MR. KOJO NNAMDIFrom WAMU 88.5, at American University in Washington, welcome to "The Kojo Nnamdi Show," connecting your neighborhood with the world. A year in real-time could be the equivalent of about a decade in political time.

MR. KOJO NNAMDIJust consider what's taking place in Prince George's County during the past 12 months. A powerful county executive's home was raided by federal agents, the first domino to fall in a corruption probe that resulted in guilty pleas for more than a dozen people, including the former executive, his wife, a former housing official and three police officers.

MR. KOJO NNAMDIA new county executive came into office amidst an economic storm and an eye-popping wave of homicides. The state teamed up with the county to start a new hospital project, but the federal government passed up on Prince George's again by deciding to keep a major source of jobs in its next-door neighbor.

MR. KOJO NNAMDIA tidal wave of events, indeed, and the man who has to ride it all, executive Rushern Baker is here to discuss the challenges still facing Prince George's County. Rushern Baker is the county executive in Prince George's County, Md. He's a Democrat. Rushern Baker, good to see you again.

MR. RUSHERN BAKERGood to see you, Kojo, I think.

NNAMDIWell, you're riding this wave, so we decided to come aboard with you for a while. You must have understood that the changes you wanted to see in the county were going to take place over the course of a marathon, not a sprint. But it's my understanding that you recently threw on your running shoes for a 10-mile run with the county's police cadets. How are you feeling right now?

BAKERI'm feeling much better after the run...

BAKER...as opposed during it. But, yes, you know, it's funny you bring up the 10-mile run with the cadets. That's been prior to the stress-relieving efforts that I've had in this job. But just the fact that I started with this class -- this class of cadets actually came in when I came in as county executive, so I kind of feel like we're going through the growing pains of Prince George's County together.

BAKERAnd that 10-mile run was part of that. So I'm feeling good. Thank you for asking.

NNAMDIPeople always ask me if I like running, and I say no. I like having run, like when it's finished, and it's over. What did you learn about your police and your cadets from going on that run?

BAKERYou know, when -- I actually learned the fact that the watching them grow -- I mean, in seriousness, watching as they came in as raw recruits over these last several months and watching them not only grow individually but grow together. And that really is much like this administration. We were raw when we came in, you know, trying to find our way, and I think we finally, after about 10 months, are starting to see some of the fruits of that labor.

BAKERAnd that's what I saw to the cadets on that run. They made -- everybody made it through. We left no one behind, and that's what we like to say about Prince George's County. So they're a great testament to the courageous men and women of Prince George's County.

NNAMDIIf you'd like to join the conversation with Prince George's County executive Rushern Baker, you can call us at 800-433-8850. What do you think could attract more investment to Prince George's County? What do you think has been keeping some of that investment away? 800-433-8850. You can send us a tweet, @kojoshow, email to kojo@wamu.org, or you can simply go to our website, kojoshow.org, where you can ask a question or make a comment.

NNAMDIOne of the areas where you literally tried to hit the ground running when you came into office was economic development. But it took the council months to get moving on a bill that you've been pushing to create an economic development fund. What are the reasons you see for the delay? And why do you feel it is a necessary move?

BAKERWell, one, I think the council wanted to make sure that they fully understood how this was going to -- was going to affect the economic development of Prince George's County. I don't make light of the fact that we've got a $50 million investment fund, EDI economic investment fund. That's the largest, not only in this area -- it's second only to the state in having that much money that we're going to put toward development.

BAKERSo I think the council wanted to do is due diligence and make sure that there were adequate checks and balances. And in the final analysis, what they came up with and what we agreed to, I think, will help Prince George's County. Now, why is it necessary? You talk about the obstacles that have stopped Prince George's County from developing. We've always had Metro sites here.

BAKERFor the last 15 years, we've had these underdeveloped 15 Metro sites. We've always had location right next to the District of Columbia. But you haven't seen the type of growth in the county that, I think, we should have. And part of those is, yes, you can talk about education. You can talk about crime. What I said at the very beginning of this administration, we're going to tackle the issues that are facing us.

BAKERSo in terms of crime, we put together, I think, a good public safety group, the state's attorney, the sheriff's department, my senior staff, the police department, corrections, all of us working together. So we took that obstacle off. We said, education, not only do we fully fund what the school system asked for, we put an additional $14 million in there to handle some of the issues.

BAKERBut doing all that is not going to be enough. So I wanted something that would have a wow effect to businesses and say this is why you pick Prince George's County as opposed to going somewhere else. And we're starting to see that. We yesterday announced Coastal International is a security company that's moving from Lorton, Va. to Prince George's County, one, because we were able to provide incentives.

BAKERThe other was we were able to streamline the process. So I think it makes us competitive, and that's what I want us to be.

