With 2010 around the corner, candidates in Prince George's County at all levels of government are beginning to sculpt their campaign messages. In a semi-weekly series --"Why You?" -- we sit down with the county's political hopefuls to ask about who they are, what they've done and why they're the best ones to lead.

Current Job: Maryland State Delegate; lobbyist/assistant director of the legislative department of the AFL-CIO.
Running For: County Executive
Former Jobs: Intern and legislative correspondent for former Rep. Gus Savage (D-Ill.) and legislative counsel to Sen. Dianne Feinstein. (Levi's Official Bio.)
Age: 41
Residence: Woodmoore, Md.

Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I'm originally from Chicago, and I grew up between Chicago, Houston, Texas, and Los Angeles. I lived with several different family members. I went to most of high school in Los Angeles, I went to Berkeley undergrad. I lived with my grandmother for most of my years growing up, and then I lived with my brother. ... I didn't live with my parents growing up. I lived with various relatives. But they were in my life the whole time.

Q: When did you arrive in Maryland?
A: 1991. I came here for law school. I've lived in Prince George's for seven years.

Q: How did you get into politics?
A: I got into politics...during law school. I worked for a member of Congress. ...[Doing] legislative correspondence. ... Then I worked for Sen. [Dianne] Feinstein. ... I was one of her key staff on a couple of her signature bills. That was the ban on semi-automatic assault weapons. We did the actual initial draft of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill.

Q: Tell me about your campaign for state delegate in 2006. What made you want to run?
A: A lot of my motivation comes from watching and studying global trends. I feel somewhat the same way now as I felt then--that we are in the global challenge of a generation. I felt as if, in many respects, our community was not prepared to meet that global challenge.

Q: Was it a tough race?
A: I was running against the incumbents. ... It was an enormous challenge. The Bowie Blade [newspaper] at the time, they called me Gerron "Sore Feet" Levi, because of the number of doors I knocked on. About 8,000 doors. [The biggest hurdle was] getting my name out there, getting known with voters. I was an unknown. Whenever you run against the machine or against the slate, there are a lot of inside politics that really test the mettle of any candidate. ... I was on my own, with my volunteers and the money I could raise.

(Seated from left to right: State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey, Del. Marvin E. Holmes Jr. (D-Prince George's), Del. Michael L. Vaughn (D-Prince George's), Del. Melony G. Griffith (D-Prince George's), County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D), Sen. Douglas J.J. Peters (D-Prince George's), Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D-Prince George's). Not pictured but on panel: County Council Member Thomas E. Dernoga (D-Laurel) and County Sheriff Michael A. Jackson. Photo by Hamil R. Harris)

There were no shortage of signs this week that the 2010 elections are heating up in Prince George's County. First, the police union launched an ad campaign--aimed as much at elected officials as candidates for next year--decrying the current county leadership for budget cuts. Thursday afternoon, County Executive Jack B. Johnson's chief of staff Michael Herman--rumored to be weighing a run for State Senate--stepped down.

And Thursday night, a community forum designed to give residents a chance to vent concerns to politicians ran deep into the night, even turning rowdy at one point, when attendees were told they'd have to shorten their remarks so everyone could have a turn.

The over-arching message from the dozens of speakers? Fix Prince George's County, or we'll find folks who can.

The forum, held at the First Baptist Church of Glenarden, began shortly after 7 p.m. Attendees were invited to take the mic for three minutes each to address a panel that included Johnson, members of the Prince George's House and Senate Delegation, and law enforcement officials.

There was no back-and-forth dialogue. The panel just had to sit there and hear the pleas, complaints and, at times, outright insults of residents, over issues ranging from medical marijuana and animal cruelty to unwelcome development and public corruption.

There were the students complaining of unhealthy, "greasy food" in the cafeteria and having substitute teachers "for an entire year." There was the man pleading for quality staffing--not cronyism--in the county's auditing division to ensure sufficient oversight. There was the woman who sermonized about how God's defective GPS is preventing him from finding Prince George's County. And there was the man who waived--but refrained from throwing--his shoes in outrage.

Along with the myriad concerns raised--of the need for more development around Metro stations, better health care and smaller class sizes--there were some suggestions too. One man asked that a green expo be held to showcase green jobs and vendors. Some students at the University of Maryland lobbied for Good Samaritan policies, which help protect underage people from getting in trouble if they seek medical help for a friend that drank too much. Another student asked for better recycling in schools.

In other words, there was local politics.

Albert Doby, 84, came to shed light on the conditions at the Cameron Grove senior community where he lives. He and other seniors have been reaching out to the County Council for help with mold, leaky windows and other defects, saying county inspectors failed to cite the complex's developer for shoddy construction. The development sits in the district of Council Member Samuel H. Dean (D-Mitchellville), who is running for County Executive, but who sent representatives in his place last night.

