Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks continues to receive plenty of public support in her bid for reelection to lead Maryland’s second-largest jurisdiction.
But she said she is proudest of Thursday’s endorsement from AFSCME Council 67, which has about 1,200 members in the county working in such occupations as crossing guards, health inspectors and human resource representatives.
“These are the men and women I work shoulder to shoulder with, especially during COVID-19,” Alsobrooks said outside the council’s office in Largo. “To have their respect and trust means everything. If these folks don’t support and respect you, then nothing else happens.”
Alsobrooks admitted she worked “extremely hard” to earn the union’s confidence, especially when she didn’t receive its endorsement during her first run for county executive four years ago.
One helpful factor was a recent two-year contract agreement, which goes into effect July 1, includes a $4 per hour salary increase for crossing guards. The starting pay began just below $14 per hour.
Jason Carter, labor relations specialist with AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) Council 67, said his 17-year-old daughter worked her first job last year at McDonald’s with an hourly wage starting at $14.
“We have a group of people who are responsible for making sure our children get back and forth [to school] every day starting out with a lower wage,” he said. “We worked really hard and came up with a fair number. It made them the second lowest paying crossing guards in the state of Maryland right up there with Montgomery County. That’s a credit to the county executive and her staff who agreed with this.”
Kwame Rose, staff specialist for the council, said members will receive a 14% pay increase, training for certifications and a pay and classification study done for every AFSCME position in the county.
“AFSCME wasn’t taken care of as much as other bargaining units,” Rose said. “But we set a new course and hopefully that course is the new tradition and new normal coming out of this pandemic.”
Meanwhile, other candidates running for county executive and County Council’s two at-large seats are scheduled to participate in a virtual forum Saturday led by Reid Temple AME Church.
Besides Alsobrooks, the other four candidates running for county executive are Leigh Bodden, Billy Bridges, Sherman Hardy and Tonya Sweat.
“Just because you’re an incumbent doesn’t guarantee you a seat,” said Sweat, an attorney from Accokeek who also runs her own consulting firm and will participate in the forum. “We should never get so comfortable in our democracy that we assume that because a person wins one election, [they are] entitled to win the next one. It’s a job that must be earned and not just giving to a person.”
Hardy, of Clinton, who will also participate in the forum, said he takes the union endorsement for Alsobrooks “with a grain of salt.”
“There are the fans of Angela with the high school glitz and glory,” said Hardy, a real estate agent and Air Force veteran. “There are people who want something different. We can do better. The current county executive has not been present.”
Bridges and Bodden couldn’t be reached for comment.
Linda Thornton Thomas, president of the Prince George’s branch of the NAACP, one of several groups helping with the forum, said all the at-large candidates are scheduled to appear. According to the state Board of Elections, seven people including the two incumbents — council Chair Calvin Hawkins II and Mel Franklin — are running for the two seats.
“I just want people to have a choice,” Thornton Thomas said. “People need to hear what are these people going to do to make a difference in this county? The forum is one way for people to ask some questions and hear answers to what they have to say.”
Photo: Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (center) receives an endorsement for her reelection bid from AFSCME Council 67 on May 19. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)