NNAMDIThis is a $50 million fund, the bill to establish it in -- we talked about the members of the county council raising concerns about whether they have enough oversight. You say the new proposal does address that issue.

BAKERThe new proposal does address the issue. I mean, one of the things we wanted to say to the business community is, one, we want to make sure there's checks and balances, but we don't want to make it so cumbersome that no one wants to do business in Prince George's County. We're trying to attract them.

BAKERAnd so I think the balance that we struck with the council helps us do that and helps make it attractive for businesses to use because this is going to be a revolving loan and a grant. And we want to make sure businesses are using it.

NNAMDIJonathan O'Connell of The Washington Post wrote that you came into this new round of talks about the economic development fund armed with, well, I guess, an ironic new piece of ammunition, the county's recent failure to attract the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. What did that episode say to you about the state of affairs of -- in the county when it comes to attracting big business investment and large government offices?

BAKERWell, it was in the midst of a negotiation with the $50 million fund with the council. And what I said to folks was Montgomery County was able to put dollars on the table, not only location, but they were able to put dollars on the table for HHS to stay in Montgomery County. We've got to be just as competitive or more competitive. The $50 million fund will help us do that. The other thing I said is we had very good proposals for HHS.

BAKERIt sets us up for the next round when a federal enclave is looking to move out of the District or some other place in terms of leasing space or expanding. I think those movements should come to Prince George's County. I think we clearly showed in this last round of proposals not only do we have sites around a Metro, which is what they said they wanted, transit-oriented. We have proximity to the District of Columbia.

BAKERAnd now, we have an incentive fund that can help us be more attractive. So I think we should get the next two sites of expansion of federal government leasing space.

NNAMDIAt this point, what's the hardest part of the sell for Prince George's?

BAKERMaking people believe that we're serious about business. I think, you know, one, that we're -- that there's transparency, that there's going to be consistency and that the permitting process will be fair. And you'll know exactly when it's going to end. It's not going to go on forever. So I have had to go around to businesses and to development groups and to small businesses and say it's a new day in the county.

BAKERWe are serious about this. We will go anywhere and talk to you about expanding your business that you have in Prince George's County, but attracting you to the county.

NNAMDIRushern Baker is the county executive in Prince George's County, Md. He says it's a new day in the county. What kinds of businesses you think are missing in Prince George's County? 800-433-8850. What do you think the county should be doing to go after those businesses? You can go to our website, kojoshow.org. State your opinion there, or send us an email to kojo@wamu.org with your question or comment, or a tweet, @kojoshow.

NNAMDIIt is my understanding that, by some estimates, 60 percent of county residents commute elsewhere to work and that roughly 60 percent of the people who work in Prince George's County are commuting to the county from outside. What do you think explains that?

BAKERWell, I think it's the -- a lot of it is the imbalance with the federal enclave. I think if we move -- and this is our pitch to the federal government as it expands, that if we move a number of those offices to Prince George's County, their workforce would actually be able to stay in the area where they live, which would then cut down on traffic. They can also take the Metro. So I think that's one part.

BAKERThe other is our ability to track private industry to the county, expand the commercial tax base, which is something we want to do. I think we'll shift that balance. But, clearly, we have to do that in Prince George's County. For far too long, we've been a residential area where the rest of the region has kind of made it 50-50 residential, 50 commercial. And we've got to shift that.

NNAMDIWe've got a tweet from Taylor in NYC. "To improve the quality of life in Prince George's County, what is being done to alleviate traffic?" A very general concern.

BAKERWell, that's why we say it's such a great place to be in Prince George's County because we've got the underdeveloped metro sites. So the area that this administration is focusing our limited resources on are those metro sites, which happen to be inside the Beltway area and close to the District line, and I think that will help us cut down on traffic, allow people who want to get into the District or to Northern Virginia, be able to take the Metro there.

NNAMDIOne of the proposals on the table right now that's being pitched as an economic incubator is slots at Rosecroft Raceway. Where do you think slots should fit in the conversation about bringing money into the county?

BAKERWell, I've asked the council, and I know they had a subcommittee hearing yesterday where they passed out a bill banning slots in the county.

NNAMDIYep.

BAKERI think that is premature. The legislature has not taken up this issue yet. I think we should leave all of our options -- as county executive, I've got to look at every option there is to bring in revenue for our county. And I think we should have all the options laid out, wait until January to see what the legislature is going to do and what they propose for Prince George's County and weigh the costs and benefit analysis of it. And it's too early to do that now.

NNAMDIWhen you were in the general assembly, you are on record as having opposed slots. What caused you to change?

