More News

Prince George's County Councilman Thomas E. Dernoga (D-Dist. 1) of Laurel was unanimously elected by the council Tuesday to serve as chairman, and he immediately pledged to bring more transparency and smoothness to county governance.

Dernoga, who was vice chairman last year and chairman of the council in 2006, was elected to take over the gavel from outgoing Councilwoman Marilynn M. Bland (D-Dist. 9) of Clinton after a tumultuous year of strained budgets, resident criticism and frequent dissent among the nine-member group.

Councilwoman Andrea Harrison (D-Dist. 5) of Springdale was voted in Tuesday as vice chairwoman.

Before county workers and friends, Bland said the council came together to weather tough fiscal times and thanked supporters.

"Yes, these have been tough times, but Prince George's County is still standing," Bland told the crowd. "I am optimistic that we will celebrate the beginning of a new and greater chapter for Prince George's County."

Bland also thanked County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) for being "an extraordinary leader" who "nurtured a healthy spirit of cooperation" with the council.

A staff member said Johnson did not attend the ceremony because he was attending an event for World AIDS Day that could not be rescheduled.

Dernoga takes the reins as the council enters a turbulent political time. He and four other members are serving their last year on the council due to term limits, while the other four members, including Vice Chairwoman Harrison, are eligible for re-election next year.

Dernoga, a zoning lawyer, is planning to run for county state's attorney. Two other departing councilmen, Samuel Dean (D-Dist. 6) of Mitchellville and Tony Knotts (D-Dist. 8) of Temple Hills, are running for county executive against three other declared candidates.

"I don't really worry about [the election]," Dernoga said at a news conference after the ceremony. "I want to keep us focused on the business at hand and try to avoid the distractions."

Keeping the county afloat amid lost revenues and state cuts, helping residents deal with rampant foreclosures and tackling reforms of the county's environmental and land-use regulations top the new chairman's list, Dernoga said, along with implementing new regulations to reform the county's taxi industry.

Bland praised Dernoga in her departure speech for his "experience and steady support."

At his news conference, the new chairman confirmed that some council members had expressed support for allowing one of the newer council members elected in 2006 to take over in the last year. Each council member traditionally gets a turn to lead the council, and every member elected in 2002 has already had a turn.

"I want to note that the class of 2002 has been an extraordinary council, and it is my desire to see it finish even stronger than it started," he said in his acceptance speech.

Though he cast no blame for the past in his conference, Dernoga did say he expected smoother times ahead. Bland's tenure on the group was marked by several controversial incidents, including five protests by residents outside the county building. She was also criticized for ending a meeting before opponents of a proposed soccer stadium had a chance to voice their opinion before the council.

In February, the council was sharply divided 5-4 in supporting an effort to raise county property tax bills through the General Assembly, and recently Bland declined to have the council vote to confirm several of Johnson's appointees when the group could not agree on supporting them.

Dernoga said he is working closely with taxi cab drivers — who staged several of the protests because of concerns with the equity of the county's cab licensing system — and said the stadium incident was a rarity.

"I don't foresee that happening again," he said.

The County Council is on recess until its first meeting Jan. 12.

E-mail Daniel Valentine at dvalentine@gazette.net.