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Incumbent Del. Jolene Ivey (D-Dist. 47) of Cheverly has officially filed in the race to win her party's nomination in the Sept. 14 primary, saying education, public safety and economic development are top concerns.

Ivey served one term in the House of Delegates, and three seats are up for grabs in the Nov. 2 election. District 47 includes Bladensburg, Brentwood, Cheverly, Chillum, Colmar Manor, Landover Hills, Langley Park, Mount Rainier and New Carrollton.

"I think I've done a good job and I want to keep doing it," Ivey said. "I've learned a lot and I have more that I can do now than when I was first elected four years ago."

Ivey has been on the education subcommittee since 2009, and since 2008 has been chairwoman of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission's Prince George's County delegation.

Ivey said she wants to give parents more say in their children's education.

She pushed for a bill that gives parents information about their special education children at least three days ahead of an Individualized Educational Program meeting.

"...Parents would just be shocked in the IEP meeting. Here they are, lonely parents feeling vulnerable in a room full of people, being bombarded with information," she said. "... Parents would be better armed to deal with that situation intellectually and emotionally if they got the information ahead of time."

Ivey also helped secure a $100,000 bond for the Family Crisis Center, which helps domestic violence victims.

Ivey said she will focus on quality-of-life issues such as ensuring all the county's trails connect and tackling loud music complaints.

"I live in an unincorporated area and a lot of time, we're just forgotten by some of the politicians," said Lanham resident Beverly Ball. "From the time [Ivey] has been elected as a delegate, she's always been over here, seeing what we need and what she can do to help us."

JOLENE IVEY

Position sought: District 47 Delegate

Party affiliation: Democrat

Place of residence: Cheverly

How long lived in Prince George's County: 33 years

Age: 48

Place of birth: Washington, D.C.

Current occupation: Delegate, real estate agent, regular guest on Michel Martin's NPR show "Tell Me More"

Education: BA (Mass Communication) Towson University and MA (Journalism) University of Maryland

Community associations: co-founder of Mocha Moms, a support group of at-home mothers of color; Board member of Cheverly Young Actors Guild.

Family: Husband Glenn Ivey, five sons, father, Joe Stephenson

Campaign telephone number: 301-437-8394

Web site: www.JoleneIvey.com