BAKERI became county executive and found out that I had a $77 million deficit, and I've got school systems and public safety that have to be funded. But the other thing I've said from taking this office is I've got to weigh what's in the best interest of the county as a whole, not any particular district. The other thing I've said is I've been on the other side where -- as a legislator on appropriations where jurisdictions have come in and asked us to give them money, but they haven't come in with a plan to raise revenue.

BAKERI said to the legislature I wouldn't do that. I would support revenue raising in Annapolis because we need more in Prince George's County. And so that's why I said to the council, we should wait and see what the options are, weigh them clearly and find out what the benefits and the detriment to Prince George's County and then move forward.

NNAMDIWhat happens to Rosecroft without slots?

BAKERWell, the one thing I've said that we don't need in Rosecroft is -- in that area is to turn into a housing development. We need to make sure that it stays somewhat what it looks like now, but there are very few options for Rosecroft if you don't find a way to bring revenue there. And right now, horseracing is not doing it, and so if you take another option off the table like slots before we actually get a chance to study and see, then I think we do ourselves a detriment.

BAKERThe other thing is, you know, this is an issue where we're going to have to go to voters and say, is this something you want to see in Prince George's County and make that decision.

NNAMDIAnd I was about to say that those -- there have been those conducting polls already, those people who would like to see slots come to Rosecroft Raceway. And according to the poll that it conducted, it looks as if you put this to the public, it's likely to pass.

BAKERWell, I think that the public is looking for ways. I mean, there is only going to be so many ways we can raise revenue. And the public is going to look and say, well, are you going to be in favor of a gasoline tax? Are you going to be in favor of additional tax on alcohol? Are you going to want something that people are doing already, like playing the lottery and slots?

BAKERThe thing about Rosecroft, I think, which makes people probably easier to take having slots there is it's already -- you're already doing horse racing, so you have a form of gambling. Once again though, Prince George's County has to look, what is the split? You know, if it's to come to Prince George's County, we know there are detriments that come with it. We've got to increase the amount of public safety.

BAKERThat means police, fire, corrections, a state's attorneys office, so we've got to weigh that. We also have to weigh traffic. Are there are going to be some traffic enhancements there? So we've got to see what the whole packages looks like. But if we simply take it off the table immediately without exploring everything, then we kind of go to Annapolis, saying, we'll fund our new hospital, but we're going to take your revenue options off the table.

NNAMDII mentioned that Penn Gaming is floating -- polling numbers that show support for allowing residents to decide directly on allowing slots in the county. How would you feel specifically about a referendum?

BAKERI think a referendum would be a good idea in terms of this. I think, you know, this is one of those issues where you have to go to voters and say -- like you said, I voted against it when I was in Annapolis, in terms of my personal belief. But as county executive, I've got to weigh everybody's -- you know, the county as a whole.

BAKERAnd so getting voters a chance to weigh in on -- is this something they want to see? And I think, in order to that, they have to know what the complete package looks like.

NNAMDIIssue went before voters statewide. It seems to win pretty much everywhere. It goes up for a referendum. Let's see how our listeners feel. How do you feel about the prospect of slots in Prince George's County? 800-433-8850. Are you in favor, or do you sympathize with the members of the county council who are trying to ban slots? 800-433-8850. We've got to take short break.

NNAMDIWhen we come back, we will continue our conversation with Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker, a conversation you can join by going to our website, kojoshow.org, or sending us a tweet, @kojoshow. I'm Kojo Nnamdi.

NNAMDIWelcome back. We're talking with Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker. I'm taking your calls at 800-433-8850. You can send email to kojo@wamu.org. What other kinds of business you think are missing in Prince George's County? And what do you think the county should be doing to go after them? 800-433-8850 is the number to call.

NNAMDIMr. County Executive, to what degree do you think council members should feel comfortable picking and choosing the kinds of business the county should be attracting? Do you think the county is in a position to look at slots or gambling and say, the money may be good, but we don't what that money?

BAKERWell, I think their job is to look at everything that's coming in to the county, especially in their districts. My job is to look at the county as a whole. I think, for us, is we want to make sure that the quality of life from Prince George's County is what residents should want, and it should be what they expect. And so -- but we want to make sure that businesses understand we want you to grow in Prince George's County.

BAKERWe want you to come here. And I think that also means that we want the type of retail and amenities that you see elsewhere.

NNAMDISpeaking of the kind of retail and amenities the county may or may not want, there's a spirited debate going on a development that would bring Whole Foods, among other things, to Riverdale Park. We got an email from Anne in Hyattsville who says, "Please tell Rushern Baker that he is great." Great is spelled in capitals.

NNAMDI"The new Busboys & Poets in my neighborhood of Hyattsville is always packed. We're also very excited about the arrival of Whole Foods just up the street. My suggestion is that we take advantage of the vacant land at the West Hyattsville Metro Station and do a state-of-the-art green development, as it's on the green line, with housing using solar panels, geothermal, et cetera, something to set this development apart and really draw new folks to the area."

