Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) declared last night that the county would not evict residents from crime-ridden apartments his administration has targeted, backing away from statements he made last month.
"I was very specific and clear that this program is not designed to move law-abiding citizens out of their homes," Johnson told an audience of hundreds who had gathered to hear his state of the economy address.
On March 9, Johnson told WTOP radio that he was prepared "to use the power of eminent domain to tear down some of these complexes" if their owners and property managers didn't adopt better security measures. In later comments, he vowed to shut down the apartments.
Johnson's address last night, at a dinner hosted by the Prince George's Chamber of Commerce, came as the county is at once experiencing a homicide wave and a boom in economic development projects.
The county executive has identified 22 apartment complexes as being incubators of crimes in parts of what he called 10 "hot spots" of violence. He has issued an ultimatum to apartment owners to create a safe environment for tenants or have their operating licenses revoked. Last night, he emphasized that this would remain a focal point of his crime-fighting strategy.
"I said environments that cultivate crime will not be tolerated. I said I will work with owners to clean up these facilities," Johnson said. "I said that improvements that we identified at the facilities must be made."
Johnson also announced that his administration, working with state officials, planned to issue special bonds and make them available to apartment owners to clean up their properties.
Johnson also used last night's speech to showcase his administration's plans to renovate schools and to boost funding for education.
"Our investments in schools are paying off," Johnson said. "Last year, our student test scores in math went up 16 percent; in reading, the scores were up 18 percent."
Johnson also trumpeted efforts to boost public safety, including his plan to hire 200 more police officers in the coming year.
Overall, the image Johnson portrayed is of a county that is on the rise financially, despite its crime, after decades of being on the regional economic back burner. He said that county revenues continue to grow and predicted a surplus of at least $50 million at the end of this fiscal year.
He added that the county is seeing more development than ever, including large-scale projects such as National Harbor, a $2 billion complex of hotels, shops and restaurants along the Potomac River.
"Prince George's County is in great financial shape, the best in its more than 300-year history," Johnson said. "We have the infrastructure, the resources, the people and the business community to continue our success."
