Minority Contractors Speak Out

Along with high-ranking county staffers, the two met Tuesday with executives from Fitch Ratings and Standard and Poor's and were scheduled to meet with Moody's Investors Service yesterday, Johnson said.

At least one of the three agencies has boosted the county's bond rating in each of the past four years, and Johnson said he urged investors to this year award the county the top AAA bond rating.

"I think we deserve one," he said in an interview from New York. "We think the numbers are speaking for themselves. Despite the economy, we've had growth."

The designations allow counties with higher ratings to borrow money at lower interest rates. Investors set the ratings after examining economic prospects, so improved rankings indicate confidence about the county's health.

Johnson said he told the ratings houses that taxes collected during home sales are down in the county, but other economic indicators are good, including rising property tax revenue because of a growing base of commercial property.

The investors were impressed by job growth at National Harbor and other projects planned for the county, as well as how the county handled its budget when the economy was stronger, Johnson said.

"The point we made is that despite the general economic dislocation . . . we're in really excellent shape," he said.

The county could hear back from the agencies in a matter of weeks.

An Easier Reelection

When New Carrollton Mayor Andrew C. Hanko ran for reelection two years ago, the contest was so close that Hanko packed up some of the items in his office, went home before the final results and took his telephone off the hook. He learned that he had won after a city official knocked at his door.

This time, the 77-year-old veteran community leader remained at City Hall on Monday night for the election results and learned that he had defeated community activist Jacques Chevalier II, 450 to 120.

New Carrollton is a diverse community of nearly 13,000 residents, according to the 2000 Census, and although Chevalier spent many evenings in a Shoppers Food Warehouse parking lot seeking votes, Hanko won his 12th term in office by focusing on distributing pamphlets door to door.

Chevalier spent years fighting various issues in the District, but in recent years he has spent much time lobbying on educational issues on behalf of his children, who attend county schools. Some residents said they were turned off by Chevalier's tactics, including at a forum where he accused the mayor and members of the police department of being racist.