By James Wright, Special to the AFRO, jwright@afro.com
Robert Julian Ivey wants to serve the residents of Maryland House of Delegates Legislative District 47. He wants to be judged by what he offers and not his last name.
Ivey is the son of former Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey and former Maryland Delegate Jolene Ivey. Ivey has charted his own path to public service and wants to build on that to go to Annapolis.
Julian Ivey is a Cheverly town council member. (Courtesy Photo)
“I am a council for the town of Cheverly,” Ivey told the AFRO. “I came to office in May 2017 and I am proud of having Cheverly proclaimed as a Sanctuary City, working to see that town employees get $15 an hour as a minimum wage and making sure that our town employees can bargain collectively with the town’s leadership.”
Cheverly consists of 6,173 residents outside of the District of Columbia in Prince George’s County and is racially diverse with a 57 percent Black, 32 percent White, and 10 percent Latino population.
Ivey is a candidate for a bachelor’s degree at the University of Maryland, College Park. He has lived in Prince George’s County all 22-years of his life. A graduate of Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Ivey achieved a measure of fame when he played “Simba” in the Broadway version of “The Lion King” in 2007.
District 47A consists of the municipalities of Bladensburg, Brentwood, Colmar Manor, Cottage City, Landover Hills and North Brentwood as well as the unincorporated surrounding communities. In the June 26 Democratic Party primary, Ivey will be seeking votes with Maryland Delegates Jimmy Tarlau and Diana Fennell. The district has three delegates positions and are represented by state Sen. Victor Ramirez, a Democrat.
Ivey said he has been endorsed by Ramirez, a candidate for Prince George’s County state’s attorney, the union, SEIU, and Peter Franchot, the comptroller of Maryland.
Having been exposed to politics throughout his life, Ivey wants to be a pro-active
politician should he become a delegate. “Some people are happy to be in Annapolis that they go along with what the leaders say without regards to how it affects their constituents,” he said. “I won’t be like that. We have the votes in Annapolis to pass a $15 an hour state minimum wage bill and free public college for Maryland residents who qualify but you don’t have the individuals in place who want to do that.
“We have to help Marylanders who are living paycheck to paycheck and sometimes working two or three jobs just to get by.”
Ivey candidly admits he is a “Prince George’s guy,” being a life-long resident. “That’s why I will be a vocal champion for the county,” he said. “If I am elected, I will never forget who sent me to Annapolis.”