Brown Challenging Incumbent Trouth in District 4 Council Race

With the next Friday, Oct. 7 filing deadline approaching for Bowie’s Nov. 8 city election, another challenger has emerged. In District 4, south Bowie, challenger Carl E. Brown Jr. is running against two-term incumbent Councilman Isaac “Ike” Trouth.

Brown, 51, is executive director of the Center for Minority Business Development at Prince George’s Community College and is a resident of the Covington area of Bowie. He charges that Trouth has failed to represent District 4 residents, which he said he would assertively accomplish by bringing an enthusiastic new perspective to the seat.  

“You need to be concerned, and my opponent seems not to be concerned with the district,” said Brown. “I haven’t seen him at community events. I haven’t seen outreach by him. I would be accessible to constituents, and be receptive to new ideas.”

Brown, president of the PTA, is a former member of the city government’s education committee, an advisory panel. He was one of more than 20 residents who applied for an At-Large council seat left vacant last year.

He said his top priority if elected would be to improve the quality of education offered in Bowie schools by reducing classroom crowding and providing greater teacher resources.

The city government plays no role in funding or running of schools in Bowie. Brown said he would accomplish his education goals by greater lobbying with the county school administration and seeking out more grants.

Brown also said he would work to create new employment opportunities for residents, help local businesses become stronger and seek to attract new businesses to Bowie, especially cyber security and healthcare information technology companies.

Trouth, 64, is a renal care specialist with Abbott Laboratories and lives in Bowie’s Devonshire Estates section. He said he is puzzled by Brown’s statements regarding his tenure as a councilman. “Either they are lies, or he is grossly misinformed,” said Trouth.

Trouth said he has no reason to defend his time in office, because his record speaks for itself.

First elected to the council in 2007, he said his greatest accomplishments have been prompted by residents’ concerns. When parents complained about potentially unsafe parking conditions and inadequate facilities at Church Road Park, Trouth pushed for funding for more parking spaces and a park concession stand and said he has worked toward obtaining a new scoreboard.

Trouth also said he has responded to residential concerns by obtaining speed bumps and a neighborhood traffic circle for the Collington Station section and helping to establish the city’s first senior summit.

He said his membership in governmental groups brings much to the table. He is treasurer of the Prince George's County Municipal Association, a member of the Maryland Municipal Association’s Hometown Emergency Preparedness Ad-Hoc Committee and also serves on the county fire chief’s advisory committee.

“For me, it’s all about finalizing the details and relationship building with residents and state, county and other city officials,” said Trouth. “District 4 would lose those relationships and that representation if I were not re-elected.”

There are now 10 candidates for seven seats in the Bowie elections. Districts 2, 3 and 4 have contested races, District 1 does not. Two sitting council members are running for the two council At-Large seats. Mayor G. Frederick Robinson does not yet have an opponent.