Prince George’s County Political Updates

Gov. Moore Announces Plans to Save $121 Million 

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) has plans to eliminate vacant state positions, a freeze on hiring new state employees, and buyouts for some existing state employees. These cuts, expected to go into effect on July 1, are an effort to save $121 million amid an ongoing budget crunch, while also working to prevent layoffs. 

“We are moving with care and intentionality to minimize impact on current employees and be transparent throughout the process,” Moore wrote in a letter announcing the changes. 

According to Moore’s chief of staff Fagan Harris, state officials had been looking at various options to trim the state budget in recent weeks. A list of vacant state positions to be eliminated will be presented before the Board of Public Works in September. 

During Moore’s gubernatorial campaign, he pledged to fill some of the 5,000 vacant state positions left by the administration of former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, and roughly 4,800 positions remain vacant. Moore has also touted the state workforce as an employment opportunity for laid-off federal workers amid mass firings by the Trump Administration. 

Pat Moran, president of , highlighted the difficult work and heavy workloads that state employees currently face. 

“While it’s clear our state must navigate tough and volatile times, any solutions cannot come at the cost of providing quality state services,” said Moran in a statement on June 23.

House Appropriations Chair Ben Barnes (D- District 21) was pleased to see cuts protect state workers. 

“I’m very happy to see that there will not be furloughs or layoffs,” said Barnes, “as they’re not warranted or necessary given our current fiscal picture.” 

He also argued that the $121 million in budget savings could have been generated from slashing vacant positions. 

Senator Guy Guzzone (D- District 13), the chair of the Budget and Taxation Committee, praised Moore’s decision. 

“I think it’s important to keep a level head and make reasonable decisions along the way,” Guzzone said, “and I think this was a reasonable decision by the governor.”

Maryland Officials Celebrate Successful $1.6 Billion Bond Sale

The Maryland Board of Public Works, composed of Gov. Wes Moore (D), Comptroller Brooke Lierman (D), and Treasurer Dereck E. Davis, approved the bond sale at 3.55% interest with $125 million in premiums to fund various capital improvements and grant programs across the state. 

While last year’s bond sale sold roughly $1 billion in bonds, with $151 million in premiums, Maryland state officials, including Moore, celebrated the outcome of a $1.6 billion bond sale on June 11. 

“There’s no reason for us to be ‘Moody’ today,” said Moore, adding that Maryland had a “very good day.”

, a credit rating agency, downgraded the credit ratings for both the United States and Maryland earlier this year, sparking fears of lower bond sales and higher interest rates on borrowed money. Maryland maintains a AAA rating, the highest possible rating, from two other major credit rating agencies. 

Davis, who had strong criticism for �ѴǴǻ��’s following the credit downgrade, was reassured by the results of June’s bond sale. 

“Today’s successful bond sale underscores the strong demand for Maryland’s bonds and continued investor confidence in the fiscal strength and creditworthiness of our state,” Davis said.

Braveboy Launches Ambitious Countywide Litter Cleanup Project

Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy (D), shortly after her Juneteenth inauguration, announced efforts to address a countywide problem: beautification, especially along roadsides. 

As part of Braveboy’s new undertaking, street cleaning trucks and personnel will be dispatched across the county according to need, and residents are encouraged to use 311 to identify and report trash.

“I’m proud to launch our Countywide Litter and Beautification Blitz, Project Elevate Prince George’s, a bold step toward creating the clean, safe, and vibrant communities our residents deserve,” Bravboy in a social media post on June 25. “From pothole repairs to litter removal, tree pruning, and more, this initiative reflects our shared values and commitment to a better Prince George’s County.”

Standing alongside the county executive during the announcement, Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPW) Director Michael Johnson projected that DPW will pick up roughly 1.5 million pounds of trash by the end of this year. 

“We are getting our government in place. We kicked off our very first initiative, Project Elevate,  our street beautification program. You will see the street sweepers and lawn mowers,” said Braveboy in a with Edmonston Mayor Tracy Gant and Colmar Manor Mayor Monica Casañas.

 Both Mayors were excited and encouraged by the initiative. 

“We’re excited about that,” said Gant, “because we have to pay for additional street sweepers to come through.”

During the primary and general election, a concerted effort to clean up Prince George’s was one of Braveboy’s top priorities.

“I ran for this very important seat, I promised to focus on the needs of our residents and to elevate our county,” . “And the first step in that is to ensure that our roads and our streets are beautiful– as beautiful as the people who live in the county.”