officials to account however some of their critics say it has always been about the power they didn’t have and the power they wanted. In 20101 Pruitt’s group fielded a slate they called for change in which all of their non-incumbent candidates were defeated by huge numbers. “That tells you their anger and hate mixed with false truths doesn’t hold well in this county,” said a member of the county council. Today’s decision not to join the rest of the community in calling for Johnson’s resignation has shocked some supporters of the group but not so many of their critics. “This is People for Change, uneven, not balanced or totally honest. To call for Beck’s resignation for calling their leader a bitch but saying she’s not ready to see the county move forward without Leslie after she has admitted guilt makes them the joke I always thought they were,” the council member went on to say.

Councilwoman Leslie Johnson plead guilty last week to federal charges of evidence and witness tampering and faces upwards of a year behind bars. She submitted her letter of resignation today with an effective date of July 31st just before the rest of the council stripped her of her staff, county car, cell phone, and parking space.

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BREAKING NEWS- JOHNSON TO RESIGN, SO WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

Prince George’s County Councilwoman Leslie Johnson who plead guilty just last week to federal witness and evidence tampering charges has submitted a letter of resignation but post dated it to become effective on July 31st, right before the council recesses for the summer.

As we wrote about before this is what will happen next.

The County Charter empowers the council to order a special election if a vacancy occurs within the first three years of a council members term. Johnson has been in office for less than a year. Therefore should Johnson step down on July 31st the body (under county law 020-104) will have until August 7th (seven days or 10th if you include weekends) to adopt a resolution setting both a primary and general election for district 6 voters. The law also says the primary election cannot be earlier than 45 days after the vacancy (September 14th) or later than 60 days (September 29th). This means the primary will be settled before Johnson reports to jail. The general election under county law cannot be earlier than sixty days (September 29th) or later than 90 days (October 29th).

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Turner and council have opportunity to send signal on Johnson with their return tomorrow, Plus Happening This Week

When the Prince George’s County Council returns this week from their recess last week (in order to attend the annual MACO conference) they will have an opportunity to send a clear signal to Leslie Johnson about her continued service. Tomorrow they could adopt a resolution of no-confidence that would surely pass the council and strip her of any benefits the seat offers, or they can do nothing and give her the signal that her continuation on the body will be accepted. The agenda for the meeting which can be seen here does not make any mention of Councilwoman Johnson but it does note the group will meet in executive session at the conclusion of their meeting to discuss personnel matters. The last time this happened with respect to Mrs. Johnson she was stripped of all committee assignments and the right to represent the body in an official capacity.

Tuesday, July 5 2011

• The Prince George’s County Council will meet at 10AM for their regular meeting in their chambers. Among the items to be considered are confirmations for Thomas Himler to be Director of the Budget Office, Gail Francis to be Director of Finance, and Mark Magaw to be Chief of Police. The council is also expected to debate and possibly approve Councilman Will Campos’ bill repealing a law he and three other members just passed last year allowing for more taxi cab permits. They will also meet in Committee of the Whole to review appointments Executive Rushern Baker’s nominees to the Planning Board as well as the Housing and Environment Departments. Read the entire agenda on our community calendar page by clicking on the meeting details.

Wednesday, July 6 2011

• The County Council’s Public Safety and Fiscal Management Committee will meet at 1:30PM to review bills by Leslie Johnson on a financial literacy task force, Karen Toles revising the County’s policy for the use of the Tax Increment Financing, and Mel Franklin and Andrea Harrison on enhancing the County’s economic development by creating bidding preferences. Read the entire agenda on our community calendar page by clicking on the meeting details.

• The County Council will also meet at 6:30PM as the Board of Appeals.

Thursday, July 7 2011

• The Prince George’s County Planning Board will meet at 8:30 a.m. to discuss Administrative/Parks and Recreation Items. At 10:00 a.m.  they will talk about Development Review Items.
• The Prince George’s County Council Health and Human Service Committee will meet at 10AM to review nominees to the Board of Social Services.

 

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FROM THE EDITORIAL BOARD- Johnson case is a test in leadership for the council

Council Chairwoman Ingrid Turner who has not called for Leslie Johnson to resign.

Regular readers of this blog will know it is not common for us to engage in much editorial or opinion writing. It is true we write stories that may carry our personal bias but we don’t write simply off of our opinion, until today.

When Jack and Leslie Johnson were first both arrested for charges of corruption last year many in Prince George’s, including a good number of us, felt the media was focusing too much attention on casting a much too wide net and not placing enough blame on those at the heart of the issue. Editorials last year blasted our elected officials for their near unified silence on the issue. Yes it is true the top priority for this government should be to create jobs, grow our economy, fully fund our schools, and keep the streets clean, but to put our heads down in the sand and ignore the elephant in the room is just too much.

Last December we didn’t join the calls for Leslie Johnson not to take office. Some of the members of our editorial board felt she shouldn’t be sworn in but we understood the law and even held out some higher belief in the constitution that she was innocent until proven (or she plead) guilty. She has done that and now is the time to step down and should she decide not to then her colleagues on the council should help her make that decision. Putting it simply it should be made clear that her continued service on the council would not be acceptable nor comfortable. This is a moment for leadership and that is just what Chairwoman Ingrid Turner and others can provide immediately.

Yesterday just hours after Johnson plead guilty Executive Rushern Baker said, “I believe the process of healing should not be delayed or deferred”. He was right. He also said, “It is in the best interest of Prince George’s County that Council Member Leslie Johnson resigns from the County Council.” He is right again. That is the same message her friend, sorority sister, and colleague Ms. Turner should send. It is also the message her other colleagues Ms. Toles, Mr. Patterson, Mrs. Harrison, Ms. Lehman who also have not called on her to resign should send. They can start as soon as their next meeting by passing a resolution of no-confidence and calling on Mrs. Johnson to resign. Yes it is a purely ceremonial but it will let Johnson know clearly where the legislative body of Prince George’s County stands. Ms. Turner can go even further. We know that Ms. Turner had been advised that the council has wide latitude to strip Johnson of other discretionary privileges such as a staff budget. The Washington Post is reporting Johnson has a number of events coming up such as a business card exchange. Turner and the council should strip the funding for those programs as well as any support for them.

The decision of if or when Leslie Johnson will resign before October 13^th is totally up to Johnson alone. The acts she committed her for Johnson to atone for alone. However allowing Johnson to remain an active member of the council for three more months taking in $28,000 in taxpayer dollars after being the reason the county will already be forced hundreds of thousands of dollars in a special election is about leadership. Ms. Turner your time to step up is now.

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