Lorrie Rogers, Collingon shares their report on their member meeting held December 10, 2018.

Three cheers for MaCCRA. We did it again, another successful, interesting meeting, this one featuring our District 24 senator and delegates.I think that many people would agree that we have a really good state delegation (Sen. Benson and Dels. Barron, Lewis, and Harrison). Each one brings a particular personal focus and set of interests and expertise, and they appear to be all working together as a team for us, Prince George’s County, and Maryland.  We appreciate that they came both to inform us and to listen to us.

The meeting only happened with the efforts of many, and particular thanks go to Charlotte Melichar, Marty Laties, Mary Godfrey, Rita Gardiner, Ro-Anne Dahlen-Hartfield, and Karl Edler.  And thanks to those who came to the auditorium to demonstrate to the politicians that we at Collington care and that we have our eyes on them.  Special thanks to those who asked questions, letting them know the issues that we have an interest in and are looking for action on from them.

The message we got loud and clear was that they are hungry for us to reach out to them with our ideas, interests, questions, and concerns.  So don’t be shy.

For many new residents, exactly where Collington is located is something of a mystery.  Mitchellville?  Bowie?  Whose local government do we fall under?  Do we have a mayor?  A school board? The answer is we are not part of any of incorporated city or town with its own local government.  We live in an unincorporated part of Prince George’s County, Maryland, and are under the jurisdiction of the County government.

The answer is we are not part of any of incorporated city or town with its own local government.  We live in an unincorporated part of Prince George’s County, Maryland, and are under the jurisdiction of the County government.

Some of us are lifelong residents of the County, but we may have previously lived in one of its 27 incorporated cities and towns like Bowie, Greenbelt, and Upper Marlboro.  Many of us are new to Prince George’s or even new to Maryland. 

Your MaCCRA chapter board felt that it is important for all of us to know something about our local government and how it functions.  After all, with few exceptions, we are all citizens and voters.

We are fortunate that one of our newer residents has lived here most of her life and worked for the County government in a number of important positions.  We are grateful that Mary Godfrey is here to clue us in about our local government here in Prince George’s County.

 To respond to this need, on Tuesday, October 24, 2017, the Collington chapter of MaCCRA presented Mary Godfrey, in a program entitled: Prince George’s County: A Light Touch. Mary, a long-time employee of Prince George’s County, spoke of her long-term career in personnel as well as director of Parks and Recreation. Her talk covered the demographics of the county as well as the function and roles of the county executive, the council members, the elected offices and other 2018 ballot issues.

She stressed how important it was for Collington residents to stay informed so that they could vote in the general election in November 2018 and other elections that influence the Sixth District, where Collington is located. MaCCRA members have work to do!

In order to support our work, please join the Collington Chapter of MaCCRA. Contact Charlotte Melichar at cmelichar (at)yahoo.com for information about the annual dues.