Prince George’s Council appoints District 6 member Blegay to vacant at-large seat

By Thomas Robertson

The Prince George’s County Council wasted no time Monday, tapping one of its own to fill the at-large council seat vacated just last week by Calvin Hawkins, who stepped down to take a job in the county’s administration.

The council voted unanimously to appoint current District 6 Council member Wala Blegay to the at-large seat formerly held by Hawkins, a Democrat first elected in 2018 and reelected in 2o22. Because of term limits in the county, he would not have been able to run for reelection when his term ended next December.

The unanimous vote sets off another appointment process, to fill Blegay’s now-empty District 6 seat. The council is now accepting applications from interested District 6 residents.

Blegay, who was elected to her first term on the council in 2022, told her colleagues Monday she was ready to step into a new role representing all the county’s residents.

“When it comes to the budget, I’ve worked on that. When it comes to working with relationships in Annapolis, I’ve done that. I’ve done all of those things on the council, and I want to take ‘the peoples’ champ,’ thanking councilman Hawkins for his work, but taking that baton and continuing his work to be the peoples’ champ of all of Prince George’s County,” she said.

The vote for Blegay came at the end of a nearly hour-and-a-half-long emergency meeting, at which more than 30 of the 38 applicants for the open seat were each given two minutes to make their case in the virtual forum. Besiodes Blegay, candidates included former Cheverly Mayor Kayce Munyeneh, along with teachers, social workers and federal government employees, among others.

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“It’s very clear that we have so much talent in Prince George’s County, and I was blown away by some of the experience and ideas of the residents who applied today,” said District 8 Council member Edward Burroughs III, who went on to make the motion to appoint Blegay after hearing from all the candidates.

The vote took just minutes, and came without debate or dissension.

Blegay’s term as District 6’s representative on the council was set to expire Dec. 5, 2026. Her term as an at-large member will end on the same date.

Hawkins stepped away from his at-large council seat to take a job as the county’s assistant deputy chief administrative officer for economic development.

“I want to express my sincere gratitude to the residents of Prince George’s County for the trust and support you’ve shown me throughout my tenure on the Council,” Hawkins said in a news release announcing his resignation. “Serving on this body has been a profound honor, and I take immense pride in what we’ve achieved together.”

The selection of Blegay to fill Hawkins’ seat opens up the fourth council seat in just the past two years. Former At-large Council member Mel Franklin resigned last year shortly before pleading guilty to campaign theft charges; District 5 Council member Jolene Ivey won the special election to fill Franklin’s seat, opening the District 5 seat in the process; it was won by Shayla Adams-Stafford in a June special election.

Because Hawkins’ resignation came less than a year before his term expired, the council chose his replacement. The same will be true for Blegay’s replacement.

Anyone interested in the District 6 seat has until 5 p.m. this Friday, Jan. 2, to submit a resume and letter of interest and resume to the council at this link. Applicants must have been a registered voter in Prince George’s County’s District 6 for at least a year to be eligible.

No hearing has been set yet to select the next District 6 council member.

– As part of Maryland Matters’ content sharing agreement with WTOP, we feature this article from Thomas Robertson. Click here for the WTOP News website.