The biggest Route 1 municipality with a May 2019 election is Hyattsville, and what an election it is. For the first time in recent memory, races for each ward and the Mayor’s seat are competitive.
Incumbent Mayor Candace Hollingsworth is running against life-long Hyattsvillian Angela Kenny. Hollingsworth has run something of a stealth campaign, it seems, with relatively little expenses. Her platform, at least in the lone debate, rested upon her resumé leading Hyattsville City Council throughout her first term while pledging to advance a results-oriented policy agenda focused on community equity. It’s unsure what exactly Kenny’s grand vision for Hyattsville is, at least from the debate, though her rhetoric references familiar — and legitimate — West Hyattsvillian angst about economic development disparities and socio-political inclusion in the city’s civic life.
Likewise, all of Hyattsville’s five Ward races are competitive. Each candidate, if elected, will serve alongside another Ward colleague to comprise Maryland’s second-largest City Council after Baltimore.
Here’s Route 1 Reporter’s prior reporting on each Ward race:
In interviews, Hyattsville mayor, ward 1 candidates define themselves
In Hyattsville’s Ward Two race, development issues loom large
Hyattsville’s Ward Three race pits Peace Corps vets against each other
In Hyattsville’s Ward Four, candidates want sensible development
In Hyattsville’s Ward Five, differing views on community satisfaction
University Park continues to be boring
In University Park, none of the races are competitive, and all of the candidates are incumbents. Ward Two Councilor Joseph Schultz, Ward Four Candidate Linda Verrill, Ward Five Candidate David Caskey and Ward Six Councilor Martha Wells are all running for re-election in the town where you are only allowed to live.