Angela Alsobrooks has been county executive of Prince George’s County for nearly six years, and Larry Hogan served two terms as governor of Maryland. Look to their records more than any debate.

In Prince George’s County, our proximity to the MGM Casino and National Harbor would logically bring jobs and lower taxes, but Alsobrooks is running the county. She spends her time running for office.

After two terms as state’s attorney, Alsobrooks ran for county executive in 2018 and reelection in 2022. She was viewed as a contender for governor in 2022 and this year challenged Rep. David Trone in the primary for the open U.S. Senate seat as Ben Cardin retires.

Tantallon seems more like Savannah than Washington, D.C. Taxes are high, but housing prices are less than in Virginia, even with the National Golf Club nearby. The saying is, save on housing prices and spend on private schools — our schools are awful.

In the 1960s, the developer of Tantallon was required to donate a higher-elevation forest so rainwater runoff did not flood the man-made canals. Alsobrooks and her cronies are spending roughly $1 billion to build schools instead of renovating the current schools. Ignoring months of protesters and a huge professional sign, “Angela Listen to Your Voters,” the forest was cut. One-third of our backyard was underwater after a simple rain. Docks blew away as gushing culverts filled — all predictable damage.

Like other PG “academies,” the website of Colin Powell Academy discusses bullying, features dance, diversity … with little emphasis on excellence in education. It is built for 2,200 K-8 students: 10 times best-practice recommendations for small, walkable neighborhood schools for young children. The lot is smaller than any best-practice school, neglecting play, recess and sports — no baseball field; no jungle gyms.

Vines grow year-round on most street signs; potholes take a year to fix. A water pipe burst, filling curbs for blocks and mosquitoes proliferated — for two summers. Inspections are haphazard; one house has no fascia protecting the plywood underneath their roof from the elements, another lies half-built for a decade. Within half a mile, three private houses blast music and charge entrance fees for parties, weekend after weekend.

The mailed reminders about where to get your car inspected, the flyers for trash collection, the website or just about any other communication is rarely correct. Stations are closed, hours are outdated, and calls to the county are never reliable.

I needed to get rid of tires. The website said the rims would have to be off for curb pickup, but the dump would take them. I called to verify. Even so, a man flagged me down at the entrance and directed me 20 minutes away. I suggested the website be corrected. “Above my pay grade,” he replied.

At the next location, the man started to direct me to where to pull the tires out of the car by myself, and then said, “Oh, you have to get the rims off first.” The rims-on were fine last time.

The website reads, “County residents may dispose of a maximum of 5 scrap tires no larger than 17” in size per year.” The rim is not mentioned for the dump.

The rim-less tires were finally picked up on my lawn after more telephone calls.

There is a consolation: Alsobrooks is incompetent, so she will fit right into the U.S. Senate. Or we can vote for Larry Hogan, who did a good job as governor. Don’t hold your breath.

— Donna Wiesner Keene, Fort Washington

The writer held appointments in the Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush Administrations, on Capitol Hill, and helped the Maryland legislature create the first successful energy deregulation.