October 23, 2023 • 23 mins
Bowie Maryland Residents!! Election season is here! Learn more about the candidates running for Bowie City Council. In this episode, we hear from Ms. Monica Roebuck, candidate for Bowie City Council, District 2. Elections are Tuesday, November 7th!
Website:
https://monica4maryland.com/
Instagram:
@monica4maryland
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Tamra Davis Brown (00:04):
Welcome, welcome back to another episode
of All Politics is Local withme, your host, Tamara Davis
Brown.
I am so excited.
It is election season in thecity of Bowie, Maryland.
Elections are Tuesday, November7th.
We hope that you get out andexercise your constitutional
(00:27):
right to vote.
We have with us on thisepisode, uh, just like the last,
uh, we have another candidatethat is running for Bowie City
Council.
She is Miss Monica Roebuck.
She will um is fine for theseat of District 2, and she will
explain which communities thosecover.
(00:47):
But um we're so elated to hearfrom Miss Roebuck.
She is a sorority sister ofmine, and I've known her for a
long time, um, from when she wasactually a member of the Prince
George's County Board ofElections.
And prior to that, we uhactually both served as our
connection and social actionchair around the same time.
(01:09):
So she's been very politicallyactive, but she'll tell you all
about herself.
So good morning, Miss Robuck.
Glad to have you.
Monica Roebuck (01:17):
Good morning, Tamara, and thank you so much
for the invitation.
I really appreciate being hereand looking forward to the
interview.
Tamra Davis Brown (01:25):
Very good, very good.
Well, we're gonna get jumpright in.
Um, first, just tell us alittle bit about yourself, um,
where where you um where yougrew up, um, how long you've
been in the city of Bowie, whatis your profession, all those,
all those good biographical uminformation.
Monica Roebuck (01:44):
Okay, so I'm a proud Washingtan.
I was born in Washington, D.C.,and then I was raised in Prince
George's County, so I have alove for both areas.
And so I grew up with my momand my dad.
My dad was a police officer,and my mom worked in the federal
government.
So I grew up with a proudrespect for the police and
(02:06):
public service.
Um, I have one brother, olderbrother.
Um, but my family was istight-knit, and I always felt
supported.
Things, of course, are notperfect, but I always felt very
supported by my my father and mymom to do the things that I
want to do.
And the and my mom to this dayis like very, very involved in
(02:29):
the campaign and very muchsupportive.
And so um I went to publicschools in Prince George's
County.
I went to Yorktown Elementary,and then I went to Thomas
Johnson Middle.
And then my parents decidedbecause my brother was playing
basketball and they sent him toDamatha.
They my mom advocated and shesays, Well, my daughter's got to
go to Seaton.
(02:49):
If he's going to DeMatha, thenshe's got to go to private
school too.
Tamra Davis Brown (02:54):
Okay.
Monica Roebuck (02:55):
I felt like during that time, the schools in
Prince George's County werereally great.
I was actually zoned forRoosevelt, and I told my mom I
could have probably gone toRoosevelt, and that would have
been just fine.
But um, I ended up graduatingfrom Elizabeth Seaton High
School in 1989.
Um, that's also a greatinstitution, and girls, you
(03:17):
know, being able to developtheir skills and talents and
things like that.
Um, and so I've been living inthe city of Bowie for uh 23
years now.
Um when I was married, um, Iwas married in 2000.
We lived in district four, andthen um after we separated, I
moved into district two.
(03:38):
And so um I had no idea that mymy realtor was gonna find me a
house a mile from where I usedto live.
But I love it here in the Msection.
It's quiet, it's um peaceful,and that's one of the things
that I really like.
And so um I've been activelyinvolved since I moved into
Bowie because I just think thatit's important for people to be
(04:00):
involved and have a say inthings, and so that's where I
am.
Tamra Davis Brown (04:05):
Excellent, excellent.
And you are an educator,correct?
Monica Roebuck (04:08):
I'm an educator, yes.
I've been in Prince RichardsCounty School since 1999, and
I've worked in a classroom.
I have worked as a readingteacher, I've worked as a uh
social studies teacher, I workedat Benjamin Tasker Middle
School.
So I am intimately involvedwith and know the families, and
a lot of my students are arestill here in Bowie.
(04:29):
And so I worked at Samuel Oglewhen I was in elementary school.
I currently serve as a Title Icoordinator at Paint Branch
Elementary in College Park.
And so I work with parents andfamilies and making sure that
our families have all theresources that they need to
assist their child and getting agetting a good education.
(04:50):
And so I think this is whereI'm gonna retire and this is
where I'm gonna end uh withFrench Georges County Schools.
