Power Player: Andrea Harrison – The difference a chair makes

County Council Chairwoman Andrea Harrison (D-Springdale)

In 2010 right after news broke that Jake and Leslie Johnson had been arrested and charged with corruption, attention turned to who would lead the Prince George’s Council. With Leslie Johnson refusing to step down, everyone knew the body would spend the year public eye. The battle was between the incumbent Vice-Chair Andrea Harrison, who had called for Leslie Johnson to step aside and not be sworn-in, and Ingrid Turner, who is a member of the same sorority as Johnson, and needed her vote to topple Harrison. In fact Turner, according to Jack Johnson, had promised to name Leslie Johnson to the powerful Economic Development Committee, a post she would be able to use supporting her husband’s corrupt deals. In the end Turner refused to comment on the Johnson situation and won enough votes to take the gavel from Harrison. It wasn’t until after the public pressure became too much that she supported efforts to strip Johnson of any committee assignments.

Fast forward to this year and we see a whole different picture. In 2010 the AKA sorority had to be proud of the three of their members who had been elected to serve on the council. Now Johnson is gone and another one, Karen Toles, is under investigation. Toles if you remember was stopped earlier this week for going over 100mph on a county highway and refusing to stop. After being stopped, police report she identified herself as councilwoman and in the end was given a warning. The traffic incident created a firestorm which led to news that this was not the first time the councilwoman had been in trouble. The difference this time is who is running the council.

Yesterday Councilwoman Toles announced she would voluntarily give up her county issued car until she completed a police course on safe driving. Today Andrea Harrison, who has since been elected chairwoman, announced the council would strip the councilwoman of her car until the investigation into the matter was resolved, not just the safety course Toles promised to take. Her quick leadership compared with Ingrid Turner who proceeded her marked a change in style. It isn’t the first act of bold resolve.

Harrison recently balked at a proposal by County Executive Rushern Baker to build a casino at National Harbor or bring gambling into the county. In November, one month before Harrison took over from Turner, the council voted 5-4 against a resolution to ban slots in the county. Harrison voted in the minority. Compare that to the recent 9-0 vote the council took in February to oppose a bill backed by Rushern Baker to build a casino at National Harbor. Harrison also led the council in amending a state bill that just passed this week by the Prince George’s County Delegation that provides tax breaks to companies who develop in the county. Harrison wanted to ensure none of the breaks went to any potential gambling companies. In the coming year her role in government will only grow. She will also play a key role in deciding if the Executive will get his choice for County Counsel, the county’s attorney, whose nomination he withdrew and resubmitted after some council members said she lacked the independence they desired. She will also wield a lot of influence in the final budget the council approves.

Harrison was elected to the Prince George’s County Council in 2008 during the special election to replace David Harrington who resigned when he was appointed to the Maryland Senate. She was reelected in 2010. Before being elected to chair the council, Harrison served as Vice-Chair and Chair of the Council of Governments (COG).

—FULL STATEMENT FROM THE COUNCIL CHAIR

The Prince George’s County Council is committed to public safety.  On February 22, 2012, Council Member Toles received a citation for an unsafe lane change and a warning for speeding.    Council Member Toles has stated that she will voluntarily enroll in a driver improvement class and discontinue use of her County assigned vehicle during that time.  The County Council supports her decision, however, until this matter is resolved, we have agreed that Council Member Toles will have no use of or access to a County assigned vehicle for her safety and the safety of others. 

Power Player- Power Player is a new feature for our blog that will highlight individuals whose influence has the potential to make changes in the operation of the Prince George’s County community.

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County governing boards change gavels, Harrison prepares to take over & Jacobs holds on

Prince George's County Councilwoman Andrea Harrison

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If source reports are correct, Councilwoman Andrea Harrison (D-Springdale) is expected to be named chairman of the Prince George’s County Council today. Harrison previously served as Vice-Chair of the council and withdrew her campaign for chairman after Ingrid Turner (D-Greenbelt) locked up the five needed votes. Harrison is also chair of the Council of Governments which she is expected to give up in January when Frank Principi of Woodbridge takes over.

The County Council is expected to elect their new leadership today during their meeting at 11:00AM in Upper Marlboro.

Last night School Board Member Verjeana Jacobs (D-Bowie) was elected to her fifth term as chair of the Prince George’s County Board of Education. She was elected 9-1 with only Board Member Edward Burroughs voting no. Peggy Higgins (D-College Park) was elected to replace Donna Beck as Vice-Chair.