"Four years ago, I moved into this development hoping this could be the place I could live for the rest of my life," Doby said. "I'm totally disappointed in my councilman."

Then Doby gave the officials a vivid demonstration of a cardinal rule of politics: Never let constituents think you are missing in action.

"Councilman Dean, I had hoped would be here, but he seems to be missing, the same way he seems to be missing so many other times," said Doby, to loud jeers from the crowd.

Dean was not the only one to send a representative in his stead. U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Barbara Mikulski (D-Md), Reps. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and former Del. Rushern L. Baker III, who is running for county executive, were also no-shows.

But the show went on.

Carlos Lopez, of the Prince George's Youth Commission, complained of technology classes "where there are no computers."

Two men from a group promoting medical marijuana also got a turn. One asked the crowd, "How many people support this issue?" at which point Johnson and Del. Melony G. Griffith (D-Prince George's) raised their hands, to huge laughter and applause.

"If someone is dying from cancer, why not?" Johnson said when asked about the issue after the forum. "I don't have a problem with that."

Johnson, who arrived late--he said he had been in New York all day working on issues related to the county's finances--sat in the center of the panel wearing a bright red sweater under his blazer. He got an earful at times, accused by one man of abusing the perks of his office and having seven county cars.

"There are no personal benefits," he responded to the crowd at the end of the night. "There are two automobiles assigned to the county executive's office. .... The point is that all of us serve honorably."

The forum wound down around 10:30 p.m., but many stayed after to approach officials directly. State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey--who is considering a bid for county executive--praised the "good, substantive ideas on a variety of topics." State Senator Douglas J.J. Peters (D-Prince George's) encouraged people to send him e-mails so he could help them find the right agencies to address their problems. Griffith left with a legal pad full of pages of notes on the issues raised, intent on taking up the suggestion of a speaker who urged the panel to ride the public bus to observe the state of county transportation.

"I'm going to do it," Griffith said. "I'm going to see how long it takes to get to work."

Now, with all the issues thrown against the wall last night, the question heading into 2010 is: Which ones will stick?

County and municipal leaders pledged cooperation today as they appeared before a panel of state lawmakers but also tried to make the case that their budgets are in dire straits, too.

"We're in this mess, I guess you would say, together," Harford County Executive David Craig (R) told the state panel. "The counties aren't fat and happy. We're not sitting on piles of money."

Craig, the incoming president of the Maryland Association of Counties, was among those who testified to the Joint Legislative Workgroup to Study State, County and Municipal Fiscal Relationships.

The panel, which was meeting for the second time today, is looking for ways to wean local governments from state dollars at a time when the state is facing major budget shortfalls. Aid to local governments accounts for about 40 percent of the state general fund budget, with most of that going to education. When the legislature reconvenes in January, that is expected to be a major topic of conversation.

Craig and county representatives said their governments have already laid off and furloughed workers, implemented hiring freezes and taken other steps to deal with sagging tax revenue and earlier rounds of cuts in state aid.

Scott Hancock, executive director of the Maryland Municipal League, told the state panel that municipalities took "catastrophic" cuts in state aid for roads and police over the summer.

"Cities and town in Maryland are hurting," Hancock said.

He said his organization will ask for additional authority from the legislature for muncipalities to raise revenue so that they are not as dependent on property taxes.

County leaders, meanwhile, suggested education funding, which has been largely protected during recent rounds of state cuts, be put back on the table. Craig said there are "non-educational aspects" of education funding where school systems can spend more efficiently.

Prosecutors and police on Tuesday pressed Maryland lawmakers to make it easier to put gang members convicted of crimes behind bars for longer sentences, saying a 2-year-old state statute aimed at doing so had proven all but useless.

Lawmakers, including House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) who sat in on the hearing and asked an usually large number of questions, probed law enforcement officers for specifics on how the Maryland Gang Prosecution Act had failed.

They also seemed split on whether changes were needed. Del. Victor R. Ramirez (D-Prince George's) and others questioning if more draconian sentencing guidelines could inadvertently snare less violent teenagers charged as gang co-conspirators. And House Judiciary Committee Chairman Del. Joseph F. Vallario, Jr. (D-Prince George's), said the legislature did not want to get so specific in setting sentences that it risked undercutting judges' prerogative to order prison terms best fitting circumstances of crimes.

A day after a board forced 70,000 state employees to take as many as 10 unpaid furlough days, Maryland's Democratic legislative leaders said they would volunteer to do the same and urged every member of the General Assembly to follow suit.

It's unclear, however, if they will. Last year, 22 state senators and delegates did not return any pay despite a similar request made by legislative leaders.

Under Maryland's constitution, the salary of legislators cannot be reduced. However, Sen. President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. (D-Calvert), and House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) said Thursday that a voluntary program is being established to allow lawmakers to donate a portion of their salary back to the state. A similar program existed last year.