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Upper Marlboro realty business owner George Mitchell is hoping to bring his managerial skills to the Prince George's County school board.

"I bring people together to make things happen," said Mitchell, 55. "I'm not an educator, I'm not a lawyer. I'm a manager."

Mitchell who is running for the District 9 school board seat, which covers Upper Marlboro, Brandywine, Cheltenham and parts of Fort Washington, ran for the District 4 Congressional seat in 2008, but was defeated by Donna Edwards of Fort Washington.

Mitchell, owner of Real Estate Around America and Auction Around America, both based in Upper Marlboro, said that if elected he wants to form an advisory group, called Committee of 100, comprised of teachers, staff, residents, parents, clergy and business owners. The group would meet monthly and work to strategize and resolve ongoing issues, such as the high school dropout rate.

"It's nonsense to think nine people on the school board can solve all the problems in the county alone," he said.

Mitchell said he would also leverage help from county nonprofits and sororities and fraternities to create afterschool mentoring programs at schools.

"We need to open schools from 3 to 8 [p.m.] to create a safe haven," he said, adding that volunteers could mentor and tutor students.

Rick Sutton, who has been friends with Mitchell for nearly 40 years, said Mitchell has always been an advocate for children.

"As long as I've known him, he has always taken the time to stop and pay attention to kids," said Sutton, who lives in Prince William County, Virginia.

A product of a single-parent household, Mitchell said he wants other families in tough situations to know it is possible to achieve in high school and move on to college.

"So these folks telling me about fathers not being in the house, I don't buy that," Mitchell said. "We need to stop making excuses. We need to prioritize."

Among his top priorities, Mitchell said he would like to find an office for the school board. Although school board meetings are held at the Sasscer building in Upper Marlboro, board members do not have offices in the building, which Mitchell said only leads to confusion and disorganization.

"You can't operate a school system out of the trunk of your car," he said.

George Mitchell

Position sought: Board of Education District 9

Residence: Upper Marlboro

Age: 55

Time in county: 12 years

Place of birth: Florence, S.C.

Current occupation: Real estate broker, licensed auctioneer and owner of Real Estate Around America and Auction Around America, both located in Upper Marlboro

Education: Bachelor's degree in business from Morgan State University in Baltimore; associate's degree in human resources from St. Leo University in St. Leo, Fla.; graduate of Real Estate Institute GRI; graduate  of Mendenhall School of Auctioneers; graduate of Maryland Association of Realtor's Leadership Academy

Community associations: Member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity

Professional associations: Former candidate for Congress, Maryland District 4, former student school board member for Baltimore City Public Schools

Family: Married with three children, two stepchildren and six grandchildren

Website: www.votegmitchell.com

mmckeever@gazette.net