Ortiz runs on his record

The posting concerning me and a slate committee was interesting because the person does not identify themselves. The slate committee being discussed never raised a dime. I thought the committee was closed and only found about its still existing when I filed candidacy paperwork to be an Obama delegate in December. When I found out I immediately filed paperwork removing myself from the committee. The Board of Elections received a second request from me last week to remove me from this committee.

Back then we thought we would be able to raise more money as a slate but quickly found out the money raised by the slates was developer dollars and I was not willing to sell my soul. I have been trying to contact the chairman and the treasurer of the committee to get this matter resolved. The committee did not raise any money and I have not accepted money from the developers like Ortiz, Harrington, and Howell have. They admitted to this at a candidate's forum.

Ortiz's campaign has the markings of Wayne Curry and Jim Estepp both candidates with strong ties to developers. He has political machinery and developer dollars behind him.

My experience in the community is documented and the Washington Post even included me in an article where they referred to me as one of the 9 top civic watchdogs in Prince George's County. Being a civic association president is harder than being a mayor because in unincorporated area we have no mayor or administrative help. Here's the link http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57024-2004Aug11.html?refe...

Like Shirley Chisholm I am "Unbossed and unbought". Ortiz is bought and paid for. The voters can be my boss.

Why is Adam Ortiz the only candidate who is getting comments? It looks as though someone really has it in for him. I've been to a couple of the talks and looked at their websites and he doesn't seem the worst at all.

Andrea Harrison was part of the office who used county credit cards - paid with our money - to get personal items, and I believe a spa membership was bought for her with the card. I read that at the last debate she said she wouldn't accept a county credit card, but I wonder if she can stop misusing taxpayer money.

Theresa Dudley was so angry about the other candidates' slate memberships, but I looked on the elections website and she's on a slate and they owe years of late fees. I'm totally confused as to why she's running if she has this debt owed to the state and why she's so against slates when her slate's status is "open."

I didn't do well in math, but I did well enough to know that the crime statistics on Adam Ortiz's website say that he brought crime down in his town. And one commenter said that he's responsible for the mortgage problems in the state and county - that might be the dumbest thing I've ever heard. One person does not have that kind of power over the economy.

I think most of the other candidates are nice people, but I wonder about their experience levels.

Ortiz is really a great guy, but I have seen a flyer about a fundraiser that the Prince George's Republican Central Committe had for Ortiz on February 29, 2008 and that scares me.

As a longtime concerned and active resident of District 5, I am appalled at how politicians use poor people and crime to get themselves into an office. Often times after the election, we find out that they lied about their background or inflated their accomplishments. Well, not this time! I was at the debate in Glenarden last night where Mr. Ortiz was challenged with the real crime stats for Edmonston, which are far worst than he has portrayed (imagine that). But instead of taking what someone else says as truth, which is as bad as accepting Mr. Ortiz's crime stats, I did my own research and found Mr. Ortiz to be lacking in his statement of "accomplishments".

Mayor Adam Ortiz states on his website "In my two terms as Mayor of Edmonston, I have reduced crime by 24% by restoring community policing. I plan to implement this same strategy at the county level through aggressive hiring of police and code enforcement officers."
The official crime statistics from the fine law enforcement officials at the Edmonston Police Department paint a horribly different picture. According to Mayor Ortiz's police department, crime increased 75% his first year in office (Mayor Ortiz took office in 2005) over the 2004 numbers (Total Crime in 2004 - 147 vs. Total Crime in 2005 - 257). Crime in 2007 is still 40% higher than the 2004 number prior to Mayor Ortiz taking office.

Is this the type of leadership we need on the Prince George's County Council? Do we want someone who looks at a 40% increase in crime and calls it a "24%" reduction? If Mayor Ortiz can't perform simple math on crime statistics, can we trust him with the authority of making taxing decisions, adding jobs or funding public education and public safety for the citizens of District 5?

Source: http://porttowns.org/edmonston/images//2004%20-%202007%20crime%20statist...