User:Y2hyaXM/sandbox/Calvin Hawkins
Calvin Hawkins | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Hawkins in 2024 | |
| 9th Executive of Prince George's County | |
| Assumed office January 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Angela Alsobrooks |
| Member of the Prince George's County Council from the at-large district | |
| In office December 3, 2018 – January 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Seat established |
| Succeeded by | TBD |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1962 (age 61–62) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Angie (m. 1997) |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | President's Volunteer Service Award (2006) |
Calvin S. Hawkins II is an American politician who is the 9th and current county executive of Prince George's County, Maryland. He previously served as an at-large member of the Prince George's County Council from 2018 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, the Prince George's County Council chose Hawkins to serve out the remainder of Angela Alsobrooks's term as county executive in January 2025, following her election to the U.S. Senate.
Early life and education
[edit]Hawkins was born in Washington, D.C. in 1962.[1] He was one of three children.[2]
Hawkins grew up in Oxon Hill, Maryland,[2] where he graduated from Oxon Hill High School.[1] He attended Bowie State University, where he studied political science and was elected class president during his freshman year, and planned to join the U.S. Army after graduating.[2] Hawkins also became addicted to cocaine after being introduced to freebasing the drug his friends from Oxon Hill, which caused him to turn to armed robberies to get more money for drugs. At 21 years old, he was arrested while robbing a D.C. gas station and sentenced to five years in prison.[2]
Hawkins is a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.[1]
Career
[edit]After his release from prison, Hawkins got involved with efforts to rehabilitate youth involved with crime. He first became involved with local government as a constituent services aide to D.C. councilmember Kevin P. Chavous.[2] Hawkins previously worked in Prince George's County government for 23 years, including as an aide to county executives Wayne K. Curry and Rushern Baker.[3] In November 2006, Hawkins received the President's Volunteer Service Award for his efforts with the Prince George's County Citizen Corps.[4]
During the 1996 Washington, D.C., city council elections, Hawkins was involved in a lawsuit between Chavous and D.C. school board member Terry Hairston, who was challenging signatures gathered by Hawkins to qualify Chavous for re-election. Hairston contested that a majority of the signatures submitted by Chavous's campaign were invalid because they were collected by Hawkins, who Hairston alleged had moved out of the city to a two-story house in Upper Marlboro and lied about his address to D.C. elections officials. Hawkins rejected these claims, testifying that he was engaged to a woman who owns a house in Upper Marlboro and that he would not move there until his marriage in spring 1997, and that his fiancee took out the loan to buy the house even though both of their names were on the deed for the property. The District of Columbia Board of Elections ruled in favor of Chavous in August 1996.[5] Hawkins became close friends with Hairston following the lawsuit.[6]
In 2008, Tonya Hairston, a co-worker in the Prince George's County Office of Emergency Management, alleged that Hawkins had sexually harassed her on two separate occasions, including once when he restrained her onto his lap in a chair and forcibly kissed her on her neck. Hawkins was fired and in 2009, a jury ordered Prince George's County to pay $150,000 in damages in relation to the harassment. He was reinstated with back pay in 2010 after appealing to the county's personnel review board, which found that Hawkins touched Hairston "in an unwanted manner" but ruled that there was insufficient proof that the unwanted touching happened more than once or amounted to sexual harassment. When asked about these allegations during his 2018 county council campaign, Hawkins disputed some of the victim's account of the harassment but recognized that his behavior was inappropriate and said that he was in counseling for about a year following the allegations.[3]
Prince George's County Council
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In May 2017, Hawkins entered the race for one of the two newly created at-large seats on the Prince George's County Council.[7] He led his primary opponents in fundraising[8] and received campaign contributions from many of county executive Rushern Baker's relatives, administration officials, and current and former council members.[3] Hawkins and county councilmember Mel Franklin won the Democratic primary in June 2018, with Hawkins placing second with 18.6 percent of the vote,[9] and defeated Republican Felicia Folarin in the general election.[10] He was re-elected in 2022.[11]
Hawkins was sworn in on December 3, 2018. He served as the county council's chair from December 1, 2020, until December 5, 2022,[1] during which he oversaw redistricting of the county's councilmanic districts,[12] supported efforts to reform the county's laws on zoning[13] and policing.[14]
In November 2024, after county executive Angela Alsobrooks won election to the U.S. Senate, Hawkins told The Washington Post that he would run to succeed Alsobrooks.[15]
Prince George's County Executive
[edit]Political positions
[edit]In May 2021, Hawkins sent a letter to Acting Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose and Maryland Transportation Secretary Greg Slater to voice his opposition to the D.C.–Baltimore maglev proposal,[16] arguing that the construction would "tear through environmentally sensitive areas" and that the 311-mile-an-hour train would cause vibrations and hurt property values.[17]
In 2023, Hawkins introduced a bill to establish a county rental assistance fund to pay for up to a year of rent for a person or family making 50 percent or less than the area median income. He later supported a bill that capped rent increases at three percent a year.[18]
