Meet Jarryd Hawkins, Candidate For Bowie City Council At-Large Seat

BOWIE, MD — The office of mayor and six councilmembers for Bowie will be on the ballot Nov. 7. There are at least two or more candidates running for Districts 1-4 and the two at-large seats, including Jarryd Hawkins. Two candidates are vying for the office of mayor.

Hawkins shared information with Patch about himself and his interest in running for office.

What ways can people contact you with questions?
https://www.jarrydhawkins.com/contact, jth2488@gmail.com, jarryd@jarrydhawkins.com

What is your campaign website?
https://www.jarrydhawkins.com/

Age as of election day?
35

Place of residence?
Essington

Family members?
Wife, MaeAnna
Father, Michael
Mother, Denise
Sister, Jordan
Brother, Jonathan

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?
No

Education?
Bachelor's degree from University of Maryland

Occupation?
Managing director of a local lobbying firm that focuses on environmental policy, healthcare and clean energy development.

Previously held elected or appointed political positions?
None

Why are you running for office?
I am a lifelong resident who has served the city of Bowie in multiple ways. This city has helped to raise me into the man that I am today. I have the skillset, experiences and vision to serve on the Bowie City Council. I want to continue serving this city the way it has served me and my siblings, making it better for everyone. I am a true servant who is less focused on political ambition and power, and more focused on continuing Bowie’s strong legacy of innovation, family orientation, and public safety.

What is the single most pressing issue facing voters? What do you intend to do about it?
The most pressing issue facing voters is public safety. If residents do not feel safe then we cannot maximize who we are as a city. That is why I am focused on making sure our police department has the resources they need, getting creative and aggressive with how we recruit officers, and thinking about resources and programming for young people. Public safety also includes safe driving on our roads, making sure we have enough crosswalks that are well marked, and our government is prepared for acute emergency situations.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
I believe I possess an interesting composition of experience and new ideas that sets me apart from other candidates. I have worked on every level of government from the Prince George’s County Council to the U.S. Senate. This has allowed me to see what is available to a city like Bowie. I know how to find the right person that can help from getting a pothole filled to finding grant funding for an infrastructure project. These experiences and skills coupled with creativity on what is in front of us as a city gives me an advantage in serving. I am not looking for old solutions to solve new problems, and I am not interested in resigning certain issues as not our responsibility. Where we can act we should and must. Where we must advocate and partner we should and must. We have to be assertive and seek out the destiny we want for our city.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform. What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
What I have seen during my time on Bowie City Council is that across the city people care about public safety, upgrading transportation infrastructure, protecting greenspace and focusing on redevelopment and amenity upgrades of some of our older shopping centers. Most importantly people want to trust that members of the city council understand the culture and identity of our city.

Here are some accomplishments that can be used as evidence to show that I am capable of handling this job:

• I was part of establishing the Mancore Leadership Program in South Bowie which mentored approximately 75 boys, teaching them the importance of self respect and respect for others, how to conduct oneself in an interview, and the importance of mental, physical, and emotional health among other things.
• I worked with (and continue to work with) environmental protection non profits and advocates to pass laws that protect our waterways including the Patuxent river from polluters, work to reduce carbon emissions, and preserve tree canopies across the state.
• I have worked with other local municipalities helping them receive millions in funding from the state of Maryland and Federal government for a workforce development training center and downtown redevelopment projects.

The best advice ever shared with me was:
From my father, “The greatest investment you can make is in the lives of others.”

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
Like many other residents, I am a lifelong resident of this city. This city has raised me, I was a South Bowie Shark and a Boy Scout Troop 1559. From the activities, the culture, parks and recreation this city has given me such a great and safe childhood. Being newly married, the city of Bowie has provided a place for us to settle down and enter a new phase of our lives.

I want to grow on our successes and meet our challenges while maintaining our identity and culture. We can do this by making sure residents are and feel safe. We can create a plan to incentivize and stimulate redevelopment of older commercial buildings in an effort to bring the best amenities to Bowie without having to interrupt our green spaces. We can find the proper pathway forward to revitalizing Old Bowie while keeping it small and community oriented. We can do these things, it is in reach but we can only do it together.