Other News Today- Former County Executive Jack Johnson is expected to be sentenced for his role in a wide ranging corruption scheme in Prince George’s County. His wife, former Councilwoman Leslie Johnson will be sentenced on Friday.

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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Council Chair Ingrid Turner responds to Johnson plea

County Council Chair Ingrid Turner

Prince George’s County Council Chairwoman Ingrid Turner who basically owes her gavel to Leslie Johnson released the below statement in response to her plea of guilty to federal charges of corruption. The statement does not call on her friend and sorority sister to step down but restated the charter process for filling the seat when she does. Both Johnson and Turner are AKA members as well as their younger sorority sister Karen Toles. Johnson and Toles joined with Turner, Council members Will Campos and Obie Patterson to deny then-Vice Chairwoman Andrea Harrison her bid to become chair last year just weeks after Johnson was arrested by federal agents. Campos, Toles, Turner, and Patterson are the only four members not to call on Leslie Johnson to not assume office last December after she was arrested. Council members Franklin, Lehman, Harrison, and Olson all called on Johnson not to take office last December. Turner is the first county official to respond to today’s news. There has been no comment from Executive Rushern Baker or the other council members.

UPDATED- County Executive Rushern Baker has called on Leslie Johnson to resign before her October 13th sentencing hearing saying “I believe the process of healing should not be delayed or deferred,” according to TBD News Anchor Bruce Depuyt.

We’ve also heard from Prince George’s County Democratic Central Committeeman Salome Peters who said “If I were Leslie Johnson, I would have resigned a long time ago.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, June 30, 2011	CONTACT: Karen Campbell 301.952.5182 CouncilMedia@co.pg.md.us
Statement – COUNCIL CHAIR INGRID M. TURNER REGARDING STATUS OF COUNCIL MEMBER LESLIE JOHNSON
Today is a difficult day.  Council Member Johnson has pled guilty to a felony.  After she has commenced her sentence, she will no longer be a qualified voter under Maryland Election Law and must then forfeit her office pursuant to Section 310 of the Prince George’s County Charter. Once a vacancy exists on the County Council and pursuant to the County Charter, the County Council must provide for a Special Election to fill the vacancy. The Council remains focused on its work serving the people of Prince George’s County. There is much to be done and we will continue to focus our efforts on our legislative priorities and work in the best interests of County residents.                                                                                -0- All legislative powers of Prince George’s County are vested in the County Council.  The County Council sits as the District Council on zoning and land use policy, and as the Board of Health to govern and guide health policy.  The County Council meets as a legislative body on Tuesdays in the Council Hearing Room on the first floor of the County Administration Building in Upper Marlboro.  For more information on the Prince George’s County Council, please visit www.princegeorgescountymd.gov
County Administration Building — Upper Marlboro, Maryland 20772 (301)952-3700   TDD (301)925-5167 Follow The Real Prince George’s on Facebook and Twitter. Also get the latest in your inbox by subscribing on the right side of the page.

Council names redistricting commission of all democrats

The Prince George’s County Council met today in one of their first full sessions since they took office last December. First on the agenda was naming a redistricting commission for the county. Every ten years the county council, state legislature, congress, and other representative districts are redrawn following the census and that is no different in Prince George’s.

Under the Prince George’s County Charter any political party who collects more than 15% of the popular vote for all council seats in the last election has the ability to name two members to the redistricting commission. In January the central committees nominate a list of five who the council picks two from. The council then can select their own third candidate who chairs the body. This year however because the GOP failed to get 15% of the overall vote in the county last year they failed to earn any representation on the redistricting commission.

According to official results from the Prince George’s County Board of Elections the Republicans took 3% of the total vote while the Democrats dominated the election with more than 96% of the vote.

From the list forwarded to the council from Prince George’s County Democratic Central Committee Chair Norma Lindsay, fmr. Senator David Harrington and fmr. Democratic Central Committeewoman Tamara Davis Brown were selected. The council then named Sharon Taylor who from what we believe is her Facebook account says she works for the county as a Communications Strategist.

The commission will have until September to work on drawing the new legislative lines for the council and report back to the county council for approval. The council did not release the names of the others on the list sent to them from the democratic organization.

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Johnson supporters plan major support push at council meeting

When the Prince George’s County Council meets next week for the first time in the new year they might be joined by a few visitors. Unless you have been under a rock lately District 6 Councilwoman Leslie Johnson who was arrested last year before her swearing-in was blocked by her colleagues from service on any of the council’s committees and stripped of her oversight role over development in her district.

