Opinion | Here’s who The Post endorses for Prince George’s County Council
Prince George’s now appears to have turned a corner, with employment and economic activity rebounding. It’s essential that the county sustain its track record of sound leadership a sea change from the malfeasance just over a decade ago, when the top local elected official went to prison on federal corruption charges. A key to that is a functional county council that reins in querulous infighting and focuses on what many Prince Georgians want quality new development, more affordable housing, and a more muscular commercial and industrial tax base, along with new jobs, to support public amenities, services and schools and relieve some of the property tax burden borne by homeowners.
The all-Democratic council’s recent record is mixed. It managed a rewrite of local land-use laws but also wasted time and taxpayers dollars on a politically charged gerrymander of local electoral districts, which failed in court after months of drama. Many residents were outraged, and rightly so.
In the Democratic primary July 19, nine of the council’s 11 seats are contested, including four races in which there is no incumbent, and one where the incumbent was elected just six months ago to fill an empty seat. Our endorsements in the contested races are as follows:
District 3: Our choice is Eve Shuman, an energetic former family lawyer who spent several years as Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s top aide in Prince George’s. Her main rival, Eric Olson, is a principled public servant running to reclaim a seat he held for eight years. However, on the council, he opposed several development projects, including the county’s first Whole Foods, which many constituents wanted.
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