By Rosalind S. Helderman and Nelson Hernandez
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, September 27, 2007; T03

Maryland primary voters might not weigh in on presidential nominees until after New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina, but Democratic hopeful Barack Obama is nevertheless planning a major Maryland rally in Prince George's County.

The Illinois senator will be in the county Oct. 10 as part of his Countdown to Change rally series, said Orlan Johnson, a Prince George's attorney who sits on Obama's national finance committee.

The rally will take place at 5:30 p.m. at Prince George's Community College in Largo. It will be followed by a VIP cocktail reception at the college, chaired by Johnson, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D) and Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler (D). According to a flier, residents can "co-host" the event for $10,000, attend a VIP reception for $2,300 or go to a cocktail reception with a discussion for $1,000.

Among the party's hosts are once and future county executive candidate and former delegate Rushern Baker, lobbyist (and former top county executive staff member) Derrick Green and Prince George's Dels. Jay Walker (D) and Dereck E. Davis (D).

Johnson said as many as 5,000 people might attend the campus rally, and he hopes the fundraiser will collect several hundred thousand dollars for Obama's attempt to win the Democratic nomination. Johnson noted enthusiasm for Obama has been high in Prince George's, the nation's wealthiest majority black jurisdiction. If elected, Obama would be the nation's first African American president.

Johnson said about 40 county residents attended a recent fundraiser for Obama at Oprah Winfrey's home in California.

"A lot of students and a lot of groups have been calling the campaign," Johnson said. "A lot of people have been clamoring to see him. When you're not an early state, it's a bonus to get him here. To have him in Prince George's County is a huge honor for us."

A divided Prince George's County Board of Education approved a long-term spending plan last week that kept three high schools listed for construction, despite a board member's call to give priority to three vocational schools.

The board has been grappling for weeks with the Capital Improvement Program, the school system's long-term plan for construction and renovation of schools. But discussion was quiet until Heather Iliff (District 2) introduced an amendment that would have cut a high school in Bowie, as well as two others, in order to work on three smaller vocational schools: Tall Oaks, Croom and one to be placed inside the Capital Beltway.

Iliff said the measure would save money since it would have cost $163 million compared with $265 million for the current plan, and it would allow the school system to begin working on improvements to its vocational education program. But Bowie area leaders opposed her proposal, saying Bowie High School is overcrowded, and a second school is needed. According to school system statistics, Bowie High is over capacity by 234 students. Others noted that DuVal High, which neighbors Bowie, is under capacity by 509 students.

The proposal attracted state and local politicians to the board's meeting last Thursday. Sen. Douglas J.J. Peters (D-Prince George's) and the rest of the District 23 delegation -- Dels. James W. Hubbard (D), Gerron S. Levi (D) and Marvin E. Holmes Jr. (D) -- spoke against the resolution, as did Bowie's mayor, G. Frederick Robinson. Iliff's proposal received support from Del. Jolene Ivey (D-Prince George's).

County Council member William A. Campos (D-Hyattsville) and the mayor of Hyattsville, William F. Gardiner, as well as several Hyattsville area residents, testified in support of another element of the plan, which would move construction of Hyattsville Elementary School from 2014 to 2011.

Iliff withdrew her proposal before the vote.

"I've seen that this whole conversation does tend to pit communities against each other," Iliff said. "I wanted to put something out there that I viewed as an alternative to a collision course. . . . If we tie up all of our money over the next five years in high schools, we're not going to have any other options."

The board passed the Capital Improvement Program, known as the CIP, by a vote of 5 to 3. Iliff, who voted against the program along with Rosalind Johnson (District 1) and Donna Hathaway Beck (At Large), said she will be back with a revised proposal.

"I think in its totality, people weren't ready to move forward with something so large," Iliff said after the meeting. "I think we have time between now and when it's funded for changes to be made. I think the CIP is never really set in stone."

County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) joined Schools Superintendent John E. Deasy to announce an anti-litter campaign last week.

The two went to Suitland Elementary School last Thursday to announce the initiative targeted at children. They said they hope kids will encourage parents not to litter.

Children will receive plastic bags stamped "Keep it Clean, Keep it Green," and radio ads will run Monday through Oct. 12.

"The consensus is being built in the country today that we are destroying the land, and if we don't do something about it, we aren't going to have a world to give to the next generation," Johnson told a group at the elementary school, including about 30 third-graders.

Saturday will be the county's annual community cleanup day, when 1,100 volunteers will join to clean litter from roadways.