By Deborah Bailey
AFRO Contributing Editor
The special election season is heating up in Prince George’s County.
Community forums are now being slated where voters can hear from and question the 12 candidates vying to fill the county executive’s position currently held by Acting County Executive Tara Jackson, and the full slate of persons seeking to fill the District 5 County Council seat left vacant when current Chair Jolene Ivey won an at-large seat in November 2024.
The Prince George’s County Chamber of Commerce and the county chapter of the NAACP both will host forums featuring the 12 county executive contenders. The Chamber of Commerce forum will be held Feb. 13 at Bowie State University’s Student Center ballroom from 9-11 a.m. The NAACP forum will be held Feb. 15 at Ebenezer A.M.E. Church in Ft. Washington, from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Both forums will feature an opportunity for the public to connect with and pose questions to the candidates.
“We encourage through practice, active participation in the democratic process,” said Clate D. Jackson, chair of the Prince George’s County NAACP’s Political Engagement Committee.
“By fostering open dialogue with the candidates, we strive to empower county residents to choose leadership that reflects our shared values of equity, progress, economic stability and accountability,” said Jackson, who will also serve as moderator at the NAACP event alongside Pat Lawson Muse.
The open council seat in District 5 will soon be filled by one of either five Democratic candidates or one Republican that have stepped forward to run, as campaign signs are starting to fill roadways and house fronts across the district.
The list of Democratic candidates includes: former Prince George’s County School Board member Shayla Adams-Stafford; Kendal Gray, chief of staff for former District 7 Councilwoman Camille Exum (2002-2010); Ryan Middleton, director of CountyStat, the county’s agency responsible for assessing government performance; Theresa Mitchell Dudley, Cheverly council member; and Cheverly Mayor Kayce Munyeneh.
Fred Price Jr. of Cheverly, is the sole Republican candidate running for the Council District 5 seat. Price, a Marine Corps veteran, is a member of the Prince George’s Republican Central Committee.
District 5 includes Cottage City, Bladensburg, Cheverly, Edmonston, Fairmount Heights, Glenarden, Landover, Colmar Manor, Cottage City, Springdale and portions of Mitchellville, Bowie, Lanham, Hyattsville and Landover Hills.
Early voting for both the Democratic and Republican races starts Feb. 26 and runs through March 3. The special election primaries will be held on Tuesday, March 4.
The Prince George’s County special general election will be held Tuesday, June 3.
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