2026 Candidate Spotlight: Meet Dr. Laura Gilchrest

COLLEGE PARK, MD — Dr. Laura Gilchrest has entered the race for Prince George's County Council (at large). Patch posed questions to each candidate running for office.

Below you will find Gilchrest's responses, verbatim:

Name: Dr. Laura Gilchrest
Age on Election Day: 41
Email address to be published: info@electlauragilchrest.com
Campaign website: electlauragilchrest.com/

Do you have any previous political experience? If so, please state and explain how that experience will influence your time in office if elected.
While I have not been an elected official, I have policy and leadership experience. In addition to tracking and evaluating policy affecting the communities I’m in, I have also taught and mentored undergraduate and graduate students in policy development and analysis. I’ve advocated at all levels of government, on many of the issues that fall under the purview of the Prince George’s County Council. I co-led efforts to organize and unionize fellow graduate students at American
University in 2015-2016. Governance and policy-making are group projects and I’m skilled in working in coalitions, effective collaboration and conflict resolution, and consensus-building.

What do you believe is the single-most important issue facing voters in the district you’re looking to represent? How do you intend to address those issues?
The interrelated problems of high costs of living and unreliable governance.

How do you differ from other candidates running against you?
One of the biggest differences is that I’m not a political insider. I’m a social scientist. I’m working-class and I’m publicly financed. I am and have always been deeply invested in political issues and the promise of representative democracy both at home and abroad. I’m running on transparency and accountability, community driven-policy, and evidence-based governance.

How would your work experience benefit the goals/objectives you’ve outlined in your campaign and/or the office you’re seeking?
I’m a professor of Human Rights and Ethics - and take ethics and integrity very seriously. I’ve spent the last 20 years fighting for and practicing human rights. My research is interdisciplinary and community-driven and addresses health systems, economic justice, the intersections of politics and economy, development projects and community displacement.

I am fluent in Spanish, and have served as an expert witness in immigration court on behalf of people seeking asylum. I’m a Certified Mental Health First Aider for youth and adults. I served as an advisor for inclusion and accessibility for the Public Anthropology Conference. I have managed budgets,
payroll, and various administrative operations.

As an ethnographer, I have significant experience in study design, and collection and analysis of complex data, and significant practice in systems-level problem solving. I have also taught policy analysis, monitoring and evaluation, and policy-making. I’m active in several community coalitions working on issues that matter to Prince Georgians and have advocated at all levels of government. I’ve also spoken about policy issues in print news and on radio and television in both English and Spanish. I am well-qualified to carry out the duties required of County Council members.

What is your opinion of the work being done by the current office holder, and how will you improve on it? If that is you - how do you plan to continue improving upon what you've already accomplished?

There are currently two contested seats, with one incumbent seeking an additional term after 10 years on the county council. The current appointee to the other seat is seeking a different office.

One issue that has been consistent is a lack of transparency and significant exchange of money from lobbyists and closed door meetings.

How do you feel about the school system in your area and what improvements would you like to see be made?
As an educator and a parent I have several thoughts about our school system. Our role on the County Council is to fund schools via the Maryland Blueprint and we can also develop
accountability systems and fund supplemental programs like Summer Youth programs, internships, and job opportunities, as well as funding social and economic resource programs
that make up the “wraparound services” that families, teachers, and other experts routinely talk about. To hold the school system accountable, we need to know how we’re measuring outcomes.

As a researcher and educator I know that the answers we get depend on the questions we ask. Do we want students to learn how to problem-solve, do math, comprehend, think critically and independently, to develop reading fluency above the national average of a 6th grade reading level? If so, then we must use the science of learning and we must measure
accordingly. When our system was re-designed (badly) 35 years ago, it deployed the wrong tools and asked the wrong questions. It also attempted to rebrand education as a business
model. Education is a public good. Profit is only relevant if measured as our students' learning.