NNAMDIWhat position have you taken on the Whole Foods development? And what conversations have you had with local officials about it?

BAKERWell, first of all, I want to thank Anne for that email.

NNAMDIGreat, I think there's a bit of an exaggeration in great. But go ahead, please.

BAKEROh, but I'm in favor of the Whole Foods coming to Prince George's County. This is something that residents have wanted for a long time. They look around, surrounding jurisdictions, and they see these type of amenities being done elsewhere. And I think, you know, with the Wegmans coming in, Whole Foods, we certainly want to make sure that Safeway and Giant prosper in the county.

BAKERBut this is another amenity we can offer citizens, and I think it's going to be great for that area. And she's absolutely right. Busboys & Poets is doing well. The Arts District is doing well over in Hyattsville and Franklin. And just so she knows, we are looking at West Hyattsville, and I think it'd be perfect for green development.

NNAMDIYou mentioned Wegmans. There seemed to be some symbolic value when the county opened its first Wegmans grocery this past year. Would Whole Foods have the same kind of symbolic value for the county?

BAKERExactly. It is a win for the county. It says to the region that this is a place where you can do business, and that the buying power that we've always known in Prince George's County is real. Wegmans has done very well. In fact, we're pressuring them to see if there's another Wegmans that can come. And we think if Whole Foods comes out here in the county, they will do just as well.

BAKERAnd it symbolically says Prince George's County is really making the right moves.

NNAMDIWhile we're talking economic development, the candidate you supported for Leslie Johnson's council seat, Derrick Leon Davis, joined us on The Politics Hour this past week. And he told us that the council's concept of council courtesy has contributed -- you know, the concept where one council member has to seek the approval of another council member if there's going to be a project in that councilmember's district.

NNAMDIWell, Derrick Leon Davis says that council courtesy concept has contributed to what he calls a sense of NIMBY-ism on the council. Let's listen.

MR. DERRICK LEON DAVISWhen we look at Prince George's County, and, in my experience, it has become one of the things that we have to take a serious look at from the perspective of how we want Prince George's County to look in the future. We tend to become NIMBY and parochial as opposed to holistic in our approach to what Prince George's County will be.

NNAMDIWhat's your thinking about that?

BAKERNow, I think he makes a good point. It's something that, as county executive, I've got to look at the county as a whole and what we've said to -- and I think, you know, the Council Chair Ingrid Turner gets it. I think she understands that we've got to look at it as a whole. But, you know, it is getting members to understand that, you know, something like a Whole Foods is good for the county as a whole, so we have to look beyond just our borders.

BAKERI think the other thing is you talked about the slots legislation. That bill was actually put in by a member who doesn't live in the district where Rosecroft is. So it's clear that there are times when council members look beyond that. But as a whole, if we're going to grow in a county, you know, this EDI fund is another example of it.

BAKEROur concentration of the EDI fund is going to be inside the Beltway, so that means there are some jurisdiction, some districts that are aren't going to benefit as greatly. But the county, as a whole, will grow, and that spillover effect will help us. But we've got to look beyond these individual (word?).

NNAMDIHow difficult is that to do? Because if you want to get re-elected, you have to pay attention to the demands of your constituents, even though, theoretically, you are elected to legislate in the best interest of the county as a whole. It's very difficult to face that on the one hand. On the other hand, say, if I do this, they may vote me out of office the next time. How do you make that balance?

BAKERIt's difficult. I'm the first to say that it's not easy. I remember going from just a delegate in District 22B to chairman of the delegation. And immediately, some of my friends and supporters say, well, you're ignoring us. And I say, well, now I've got to make a decision on what's in the best interest of the entire delegation.

BAKERSame thing as county executive -- there are some decisions that I make as county executive that I wouldn't make as an individual member. So we understand you've got to think big. But in these times when Prince George's County has been challenged in so many ways, it is time for us to think greater. And that's what Derrick was saying, and I agree with him.

NNAMDIYou supported him, as a matter of fact.

BAKERI did indeed.

NNAMDIHere is David in Bethesda, Md. David, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

DAVIDThank you. First of all, I'd like to compliment you for the -- some of the positions you're taking. I think you're showing real leadership in a way that has been lacking in Prince George's County for some time. And I wish you a lot of luck on this very tough job. My comment and question concerns the slots and, more broadly, lotteries. I understand all the revenue justifications for doing these type of things.

DAVIDBut I wonder -- and this is not based on my having done any research, but my assumption is that a large portion of the people that play lotteries and slots are towards the lower end of the income range and perhaps people who are on public assistance. And, you know, how do you feel about that trade-off? Is the trade-off of getting more revenue for the county worth the burden that may fall on the families or the folks who ought not be playing slots and not be playing lottery?