Tamra Davis Brown (04:56):
Excellent, excellent.
Well, we appreciate um yourdedication to children, your
dedication to education, um,especially our Title I families.
We know that there is a lot ofneed um that comes with um those
families, not just ineducation, but uh socially,
(05:16):
there's a lot of need, and so weappreciate your your
dedication.
So tell us about District II.
Which communities actually areum considered um district two in
the city of Bowie?
Monica Roebuck (05:29):
Okay, thank you for asking that because I get
that question a lot, and soDistrict 2 is nestled in kind of
I feel like the heart of thecity of Bowie is one of the
older areas of where there isthe Levit homes, and so the
Levit homes were built back inthe 60s, and so those were the
(05:49):
original homes of Bowie, and soit includes the area, the
corridor of 450 and AnnapolisRoad, and then also parts of
197.
And so uh there's Beller Town,Bowie Forest, Glen Ridge, uh
Grady's Walk, which is near theTexas Roadhouse restaurant, uh
Highbridge, which is also uhnear that Meadow Brook, which is
(06:13):
the M section where I live,which is the largest part of the
district.
Um, Somerset, which is if ifpeople know where Harris Teeter
grocery store is, is directlybehind that.
Stewart's Landing and TulipGrove.
And so that's district A.
It's broken into 2A and 2B, andthen 2B is uh Buckingham,
(06:35):
Derbyshire, Forestville, ForestHill, excuse me, Long Ridge, and
Kenilworth.
Now, there are only twoprecincts.
Now, one of the things that Iwould like to do if elected is
to make sure that the precinctsand polling places are near the
voters because right now some ofthe neighborhoods are too far
away from where they vote.
(06:56):
And so we want to make surethat voting is easily accessible
to voters and that they knowwhere their precinct is.
And so voters who are closer tothese precincts typically have
a higher voter turnout thanthose that don't.
So once I get elected, ifelected, I definitely want to
try to uh rezone um some ofthese areas or add a precinct so
(07:20):
that we can ensure that we havethe high voter turnout that we
want.
Tamra Davis Brown (07:24):
Absolutely.
So speaking of precincts, um,where what are the two precincts
where uh district two residentsof Bowie can vote?
Monica Roebuck (07:34):
Okay, so the first one, 2A, is the Christian
Community Presbyterian Church,which is off of Belair Drive.
So Baylor Drive is near BowieHigh School.
Um, that's a point of interest,and then also the library.
So it's Bellard Drive up thehill on 3120 Bell Air Drive.
Um, 2B is the Ken Hill Center,which used to be the old city
(07:59):
hall, and that's uh 2614 KenHill Drive.
And so if they go to mywebsite, I have the information
of the neighborhoods and wherethey vote.
The majority of theneighborhoods feed into the 2A
and the majority of the rest ofthe neighborhoods, about five of
them feed into 2B.
So it's critical that peopleknow where they vote.
(08:21):
Um, the Board of Elections forthe County will be sending
people home their voterregistration card.
Um, they just filed, they justthe deadline for certification
of candidates was just this pastFriday.
Tamra Davis Brown (08:35):
Okay.
Monica Roebuck (08:36):
And so now that they have the ballot set, they
will be sending home the voterregistration card.
Um, hopefully in the nextcouple of days so people know
exactly where they're they vote.
Tamra Davis Brown (08:46):
Okay, excellent, excellent.
So um, even though I was gonnasay this to the end, you
mentioned your website, so whydon't you go ahead and um give
the listeners um informationabout where they can find out
more information about yourwebsite, social media handles,
all those things.
Monica Roebuck (09:03):
So my website is monica the number four
maryland.com.
And so I have them on there inmy platform, calendar, um, some
pictures, you know, what mystance is on certain issues, and
then Monica the number fourMaryland on Instagram and
Facebook.
So I typically try to post umtwo or three, four times a week
(09:25):
to keep people up to date aboutactivities going on in the
community and things of thatnature.
Tamra Davis Brown (09:30):
Okay, excellent.
So we heard that Monica thenumber four Maryland.com is her
website.
Um you talked about uh keepingpeople informed um about what's
going on in their communities.
Tell us a little bit about yourplatform.
What is it that you hope to uhaccomplish as a member of the
(09:51):
Bowie City Council?
Monica Roebuck (09:52):
Okay, so my platform includes several um
issues.
One of them is public safety.
Public safety, and really atthe heart of it is um quality of
life.
And so at the heart of qualityof life is safety.
You have to feel safe in yourhome and your community to have
a good quality of life.
And so I want to work withpolice, I want to work with the
(10:13):
communities, the HOAs, so thatwe can troubleshoot and figure
out how do we fight crime.