The science of learning consistently shows that testing and rote learning don’t support age-appropriate development, cognitive growth, or the skills involved in the process of learning. Whether students are healthy, safe, and have all of their basic physical, emotional, and mental well-being needs met impacts their ability to learn.

We must develop better accountability measures and invest in proven skills assessments, addressing learning gaps, additional classroom support, more teachers to reduce class size and improve conditions for closer instruction. I’ll work with the council to ensure direct services and teacher pay and development are not at risk in budget negotiations (including developing comprehensive commercial and land taxes to support our budget needs in perpetuity) and work closely with teachers, parents, and discuss their needs and ideas with the school board and county executives office, as well as the members of the Ways and Means Committee in the General Assembly that determines curriculum and other current state-wide education programming.

How do you feel about crime in your area and what steps can be taken to reduce it?
Crime in Prince George’s County has been significantly trending down over the past few years. There have been petty crimes and crimes exacerbated by the current economic conditions, overall employment opportunities (rising unemployment rate), and social conditions like lawless
immigration enforcement and other examples of the intentional attacks on human and civil rights protections. Several things can be done to address this problem based on significant evidence-backed research.

When socio-economic conditions decline, petty crime increases. When socio-economic conditions improve, petty crimes decrease significantly. Providing safety supports and
socio-economic support in difficult times, and working to create stable equitable socio-economic conditions over the long term are proven to reduce crime. Addressing cost of living, wages, and investing in long-term employment solutions, like local businesses, infrastructure projects,
increasing skills training programs, maintaining or reviving summer youth employment programs and vocational training opportunities are long-term solutions to crime as well as addressing multiple other community concerns as well.

What do you think about the economic climate and business sector in your community, and what initiatives could propel it forward?
The small business owners I’ve spoken with have generally had good experiences establishing and opening their business, though there are some who have been overburdened by
bureaucratic hurdles and inconsistent processes. But the resounding concern from residents and business owners alike is infrastructure that supports and attracts small businesses, makes them easier to access and more inclusive, and includes a diversity of shopping, dining, and recreation options.

Smart growth and development using village models and creating corridors near transportation hubs and as part of any new housing developments are absolutely essential to not only attracting and sustaining new businesses, but also ensuring we aren’t exacerbating the problem through sprawl and careless planning.

Small business grants, liaisons to help entrepreneurs navigate application and permitting processes smoothly, and fair tax brackets based on business size, type, and their direct contribution to our communities would also incentivize long-term community oriented business and require large corporations to pay their fair share.

How do you feel about transportation options in the area and what, if anything, should be improved upon?
We absolutely need to improve our transportation options. We desperately need to upgrade infrastructure that makes existing transportation more accessible, such as accessible and
continuous sidewalks, pedestrian and bike corridors, lanes, or bridges. We also need county-wide transit solutions to support inter-county travel via train. Is it an investment, absolutely. Will it improve the county for generations to come, definitely. So we must decide if we are going to prioritize glitzy short-term projects or long-term investment in the accessibility, sustainability, climate-conscious, inclusive future, or more of the same. We can and should have better transit options, improvements, and expanded corridors.

I’m excited to work at all levels of government to conduct pilot studies, review the existing research and transit solutions around the state and region for best practices and innovations, and identify funding solutions to make functional, inclusive, wide-coverage transportation solutions available to everyone in our county. It would certainly be easier to attract business and new residents, as well as keep our residents from
moving due to lack of resources and services despite our high tax rates.

What else would you like voters to know about you?
I’m a researcher and I always do the reading and the homework. I also know how important it is to have active community participation and involvement. A key pillar of my campaign platform, and really my philosophy in general, is collaboration. I’ll work across the county, across sectors,
and with experts to solve complex, inter-related issues in our county, and bring evidence-based solutions to proposals, votes, and resolutions. I have an “open-door” communication policy and I love to talk shop, so if you have questions, concerns, doubts, or different perspectives I should
consider, contact me at info@electlauragilchrest.com or 301-953-4PGC (4742) and we’ll chat.