This article has been corrected from the print version, to add the comment from Michael Riker.
Democrat Jolene Ivey and Republican Michael Riker are expected to win the August 6 Prince George’s County Council special primary election for the at-large council seat vacated by former Councilmember Mel Franklin, in unofficial results provided by the County Board of Elections as of 10 p.m. on election night. Ivey received 9,065 votes and Riker received 478 votes. The results are unofficial until certified by the State Board of Elections, expected approximately 10 days after the election. The two primary winners will face each other in the November 5 general election.
Franklin resigned in June 2024, a week before he was charged with embezzlement of his campaign funds for personal expenses. The council’s two at-large seats were added by a November 2016 referendum, and first filled in November 2018 elections by then current councilmembers Calvin Hawkins and Franklin.
Ivey (62, Cheverly) is the current County Council Chair and represents Council District 5 (Bladensburg, Cheverly, Colmar Manor, Cottage City, Edmonston, Fairmount Heights, Glenarden, Landover, Springdale, portions of Lanham, Mitchellville, and parts of unincorporated Bowie and Hyattsville). Ivey was first elected to council in 2018, and reelected in 2022. Fellow councilmembers unanimously elected her as chair in December 2023. The council website says she chairs the Planning, Housing, and Economic Development Committee, and serves on the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee, and the Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy, and Environment Committee. She served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2007 to 2015. Her husband is U.S. Representative Glenn Ivey and her son Julian Ivey is a state delegate.
She cited prioritizing schools and public safety without raising taxes on residents, after the council resolved a $171 million deficit amid state-mandated education spending increases. When asked how her campaign would prevent campaign funds misuse and carry out duties ethically, she wrote that she sponsored a Maryland constitutional amendment to remove from office elected officials found guilty of certain crimes.
If Ivey wins in November, a special election will fill her District 5 seat for the remaining two years of her four-year term. The nonprofit, nonpartisan Maryland Matters news site reported concerns from District 5 constituent and Prince George’s Fair Election Fund Commission Member Dan Smith over the potential cost of a District 5 special election, describing current councilmember Ivey’s run for an at-large seat as “inconsistent with the position that she took for trying to address the budget deficit in the county.” For reference, a 2021 District 8 special election cost $600,000, according to progressive organizing group Our Revolution Maryland. The current at-large special election has an estimated cost of over $1.3 million.
Ivey spoke with Maryland Matters on why she wants to change seats. “I’ve worked so hard as council chair to kind of bring our council back together and to try to get along in a more collegial way, and to look out for the best interests of the county. I am trying to figure out ways to grow our tax base. I’m also just trying to hold the line on spending. I need to make sure that there are enough people on the council who agree with that, so that we don’t run ourselves into a financial hole.”
Further complicating this election season is County Executive Angela Alsobrooks’ U.S Senate campaign. If she wins in November against former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and resigns before December 5, a special election will fill her seat. If she resigns after December 5 (senators are sworn in January 3), the county charter says the county council has 14 days to appoint her replacement. If they don’t act within that time, the charter directs that the council chair (Ivey) “shall succeed to the Office for the balance of the unexpired term.” If Ivey is appointed to County Executive, yet a second special election will be needed to fill her at-large seat.
Riker (61, Cheltenham) said he spent 25 years in law enforcement, 22 years in Prince George’s County and three years with the U.S. Capitol Police. He said he prioritizes public safety, including safer schools and road improvements. When asked how his campaign would prevent campaign funds misuse and carry out duties ethically, he wrote, “In my career I have always held my ethics and profession to a high standard. My campaign fund would only be used for business purposes, and I would live within my means otherwise. As for my team they would be held to the standards that I hold.”
See the July 25 News Review for candidates’ detailed statements on their careers, community involvement, priorities and ethics goals.
