Government

Why Prince George's struggles with corruption

by Two Prince George's County employees   •   December 6, 2010 3:41 pm

Dear Mr. Baker,

Congratulations on your recent election as County Executive. Having worked in the Prince George's County government for some years, we are very heartened by your win, along with that of several promising new members of the County Council who have expressed their intention to advance a Smart Growth agenda.

Photo by Kenny Miller on Flickr.

But at the same time we're disheartened by the recent criminal charges against Jack Johnson and others, which highlight again an even more entrenched "pay-to-play," corrupt political system than some of us were aware of. In short, it looks like perhaps you've inherited a much bigger mess than many realized, in addition to a budget gap of at least $50 million.

In the first part of this letter, we'll review a few of the political problems which we believe have kept Prince George's County from making the most of its transit resources, generating greater job growth and improving economic opportunities for all residents, reducing crime, and more. In part two we offer ideas for transforming the way Prince George's County does business and plans for future growth.

How did the County get to where it is today: with its Executive and his wife, an incoming Councilmember, being arrested, along with several police officers, business owners, and possibly others to follow?

Unfortunately, these aren't just a few bad apples engaging in illicit and illegal behavior. There is a long history of insider politics, cronyism, and outright corruption in Prince George's County. The players are white and black and new and established immigrants from around the world (see in the County.)

In the wake of Jack Johnson's arrest, a number of the Post's articles have touched upon previous cases of corruption and cronyism in the county, but they've stopped short of a more systematic analysis of the problem which would, among other things, lead them to recommend more solutions to "clean up" corruption in the county.

Before there was Jack Johnson, there were Anthony Cicoria and Jesse Baggett, who gave zoning and support for development projects away in exchange for money and influence. According to a 1975 New York Times article profiling several high-level Maryland officials in trouble, "the root of corruption in Maryland was clear; it was the land itself. As the corridor from the Delaware line to Washington became more urbanized, the value of the gently rolling farmlands skyrocketed. A minute change in a zoning classification could mean that a parcel of land might increase in value by 500 percent."

To be fair, Maryland wasn't alone in land-related scandals at the time. In nearby Fairfax County in the late 1960s, 15 elected officials, developers, and land use attorneys were indicted. Eight were convicted of similar charges, including 3 elected officials from both parties. A recent article in the Washington Business Journal discusses this case and other, more contemporary ones from around the region.

The difference is that things never cleaned up in Prince George's, and questionable to corrupt behavior continued through the '80s and '90s. Unlike other jurisdictions in the region with stronger commercial and office tax bases, Prince George's "bread and butter" since the 1980s has been low-density residential development. With some recent and welcome exceptions, there has been tremendous pressure for it, along with sprawling commercial development to serve it.

The pressure has come from market forces and some citizens who rightly want to be able to meet their retail needs in the county. It has also come from insiders—certain developers, land use attorneys, and politicians—who have benefited (in some cases for decades) from an antiquated development model. Zoning changes and development project approvals don't account for the long-term costs like heavily congested roads, long commute times, damage to streams and waterways, and more.

We recognize the need for economic development in Prince George's County, and welcome it, but it must take a new form. Much of it should take the compact, transit-oriented form that has been embraced by some of our neighbors. This is a form that the insiders seemingly do not embrace, understand, believe that government can support, or some combination thereof.

The cumulative impact of several decades of a low-density development model on the county's economy is unclear. So is the damage that the recurring political scandals and related misallocation of public resources on the County's reputation. The tax base and population have expanded over the last 40 years, but several catgories of crime have also increased and concerns about public schools remain. And while the county has recently attracted some high-end development like National Harbor and Wegmans, poverty in some of the county's communities persists. Then there is the perception that Prince George's is losing some of its affluent African-American residents to other counties, that retailers don't want to do business in the county, and more.

In this, perception is almost as important as reality. Perception may be enough for some citizens to lose confidence in their government and to believe that it's not worth their time to be engaged in local politics. Thankfully, many Prince Georgians do continue to work to make the County a better place. Perception could be enough to make prospective employers and retailers decide not to bring their business to the county. It may also be enough to dissuade future residents from bringing their talent and tax dollars.

Despite all of this and a constrained fiscal environment, you have a tremendous opportunity to remake the County's image. We believe that you have the talent required to be the County Executive that the residents of Prince George's County have long deserved. But a clear understanding of "what you're up against" is a must for this task, which is why we feel the need to delve into not just the cases of illegal behavior but the more pervasive "insider politics" in the County. In the second part of our letter, we'll offer our ideas for how you can become the best County Executive in Prince George's County's history.

Two Prince George's County employees sent along some observations they'd like to share with incoming County Executive Rushern Baker. We've agreed to publish their thoughts and keep their identities anonymous.