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Prince George's County employment and education ranked high among issues important to voters in District 25, according to candidates running to represent the district in the Maryland House of Delegates.

Incumbents Aisha Braveboy, Melony Griffith and Dereck E. Davis and challengers Erek Barron, Antonio Faunteroy, Davion Percy and Michelle Wright are running for the three delegate seats in District 25, which includes Forestville, Largo, Mitchellville and Suitland.

Primary elections are Sept. 14. The general election is Nov. 2. Early voting starts Friday.

Percy, 25, said many residents say they are worried about school safety in the county's middle and high schools and the adequacy of services for students who have special needs or learning disorders.

"We have to have a better working relationship with our school board members," he said. "I believe that's first and foremost. Prince George's County has a lot of elected officials. Some of them work very well together, and some of them are doing their own thing, maybe not working together intensely. I plan to make a consistent appearance at our school board meetings."

Faunteroy, 28, said he would advocate for state and federal funding to expand prekindergarten to all county residents, create more charter schools and fund more afterschool programs such as tutoring.

Faunteroy said what will set him apart from the other candidates and make him successful as an elected official is his visibility in his community.

"I don't want people to be like, ‘Oh, he's a politician,'" Faunteroy said. "I definitely can relate better than the incumbents."

Wright said parents she talked to also are concerned about school safety, overcrowded classrooms and retention of good teachers.

Wright said on a state level she would look into curriculum that is balanced and not solely focused on standardized tests and ways to motivate parents to become more involved with their children post-elementary school, whether it is a tax credit for a certain level of participation or a fine for student truancy.

Del. Gerron Levi (D-Dist. 23A) of Woodmore introduced the "Restore Respect at School Act" bill that would have required parents whose children are chronically absent to attend parent-teacher conferences or risk losing some state tax benefits, but it did not pass during the 2009 or 2010 Maryland General Assembly legislative sessions.

Wright said teachers have told her that student behavior is a challenge for them.

"It would have to be reviewed, researched to see what are [the] best practices in each area," Wright said. "I certainly would like to investigate some way for parents to become more involved with the school system."

Like Percy, Braveboy, 36, said she also plans on having an expanded relationship with the new Prince George's County Board of Education on how to create a nurturing environment for residents with special needs children. She also said residents have asked her how they can get another job or training in another field so they can become marketable prospective employees.

Braveboy said she helped pass the Green Businesses Tax Credit bill during the 2009 Maryland General Assembly session as an incentive for businesses to come and anchor in Prince George's County and provide job opportunities for county residents.

"Prince George's County is well positioned because of our proximity to [Washington, D.C., and] our available undeveloped land to really be the hub or new alternative forms of energy," Braveboy said.

Griffith, 47, said her experience as vice chair of the capital budget and a member of the House Appropriations Committee gives her the ability to deliver "solid economic development proposals" that will lead to new jobs that can provide resources for county public schools.

She said she is proud of her participation on Envision Prince George's, a countywide plan charting the future economic growth, and a countywide priorities meeting she hopes to hold in the spring that allows District 25 residents to talk about what issues concern them. The last one was held in October 2009 at the First Baptist Church of Glenarden, but resident concerns are also posted on the Prince George's delegation's website, she said.

"One thing I have been really proud of is creating opportunities for citizen input [and] collaborative listening forums with other elected officials," Griffith said. "They can count on me providing more opportunities for citizen input."

Davis, 43, chairman of the Economic Matters Committee, said the economy, jobs and education have been the main topics from voters he has talked with, and that some parents are not pleased with the results their tax money goes to.

"The outcome hasn't matched the investment," Davis said. "And obviously everyone wants a good quality public school system for their children. That's been the primary discussion that's been going on."

Although he doesn't sit on the appropriations committee, he said his position as Economic Matters Committee chairman still puts him in discussion when it comes to issues such as school construction and the Purple Line, the proposed 16-mile light rail linking Bethesda to New Carrollton.

"As a member of the senior house leadership team, I'm in a strategic position to protect the county's priorities," Davis said. "I think I have the trust of the speaker and my colleagues when I bring the needs and concerns. They will work with me to help resolve the challenges that we face. I can deliver results and not rhetoric."

nmcgill@gazette.net