In September 2023, Hawkins voted against a resolution that would allow members of the county council to virtually vote on bills if they were experiencing illness or on parental leave, accusing the bill's sponsor, Krystal Oriadha—who was the council's first pregnant representative—of making herself "the victim" and criticizing how the majority of councilmembers operated, calling it the 11-member body a "council of six".[19] Later that month, Hawkins apologized to Oriadha for his remarks, which he said were not "reflective of my respect and appreciation and admiration for all women", and voted to allow the virtual voting resolution to be presented before the council.[20] The rule passed.[21]
In December 2023, Hawkins endorsed legislation to increase electronic speed monitoring fines on Maryland Route 210 and to increase the number of speed cameras on the roadway.[22]
Personal life
[edit]Hawkins married his wife, Angie,[23] in spring 1997.[5] Together, they have a daughter named Tori,[23] who was born when Hawkins was 17 years old.[2] He moved from Washington, D.C. to Upper Marlboro after their marriage.[5]
Hawkins is a congregant at First Baptist Church of Glenarden.[1] He attends services every Sunday and credits religion with helping save him in prison and keeping him on track since his release.[2]
Electoral history
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mel Franklin | 43,270 | 20.6 | |
| Democratic | Calvin Hawkins | 39,182 | 18.6 | |
| Democratic | Karen Toles | 36,463 | 17.3 | |
| Democratic | Juanita Culbreath-Miller | 31,010 | 14.7 | |
| Democratic | Gerron Levi | 25,665 | 12.2 | |
| Democratic | Julian Lopez | 15,717 | 7.5 | |
| Democratic | Melvin Bernard Johnson | 9,790 | 4.7 | |
| Democratic | Jonathan White | 4,802 | 2.3 | |
| Democratic | Reginald J. Tyer | 4,366 | 2.1 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mel Franklin | 233,164 | 46.9 | |
| Democratic | Calvin Hawkins | 221,325 | 44.5 | |
| Republican | Felicia Folarin | 40,403 | 8.1 | |
| Write-in | 2,025 | 0.4 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Calvin Hawkins (incumbent) | 188,336 | 50.86 | |
| Democratic | Mel Franklin (incumbent) | 178,165 | 48.11 | |
| Write-in | 3,789 | 1.02 | ||
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Calvin S. Hawkins II, County Council, Prince George's County, Maryland". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Chason, Rachel (May 7, 2018). "'Second chance kind of guy': This candidate is telling voters about his criminal past". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ a b c Chason, Rachel (February 15, 2018). "Council candidate who is an aide to Baker was accused of harassment years ago". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ "Names in the News". The Washington Post. November 16, 2006. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ a b c Williams, Vanessa; Loose, Cindy (August 1, 1996). "Chavous: Still standing". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ Wilber, Del Quentin (September 23, 2004). "2 Held in Slaying Of D.C. Ex-Official". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ Hernández, Arelis R. (May 8, 2017). "13 months ahead of Democratic primary, candidates emerge in Prince George's". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ Hernández, Arelis R. (January 18, 2018). "Alsobrooks way ahead of the fundraising field in Prince George's executive race". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ Chason, Rachel (June 28, 2018). "New faces on Prince George's council, and two races still too close to call". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ a b "Official 2018 Gubernatorial General Election results for Prince George's County". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ Shepherd, Katie; Wu, Daniel (November 8, 2022). "Elrich, Alsobrooks win reelection to lead Maryland suburbs". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ Chason, Rachel (November 10, 2021). "Accusations of gerrymandering have deepened divisions in this Democratic suburb near D.C." The Washington Post. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
- ^ Wu, Daniel (September 16, 2022). "Prince George's council pulls 'Machiavellian' zoning bill after uproar". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ Mettler, Katie (February 5, 2021). "Prince George's police reforms to include a director for race and gender equity and more data collection to track possible racial profiling". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ Mettler, Katie; Hilton, Jasmine (November 8, 2024). "Alsobrooks's Senate win fuels new contest over her Prince George's seat". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ Bonessi, Dominique Maria; Pascale, Jordan (May 11, 2021). "Prince George's County Officials Demand Halt To The Maglev Project Between D.C. And Baltimore". DCist. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ DePuyt, Bruce (May 18, 2021). "Alsobrooks, Council Reject Maglev Train Through Prince George's". Maryland Matters. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ Beachum, Lateshia (February 28, 2023). "Prince George's County Council passes rent stabilization bill". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ Beachum, Lateshia (September 19, 2023). "Pr. George's council buckles under backlash to virtual voting amendment". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ Beachum, Lateshia (September 26, 2023). "Pr. George's County Council inches toward virtual voting, after outcry". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ Beachum, Lateshia (December 29, 2023). "A pregnant lawmaker couldn't vote remotely. So she changed the law". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ Hilton, Jasmine (December 23, 2023). "'Highway of Death' needs higher fines for speeding, Md. officials say". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ a b "The Honorable Calvin S. Hawkins, II". Prince George's County Council. Archived from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ "Official 2018 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for Prince George's County". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ "Official 2022 Gubernatorial General Election results for Prince George's County". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved November 22, 2024.