We just recently had um a caraccident where several teens
stole a car, they ran into autility pole, and then they
crashed into a house.
And so it's affecting everyone.
(10:35):
And so, what I would like tosee as part of my platform is
programs so that students havethings to do and places to go
after school before theirparents get home.
And so the high school, there alot of the students walk to go
to Chick-fil-A in the differentareas, but I think they really
need programs where they canstay engaged and learning a
(10:57):
trade or learning a skill anddoing some productive things,
even if it's a sports program.
And so, public safety is one ofmy main um concerns, and we may
we should probably increase thenumber of officers that we
have.
Um, mental health is a majorissue.
I'm seeing a lot of issues inBowie that I haven't seen
(11:17):
before.
I think people really are inneed of um mental health um uh
services, but then also I'veseen homelessness is also an
issue, and these are things thatwe have to address.
Our city has become morediverse than ever before, and we
have a lot of issues just likethe broader culture, and so also
(11:41):
uh development, you know,reducing development in our
community is also a majorconcern, and we have to be
intentional about the type ofdevelopment that we have, and so
right now where I live, it'skind of already saturated, so we
don't need new construction ofstores or residential
properties, and so um I like tosee really a halt on development
(12:07):
of building townhouses orbuilding houses right here in
this area, but there are thingsthat people do want, like
sit-down restaurants, they maywant stores that are quality uh
retail that they can shop at andbuoy.
And so we have to look at that.
Um, and there are lots ofshopping centers where if they
(12:28):
have new leases where they haveum spaces that are open, we want
to look at intentionallyputting things there that people
want so they don't have to goto Ana Rondo County.
Uh, city services is veryimportant.
We want to continue with thetwo-day-a-week trash pickup, the
recycling.
We have to look at our budgetto see whether or not we need to
raise the tax rate becauseright now the tax rate has
(12:52):
remained the same for a longperiod of time, but we have also
had inflation, so we have tolook at do we need to raise it?
Because if we keep it the same,we probably will not be able to
get the kinds of services thatwe have seen in the past, and
our reserves are being depleted,and so we need to look at what
(13:14):
do we need to do so that when anemergency comes, we have the
money and the um reserves to umaddress the emergency like a
pandemic.
And so those are some of thethings that I really want to
address um public safety,quality retail and development,
and um city services, andincreasing the number of
(13:36):
officers that we have,increasing the number of um
counselors and things of thatnature that we have.
Tamra Davis Brown (13:42):
And I think that's excellent, excellent.
That's a mouthful.
So I know I'm sure you probablyhave a little bit more uh
detail than what we can probablycover in this interview on your
website with your platform, andum you've identified a lot of
issues.
Um, you've given some umsolutions of what you propose to
(14:03):
do, but I'm sure that there'sthere's more details that um you
also have on the website, sothat's that's good.
Um so um you know the theultimate question always is is
why are you why are you running?
We kind of talked about theissues, but I guess I put that
um put that before the the cartbefore the horse go what is it,
(14:28):
the cart before the horse, ifyou will.
Um but uh what made you decideto actually run um for Bowie
City Council?
Monica Roebuck (14:37):
Well, I was actually approached by a few
people to run for city council,and maybe they thought that it
was time for change and it wastime for new leadership.
Um, but I think at the end ofthe day that being in a
position, I don't know like theposition is the ultimate way
where you can make change inyour community because you can
make the decisions that affectthe masses.
(14:59):
And so I think, you know, weserve on committees, we serve uh
on the boards and things likethat, but being in a position
where you can really make adecision that impacts the entire
community, I think that's to methat's the ultimate way to make
a change.
Um, this is really continuingand finishing the work that I
(15:22):
started.
I ran for the special electionfive years ago, and so
unfortunately, one of thecouncil people was being
recalled and I ran for thespecial election.
I didn't get it, but that waslike my feet getting wet into um
public um politics.
And after that, I ran fordelegate, and that was uh a very
(15:43):
good race competitive.
I got 7,600 votes in that race.
Um, almost came into the thirdplace.
Um, and so this is finishingthe work that I started and just
continuing on my journey ofpublic service to the community.
Tamra Davis Brown (16:00):
Absolutely.
Okay, very good, very good.
Um so we talked a little bitabout why you're running, we
talked about your platform.
Um one of the things one of thereasons that I created this uh
podcast is to really reach ayounger generation, our
millennials, our Gen Zs, and umthose that are um you know just
(16:24):
starting their adult life, andthe hope is to try to get them
more actively involved andengaged.
And so my question to you iswhat would you do to um
encourage our um youngergeneration, our younger voters
to get more active and engaged?
