City Election Day is Tuesday, November 5

The City of Bowie will hold an election on Tuesday, November 5, 2019 to elect members of the City Council consisting of a Mayor and six Councilmembers to hold office for a term of four years. Each registered voter may cast a total of four votes. All City voters may vote for Mayor and two at-large Councilmembers. Voters in each district may also vote for a district Councilmember.

The City is divided into four election districts. There are two polling places in each district. Voters must vote at the polling place assigned to their neighborhood. Polling places are different from those used for the general election. Voters will receive a postcard from the Prince George’s County Board of Elections, indicating where they should vote in this City election. Polls are open 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Be on the lookout for a special election edition of the Bowie Spotlight mailed to all City households; it includes a sample ballot and other election details. For more information, contact the City Clerk at 301-809-3029 or ahernandez@cityofbowie.org or visit www.cityofbowie.org/elections.

Need a Ride to the Polls?
Seniors and disabled individuals can arrange rides to the polls by calling the Bowie Senior Center Transportation Office at 301-809-2324. The deadline to schedule your ride is Friday, November 1.

View Video of October 15 Candidate Forum
The League of Women Voters hosted a Candidates Forum on October 15. A video of the event can be viewed on:

YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6AJTaC9jI0

City website
www.cityofbowie.org/viewmeetings

Bowie Channels
10 FIOS / 71 Comcast – Daily (except Wed. & Sat.) at 7 p.m. until Election Day
12 FIOS / 78 Comcast – Daily at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. until Election Day

Where do we stand?

October 14, 2019 - Letter to the Editor of the Bowie Blade - October 31, 2019

Dear Editor,

Three years ago, troubled with uncontrolled development, a group of voters formed Bowie Citizens for Accountable Government (www.BowieRecall.com).

Last year, we forced a Recall Election, winning over 69% of the vote to remove a City Council member. This was the first time, and by a striking margin, the citizens of Bowie held an elected official accountable for ignoring and failing them.

We are your neighbors, concerned citizens, and voters of Bowie. Our Mission is to ensure that the City of Bowie's government is accountable to the voters. Our elected officials must answer to their constituents, listen to their concerns and involve the citizens in the decision-making process. Our group supports:

• responsible growth with infrastructure and facilities that meet the needs of current Bowie residents, while attracting new residents to the City

• maintaining the suburban character of Bowie

• the addition of a second high school

• maintaining green spaces

• limiting development in the City to an appropriate needs-based level

• returning the City Council and Mayor length of elective terms from 4-years back to 2-years to keep them focused on serving their constituents.

There are 22 candidates running in the upcoming November 5th City election. We interviewed those we determined to be viable, prominent candidates for the election on November 5th. We respectfully request that the City of Bowie residents support the following candidates:

• Dennis Brady - Mayor

• Dustin Kuzan - At-Large

• Henri Gardner - At-Large

• Michael Esteve - District 1

• Dufour Woofley - District 2

• Adrian Boafo - District 3

• Derrick A. Mallard - District 4

Thank you for your support. SAVE OUR CITY!

Sincerely,

John & Deborah Rice


Continue the Change

Letter to the Editor of the Bowie Blade --

We have an opportunity to make a significant change in our city with the upcoming election. Change started with the recall of Dianne Polangin in District 2 due to her failure in representing her constituents. The current mayor, majority of the City Council and City Staff have continued to fail to listen to the citizens and their interests, and have instead pursued their own. Issues expressed with the ongoing campaigns include: over-development; poor bi-directional communication; continued tax increases (contrary to claims) and disrespect of the State’s Constant Yield tax law; lax code enforcement; continuing Melford-enabled degradation of Belair Drive as a residential collector road; and City mismanagement exemplified by the Indoor Sports Facility (now Ice Rink only) debacle, ignoring planning board recommendations, and poor council meeting preparation.

It is encouraging that most candidates recognize the failures of the current mayor and council, and are pledging to be more responsible in representing their constituents. However, we must be careful with our selections, especially for mayor, because we do not want the City to continue on this path. The current mayor and Council have put many constraints on the incoming Council, of which the new ice rink that they declined to take to referendum or delay votes until the new council is seated is a major example.

With an incoming council with limited experience, we do need a mayor with proven experience and long enduring commitment to our City to help us through this. We also need council members who show sincere interest in our citizens, and not using their position as a short stepping stone for other opportunities. We need individuals who have been involved in our community, have long expressed concerns with the focal issue of overdevelopment, and who have gone before the current council to express their concerns with the City.

