Olson lays groundwork for County Council run

Thursday, Feb. 2, 2006

After eight years on the College Park City Council, Eric Olson (Dist. 3) is gearing up for a County Council District 3 run this fall.

Olson, who was first elected to the City Council in 1997, has not announced he is candidacy for the seat, which will be vacated when incumbent Councilman Thomas Hendershot (D-Dist.) of New Carrollton’s term ends.

Thomas Hendershot cannot seek re-election due to term limits. His wife, Flo Hendershot, plans to run for her husband’s seat.

Olson, who will run as a Democrat, has raised $21,561, according to the Maryland Elections Web site.

Olson, 35, and a College Park resident since 1992, is the director off the Healthy Communities Campaign at the Sierra Club. He has worked closely with every civic association in the city, and is a member of the Calvert Hills Civic Association.

Olson, who received his Master’s degree in American Studies from the University of Maryland, said dealing with local issues in College Park will help him search for solutions to the county’s most pressing issues, including crime, education and revitalization.

‘‘We have been tackling these issues in College Park,” Olson said. ‘‘But a lot of the solutions are at the county level.”

Olson said working to revitalize downtown College Park and improve Route 1 conditions will help him if he decides to run for County Council.

‘‘We have certainly had our share of challenges [in College Park], but we’ve done an awful lot of work around revitalizing our downtown and working on downtown projects to create more retail opportunities,” he said.

Sen. Paul Pinsky (D-Dist. 22) of University Park, who worked with Olson on local environmental issues during his time on the council, said Olson’s experience could serve the County Council well.

‘‘He’s a bright young guy, and he’s done a good job in the past,” Pinsky said. ‘‘I think he makes an attractive candidate . ... I’m glad to hear he’s going to stay involved in politics.”

If Olson runs for the District 3 seat, he said he would continue to include local communities in decisions that affect their lives.

‘‘When there is a developmental proposal or anything that will impact the community, I insist that the community be involved,” he said.

E-mail Dennis Carter at dcarter@gazette.net.