BAKERYou know, David, that's a perfect question and perfect statement. And I think we don't have enough information, right now, of how to balance this. And that's why I said the legislation of the council is premature. We need to look at, what are the cost-benefit analysis, and that is, you know, are people who are going to play slots, are they currently playing in other areas?

BAKERAnd so this, right here, just means they'll be actually playing in Prince George's County or in Maryland as opposed to going up to Delaware or to Charles County. Or are we creating new people who open and -- and what's that going to cost the county, too, in terms of manpower, in terms of police, in terms of public's health?

BAKERAnd then, what is the benefit in terms of dollars coming back in terms of school, school construction? We've got a way, and right now we don't have enough information to make an intelligent decision.

NNAMDIHere's what you do have information on -- you just mentioned it -- and that is the number of people from Prince George's County who are going to Delaware, who are going to New Jersey, who are going to Virginia and other places in order to play slots. And I suspect that if a study was conducted, you would find that there are, I guess, a disproportionate number of lower-income people who are already participating in this.

BAKERRight. And I think that's one of the reasons that you continue to hear that in terms of the numbers of people playing in Prince George's County. You continue to hear that Prince George's County is a place where you want to relocate slots. I've said it at the very beginning. Our administration is concentrated on developing around our Metro sites, and so that is the focus of our administration.

BAKERBut, clearly, the legislature is looking for places that are bringing revenues back to the state. And if they think they're losing revenues -- and I think that's where your study goes to, you know, Delaware or to West Virginia or Pennsylvania -- then they're going to try and find a way to capture that.

NNAMDIHere is David in Broad Creek, Md. David, you’re on the air. Go ahead please.

MR. DAVID TURNERYeah. Thanks, Kojo. Rushern, Dave Turner.

BAKERHi, Dave.

TURNERThe -- hi. One of the things that we've got in the county -- in fact, probably the only resource that could draw a tourism industry -- is our significant historic sites. We've got more than Fairfax County, more than Montgomery County. And, of course, Alexandria has made -- has shown how history -- historic sites can become a huge tourist attraction. D.C. lives off that stuff.

TURNERAnd here we are sitting with more of them. And the office of tourism, at least in the last couple of decades, has been a disappointment. It's like we're just turning our backs on something. We don't have mountains to snow ski. We don't have oceans to go to the beach. And we can create an artificial thing like gambling for -- to attract people.

TURNERPeople aren't going to come here to look at a subdivision, certainly not to shop or eat, but we've got these important, particularly, African-American, Native American sites. And we've got this -- a possible front door right here at National Harbor, where the Disney Heritage Hotel is going in across the river, directly from Old Town and Mount Vernon.

TURNERIt's just like we're just refusing to -- before you got here, to look at a tourism based on our tremendous, well-preserved historic sites. What's wrong with tourism?

NNAMDIDave Turner, applying to be a future director of tourism, apparently.

BAKERDavid has done a great job with the historic preservation, and, of course, he makes a great point. We haven't nearly taken advantage of the fact that Prince George's County has a historic hub. I've asked our administration to play a big role in the war of 1812. I think the Battle of Bladensburg is one that we should highlight and participate strongly, and this administration will. But throughout Prince George's County, we've got these great sites.

BAKERAnd what I've asked, not only the office of tourism but also our economic development office, is to team up together and look at how we promote those. People may come to the Washington area to go to the monuments.

BAKERBut what we're going to say to them is, while you're here, did you know that this is the site of not only the War of 1812, but these were dueling sites, that we've got areas in Broad Creek in the southern part of the county that are historic sites, and really market those. So we're going to try our best to use our resources to do that.

TURNERWe are so looking forward to working with you.

BAKERThank you.

NNAMDIDave, thank you very much for your call. You, too, can call us at 800-433-8850. Our guest is Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker. To what degree do you think Prince George's County suffers from a reputation problem? Have you seen any progress with this new administration? Call us at 800-433-8850. Or you can send email to kojo@wamu.org.

NNAMDIHere is this email we got from Ashley, speaking of tourism. "I live in southern Prince George's County. And if you know where to look, you see the evidence of once-thriving tobacco business that is now becoming residential houses. Is there anything we can do to save the abandoned tobacco barns? Can they be used for something else, agro-tourism?"

BAKERWell, that's actually not a bad idea. I mean, we've got one of the -- I found out that I had one of the biggest agricultural areas in the state. I didn't realize that, so I told them I'm going to sign up for the agricultural committee when I go to Annapolis.