After hearing from many candidates, I will be supporting Dennis Brady for Mayor and Dustin Kuzan for Council At-Large. Dennis has long served our City as a Council member, and more recently supported our residents in resisting the Maglev development through Bowie. With an Engineering background, Mr. Brady should bring sorely missed structured discipline and fact-based assessments to our City. Dustin has been actively involved in our community and is bringing forth fresh ideas to improve our City.

We need this change. Please help our City and vote with me on Tuesday Nov 5.

Barbara Ballagh
District 2, Bowie

Candidates for the November 5th Election

We have finished interviewing all viable, prominent candidates for the upcoming election on November 5th, 2019. We spent endless hours meeting with each of them asking pointed questions to see if they align with our mission for the City of Bowie. Here are the candidates that our group has chosen to support in the election:

Dennis Brady - Mayor

Dustin Kuzan - At-Large
Henri Gardner - At-Large

Michael Esteve - District 1

Dufour Woofley - District 2

Adrian Boafo - District 3

Derrick A. Mallard - District 4

Elections 2019 - November 5th

The Bowie Citizens for Accountable Government are finishing up interviewing the candidates running for office this election. It is a VERY important election as we have a chance to change the course of the City from the current climate of supporting the developers to one of listening to the citizens. All of the candidates are being asked specific questions related to our mission and care of our City and its residents.

We are in agreement to endorse Dennis Brady for Mayor and Dustin Kuzan for Councilmember - At Large. The interviews will be completed next week so check back for more updates.

Bowie, Md., council member charged with drunken driving

“A Bowie, Md., city council member was charged with drunken driving after a reported hit-and-run crash involving a motorcycle, police said.

Councilwoman Courtney D. Glass, 34, received multiple driving-related citations from Bowie police when officers tracked her back to the parking lot of her home hours after the reported collision, according to police and court records.

The incident stemmed from a May 18 crash in which police responded to the report of a vehicle leaving the scene after striking a motorcycle near Route 450 and Grenville Lane shortly before midnight, said Bowie Police Chief John Nesky.

The motorcyclist, who was not injured, recorded the vehicle’s license plate number, which officers traced back to Glass, Nesky said.

When officers arrived at Glass’s address they found her in the parking lot by her personal vehicle, which had sustained some damage, Nesky said.

“As they talked to her they smelled the odor of an alcoholic beverage,” Nesky said.

Officers performed a field sobriety test and then advised her of her rights and charged her, Nesky said. She refused to take a breathalyzer test, he said.


Officers charged her with drunken driving and failure to remain at the scene of an accident, according to court records.

An attorney listed for Glass did not return requests for comment. The incident was first reported by the Bowie Blade-News.

Glass is one of a number of public officials charged with drunken driving in Prince George’s recently.

Last month council member Mel Franklin (D-Upper Marlboro) and former county liquor board chairman Charles Caldwell III pleaded guilty to driving while impaired in separate incidents.

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Franklin rear-ended a couple at a stop light in a county-owned vehicle in November, police said.

Caldwell struck drivers outside the MGM National Harbor on the opening night of the casino in December.

Both were sentenced last month to probation before judgment and ordered to pay fines.”
— Washington Post

Bowie council member Glass gets probation on DUI charge

“Bowie City Council member Courtney Glass pleaded guilty last week to driving while impaired and was given probation before judgment by a Prince George’s County judge.

District Court Judge Vincent J. Femia set aside the plea and sentenced Glass to six months of unsupervised probation and assessed $645 — a $500 fine and $145 in court costs, said John Erzen, a spokesman for the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Glass could not be reached for comment. She was represented by attorney Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., president of the state Senate, online court records show.”
— Bowie Blade News

Support for Dufour Woolfley in this week's Bowie Blade:


"[...] we are seeing the importance of integrity, independence, honesty and intelligence in those entrusted to act on our behalf in elected office. I believe Dufour Woolfley is precisely the kind of councilman we have come to expect to faithfully represent our interests in District 2"
- Jack Jenkins

"Mr. Woolfley's priorities mirror those who voted in favor of the recall in December; improving communication and transparency with the citizens of District 2, preventing development of the Jesuit Property, mitigating the traffic impact of Melford on Belair Drive, and perhaps most important, responsible growth. " - Joan Pitkin

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