Category: Election Page 1 of 10

On Tuesday, May 16, I was sworn in as Mayor of College Park, leaving a vacancy on the City Council from District 1.

By the City Charter, the vacancy may be filled by appointment within 30 days (by June 15) by a majority vote of the Council. The appointed term will end in December when the next Mayor and Council are sworn in.

Residents interested in applying to fill the Council vacancy must be 18 years old as of June 13, a citizen of the United States, current registered voters in the City, and have lived there for at least one year. The applicant does not need to be a resident of District 1 to be considered but, if appointed, will represent District 1 on the City Council. District 1 is shown in blue on the map below and includes the neighborhoods of Sunnyside, Hollywood, Cherry Hill, Daniels Park and Autoville.

Information about the responsibility of the City Council is located in Article III of the City Charter: https://ecode360.com/12119206 and Chapter 62, Section 4 of the City Code: https://ecode360.com/9897014. The City Council meets on Tuesday evenings in the Council Chambers of City Hall. Councilmembers are expected to attend meetings in person except under certain circumstances. Council members are paid $7,000 per year.

If you are interested in being considered to fill the vacant Council seat, please submit a letter of interest with the following information:

1. Your name, address, contact information, and a statement asserting that you meet the above-mentioned qualifications.

2. Information about yourself. This could include your occupation, education, professional background, and community involvement. You may attach a resume.

3. Briefly describe why you should be considered to fill the vacancy.

Letters should be submitted by June 1 at noon in one of the following ways:

• By email to cityclerkoffice@collegeparkmd.gov with the subject line “Council Vacancy Application.”
• Mail or hand delivery to Janeen S. Miller, City Clerk, City of College Park, 7401 Baltimore Avenue, Suite 201, College Park, Maryland, 20740.

For more information, please call Ms. Miller at 240-487-3501.

[City of College Park]

Today, the City’s Board of Election Supervisors counted a few more mail-in votes through postal services.

Based on the counts, the certified election results are as follows:

• Bryan Haddad – 19 votes
• S.M. Fazlul Kabir* – 1,008 votes
• Catherine Hope Kennedy – 469 votes
• Denise C. Mitchell – 354 votes

There were 14,263 registered voters as of April 18, 2023.

This afternoon, the City announced the Preliminary Results of the Special Election for Office of Mayor.

This count includes ballots from Early voting, Election Day, and mail-in ballots received.  These results will be updated on Friday, May 12, to include ballots that will be collected from the Post Office box on Friday at noon.

Ballots that were postmarked by 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 6, may be counted.

There are approximately 51 ballots issued by mail or in person that have not been returned.

Election signs of four candidates running in the 2023 special mayoral election. [photo credit: The Diamondback]

So far, 629 voters voted at the City Hall, 866 voted at Davis Hall last Tuesday, and 406 voted by absentee ballots.

We hope to get the initial results next Thursday. The Board of Elections Supervisors want to wait a few days for the absentee ballots to come in. Last Saturday was the last day to drop absentee ballots by mail.

The final results will be announced at 3 pm this Friday, May 12.

For the past 65 days, I’ve crisscrossed neighborhoods throughout College Park, from Sunnyside in the north to Calvert Hills in the south, from College Park Woods on the west to College Park Estates & Yarrows on the east. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to meet with many new neighbors and reconnect with the old ones.

I listened to residents’ issues on the campaign trail and tried to find solutions.

I’ve been asked about my accomplishments and my vision for College Park.

As you’ll be hitting the poll on election day, please look at what I’ve done for College Park and what I plan to do.

My vision of College Park involves leadership in building community, improving residents’ quality of life, smart economic development, enhanced education, implementing aging-in-place for seniors, solid actions on environmental sustainability, and bringing affordable housing options and transportation choices. Please learn more about my vision by clicking the “Issues and Platform” link below.

I hope to see you at the poll! Thank you for voting!

Tomorrow will be a busy day.

City will be holding its second annual parade on Rhode Island Avenue. Join the your neighbors at 10:00am to celebrate our community! You can line up along Rhode Island Avenue to see local groups, organizations, entertainers, performers, and more!