And why should they actually umbe engaged in the political
(16:47):
process, or if not necessarilypolitical process, but
government and um you know beinginvolved in their local
government?
Monica Roebuck (16:57):
Yeah, so young people is very important that
they get involved because thedecisions that are being made
are gonna impact the rest oftheir life, and they have so
many years ahead.
And I always say if you're 20,you have 60 years ahead of you,
and you want to make sure thatwhatever decisions that are
(17:17):
being made for you now that youcan live with.
So now's the time when you canactually make a decision that
you can live with that's gonnaaffect your life in a positive
way.
And when you think about themovements, they've always been
led by young people, they'vebeen led by John Lewis and
Martin Luther King, and they'vegotten into the movement because
(17:38):
they have, you know, they theyhave the energy, they have the
foresight, all of that.
And so I would say they shouldget in there, they shouldn't
leave it to the the adults, youknow, and people are our age.
I think their voice is very,very important, and it's very
important that they vote.
We have this right to vote, andlike has always been said,
(18:01):
people have died for this right.
People, in particular in ourcommunity, have died and
suffered through gaining theright to vote, and it's barely
been 50 years, and some of thoserights are being lost.
And so we need to make surethat we don't take this for
granted.
We cannot take these votes forgranted.
(18:23):
Um, it's very important that wehave the people in place that
represent our community andrepresent the more importantly,
represent the issues that impactour community.
And so even if they're not inoffice, if they vote, we can't
sit on the sidelines.
We can no longer sit on thesidelines with that.
(18:44):
So, young people, I would say,you know, get out to vote.
Uh, if you're not registered,please make sure that you're
registered to vote.
We have a presidentialelection, we have a senate race
that's going on, and educateyourself about who is running
and what they stand for.
I always tell people, you know,you need to understand who
(19:04):
you're voting for and what theyrepresent, and don't leave that
to somebody else.
You go vote.
Tamra Davis Brown (19:12):
Exactly, exactly.
So, speaking of educating umyourself, we talked about your
website and your social mediahandles, but are there any
upcoming candidates form or arethere any upcoming particularly
campaign um for um activitiesand events that you have coming
(19:32):
up that voters can see you liveand in person?
And if so, what where are thoseand what are those dates?
Monica Roebuck (19:39):
I don't have a lot of events coming up right
now.
We have two weeks until the endof the campaign, and I really
want to uh engage with thevoters as much as I can.
And so I possibly will beplanning a walk on uh November
the 4th on Saturday, and sopeople can go to my website
(19:59):
later to see if that informationis there.
We're in the process ofplanning it, and what the walk
would look like is justbasically it's a get out the
vote right before the electionso that people can remember like
the election day is on Tuesday,it's November the 4th, it's 7
a.m.
until 8 p.m.
So we would walk and then wewould go knock our doors to talk
(20:21):
to people about the election.
So that would be Saturday,November the 4th, and that would
be really the only thing umthat I can think of at this
time.
There is an event today, uhtomorrow that's gonna be at the
Bowie Farmers Market, which isheld at the library off of
Annapolis Road.
So I would be there tomorrow.
Um, but other than that, um Iwant to have a party at the
(20:45):
polls.
Okay, I'm gonna have a party atthe polls on November the 7th.
Tamra Davis Brown (20:50):
Okay, very good, very good.
Okay, well, um, you have heardit here live.
And first, this is Miss MonicaRoebuck.
She is a candidate for BowieCity Council for District 2.
I'm not gonna try to uh callout all those communities again,
but you can go to her website,Monica for the number
(21:14):
fourmaryland.com, and find outmore information.
We are so elated that you tookthe time out to join us.
I know a Saturday morning is abusy morning because people are
you're getting ready to go andknock on doors and go to various
events, all festivals, and allthose great things.
And so I don't want to take upmuch more of your time, but just
(21:36):
to say thank you again forjoining me, Tamara Davis Brown,
the host of All Politics islocal.
And like I always like to sayto the young people, anything
that you do or you think thataffects you, it really happens
locally.
It's not what not any of thatmess that's going on right now
on Capitol Hills, particularlywith this House Speaker vote, if
(21:59):
you're following that.
Um, things that impact you themost really happen at your local
level.
So your city council, yourcounty council, and so these
positions are really important.
So I want to thank Ms.
Robuck for her time and herwillingness to come on to all
politics as local.
And we wish you the best inthis upcoming election.
(22:21):
Remember, elections areTuesday, November 7th.
Educate yourself on uh who thevoters are.
Please be sure to subscribe andlike this podcast.
But more importantly, share itwith particularly those who you
know that live in Bowie andparticularly um District 2 of
Bowie that want to learn alittle bit more about the
(22:44):
candidates.
