ON THE JOB Flowers youths learn through pilot program. A-3
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Thursday, November 6, 2014
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Despite strong county support, Brown loses
School board race a seven-vote split
Political analysts attribute loss to voter turnout, crossover voting n
BY
EMILIE SHAUGHNESSY STAFF WRITER
Prince George’s analysts cite a lack of voter turnout, voters beginning to look beyond party lines and a failure to rally independent voters as to why Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown failed in his gubernatorial bid, but for Brown supporters, the loss was a disappointing end to a long election season. “I think we really did fight hard,” said Yolanda AppiahKubi of Mitchellville. “I think the lieutenant governor was definitely the better choice.” Another Brown supporter, Edith Beauchamp of Greenbelt, agreed. “I keep hoping I wake up to ‘Dewey defeats Truman’ and the numbers will somehow be there,” she said. “But I think a lot of people didn’t turn out to vote. It’s terribly disappointing.” As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, about 770,511 votes had been counted in favor of Brown while Hogan earned about 847,107 votes, according to unofficial election results. As of 8 a.m. Wednesday, the Prince George’s County Board of Elections was reporting about 38 percent of the county’s 544,677 registered voters cast their ballots. Brown of Mitchellville took the majority of the votes in Baltimore City, Charles, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, according to preliminary results from the Maryland State Board of Elections, but his victories there were not enough to close Hogan’s approximate 5 point lead.
See BROWN, Page A-8
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Greenbelt incumbent falls, others keep seats
BY JAMIE
ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER
GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE
The last absentee ballots will need to be counted next week to determine a winner in the Prince George’s County District 3 school board race, where incumbent Amber Waller trails challenger Dinora Hernandez by only seven votes. With only provisional and absentee ballots remaining to be counted, Hernandez, of Hyattsville, has 5,167 votes to West Hyattsville resident Waller’s 5,160 votes. All results are unofficial until certified by the Prince George’s County Board of Elections. Final absentee ballots are scheduled to be counted on Nov. 14, according to the Board of Elections website. District 3 encompasses Adelphi, Lewisdale, University Park, Hyattsville, Mount Rainier, Brentwood and North Brentwood. Waller has held her seat since 2007, when she was appointed to the board to fill a vacancy. Hernandez is a diversity liaison to County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D). Baker endorsed Hernandez and lobbied for her on Election Day. Other candidates endorsed by Baker and
Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown (left) concedes the Maryland governor’s race Tuesday at his election night gathering in College Park.
See BOARD, Page A-8
Voters narrowly reject plan to extend term limits n
Nine other ballot measures approved by wide margins BY JAMIE ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER
Prince George’s County voters appear to have narrowly rejected a bid to increase term limits for the county exec-
utive and County Council, but approved nine other county ballot questions. According to unofficial results from the Prince George’s County Board of Elections as of Wednesday, voters rejected Question J, 51.3 percent to 48.7 percent, which would have increased the number of consecutive four-year terms served by the county executive and County Council members from two to three. All results are unofficial until certified
by the Prince George’s County Board of Elections. Provisional and absentee ballots remain to be counted. William Cavitt, president of the Indian Head Highway Area Action Council, or IHHAAC, an association of south county civic and community groups, said the organization welcomed the news of Question J’s defeat. The IHHAAC and Cavitt opposed Question J, arguing that eight years
should be enough time in office, and that Prince George’s County’s largely Democratic party base made it extremely difficult to dislodge incumbents. Voters first approved term limits in 1992. “It’s only gone away for a little while,” Cavitt said of the term limit extension. “Given the margin was relatively narrow, and given prior attempts [to repeal term
See EXTENSION, Page A-8
Playground updates Family brings taste of Kenya to Bowie out for Kettering ES Samosa shop set to open this winter
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Other upgrades in place, but parents concerned about outdoor area BY
KIRSTEN PETERSEN STAFF WRITER
Parents of Kettering Elementary School students are applauding $2.2 million in safety and technology upgrades at the school, but they aren’t so happy with plans to leave the playgrounds as-is. The Largo school is converting 11 “pod” classrooms into rooms with four solid walls, said Shayla Taylor, a project manager with Department of Capital Programs for Prince George’s
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County Public Schools. The “pods” had a flexible wall that could be opened to combine classrooms, Taylor said. Renovations on four of the classrooms have already been completed, and the final seven will be finished in early December, Taylor said. “The design is really great. Students have really taken ownership of the classroom,” Taylor said. “When people see them, I think they’ll be really impressed, students and parents.” Renovations are taking place in a school addition that has been closed off to students during construction, eliminating possible disruptions to the
See PLAYGROUND, Page A-6
BY
EMILIE SHAUGHNESSY STAFF WRITER
When Jane Musonye and Rose Musonye-Smith were growing up in Kenya, the flaky shell and warm, spicy filling of homemade samosas represented family, hospitality and generosity. Now the sisters are sharing that feeling with the world. Musonye-Smith and her family have been making and selling samosas — a triangular pastry usually filled with spiced meat or vegetables — for around four years and are planning to open their first storefront location in Bowie this winter, said Dale Smith,
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Musonye-Smith’s husband. Samosa Supreme will be located at 14207 Old Annapolis Road, he said. Smith said his family hopes to mainstream the dish by exclusively selling samosas and offering a wide varieties of fillings, including breakfast fillings and sweet blends, Smith said. While samosas originated in Asia, they became popular in many other parts of the world, like Kenya, which has a lot of Indian influence in its cuisine, Smith said. “[The samosa] has traveled to different parts of the world, and as it goes to different places, it takes on the flavor of that area,” he said. “We’re taking the concept of the samosa, but we’ve created new fillers.” Musonye-Smith, a Bowie resident, and her sister, Jane
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Samosa Supreme co-owners (from left) Jayne Musonye, Dale Smith and Rose Musonye display a plate of their savory beef samosas at their catering facility in Bowie on Sunday. Musonye of Norristown, Pa., were the children of Kenyan diplomats who traveled around the world with their parents be-
fore settling in the United States around 30 years ago, Musonye
See KENYA, Page A-7