BAKERCertainly, we want to preserve a lot of these historic sites in Prince George's County, which is why our policy in development is to look inside to established communities, so that we actually use that as our economic development in terms of growth areas. And then we look at preserving those areas that are outside of there for historic purpose.

NNAMDIHere is Eric in Manassas, Va. Eric, you're on the air. Go ahead please.

ERICGood afternoon. I just have very small suggestion, and that is that they create a high-speed rail line at FedEx Field. And that is, again, obviously, a place that draws many people on game days. And they should have a light rail train that connects with the Metro System at Largo, so that it could run under and over as needed to be to get into the stadium. And this way people don't have to wander over unsafe driveways and walks, and I'll take...

NNAMDIHere is County Executive Baker.

BAKERWell, Eric, if you can help me lobby Virginia for the federal funding for the expansion of the Metro and the rail system, I'll tell you where I would start, though. It would be great to have, first of all, the completion of the Purple Line that would help folks from Montgomery County down to College Park and then to FedEx and, of course, across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. That would be a great connector and would take some of those.

BAKERBut we need our partners from all across this area, especially Virginia to help us out. So if they would be willing to let us go first, certainly would support that.

NNAMDIThank you very much, Eric. The specific project that we were talking to new Councilmember Derrick Leon Davis about was the new hospital project, the new teaching hospital that's currently scheduled to open in 2017. What's the next step with that hospital project? And what do you think it's going to mean for the county as a whole?

BAKERThis is probably one of the most important events that is happening in Prince George's County, at least since I've lived there. For 25 years, we've been trying to find a permanent solution to Prince George's community hospital, which has done a tremendous job, considering the fact that they have mostly -- most of their patients are uninsured or underinsured.

BAKERBy combining them with University of Maryland Medical System, not only do we get a top-flight medical school and teaching hospital come in and combined it with the hardworking men and women at Dimensions in Prince George's, but we're going to build a new facility. That's something that hasn't -- that we've been trying for 25 years. We're finally going to do it. The next step is the funding.

BAKEROnce again, Prince George's County has committed its funding, and UMMS has committed its funding. And we need the state to commit its, and then find the location in the central part of the county that we think would be able to help us attract patients to the new hospital.

NNAMDITo what extent do you think access to doctors or to health care facilities has driven away potential residents from Prince George's County?

BAKERI think a lot. I mean, a lot of our -- a lot of our residents who have insurance go outside of Prince George's County for health care. What this will allow us to do is to not only provide health care in Prince George's County but in the southern region of the state, which also means we can team up with my good friend, Mayor Gray, in the District and talk about health care in a Washington region broader prospect.

BAKERSo this hospital is not just a facility. It's actually access to health care, quality health care in this region.

NNAMDIGot to take a short break. For those of you who are saying, when are you going to ask him about education, you idiot, hold on. We're coming back. After a short break, we'll get to it. We're talking with Rushern Baker. He is the county executive in Prince George's County, Md. He is a Democrat. Your calls, 800-433-8850, or you can send email to kojo@wamu.org. I'm Kojo Nnamdi.

NNAMDIWelcome back. Our guest is Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker. We're taking your calls at 800-433-8850. What are the kinds of businesses you think are missing in Prince George's County? Where do you think the county -- what do you think the county should be doing to go after those businesses? 800-433-8850. You made education a centerpiece of your campaign for county executive.

NNAMDIAllow me to read two pieces of email we got, one that addresses the interest -- addresses the issue fairly delicately and the other, well, with a hammer. Here is the first, from Simone, (sp?) "I love what you've done for the county thus far and really appreciate your responsiveness and efforts to keep citizens informed via Twitter and other means. My question has to do with the state of our county's schools.

NNAMDI"My husband and I live in Upper Marlboro, and, currently, our sons are in elementary school. We love our Marlton neighborhood and the surrounding area, but we're seriously contemplating a move out of the county in the next year or so due to the dismal middle school where our son is slated to attend, James Madison. As taxpayers, we really are opposed to sending our children to private school.

NNAMDI"But we are at loss as to what to do if we want to stay in the county. It seems more affordable to move to a neighboring county, Anne Arundel, rather than pay for private school. Conversely, we simply do not want to send our high-achieving sons to the local middle school. Many of our friends and neighbors send their children to a private school or homeschool them because they love the area but are dissatisfied with the schools.

NNAMDI"What are the plans to improve the quality of our schools?" And then we got this from Sam in Laurel. "Prince George's has the second worst education system in Maryland. I hope Kojo doesn't let you off the hook, like always, about what are your concrete steps that you're taking to improve education here. Just saying that you're increasing funding means nothing. Without an educated work force, who would come?"

NNAMDIRushern Baker.

BAKERWell, first of all, I don't know that you've ever let me off the hook on any issue...

NNAMDIThank you.