And we will see you next timeor hear you, you will hear from
me next time on All Politics islocal with me, your host, Tamara
Davis Brown.
Thanks for listening, and we'llsee you next time.
Welcome, welcome back to another episode
of All Politics is Local withme, your host, Tamara Davis
Brown.
I am so excited.
It is election season in thecity of Bowie, Maryland.
Elections are Tuesday, November7th.
We hope that you get out andexercise your constitutional
(00:27):
right to vote.
We have with us on thisepisode, uh, just like the last,
uh, we have another candidatethat is running for Bowie City
Council.
She is Miss Monica Roebuck.
She will um is fine for theseat of District 2, and she will
explain which communities thosecover.
(00:47):
But um we're so elated to hearfrom Miss Roebuck.
She is a sorority sister ofmine, and I've known her for a
long time, um, from when she wasactually a member of the Prince
George's County Board ofElections.
And prior to that, we uhactually both served as our
connection and social actionchair around the same time.
(01:09):
So she's been very politicallyactive, but she'll tell you all
about herself.
So good morning, Miss Robuck.
Glad to have you.
Monica Roebuck (01:17):
Good morning, Tamara, and thank you so much
for the invitation.
I really appreciate being hereand looking forward to the
interview.
Tamra Davis Brown (01:25):
Very good, very good.
Well, we're gonna get jumpright in.
Um, first, just tell us alittle bit about yourself, um,
where where you um where yougrew up, um, how long you've
been in the city of Bowie, whatis your profession, all those,
all those good biographical uminformation.
Monica Roebuck (01:44):
Okay, so I'm a proud Washingtan.
I was born in Washington, D.C.,and then I was raised in Prince
George's County, so I have alove for both areas.
And so I grew up with my momand my dad.
My dad was a police officer,and my mom worked in the federal
government.
So I grew up with a proudrespect for the police and
(02:06):
public service.
Um, I have one brother, olderbrother.
Um, but my family was istight-knit, and I always felt
supported.
Things, of course, are notperfect, but I always felt very
supported by my my father and mymom to do the things that I
want to do.
And the and my mom to this dayis like very, very involved in
(02:29):
the campaign and very muchsupportive.
And so um I went to publicschools in Prince George's
County.
I went to Yorktown Elementary,and then I went to Thomas
Johnson Middle.
And then my parents decidedbecause my brother was playing
basketball and they sent him toDamatha.
They my mom advocated and shesays, Well, my daughter's got to
go to Seaton.
(02:49):
If he's going to DeMatha, thenshe's got to go to private
school too.
Tamra Davis Brown (02:54):
Okay.
Monica Roebuck (02:55):
I felt like during that time, the schools in
Prince George's County werereally great.
I was actually zoned forRoosevelt, and I told my mom I
could have probably gone toRoosevelt, and that would have
been just fine.
But um, I ended up graduatingfrom Elizabeth Seaton High
School in 1989.
Um, that's also a greatinstitution, and girls, you
(03:17):
know, being able to developtheir skills and talents and
things like that.
Um, and so I've been living inthe city of Bowie for uh 23
years now.
Um when I was married, um, Iwas married in 2000.
We lived in district four, andthen um after we separated, I
moved into district two.
(03:38):
And so um I had no idea that mymy realtor was gonna find me a
house a mile from where I usedto live.
But I love it here in the Msection.
It's quiet, it's um peaceful,and that's one of the things
that I really like.
And so um I've been activelyinvolved since I moved into
Bowie because I just think thatit's important for people to be
(04:00):
involved and have a say inthings, and so that's where I
am.
Tamra Davis Brown (04:05):
Excellent, excellent.
And you are an educator,correct?
Monica Roebuck (04:08):
I'm an educator, yes.
I've been in Prince RichardsCounty School since 1999, and
I've worked in a classroom.
I have worked as a readingteacher, I've worked as a uh
social studies teacher, I workedat Benjamin Tasker Middle
School.
So I am intimately involvedwith and know the families, and
a lot of my students are arestill here in Bowie.
(04:29):
And so I worked at Samuel Oglewhen I was in elementary school.
I currently serve as a Title Icoordinator at Paint Branch
Elementary in College Park.
And so I work with parents andfamilies and making sure that
our families have all theresources that they need to
assist their child and getting agetting a good education.
(04:50):
And so I think this is whereI'm gonna retire and this is
where I'm gonna end uh withFrench Georges County Schools.
Tamra Davis Brown (04:56):
Excellent, excellent.
Well, we appreciate um yourdedication to children, your
dedication to education, um,especially our Title I families.
