Charles County Through A Different Lens

(Annapolis, MD) The evolution of Charles County according to Senator Arthur Ellis has been in the works for some time. The county was at one time the heart of tobacco country in Maryland. The jurisdiction is nestled near the Potomac River. Its county seat is Waldorf which splits Route 301 on your way to the Nice Bridge which links Maryland and Virginia.

In our wide ranging conversation during “Live from the Pit” Senator Ellis talks about how federal employees from Washington, DC saw the county. According to him it was seen as an oasis from urban sprawl with affordable homes. It’s less than an hour commute to the nation’s capital. The catalyst for change came after a firebombing of several homes in the Hunters Brook sub-division in December 2004. The assailant and his co-conspirators said, “the arson (was done) in partbecause African-Americans were buying many of the houses” in the county.

Fast forward to the 2018 election results. It brought significant change to Maryland’s southernmost county, Charles County. Senator Ellis who was and is a NAACP activist took out a lieutenant to the powerful President of the Senate, Senator Thomas V. “Mike” Miller. Senator Ellis bested Senator Thomas “Mac” Middleton in the primary, helping lead a wave of freshmen legislators. As I look at the Charles County Delegation now, it has five African-American Delegates and one African-American Senator (Sen. Miller is the only holdover from the past).  I have several books with pictures of past delegations and this looks nothing like it was.

Senator Ellis, a Certified Public Account, is finding his way around the capitol meeting with constituents and colleagues. His district was severely impacted by the recent federal government shutdown. He’s introduced his first piece of legislation to help those who suffered.

We also talk about the solar farm which Georgetown University wants to put in Charles County. I was shocked to learn he lives five miles from the site and he gives his take on whether putting the farm there is the best usage of the land.

Lastly, many legislators don’t come to Annapolis by themselves. I was kind of taken aback when I called to set up this appointment and I got the Senators voice mail. When I arrived at his office, a woman sitting at the desk went to get him. As we set for the interview he told me his secretary was in mandatory training session. So I asked about his intern who greeted me? That’s when he told me, “Charles, that’s my wife.” After apologizing, I introduced myself and she was as gracious a host as I will ever meet.       

Take a listen to the podcast. "Live from the Pit" with Sen. Arthur Ellis.