Many years ago, there used to be a big parade along Rhode Island Avenue each spring to initiate the Boys & Girls Club season. Community members, high school bands, military units, fire departments, scouts, local sports teams etc. took part. There was a reviewing stand at Duval Field and according to some long-time residents, awards were given to different groups in the parade. Opening day baseball/softball games were held after the parade.  It was very well attended. You can read more about the history of this parade here.

Several residents asked me to bring the parade back. Thanks to our City Council and our staff for their help and hard work in restarting the parade again last year. Please note that the road will be closed between 9am to noon. For road closure and detour details, please visit here.

After the parade, please vote at the City Hall, 7401 Baltimore Avenue. Polls are open from 10am to 6pm. Free parking is available in the visitor spaces on Yale Avenue.

I hope to see many of you at the parade, and then at the poll tomorrow

Thank you all who voted early this past Tuesday. In the last hour (6 pm – 7 pm), we saw voters waiting in long lines at the Davis Hall entrance, which we rarely saw in previous elections.

Yesterday’s turnout was 862 + 4 provisionals. Everyone who was in line at 7:00 p.m. was able to vote.

An additional 363 voters also voted by mail. This number will grow as the City gets more ballots by mail and drop-off boxes until May 6.

If you haven’t voted yet, you can vote in person using an absentee ballot at City Hall (at 7401 Baltimore Avenue)  during office hours today (Thursday) or tomorrow (Friday). There is a 30-minute visitor parking at the back of the City Hall.

The final Election Day is this Saturday between 10 am – 6 pm.

The election results will be announced at 3 pm on May 12. You can park free in the City garage on the election day.

It’s time to choose your next Mayor of College Park.No matter which candidate you prefer, I encourage you to exercise your right to vote. Previous local elections were decided by only a few votes – in one case, by only two votes. Every vote counts!!

The poll will be open at Davis Hall (9217 – 51st Avenue) for Early Voting TODAY, Tuesday, May 2, from 8 AM until 7 PM.

The poll will also be open at the City Hall First-Floor Community Room on Saturday, May 6, from 10 AM until 6 PM. Rhode Island Avenue in north College Park will be closed for a few hours on the morning of the election day (May 6), so if you live in north College Park, I encourage you to vote early tomorrow at Davis Hall.

The Election will be certified by the Board of Election Supervisors after 3 PM Friday, May 12, in the Community Room of City Hall.

Other public events related to the Election will be the Preprocessing of Ballots for Ballots received by Mail or Drop Box on Monday, May 8, 10 AM-4 PM, and the Official Canvass on Thursday, May 11, 10 AM-4 PM in the City Hall Community Room. These public events will be broadcast and may be observed in person by the public.

On April 15, The College Park Here & Now hosted an election forum featuring candidates in the May 2023 Mayoral Special Election. Maria James, former managing editor of their sister publication. The Hyattsville Life & Times posed a series of tough questions to the four candidates. The questions came from members of the community, including several asked live by members of the audience.

You can watch the forum here on the  Here and Now website.

The last day to register to vote at the Mayoral Special election is approaching soon.

If you are already registered to vote with the Prince George’s County Board of Elections at your current City address, you are automatically registered to vote in the City Election. However, if you have moved or changed your name since the last election, you must update your Voter Registration with current information.

There are several ways to register to vote:

• You can complete an Online Voter Registration Application provided by the State Board of Elections at Voter Registration (maryland.gov) This is the fastest way to register to vote in this election
• You can obtain a Voter Registration Application at any of the following:
  • Motor Vehicles Administration
  • Any City Building Monday – Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• You can request a voter registration application by phone with the Prince George’s County Board of Elections at (301) 341-7300 or the City of College Park at 240-487-3501.
• You can visit the Prince George’s County Board of Election office at 1100 Mercantile Lane, Suite 115A, Largo MD 20774. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday
• You can download and mail in a completed application English Voter Registration Application (PDF), Spanish Voter Registration Application (PDF)

For additional information visit: the Board of Election for: County Website or the State Website