We know that there is a lot ofneed um that comes with um those
families, not just ineducation, but uh socially,
(05:16):
there's a lot of need, and so weappreciate your your
dedication.
So tell us about District II.
Which communities actually areum considered um district two in
the city of Bowie?
Monica Roebuck (05:29):
Okay, thank you for asking that because I get
that question a lot, and soDistrict 2 is nestled in kind of
I feel like the heart of thecity of Bowie is one of the
older areas of where there isthe Levit homes, and so the
Levit homes were built back inthe 60s, and so those were the
(05:49):
original homes of Bowie, and soit includes the area, the
corridor of 450 and AnnapolisRoad, and then also parts of
197.
And so uh there's Beller Town,Bowie Forest, Glen Ridge, uh
Grady's Walk, which is near theTexas Roadhouse restaurant, uh
Highbridge, which is also uhnear that Meadow Brook, which is
(06:13):
the M section where I live,which is the largest part of the
district.
Um, Somerset, which is if ifpeople know where Harris Teeter
grocery store is, is directlybehind that.
Stewart's Landing and TulipGrove.
And so that's district A.
It's broken into 2A and 2B, andthen 2B is uh Buckingham,
(06:35):
Derbyshire, Forestville, ForestHill, excuse me, Long Ridge, and
Kenilworth.
Now, there are only twoprecincts.
Now, one of the things that Iwould like to do if elected is
to make sure that the precinctsand polling places are near the
voters because right now some ofthe neighborhoods are too far
away from where they vote.
(06:56):
And so we want to make surethat voting is easily accessible
to voters and that they knowwhere their precinct is.
And so voters who are closer tothese precincts typically have
a higher voter turnout thanthose that don't.
So once I get elected, ifelected, I definitely want to
try to uh rezone um some ofthese areas or add a precinct so
(07:20):
that we can ensure that we havethe high voter turnout that we
want.
Tamra Davis Brown (07:24):
Absolutely.
So speaking of precincts, um,where what are the two precincts
where uh district two residentsof Bowie can vote?
Monica Roebuck (07:34):
Okay, so the first one, 2A, is the Christian
Community Presbyterian Church,which is off of Belair Drive.
So Baylor Drive is near BowieHigh School.
Um, that's a point of interest,and then also the library.
So it's Bellard Drive up thehill on 3120 Bell Air Drive.
Um, 2B is the Ken Hill Center,which used to be the old city
(07:59):
hall, and that's uh 2614 KenHill Drive.
And so if they go to mywebsite, I have the information
of the neighborhoods and wherethey vote.
The majority of theneighborhoods feed into the 2A
and the majority of the rest ofthe neighborhoods, about five of
them feed into 2B.
So it's critical that peopleknow where they vote.
(08:21):
Um, the Board of Elections forthe County will be sending
people home their voterregistration card.
Um, they just filed, they justthe deadline for certification
of candidates was just this pastFriday.
Tamra Davis Brown (08:35):
Okay.
Monica Roebuck (08:36):
And so now that they have the ballot set, they
will be sending home the voterregistration card.
Um, hopefully in the nextcouple of days so people know
exactly where they're they vote.
Tamra Davis Brown (08:46):
Okay, excellent, excellent.
So um, even though I was gonnasay this to the end, you
mentioned your website, so whydon't you go ahead and um give
the listeners um informationabout where they can find out
more information about yourwebsite, social media handles,
all those things.
Monica Roebuck (09:03):
So my website is monica the number four
maryland.com.
And so I have them on there inmy platform, calendar, um, some
pictures, you know, what mystance is on certain issues, and
then Monica the number fourMaryland on Instagram and
Facebook.
So I typically try to post umtwo or three, four times a week
(09:25):
to keep people up to date aboutactivities going on in the
community and things of thatnature.
Tamra Davis Brown (09:30):
Okay, excellent.
So we heard that Monica thenumber four Maryland.com is her
website.
Um you talked about uh keepingpeople informed um about what's
going on in their communities.
Tell us a little bit about yourplatform.
What is it that you hope to uhaccomplish as a member of the
(09:51):
Bowie City Council?
Monica Roebuck (09:52):
Okay, so my platform includes several um
issues.
One of them is public safety.
Public safety, and really atthe heart of it is um quality of
life.
And so at the heart of qualityof life is safety.
You have to feel safe in yourhome and your community to have
a good quality of life.
And so I want to work withpolice, I want to work with the
(10:13):
communities, the HOAs, so thatwe can troubleshoot and figure
out how do we fight crime.
We just recently had um a caraccident where several teens
stole a car, they ran into autility pole, and then they
crashed into a house.
And so it's affecting everyone.
