Is Upper Marlboro Too Remote To Be The County Seat?
In a Greater Greater Washington blog, one contributor points out that Upper Marlboro is not geographically in Prince George's County's center.
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Would you go to more of the county's public hearings or meetings if Prince George's County government were more centrally located?
One Greater Greater Washington contributor believes that "access to government is an essential part of a functioning democracy."
Matt Wilson writes:
"Upper Marlboro is on the far eastern edge of Prince George's County. The courthouse, in fact, is only 2 miles from the border with Anne Arundel County.
That means that for many residents, it is a long, tedious trip to the county seat to testify before the council or otherwise participate in events at the county's administrative center."
He said of Maryland 23 county seats, Upper Marlboro is the 9th most distant from its county's geographic center. Upper Marlboro is almost 10 miles away from its most populated area—which is near Landover, according to Wilson's map.
Read Wilson's full post on Greater Greater Washington.
Tell Us: So what do you think? Does Prince George's County government's location in Upper Marlboro deter people from becoming involved in the process?
Scot Brown
9:34 am on Thursday, March 7, 2013
this is a thought... For sure I don't go to meetings becuase they are about 1hr away counting in evening traffic. 40mins no traffic.
Mark Ferguson
10:12 am on Thursday, March 7, 2013
From Hyattsville, Marlboro (i.e. where my office is) is "only" 30 mins each way, even in the evening (if you go the right way). Beyond transportation issues, another major reason keeping people from attending public meetings of either the Planning Board or the County Council is that they are held during the day, when most people would have to take leave from work to be able to attend. Rural counties more typically have those meetings in the evenings (like the municipalities here), but having to stay at a meeting until 2am for your issue (and when the decision makers would much rather be asleep like normal people) to come up might not be much better.
Scot Brown
10:42 am on Thursday, March 7, 2013
yeah I see your point.