Related Stories:Two incumbents, two challengers in Fairmount Heights May 7 election

Residents stress need for communication, accountability on Fairmount Heights council

Fairmount Heights’ Monday elections led to a newcomer, a returning councilwoman and an incumbent retaining the seat she’s held since 2005.

Newcomer Andina Keith, former councilwoman Patricia Waiters and incumbent Jacqueline Wood-Dodson were elected to the three open council seats, edging out incumbent Nancy Dixon Saxon.

Keith received the most votes with 107, Wood-Dodson received 82, Waiters earned 67 and incumbent Saxon received 53, said Marjorie Shelton, chairwoman of the Fairmount Heights Board of Elections. There were 117 voters who came out, Shelton said.

There are approximately 1,500 Fairmount Heights residents, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, and has 952 registered voters, according to the county board of elections. Last year’s election was for the mayor’s seat and three council seats.

“It was very good because it was more than came out last year,” Shelton said. I think it was 110 people who came out last year.”

Saxon, who was on the council since 2008, declined to comment about the results Monday night.

Keith said she is excited with the turnout and grateful for the number of votes she received because it showed her community work was apparent to residents. Keith founded Citizens Against Prostitution, a partnership that began in March 2010 between residents and law enforcement to eliminate prostitution on the Eastern Avenue border.

Keith said her first priority is to continue her relationship with Prince George’s County Police Chief Mark Magaw and county police District 3 to patrol the Eastern Avenue border on a weekly basis for prostitution.

“The community, they're really interested in the future of Fairmount Heights and I’m glad we had a lot of new voters come out, which shows they're interested in the rebuilding of Fairmount Heights,” Keith said.

Waiters, who served on the council from 2009 to 2011, said she will continue to build on her goal of finding recreation opportunities for the town youth like she previously did on the council when she worked with Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission to find programming in areas such as the Fairmount Heights North Neighborhood Park. Instead of running to keep her council seat in 2011, Waiters ran but lost for the mayor’s seat against current mayor Lillie Thompson-Martin.

“I think the best thing is to get on board and see what the current mayor and council have working now and partake in that, get an understanding of what the direction is there and see what's already on the table,” Waiters said.

Wood-Dodson said she was satisfied with the results and is looking forward to the Town Council working together as a unit. She said during her new term she wants the Town Council to form resident committees centered around public works and public safety so they can get better insight from residents about how they can improve and she also wants to start an “adopt a block” program to target specific areas for property upkeep and eliminate prostitution.

“It’s not so much a neighborhood watch but cleaning up the community [to] have more curb appeal,” Wood-Dodson said.

nmcgill@gazette.net