(10:35):
And so, what I would like tosee as part of my platform is
programs so that students havethings to do and places to go
after school before theirparents get home.
And so the high school, there alot of the students walk to go
to Chick-fil-A in the differentareas, but I think they really
need programs where they canstay engaged and learning a
(10:57):
trade or learning a skill anddoing some productive things,
even if it's a sports program.
And so, public safety is one ofmy main um concerns, and we may
we should probably increase thenumber of officers that we
have.
Um, mental health is a majorissue.
I'm seeing a lot of issues inBowie that I haven't seen
(11:17):
before.
I think people really are inneed of um mental health um uh
services, but then also I'veseen homelessness is also an
issue, and these are things thatwe have to address.
Our city has become morediverse than ever before, and we
have a lot of issues just likethe broader culture, and so also
(11:41):
uh development, you know,reducing development in our
community is also a majorconcern, and we have to be
intentional about the type ofdevelopment that we have, and so
right now where I live, it'skind of already saturated, so we
don't need new construction ofstores or residential
properties, and so um I like tosee really a halt on development
(12:07):
of building townhouses orbuilding houses right here in
this area, but there are thingsthat people do want, like
sit-down restaurants, they maywant stores that are quality uh
retail that they can shop at andbuoy.
And so we have to look at that.
Um, and there are lots ofshopping centers where if they
(12:28):
have new leases where they haveum spaces that are open, we want
to look at intentionallyputting things there that people
want so they don't have to goto Ana Rondo County.
Uh, city services is veryimportant.
We want to continue with thetwo-day-a-week trash pickup, the
recycling.
We have to look at our budgetto see whether or not we need to
raise the tax rate becauseright now the tax rate has
(12:52):
remained the same for a longperiod of time, but we have also
had inflation, so we have tolook at do we need to raise it?
Because if we keep it the same,we probably will not be able to
get the kinds of services thatwe have seen in the past, and
our reserves are being depleted,and so we need to look at what
(13:14):
do we need to do so that when anemergency comes, we have the
money and the um reserves to umaddress the emergency like a
pandemic.
And so those are some of thethings that I really want to
address um public safety,quality retail and development,
and um city services, andincreasing the number of
(13:36):
officers that we have,increasing the number of um
counselors and things of thatnature that we have.
Tamra Davis Brown (13:42):
And I think that's excellent, excellent.
That's a mouthful.
So I know I'm sure you probablyhave a little bit more uh
detail than what we can probablycover in this interview on your
website with your platform, andum you've identified a lot of
issues.
Um, you've given some umsolutions of what you propose to
(14:03):
do, but I'm sure that there'sthere's more details that um you
also have on the website, sothat's that's good.
Um so um you know the theultimate question always is is
why are you why are you running?
We kind of talked about theissues, but I guess I put that
um put that before the the cartbefore the horse go what is it,
(14:28):
the cart before the horse, ifyou will.
Um but uh what made you decideto actually run um for Bowie
City Council?
Monica Roebuck (14:37):
Well, I was actually approached by a few
people to run for city council,and maybe they thought that it
was time for change and it wastime for new leadership.
Um, but I think at the end ofthe day that being in a
position, I don't know like theposition is the ultimate way
where you can make change inyour community because you can
make the decisions that affectthe masses.
(14:59):
And so I think, you know, weserve on committees, we serve uh
on the boards and things likethat, but being in a position
where you can really make adecision that impacts the entire
community, I think that's to methat's the ultimate way to make
a change.
Um, this is really continuingand finishing the work that I
(15:22):
started.
I ran for the special electionfive years ago, and so
unfortunately, one of thecouncil people was being
recalled and I ran for thespecial election.
I didn't get it, but that waslike my feet getting wet into um
public um politics.
And after that, I ran fordelegate, and that was uh a very
(15:43):
good race competitive.
I got 7,600 votes in that race.
Um, almost came into the thirdplace.
Um, and so this is finishingthe work that I started and just
continuing on my journey ofpublic service to the community.
Tamra Davis Brown (16:00):
Absolutely.
Okay, very good, very good.
Um so we talked a little bitabout why you're running, we
talked about your platform.
Um one of the things one of thereasons that I created this uh
podcast is to really reach ayounger generation, our
millennials, our Gen Zs, and umthose that are um you know just
(16:24):
starting their adult life, andthe hope is to try to get them
more actively involved andengaged.
And so my question to you iswhat would you do to um
encourage our um youngergeneration, our younger voters
to get more active and engaged?
And why should they actually umbe engaged in the political
(16:47):
process, or if not necessarilypolitical process, but
government and um you know beinginvolved in their local
government?
Monica Roebuck (16:57):
Yeah, so young people is very important that
they get involved because thedecisions that are being made
are gonna impact the rest oftheir life, and they have so
many years ahead.
