Group of Prince George’s Co. residents file suit against county council over at-large seat appointment
A group of residents in Prince George’s County, Maryland, has filed a lawsuit against the county council and member Wala Blegay hoping to overturn her December appointment to an at-large seat.
According to county code, any vacancy that occurs during the last year of a term will be filled by someone appointed by a majority of the remaining members of the council. The plaintiffs in this case aren’t claiming the council doesn’t have the right to do that; their argument is with how the council executed that process.
Blegay was already on the council representing District 6 and was appointed to the at-large seat, creating another opening on the council. That opening was then filled by Danielle Hunter, who had been working for County Executive Aisha Braveboy.
During the hearing for the District 6 vacancy, Braveboy spoke in favor of Hunter’s selection at the beginning of the meeting, before the rest of the candidates were given a chance to make their pitch to the council.
“From our position, they are abusing this process and using it to create vacancies and then fill them with the individuals that they have already preselected or the individuals that they want to choose and not give a fair opportunity to citizens,” said Tonya Wingfield, a Fort Washington resident and one of those listed as a plaintiff in the case.
Wingfield is hoping the case will be heard in Anne Arundel County, and that a judge there will put Blegay’s appointment to the at-large seat on hold until deciding whether the process was proper.
“A lot of this stuff has been leaked out before it happened,” she said. “Then, when you start seeing what was leaked actually coming to fruition, you see a process that is being abused and setting a precedent that the language in the charter never intended.”
A spokeswoman for the council said the body was merely following the county charter in selecting Blegay, who was one of more than 30 applicants for the at-large seat vacated by Calvin Hawkins.
“Our legal department has reviewed the baseless allegations in the complaint and is confident that this frivolous lawsuit will be dismissed,” said Lindsay Watts, the council’s senior director of communications.
“The Council followed the code by advertising the vacancy and considering all applications. Any Council Member appointed this year must run for election to hold the seat beyond December 2026.”
Blegay declined WTOP’s request for comment.
“That was not the intent of this charter language,” Wingfield said. “We want a process where individuals are actually considered. We definitely want to make sure that the county executive does not weigh in and put their thumb on the scale, as we have seen happen with the process that’s gone down the road with the recent vacancies.”