BAKER...but certainly not around education. Clearly, Prince -- education in Prince George's County, K-12 education, is the number one thing that stops Prince George's County from being what it really should be. And so my commitment is not only to put dollars there, but it is also to put our reputation and our effort, which is one of the reasons I visit a school a week, so that I let the teachers and the parents know that this always on my mind.

BAKERAnd that the first tweet about the -- or email about the middle school is absolutely correct. Middle schools across the nation are having a hard time, so we've got to start, especially in Prince George's County -- we've been fortunate. We're starting to see ticks up. You know, we saw a 6 percent increase in test scores in middle school in Prince George's County, but, clearly, we have a long way to go.

BAKERSo what I've challenge the superintendent with is, find some innovative programs that are working. Look at K-8 programs. Look at innovative curriculum around teaching, and we'll try and find the money for it. Also, development of our teachers, we've got some great young teachers in Prince George's County. But we've got to keep them motivated and keep them good at their craft.

BAKERSo let's look at things like nationally board certified teachers, teacher development. We've got a number of people who work for the National Education Association living in Prince George's County. Let's see if we can't take advantage of those folks living here and look at the programs.

BAKEROne other thing that is going to come out -- and it's taken us about 10 months to do this -- is, not only having an education liaison from the county executive's office but also putting together a committee, a task force, that looks at innovative programs that are going on. But what I caution people and what I say is education turnaround is going to take a while. We've got to keep at it.

NNAMDIWell, I suspect that what our emailers want to hear are goals and timetables.

BAKERWell, for me, the first goal is not going to be an election year. I'm not going to promise people stuff for the next election because I think that's a wrong way to look at it. What I will say is that we're going to continue to work with our school system. And I'd like to see improvements in a six-year increment. By year six of, you know, whether, you know, I serve a second term or not -- in six years, we should have started seeing the progress that moves us up.

BAKERAnd that's the consistency you'll see in this administration. We won't back off of education. We'll continue to invest in innovative programs, like middle college, teacher -- like I said, our focus is on teachers and principals (word?).

NNAMDIWould it be fair to give goals and timetables to your superintendent, Hite?

BAKERI think it would, but I wouldn't do it around test scores. I would do it around attendance in school, motivation by parents and students, and the number of teachers we keep in Prince George's County. If we stop the exodus of teachers in Prince George's County, look at it in the next two years, and then we see that we're retaining these experienced teachers with five or seven years in Prince George's County, those are goals I would set. Because if we do that...

NNAMDIAre you prepared to say to your residents and to your voters, if you do not see improvements in education before my first term of office ends, if you do not see the signs that we are likely to improve our middle school, then I don't have a problem with you voting me out of office?

BAKERYeah, I'm prepared to say that, you know. And it ticks off some of my friends when I do say that. But what I think it has to be in this administration is you should start seeing improvements, and improvements should be measured, like I said, not by test scores but by attendance, by retention of teachers and principals and by the quality of the instruction that's going up. And I think that's an overall commitment.

BAKERI've said to the superintendent, we're tied at the hip, so I need you to do well because I can't do well without you.

NNAMDIPrince George's was accused by the labor department this year of willfully violating labor laws in how it dealt with the teachers who were brought here from other countries on visas. Realize, of course, that you are not yourself the superintendent. But what are your concerns about this development and what it could mean for the county's teaching core?

BAKERWell, I said to the superintendent I think he handled the issue quite rightly in terms of being upfront. It didn't happen under his watch. But I think the reputation that we want to make sure happens in Prince George's County is that we're about improving our education system, and that we want to do the best to recruit teachers, and we want to be fair.

BAKERAnd so we got a long way to go in terms of just making sure people understand that, but we're making progress.

NNAMDIHere now is Nikki in Southern Prince George's County. Nikki, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

NIKKIHi. I'm recently new to the area. I moved here from Ohio. I've spent probably about three years in Montgomery County. And then when I did my house search, I moved to PG County. And the reason I chose PG County was pretty much you get more bang for your buck. But then as I started to look around the neighborhood as far as access to health care and grocery shopping and things that people need in their daily nature was fine. I had no problem.

NIKKII live in Southern Maryland by Andrews Air Force Base. But what I did notice was that there was a lack of businesses like fitness centers. And, Mr. Baker, you said that you're interested in bringing new business that will help improve the health of the society down at PG County. I think that's something, especially in Southern PG, we desperately need.

NIKKIEspecially, as far as African-American population, being more prone to diabetes, and me, as an African-American female, more prone to heart disease.

NNAMDIOkay. Allow me to have the county executive respond. But, word to the wise, Nikki, you said you recently moved to the county. Don't say PG County. They don't like it. Rushern Baker.

BAKERThank you, Kojo.