And I always say if you're 20,you have 60 years ahead of you,
and you want to make sure thatwhatever decisions that are
(17:17):
being made for you now that youcan live with.
So now's the time when you canactually make a decision that
you can live with that's gonnaaffect your life in a positive
way.
And when you think about themovements, they've always been
led by young people, they'vebeen led by John Lewis and
Martin Luther King, and they'vegotten into the movement because
(17:38):
they have, you know, they theyhave the energy, they have the
foresight, all of that.
And so I would say they shouldget in there, they shouldn't
leave it to the the adults, youknow, and people are our age.
I think their voice is very,very important, and it's very
important that they vote.
We have this right to vote, andlike has always been said,
(18:01):
people have died for this right.
People, in particular in ourcommunity, have died and
suffered through gaining theright to vote, and it's barely
been 50 years, and some of thoserights are being lost.
And so we need to make surethat we don't take this for
granted.
We cannot take these votes forgranted.
(18:23):
Um, it's very important that wehave the people in place that
represent our community andrepresent the more importantly,
represent the issues that impactour community.
And so even if they're not inoffice, if they vote, we can't
sit on the sidelines.
We can no longer sit on thesidelines with that.
(18:44):
So, young people, I would say,you know, get out to vote.
Uh, if you're not registered,please make sure that you're
registered to vote.
We have a presidentialelection, we have a senate race
that's going on, and educateyourself about who is running
and what they stand for.
I always tell people, you know,you need to understand who
(19:04):
you're voting for and what theyrepresent, and don't leave that
to somebody else.
You go vote.
Tamra Davis Brown (19:12):
Exactly, exactly.
So, speaking of educating umyourself, we talked about your
website and your social mediahandles, but are there any
upcoming candidates form or arethere any upcoming particularly
campaign um for um activitiesand events that you have coming
(19:32):
up that voters can see you liveand in person?
And if so, what where are thoseand what are those dates?
Monica Roebuck (19:39):
I don't have a lot of events coming up right
now.
We have two weeks until the endof the campaign, and I really
want to uh engage with thevoters as much as I can.
And so I possibly will beplanning a walk on uh November
the 4th on Saturday, and sopeople can go to my website
(19:59):
later to see if that informationis there.
We're in the process ofplanning it, and what the walk
would look like is justbasically it's a get out the
vote right before the electionso that people can remember like
the election day is on Tuesday,it's November the 4th, it's 7
a.m.
until 8 p.m.
So we would walk and then wewould go knock our doors to talk
(20:21):
to people about the election.
So that would be Saturday,November the 4th, and that would
be really the only thing umthat I can think of at this
time.
There is an event today, uhtomorrow that's gonna be at the
Bowie Farmers Market, which isheld at the library off of
Annapolis Road.
So I would be there tomorrow.
Um, but other than that, um Iwant to have a party at the
(20:45):
polls.
Okay, I'm gonna have a party atthe polls on November the 7th.
Tamra Davis Brown (20:50):
Okay, very good, very good.
Okay, well, um, you have heardit here live.
And first, this is Miss MonicaRoebuck.
She is a candidate for BowieCity Council for District 2.
I'm not gonna try to uh callout all those communities again,
but you can go to her website,Monica for the number
(21:14):
fourmaryland.com, and find outmore information.
We are so elated that you tookthe time out to join us.
I know a Saturday morning is abusy morning because people are
you're getting ready to go andknock on doors and go to various
events, all festivals, and allthose great things.
And so I don't want to take upmuch more of your time, but just
(21:36):
to say thank you again forjoining me, Tamara Davis Brown,
the host of All Politics islocal.
And like I always like to sayto the young people, anything
that you do or you think thataffects you, it really happens
locally.
It's not what not any of thatmess that's going on right now
on Capitol Hills, particularlywith this House Speaker vote, if
(21:59):
you're following that.
Um, things that impact you themost really happen at your local
level.
So your city council, yourcounty council, and so these
positions are really important.
So I want to thank Ms.
Robuck for her time and herwillingness to come on to all
politics as local.
And we wish you the best inthis upcoming election.
(22:21):
Remember, elections areTuesday, November 7th.
Educate yourself on uh who thevoters are.
Please be sure to subscribe andlike this podcast.
But more importantly, share itwith particularly those who you
know that live in Bowie andparticularly um District 2 of
Bowie that want to learn alittle bit more about the
(22:44):
candidates.
And we will see you next timeor hear you, you will hear from
me next time on All Politics islocal with me, your host, Tamara
Davis Brown.
Thanks for listening, and we'llsee you next time.
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