Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks took the oath of office to begin her second term Monday.
Elected leaders looked back on the past four years in celebration and promised more success moving forward.
“For too long, we let others rush in to create the narrative of our county,” Alsobrooks said. “We let others say who we are and determine what we couldn’t be. But now, we hold the pen.”
On the minds of many politicians is the FBI headquarters and whether Prince George's County will be able to land the federal facility after new criteria may favor Virginia's site.
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“When they change the rules at the 11th hour to try to block us from generational opportunity, we’ll keep going,” Alsobrooks said.
The first woman Prince George's County executive discussed her first term leading the county through the pandemic – moving it from the highest infection rate in Maryland to one of the lowest in the nation – providing millions of meals for the food insecure, expanding health care for mental health and addiction, and a plan to build six new schools.
“Over the next four years, we’ll use our power to do what we could not do,” Alsobrooks said.
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She also took a jab at the D.C.’s troubled Union Station.
“Don’t tell my good, good girlfriend [D.C. Mayor] Muriel Bowser, but New Carrollton will replace Union Station as the new premier gateway to the national capital region,” Alsobrooks said.
The county's violent crime rose under Alsobrooks’ watch, following a national trend. She instituted a teen curfew that's still in effect and promises more efforts to lower the crime rate, especially gun violence.
“I reject that Black and brown communities have higher tolerance for violence of any sort,” she said.
During her inaugural speech, Alsobrooks again expressed her support for the Washington Commanders stadium staying in Prince George's but vowed to continue plans to invest in the community around FedEx field even if the team leaves.
Alsobrooks also will be working with a very different County Council. Its members – many who are new – also took the oath of office Monday. It has a new progressive majority.
There is no Hispanic representation on the Council or government leadership for the first time in years.
“I represent every Prince Georgian from every background and every ethnicity,” Alsobrooks said.
