Photo by Kenny Miller on Flickr.

Dear Mr. Baker,

In part 1 of our open letter, we laid out a brief history of corruption in our county and the problems it’s caused.

In part 2, we’ll offer a few ideas for how we believe you can improve Prince George’s County to make it one of the most attractive places in the region for employers and families.

We believe these actions can also reinvigorate activism and engagement for those that have given up, and provide inspiration to those that haven’t.

Start with the best expertise: Your transition team features a good diversity of professionals whose expertise includes law enforcement, education, public administration, banking, finance, real estate and more.

Knowledge of these areas is critical to running any county government, but so is the ability to counter the tired arguments that responsible environmental management produces economic hardship, and that higher standards will stop redevelopment. This is antiquated thinking which results in missed opportunities for the county.

Appoint experts at the highest levels of your administration who can demonstrate the benefits of sustainability to citizens, decision-makers, and “insiders” alike. This can help the county catch up to its neighbors in getting its fair share of profitable transit-oriented development and new green jobs. These are the revenue sources of the future for the county’s priorities.

Strengthen the authority of the Planning Board: Signal your intention to change how development in the county occurs by building a strong Planning Board which will inspire confidence from citizens, the County Council, and the development community.

We agree with a recent editorial that the County Council is too involved in development decisions. But we disagree that all councilmembers have held up cases simply to “shake down” developers for favors. Perhaps this has been true of some. What is also true is that some councilmembers have believed, rightly or wrongly, that their involvement would lead to better development than they believed the Planning Board approved.

But there’s no evidence that Council involvement has led to better development in the county. If anything, anecdotal evidence suggests that this has led to more money spent in the review process, less capital investment in projects, and the refusal of some developers to bring their business to the county because of this uncertainty in the review process. Our neighbors do not do business this way, and they are doing a lot more business than we are.

On a practical level, what does this mean? It means appointing an experienced Planning Board with no conflicts of interest with other professional commitments. It means directing them to call for updated zoning regulations and a streamlined development review process so clear rules and processes are in place that both require and entice better development in the county.

It means supporting them to say “no” to developers who do not conform to this vision, even in a tough economy. And it means making Planning Board meetings more accessible by holding them in the evening when the 60% of the county’s employed residents who do not work in Prince George’s have the chance to attend.

Support good planning decisions with public education and the right incentives: The county must put more incentives in place to help developers redevelop around Metro stations. This requires prioritizing public subsidies for infill and redevelopment around existing transit resources, rather than new, auto-dependent town centers. It also means strengthening the Redevelopment Authority and the Economic Development Corporation with resources to achieve this.

Help educate citizens, business owners, environmentalists, developers, agency staff, and appointed and elected decision-makers about the benefits of and need for Smart Growth in Prince George’s County. There are experts in Prince George’s and the region who can provide needed understanding on topics like transit-oriented development, low-income versus workforce housing, the relationship of human health to neighborhood design, the fiscal impact of development decisions, the benefits of density to communities and the environment, rural preservation, and much more.

Usher in a new era of transparency in county government: Set an example for elected and appointed officials by instituting practices which “sunlight” the county’s operations and increase government transparency and accountability.

Fight perceptions of insider politics by making the county’s daily business dealings a matter of easy public access. Post your daily schedule and meetings online, and ask councilmembers, agency heads, and appointees to do the same. Improve the county’s communication with the public through redesigned, user-friendly websites, including the ability to report problems with public services (e.g. trash pick-up, snow removal, code violations, etc) online.

Most of all, articulate how you will measure success in improving public safety and education and in bringing more economic development to the county. Communicate progress on these measures with the public frequently. Be clear about when and what changes and priorities may be needed in the short term to build a stronger county in the long term.

Address long-term challenges to successful county governance: The lack of at-large representatives on the County Council encourages parochialism. This has led to this body’s inability to consistently pass legislation which addresses countywide problems, since the structure does not incentivize a comprehensive view of the county’s affairs.

In the past, the price of obtaining votes for a councilmember’s agenda has been supporting pet projects in other districts, which exacerbates a sprawling pattern of development. A better structure should be put in place so that the County Executive and the County Council take a holistic view of Prince George’s.

The other major challenge to the long-term success of Prince George’s County is addressing the limits on the county’s ability to fund priorities due to TRIM, the limit placed on property taxes. Unfortunately, we believe that until dramatic measures are taken to restore trust in county government, Prince Georgian’s will never overturn this limit.

In closing, we understand that education, crime, and economic development are your priorities, and rightly so. We think as difficult a task will be providing more transparent decision-making and setting forth a new vision for the county’s development. We hope to support you and help you in whatever way we can.

Congratulations again, Mr. Baker. We’ll be rooting for you as you work to address an unenviable set of challenges, and hoping that you’ll inspire us with a bold agenda that will make Prince George’s greater.

There are several reasons why we have requested anonymity, from sensitivity about blurring personal opinions and official agendas, to concern about potential displeasure from colleagues. We don’t believe this diminishes our contribution, any more than it does for the anonymous readers who comment here at GGW.