ZoomInfo Web Summary: Jolene Ivey

ZoomInfo Web Summary: Jolene Ivey: "The Prince George's County Sentinel Newspaper - New Sta...
www.thesentinel.com/pgfolder/030102Ivey.htm
Published on: 1/2/2003 Last Visited: 1/9/2003

"He loved anything about the campaign," said Jolene Ivey, Glenn Ivey's wife. "He was mad he couldn't do some things like walk up to cars." She said that their children are aware of their dad's standing in the community.

"They look at it two ways, . . . there's daddy, and then there's Glenn Ivey," said Jolene Ivey, who is a stay-at-home mom.
...
Ivey, a Princeton University and Harvard Law School graduate, has legal experience in both the public and private arenas. Until taking over as interim state's attorney, he spent his days shuffling from meeting to meeting as a partner at a Preston, Gates, and Ellis, a law firm in the District, where he specialized in legislative, regulatory and criminal issues.

In January, Ivey will return to adjunct teaching at the University of Maryland's law school after taking a year's break to focus on his campaign.

Ivey is a former chair of the Maryland Public Service Commission. He said one of his favorite jobs was working as a federal prosecutor in the District because it allowed him to help the community.

"Crime was just blowing out of control in D.C.," Ivey said. "That was a neat job and that was one where I kind of felt like a lot of what I did, and especially what the office did, really fit in with trying to make it a better place for everybody, especially low-income folks."

Ivey said he plans to reach out to the county's Latino community.

"It's a growing population with unique needs, especially with respect to language barriers," Ivey said. "We're trying to make sure that we've really done a good job of making sure they have complete access to courts because the courts are here to serve them just like everyone else."

Ivey said he hopes to improve the rapport between the county's police department and the state's attorney's office, a relationship that was fractured while new County Executive Jack Johnson was state's attorney.

"I think they understand that if their people do anything illegal, we're going to prosecute them," Ivey said. "This will be my third office as a prosecutor, and I've seen that it can work well. You can prosecute cops and also work with cops at the same time, and I think that's what we want to do."

Laurence Reszetar, president of the Prince George's County Young Democrats, said Ivey has the experience necessary to work out a cordial relationship with the police department.
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"They are two halves of the same coin," said Reszetar, who knows Ivey."

Two-Candidate Marriage

Maryland Moment: "Two-Candidate Marriage
Politics could become a family affair for Prince George's County prosecutor Glenn Ivey now that his wife, Jolene, is planning to run for the House of Delegates.

Jolene Ivey had been pondering for weeks whether to become a candidate for delegate or take on Sen. Gwendolyn Britt, who has been mentioned as a possible running mate for gubernatorial candidate Doug Duncan. The legislative delegation for the 47th District -- Britt and Democratic delegates Victor R. Ramirez, Rosetta C. Parker and Doyle L. Niemann -- are all serving their first terms.

"I figured I don't have enough to do," Ivey said with a chuckle, later rattling off a list of activities that keep the former stay-at-home mom's days jampacked. "But the bottom line is, when you want to get something done, you ask a busy person."

Ivey, the mother of five young boys, works part time doing public relations for Community Teachers Institute, a think tank in the District. She said the county needs to "get back on track" and that these are not the times for "wussy politicians" to be in office.


She has never run for elected office before--unless you count student office in high school.

It looks as though like she'll be pretty busy with her husband's reelection, her own campaign and her effort to get Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.) elected to the U.S. Senate.

"I love Kweisi [Mfume], but he's not the right person to go against [Republican Lt. Gov.] Michael Steele," she said. "We cannot let this state drift this far into the red."

Ovetta Wiggins"

Jolene Ivey is running for a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates.

The Sentinel: "J. Ivey to run for House of Delegates


Jolene Ivey is running for a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates.

By Mike Sarzo

Sentinel Staff Writer


Jolene Ivey, a mother of five, civic activist and a Cheverly resident who is married to Prince George's state's attorney Glenn Ivey (D), announced her candidacy May 9 for a seat on the Maryland House of Delegates. If elected, Ivey would represent the 47th district as a Democrat.

"I think I've got a better idea of how much help we need," than many new candidates, Ivey said in an interview at The Sentinel offices last Wednesday. "I wouldn't sit back and let the county flounder."

When asked how the county has floundered, she said, "people need to get along," Ivey said. She said it was "ignorant" to let personalities get in the way of getting the job done, by letting dislike of another person prevent people from working with people they dislike.

The four issues that are central to her platform are crime, education, senior services and quality of life, according to her campaign Web site. However, her Web site lists the number one issue facing her campaign as one that may not be apparent at first glance, her racial identity.

"For the record, I am black," she said on her web site. Ivey founded a group called Mocha Moms, a support group for stay-at-home mothers of color that she said she founded because of unique concerns she faced that white stay at home moms did not.

"I didn't have a lot of friends" who were stay-at-home mothers, she said. The other stay at home mothers in her friendship circle "didn't always get my jokes." That led her and another friend to publish a newsletter that expressed her concerns. After they published the newsletter, she said she got calls from other stay at home mothers of color asking when they would have a meeting.

As the group grew, she submitted a request to get Mocha Moms recognized as a 501C3 non-profit and was denied, but she persisted until the IRS eventually granted it.

Hard work and determination are two things that set her apart, she said.

"I'm the only candidate with young children," Ivey said. "The people who win have to be people to represent the county. We've clearly demonstrated a commitment to the public schools."

Ivey said that she and other concerned parents fought repeated efforts by the county to change the zoning for Judith B. Hoyer school to zone Cheverly kids out of the Cheverly school.

She also supported the community in the controversy surrounding Washington Gas' continued efforts to build a compressed natural gas facility near the West Hyattsville Metro Station.

"This whole issue, it seems kind of silly, doesn't it," Ivey asked. "They think they should be allowed" to build the facility, but "we have no idea if it's safe."

Ivey may run on a ticket with Del. Doyle Niemann (D) and Del. Victor Ramirez (D), two of the incumbent Democrats in the 47th district. Del. Rosetta Parker, the other incumbent Democrat, is reportedly running on her own after not being invited to run with Niemann and Ramirez.

She also said that her marriage to Glenn Ivey had little effect on her political aspirations and he didn't directly influence her campaigning. She said he has been very helpful and supportive, but by doing the cooking and picking up other responsibilities around the house while Jolene Ivey campaigns.

"That's the only thing" that Glenn Ivey has done differently with Jolene Ivey campaigning for office.

Photo by Mike Sarzo"