A group of residents in Prince George’s County, Maryland, has initiated a legal challenge against the county council and member Wala Blegay, aiming to overturn her recent appointment to an at-large council seat made in December.
Residents in Prince George’s County, Maryland, have filed a lawsuit against the county council and Wala Blegay, seeking to contest her appointment to an at-large seat that took place in December.
As per the county code, any vacancy occurring in the final year of a term can be filled by someone appointed through a majority vote of the remaining council members. The plaintiffs do not dispute the council’s right to appoint someone; rather, they are questioning the legitimacy of how the council handled the appointment process.
Blegay, who was already serving as the representative for District 6, filled the at-large seat, which subsequently created another vacancy on the council. This new position was then filled by Danielle Hunter, who previously worked for County Executive Aisha Braveboy.
During the session addressing the District 6 vacancy, Braveboy publicly supported Hunter’s appointment right at the beginning of the meeting, before other candidates had a chance to present their cases to the council.
“From our perspective, they are misusing this process to create vacancies that are then filled with individuals they have already selected, denying a fair chance to citizens,” expressed Tonya Wingfield, a Fort Washington resident and one of the plaintiffs in this case.
Wingfield hopes the matter will be heard in Anne Arundel County and that a judge will temporarily halt Blegay’s appointment to the at-large seat while determining whether the process followed was appropriate.
“Much of this information was leaked prior to the events taking place,” she noted. “Seeing these leaks materialize into actual outcomes illustrates a misuse of the process and sets a precedent that the charter language never intended.”
A spokesperson for the council stated that they were acting in accordance with the county charter when selecting Blegay, who was among over 30 applicants for the at-large position vacated by Calvin Hawkins.
“Our legal team has reviewed the unsubstantiated claims within the complaint and is confident that this frivolous lawsuit will be dismissed,” stated Lindsay Watts, the senior director of communications for the council.
“The Council adhered to the code by advertising the vacancy and reviewing all applications. Any council member appointed this year will need to run for election to retain the seat beyond December 2026.”
Blegay has opted not to comment on the situation when approached by WTOP.
“That was not the purpose of this charter language,” Wingfield emphasized. “We seek a process where applicants are genuinely evaluated. It is essential to ensure that the county executive does not influence the selection process, as we have witnessed in recent vacancies.”