Following those actions Johnson supporters launched an organizing drive to paint these steps as overreactions by newly installed chairwoman Ingrid Turner of District 3 who literally owes her leadership post directly to her AKA sorority sister Leslie Johnson. In the days leading up to the installation of the council rumors circulated that absent Johnson’s vote neither Turner nor her opponent Councilwoman Andrea Harrison had the five votes needed to claim the chair. Once Johnson broke the speculation up about if she would actually take her seat it became clear she would have the votes to take the gavel.

The group of supporters being led by Mission of Love leader Douglas Edwards argue that as a result of Johnson’s exclusion her residents are being taxed without actual representation, an argument from the revolutionary war that is often used to rally support behind DC Statehood laws. After meeting with Turner and holding discussions with other county officials behind closed doors the fight now appears to be moving into the public.

In an email sent out today by one supporter named Eileen Thomson Leslie and Jack are “doing well.” Furthermore according to the email message plans still are underway for a “get-together for her campaign volunteers in the near future, and [she] has an appreciation gift for each of you.” The date has not yet been set. Following all of the thank you’s and such the email gets down to the real reason why it was sent.

“You have most likely heard or read in the newspaper that, as soon as the Council was sworn into office, they met and voted unanimously to bar Leslie from sitting on any of the council’s committees, and from voting on committee matters. She will be allowed to vote on bills that come before the full council, but all of the work and decision-making takes place in committees. That’s why it’s crucial for the citizens of District 6 that Leslie is able to participate and vote in the committees.
Leslie needs your help! The first Legislative session will be held next Tuesday, January 18 at 10:00am in the council chambers on the 1st floor of the County Administration Building. We need all of you, and anyone else that you can bring, to attend the session to show support for Leslie. You should attend whether or not you live in District 6.”

Any hope that the council may have had to start their year with a clear focus on the issues they all ran on in the election might have to wait awhile. Another community activist who writes the blog @PGD9Politico is planning to visit the council and question their usage of public funds for an out-of-town retreat on the eastern shore last week. She is encouraging other outraged citizens to do the same.

Faced with a huge budget shortfall, rising crime rates, and a county’s whose image is badly in need of repair, the members of the council will have to move quickly to restore public trust and meet these challenges head on. Will they do it? Only time will tell.

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Mission of Love Leader Under Fire for Pro-Johnson Advocacy

Douglas Edwards is not really a household name to many in Prince George’s County, however his advocacy in support of District 6 Councilwoman Leslie Johnson might be starting to become a problem for not only him but his organization as well. Douglas Edwards is the President/CEO & Founder of Mission of Love Charities, one of Prince George’s most successful health and human services organizations. However Edwards isn’t making headlines off of the good work his charities does, but instead as a result of a group he is leading to fight the actions taken by Council Chairwoman Ingrid Turner stripping Leslie Johnson of the ability to vote or participate in committee meetings. Edwards and his group are also outraged at the decision that cost Johnson her power to oversee development projects in her district, a privilege normally offered to other district representatives to push through proposals that impact their communities.

A report from the Maryland Board of Elections on all donations from Douglas Edwards over the last four years

After it became public that Edwards was the leader of the group demanding the council reinstate all of Leslie Johnson’s powers some community activist questioned if his involvement violated the IRS status of the Mission of Love Charities. Douglas Edwards according to other sources has rebutted those concerns by stressing his involvement has been solely as a district 6 resident and not as President of MOL. In fact a simple view of the Maryland Board of Elections Campaign Finance Database shows no contributions from Edwards to Johnson over the last four years. However it does show a Douglas Edwards (we haven’t confirmed it to be this Edwards) who has donated more than $2,300 to other candidates, one of them being Johnson’s opponent in the primary Arthur Turner. According to Board of Elections records a Douglas Edwards has donated about $200 to Turner who after calling for Johnson not to take the oath of office, changed course and is now a leading advocate for her powers to be restored. Also in the report with the Board of Elections Douglas Edwards donated more than $1,300 to fmr. Councilman Sam Dean’s Servant of the People Unity Slate. He also donated $100 a piece to Martin O’Malley and Anthony Brown but the shocker seems to be the $200 he donated to Bob Ehrlich’s campaign.

Douglas Edwards group has been fighting behind the scenes to ensure that according to them their community is not taxed without full representation. The County Council has not shown any indication they might be open to reviewing or reconsidering their decision to take away any of Johnson’s powers as of yet.

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