The ceremony that made it official was quick.
Then, Prince George’s County, Maryland, Executive Angela Alsobrooks began her second term with a roughly 30-minute inaugural speech that proudly reflected on her first term, and on the county’s weathering of a pandemic that hit it harder than the rest of the region.
And, she made bold promises of what’s to come.
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“What I learned was to expect the unexpected,” Alsobrooks said in a meeting with reporters after her speech.
“There will be some challenges that are unforeseen. But if we build the right foundation, we can always conquer the challenges that we see. The foundation is the key.”
In her inaugural speech, which was delivered at the Showplace Arena in Upper Marlboro, she said that going forward, the county will write its own narrative and change any perceptions the rest of the region might have.
Touching on the ongoing hunt by the Washington Commanders for a new stadium, Alsobrooks reiterated that the county still wants to be the long-term home for the team. But she vowed that even if they leave, development on the Blue Line corridor — including land adjacent to FedEx Field — will be a developmental priority.
“Whether they stay or whether they go,” she told the audience, “we are going to invest in the communities around FedEx Field that have missed out on investment for far too long.”
The $400 million plan includes a new amphitheater, sports facilities, housing and restaurants.
And she said the revitalization of the area along Route 214 — work that will make the area more walkable and bikable — will also be felt at the New Carrollton Metro Station. That’s where a major overhaul of the train stations “will replace Union Station as the new premier gateway to the National Capital Region,” Alsobrooks promised.
During her conversation with reporters, Alsobrooks said the county’s economic vibrancy and high levels of education and wealth would also mean a greater focus on the amenities that the county has missed out on compared with other parts of the region.
She cited a desire to lure more attractive restaurants, medical care and jobs, as well as the FBI headquarters. The county was long believed to be a major contender for that project until a recent change in the scoring system made a site in Springfield, Virginia, the presumed favorite.
Another big priority over her second term, she said, will be mental health treatment.
Alsobrooks also made repeated references to growing power in Prince George’s County. While legislative leaders in Annapolis might be from Baltimore, the state treasurer is from Prince George’s County, and it’s no secret that her early endorsements of Governor-elect Wes Moore and Comptroller-elect Brooke Lierman gave their campaigns momentum ahead of the July primaries.
She’s expecting that backing to pay off in the years ahead.
“Prince Georgians elected this new governor,” Alsobrooks said to reporters. “It was the vote in Prince George’s County that selected the leadership for the state. So we are a very proud people, but we also have power that we must use to the good of Prince George’s and to the good of the state and the region.”
In fact, Alsobrooks said, one of the first things she’ll be doing is preparing a legislative agenda she described as “aggressive.” It will be focused on bringing back “funding from the state to continue to fund our priorities,” she said.
“Working with our new governor to make sure we’re addressing the concerns that Prince Georgians have, and then from there we have a whole plateful of amazing things that we’re looking forward to accomplishing.”
