Kent Roberson, chair of the Prince George’s County Democratic Central Committee, was appointed late Thursday evening as the successor to replace former delegate Darryl Barnes (D), who stepped down in April from his District 25 seat to join a lobbying and government relations firm in Annapolis after serving in the General Assembly since 2015.
In a unanimous vote by the Prince George’s County Central Committee in a special meeting, Roberson edged out three other candidates for the seat. At least two others had bowed out of the running before the appointment, citing Roberson’s likely odds of winning. The process also revived conversations about whether voters should have a voice in filling legislative vacancies.
The special meeting was originally scheduled for April 25 but was postponed to allow more interested applicants to apply, Roberson told The Washington Post. However, first vice chair Antwan Brown said Thursday that the state informed the committee that the notice of the vacancy wasn’t posted long enough, upping the number of days from eight to 14.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Lateshia Beachum over at The Washington Post
