(4) In Prince Georges County, MD
Term Limits Are Racist!

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Black Executive Wayne Curry and 4 black council members to be ousted by term limits in 2002.

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The black special interests in Prince Georges County, MD are understandably concerned about a term limits law which will oust all of their black allies from the Prince Georges county council, as well as black power broker Wayne Curry, county executive.  These 5 elected officials are all in their second elected term and they are prohibited from running for office in 2002 -- unless they manage to get the term limits law repealed on the November 2000 ballot.

Executive Wayne Curry	As the November 2000 ballot draws near, these politicians want voters to believe that "black power" will be harmed if the term limits law is allowed to remain on the books.           They are probably right about that.   These politicians are mightily afraid that their racial-preference policies will be compromised if they are forced from office.           Their supporters have mounted a campaign to convince black voters in Prince Georges County that the term limits law will harm black special interests in the county.           According to the Washington Post, Maryland State Democratic Delegate Rushern L. Baker III said "This is a new era in Prince George's County.  We're just beginning to build up a cadre of African American elected officials who know the ins and outs of county government.  Their leadership and their ability to implement policies and secure resources [for blacks] that are critical to progress in the African American community should not be held hostage to" a simple, logical law like term limits.           According to the Washington Post, the campaign to repeal Prince Georges County term limits law also plans to air ads on black-oriented radio stations.  The pro-black term limits repeal campaign is also considering a mass mailing which will include photos of pro-term-limits leaders so that black voters in the county will know that the group includes whites.           The PG black power structure has attempted to portray the leaders of the campaign to keep term limits as "white racists" by distributing printed materials which clearly indicate the race of the pro-limits campaign members:  Michael Steele, Prince George's County Republican Party chairman, who is black; Judy Robinson, a Hyattsville civic activist who is white; and council member Walter H. Maloney (D-Laurel), who is white.           In the interests of preserving its race-based black power base in the county, the Prince George's County Council voted during the summer of 2000 to place a term-limits repeal for the county executive and County Council on the November ballot.
Council Chair Dorothy Bailey
Council Member Isaac Gourdine
Council Member Marvin Wilson
Council Member Ronald Russell

          County Executive Wayne Curry has kept his distance from the anti-term-limits campaign.  Officially, Curry is attempting to take no position regarding the effort to repeal term limits being waged by his black cronies.  Curry has taken too much heat recently for doling out favors to black contractors and campaign contributors.  He is hopeful that the white voters in the county will be able to forget his "Racial Boss" role in assigning Redskins stadium contracts to black firms and black contributors.  Nonetheless, Boss Curry stands to gain another term as County Executive if the term limits law is repealed.

          Curry has previously publicly stated his opposition to term limits.

          Black council member Isaac J. Gourdine -- who also publicly opposes term limits -- won his seat on the PG council in 1994 as a direct result of the term limits law.  Gourdine, now a vocal opponent of term limits, had repeatedly attempted to defeat incumbent County Council member Susan V. Mills. Then, in 1994, the newly enacted term limits law forced opponent Mills from office, allowing Gourdine to win a seat on the PG council.

          Now Isaac Gourdine (D-Fort Washington) is advocating a way to avoid his former opponent (Susan Mills) fate:   Gourdine introduced the PG County bill that would permit pro-quota voters in PG County to overturn term limits in November 2000.

          Gratuitously, Council member Gourdine claims that his opposition to term limits is based on a concern that it will force a near-complete overhaul of county government in 2002. County Executive Wayne K. Curry (D) and seven of the council's nine members (four of whom are black) will have served two terms by 2002 and are barred by current term limits law from running for reelection.

          According to the Washington Post, Hyattsville, MD civic activist Judy Robinson said:  "Mr. Gourdine obviously wants to keep his job.  He ought to go out and get another job and help the next council member get elected. He's putting himself above the place that he loves, and that's disingenuous."

          The liberal Washington Post also notes that "Swept up in a wave of anti-incumbent fervor, voters in 17 states enacted term limits in the early 1990s. In Prince George's County, Robinson collected more than 10,000 petition signatures and got the referendum placed on the ballot in 1992. Voters supported term limits 51 to 49 percent, forcing six of the council's nine members from office in 1994."

SOURCES and BACKGROUND:

Washington Post:  Race Issue Raised Regarding PG Term Limits (10/24/00)
[link http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64252-2000Oct23.html ]

Washington Post:  Term Limits Attacked by PG Council (05/25/00)
[link http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/metro/A2902-2000May25.html ]

Additional reading on this topic:

Page (1) Prince Georges: Overview of Racial and Political Favoritism (07/09/00)

Page (2) Prince Georges: Redskins Stadium, Racial and Political Contract Deals (07/09/00)

Page (3) Prince Georges: Political Donors, Allies Rewarded (07/23/00)

END (4) Prince Georges: Term Limits are Racist?

(1) Prince Georges County, MD:
OVERVIEW