Prince George's Voters Decide on Council Powers and New Carrollton Mayor

Prince George's County residents cast ballots on Tuesday for four school board seats, two constitutional questions, and a county executive race. The contest for the executive office features incumbent Aisha Braveboy against a lone write-in challenger. Braveboy holds a substantial financial lead and the advantage of incumbency, making a victory the expected outcome. Reporter Jack Hogan provides on-the-ground coverage of the results as they are tallied.

The school board elections follow a period of turnover in local education leadership. District 2 is open because member Jonathan Briggs resigned in June. Terence Clegg, a resident of Greenbelt and former Department of Human Services employee, runs against Caroline Decaire-Goldin, a Riverdale resident and director of teaching and learning at the D.C. State Education Agency. Clegg cites nonprofit work with families, while Decaire-Goldin points to her background as an elementary school teacher.

In District 3, Brentwood council member Juan Arango-Millan faces Jamie McGonnigal, a parent and former PTA president at Hyattsville Elementary. Arango-Millan emphasizes support for multilingual and special education students in math. McGonnigal argues that school districts need flexibility to address local community needs rather than applying uniform mandates. He stated, "School districts need enough flexibility to respond to their individual communities rather than treating every mandate as one-size-fits-all."

District 6 sees a race between two newcomers, Tyra Janet Bennett and Ashley Kearney. Bennett founded the District 6 Literacy & Learning Lab and is a PGCPS graduate. Kearney serves on the Seat Pleasant City Council and has held education leadership roles. District 9 is the only race with an incumbent, Chandrai "CJ" Jackson-Saunders, who has served since February after a 35-year career as a D.C. Public Schools teacher. Her opponent, Erica Bennett, is a PGCPS principal with nearly 30 years of experience as an educator.

Voters also address two questions on the county charter. Question A asks if the County Council can impose taxes and fees on businesses deemed to have an adverse impact on community health, safety, and welfare, such as tobacco and liquor stores. A "yes" vote grants this power without a future public vote. This follows a lawsuit challenging an annual $5,000 fee on such businesses and a recent council bill banning tobacco sales. Question B asks if the two at-large council seats added in 2016 should remain. A "yes" vote eliminates these seats, reducing the council from 11 to nine members. Opponents, including at-large member Jolene Ivey, who has clashed with Chair Krystal Oriadha, call the measure a personal attack.

New Carrollton residents will return to the polls on Monday, November 9, for a special election to choose a new mayor. Phelecia Nembhard was voted out of office in September over alleged violations of a hiring freeze. City Council member Briana Urbina and former Mayor Katrina Dodro are running to fill the remainder of the term, which ends in May 2027. Both candidates plan to run for a full term in the following year's election.