*Trailer* On the Record: Charles County w/ Cheryl Butler-Walker (Pt. 2)

This is a trailer the full episode will be released on 7/29!

In this episode, host, Carlos Childs is joined by, former Charles County Commissioner candidate, Cheryl Butler-Walker as she shares her insights on local governance, the importance of community engagement, and the challenges of political leadership in Charles County. She discusses her recent election experience, the concept and failures of the charter form of government push, and the future of economic development in the region. Cheryl and aCarlos also discuss community development and the importance of accountability in Charles County politics through her position on the Democratic Central Committee.

Cheryl Butler-Walker:

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

We know that Prince George's County, despite what people say, despite it, Prince George's County is a powerhouse. You may not like his politics, you may not like his politicians. Prince George's County is a powerhouse. If there is any intellectual savvy in Charles County, it is going to rely on its direct neighbor to pull all that is good and make it work for Ashmediam County on the rise up. Because Charles County will never be just simply teeny tiny Charles County. The population in this area will not allow it. That means that Indian Head has to do its part to contribute economically. It has to do its part in terms of affordable housing. Bryans Road has to do its part economically. It has to do its part as far as community, because a Schmedium County cannot depend on Waldorf to feed and clothe itself through eternity. It can't. I'll tell you what I said on the campaign is that we have failed those who have been in charge, in my opinion, of District 2, starting with a Deborah Davis of eight years, starting with a Thomasina Coates, and these are the ones that I know. And forward. This is an example of stewardship not taken, in my opinion, full scope and seriously. I'm gonna throw Edith Patterson into, and it's not for kicks and giggles, it's for seriousness, right? Here we have commissioners, a commissioner that's gone on to Annapolis in delegation. We have another commissioner who has quietly sat down for the remaining part of their service and stewardship to my Thomas and the coach in that position, right? The challenge that I have is this. I have to work in Maryland and all counties across it, and I'm watching. And one of the things that I've said about District 2 on that western side of town, which is, of course, Bryant's Road and uh Indian Head, what a failure. What a failure leadership has been. That a whole National Harbor is standing. And we are 15 minutes from jobs, from uh economic development opportunities, and no one has thought the wiser to do it. I'm gonna give a serious example so people don't think I'm just blowing smoke from the other end of my dress. The sphere is here and is coming. Thank you, Prince George's County, who again I will tell everyone, despite what you say, they are a powerhouse. If you moved here like I did from Prince George's County, we know why we moved, but it didn't mean that Prince George's County wasn't a leader of in terms of lessons to learn, whether they are good, bad, or indifferent. That is our direct neighbor. That that is where the rubber meets the road, where we share the lights, cameras, and actions, literally 210, 5. That is what is going on. Anyway, back to what I'm saying. The sphere is here. It will have 10,000 permanent jobs, not a data center, okay? Where the jobs really don't exist and somebody's really trying to blow smoke up the other end of my dress, right? Mm-hmm. That is non-existent. That is a farce. I don't support it. It doesn't make a difference for me if I am ever elected again because I'm a taxpayer with a hell of a salary or my full-time job. No sleep loss. But the sphere is different. The sphere is 10,000 permanent jobs. Here is what I can tell you from what I know. Those jobs are not gonna allow for any of those, for the majority. I'm not gonna say any, because I don't know that for sure, but I can tell you that 90% of them will not be able to live in a national hall. That's a fact. I'm in a national office, not happening. 90% of them are not even gonna be able to live in Prince George's County. That's a fact. Because despite, again, Prince George's County's powerhouse statement that I make, that economic value allows them to bring their equity of their homes up, which means the cost of the homes go up, can't live. A lot of people can't live there. That's why everybody's running around with their like a chicken with their head cut off looking for. But we have it. I'm gonna say it again. We have it. We have it. For everybody living in Bryan's Road in Indian Head, they should know that if they should decide to live in any of the newer homes on Bryan's Road, you can't. Because your home has equity, because 10,000 new people are coming to live, and they may be able to afford what you are in now, which will propel you to go to something that you've just been thinking about, maybe even dreaming about. But guess what? No one has put us in a position to capture those opportunities. No one. We don't even have a hotel 15 minutes from where these folks gotta work in Bryan's Road to put them up temporarily until they find a home. We don't have, we've not had the forethought to put temporary housing in place, which is a hotel, you know, transient state, so that they can even get to know Charles County to look at the entire landscape to decide where they want to live.

SPEAKER_00 5:16

Not even a long-term Airbnb, a verbo.

SPEAKER_01 5:19

Here we go, right? So where have we been all this time that we have allowed economic value to leave us in this county if it doesn't fit in the footprint of Waldorf?

SPEAKER_00 5:31

And I'll even say to that point, too, you look at Waldorf, Waldorf's struggling when it comes to hotel, everyone complains about how Waldorf, there's no nice, nice hotels. And I feel like throughout the county, a lot of people talk about how everything goes into Waldorf. But if you talk to the residents of Waldorf, we're not happy with what comes into Waldorf. It is all these shoddy hotels, chain, chain store restaurants, chicken places, nail salons, and things and things of that nature. And then when residents request something high-end, they are always so, well, you don't have the foot traffic. Well, you don't have the people. I'm sorry, you can't tell me Annapolis has all these wonderful restaurants, stores, hotels, and things, but at this, but they have a population of around 30, 40, 40,000. Waldorf having a population of around 82,000 people, and we can't have just the the just the moderate luxuries of a well off city in the wealthiest black county in the entire country.

SPEAKER_01 6:25

You can't. And the answer is simple.