Business as Usual in Prince Georges County Becomes Risky Business

Prosecutors went after an indictment of former Virginia Governor McDonnell and his wife based on the idea that bribery can occur if there’s a course of conduct or a course of action as opposed to payment being made in exchange for a specific act. Since the jury found the McDonnell’s guilty of the majority of the charges we have to assume there was more than some merit in the prosecutor’s arguments. Is it possible that some employees of the Prince George’s County government could be found guilty of similar charges if their actions are examined under a microscope?

Based on an ‘at the last minute’ type of notification, I found myself attending the Prince George’s County Democratic Central Committee meeting to participate in the discussion of an emergency resolution, that among other things, would put on the November 2014 ballot a preselected slate of individuals for the school board, a healthy raise for some while others are being furloughed and the issue of a third term for county elected officials. During the meeting it became clear that the community at large opposed these efforts from certain elected officials. The county apparently got so much push back from the first community meetings on these issues that they had to find another venue to get the deed done, thus the emergency.

The county executive apparently got word that things were not going well and showed up about an hour and a half into the meeting. I have to admit that some of his argument for the extra term resonated with me; however, those arguments didn’t change my position on the issues because I am of the opinion other means exist to address most of the concerns he articulated and this was the second meeting of the week when the lack of transparency in government had pushed me close to the edge.

Since the PGCDCC was forced to table the emergency resolution until September 23, 2014 at 7PM I expect there will be a larger turnout this week than last. Perhaps more representatives of community organizations will be in attendance with their statements of opposition to or support for the different resolutions that will be before the PGCDCC for a vote. Maybe someone will pursue exactly which county officials were intimately involved in this attempt at an end run around the will of the electorate and make that public information so we can determine if there are other actions or modes of conduct that need to be looked at more closely.

After some comments by the head of the Redevelopment Authority to our civic association on September 15, 2014, it occurred to me that something must be seriously wrong behind the scenes if, during a time when money and credit were plentiful and ‘liar loans’ were common just before the real estate market crashed, the county could not find anyone other than a former slum landlord to develop Suitland Manor. From what I recall about the process it reminded me of how government agencies would write a job description to fit someone who had been previously selected outside of the normal process. What conduct or actions are taking place behind the scenes of this scenario?

Is there any truth to the rumor that the former Suitland Family and Life Development Corporation or Suitland Technology Center or the Suitland Technology Education Engagement Resource Center was having its mortgage paid by the county after over $2 million in taxpayer grants and loans went into it (them)? What particular conduct or actions are taking place behind the scenes of this scenario?

Are any of our elected officials voting on improvements to public or commercial infrastructure that result in the value of their personal or family real estate portfolios increasing in the near or immediate future? Can any citizen request and receive county police transport to civic or business meetings in the county or is it a privilege reserved solely for “The Octopus”? Does MNPPC play favorites with who they provide services to and when? Does the housing department actually investigate the bedbug complaints from the senior complex with the currently broken faux (hardened steel?) wrought iron fence or is some other action or conduct taking place? Like Arsenio Hall used to say, it kind of makes you go hhmmm???

PS: Breaking news - some would say all h-e-double toothpicks broke out at the PGCDCC meeting last night as one committee member used his knowledge of the rules of order to prevent the committee from moving forward with a vote that appeared not to be in the residents interests. Let’s hope one of the local papers was represented and will have a report today or tomorrow.