Politics & Government

Robinson Runs for 8th Term as Mayor of Bowie: 'I Love This City'

Incumbent mayoral candidate G. Frederick Robinson touts city services, flat tax rate and solid finances among accomplishments of his first six terms.

As he embarks on his eighth run for Mayor the City of Bowie, incumbent G. Frederick Robinson is proud of how far the city has come in the past 12 years, and proud of the role he has played. 

“Bowie continues to set the bar for so many people in the county and state and I just want to keep that moving,” Robinson said.

The city has moved quite a bit since his first term in 1998. The building of the Bowie Senior Center, the new City Hall and the establishment of the Bowie Police department are but a few of the large projects to happen in the city during Robinson’s tenure. 

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“The big thing is on the financial side—a balanced budget, our bills are paid, we have a substantial reserve,” Robinson said. “In all that time, in the current economic conditions we’ve been able to do all that without increasing taxes.” 

Robinson hopes to earn the votes to continue moving the city in what he feels is a positive direction. One project he’d like to see to fruition is the purchasing of the Bowie Racetrack and stable facility on Racetrack Road. 

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As of now, said Robinson, the city is looking at purchasing both pieces of property. Should the sale happen he’d like to see the racetrack property—about 130 acres—be used as some kind of park or other open space. As for the land with the stable, he’s open to keeping that as green space or possibly putting some covenants on the land so it can eventually be developed some time in the future.

Robinson is also looking to draw more grocery stores into Bowie, particularly into some of the shopping centers like Pointer Ridge, that have been suffering since grocery retailers have pulled out. 

“We’ve communicated with a number of groceries, I’ve had personal contact with every grocery chain you can imagine,” Robinson said. 

“Some would like to look into the Prince George’s market, but you can’t sell beer and wine in grocery stores here,” he said. 

To that end, Robinson has spent time lobbying on the city’s behalf in Annapolis, working to get a bill passed that would allow beer and wine sales in grocery stores, something he thinks would make the city more attractive to the retailers. 

As far as the question voters will face on Nov. 5 about whether or not to increase council terms from two years to four, Robinson said he can see pros and cons to both terms and is happy to let voters decided on this issue. 

Perhaps Robinson’s favorite thing about Bowie, and the reason he’s running for his eighth term as mayor, is his love for the city and the people who live there. 

"The simple is I love this city and I think we‘ve made some great progress and I’d like to keep it going."

Robinson’s name will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot in the City of Bowie’s elections. For more information on the elections, or to find your polling place, check the city’s website.

Patch has requested interviews with all Bowie council candidates running in contested elections. Profiles of other candidates will appear on Bowie Patch throughout the week.

*This article has been updated to reflect that Mayor Robinson is running for his eighth term. 


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