NIKKIOkay.

BAKERNikki, good point, and one of the reasons that we emphasize running with the cadets is health care in Prince George's County. But you're right. In the southern end of the county, the good news for you is there are plans to bring those types of amenities to the southern end. We just -- well, I had a meeting with a young man who has -- I think it's called Total Fitness, where it's going to be a 24-hour fitness facility in the southern part.

BAKERI know, for a fact, my conversations with the councilmember from the southern area, Mel Franklin, he's looking at these things to bring to the county. But, you know, you tied everything together, and that is health care, health and fitness. We've got some great trails in Prince George's County that I'm going to be running to emphasize that you can actually get out to these trails in the county and -- especially in the southern -- there's some beautiful trails. But that is part of the business mix that we want to see come to the county.

BAKERThere's some beautiful trails. But that is part of the business mix that we want to see come to the county.

NNAMDIThank you very much for your call, Nikki. On to Jermaine (sp?) in Bowie, Md. Jermaine, your turn.

JERMAINEHow are you doing today? I'm going to try to get two issues in real quick. First, I am a candidate for a master's in teaching in the county, and one of my concerns is that there won't be any jobs available in the county after I receive my certification, which will force me to look outside the county for teacher's position. I just want to get your insight on that. And quick -- I'm born and raised in the county.

JERMAINESo I know that there's a lot of history with crime and felons that are here living in the county. I created a non-profit prison-to-citizens foundation, which I'm trying to get off the ground now. And one of the things that I would like to know is, how are you going to deal with ex-offenders re-entering the community?

JERMAINEAnd, in particular, I understand about jobs, but my concern is education, you know. You can learn how to fix, you know, a sink, but you definitely need to know how to critically think about business also. So...

NNAMDIOkay. Allow me to have the county executive respond.

BAKERTwo great questions. First on the master's in teaching, that's exactly what we want to see happen, is have our young teachers get their master's and PhD. And then we have the keep them here, which is why we've said to the superintendent, to the school board, those are programs we're willing to fund. Even in these tight economic times, we're trying to find money so we can help fund those, so we keep you here.

BAKER'Cause that's going to help improve our school system. So that's one thing. That's an area where it's professional development we want to see happen. The other, dealing with our returning citizens from our prison population, Prince George's County is going to see a growth in this. This is an area where our terrific state's attorney, Angela Alsobrooks, is spending a lot of time and a lot of attention.

BAKERHer philosophy -- and I agree with it -- is we can't just lock everybody up. We've got to deal with some of the issues of people coming back and making sure that they're integrated into our society. And so we're going to be working with her office.

BAKERBut also, our county -- our community affairs office, which is headed by LaVonn Thomas, is going to look at a non-profit, faith-based division where we actually work with organizations like yours to help see if we can find programs that actually work, making sure that these folks who are returning have skills but also have the ability to transition back into society.

NNAMDIThank you very much for your call. We got -- it's my understanding that the council has stalled on a nominee who you've put up for a -- county attorney, Andree Green. What's your case for why this nomination should move forward?

BAKERWell, the first thing is, you know, as I said to the council, you know, if you -- I want to make sure that I have the best and brightest working for Prince George's County. We have tremendous issues we have to overcome. I feel really good about Andree Green as the county attorney. It's taken me eight months to vet candidates out.

BAKERI think she brings the type of skills that we need. She's managed. Management is the biggest issue facing Prince George's County in our divisions. And she's smart. She's good and has the support of former county attorneys. So I think, you know, and I said to them, this is an opportunity. You know, trust -- not only trust, give me a chance.

BAKERGive me a chance in my first administration to get my folks in as long as they, you know -- they don't violate anything, like they don't live in the county or in terms of regulations or they had some hiccup in the past. I think, in her case, she's a smart young attorney, and it gives us another female director in our county.

NNAMDIEarlier this year, you put together an ethics task force led by former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke. They made some recommendations to you this summer. Where do you go from here? And just how far do you think the county still needs to go when it comes to ethics?

BAKERWell, we're working with the -- we've gotten the recommendations. The council chair Ingrid Turner and I are sitting down, and we're working through those recommendations. And we feel very confident that we're going to be able to come up with a plan of action for the county before the county council adjourns for the winter break. But we're looking at it. And I can't say enough about Dean Schmoke and his work on this...

NNAMDIHe is the dean of the Howard University School of Law. But the recommendations that he made did not call -- you went to that law school. But the recommendations he made did not call for a report back from you. Do you intend, anyway, to issue a report?

BAKERI intend to issue a report back and a detail on how the recommendations have been taken. And so we look for it. The county council, like I said, have been working with us. And we think it's going to help with transparency and surety in the county.

NNAMDIRushern Baker is the county executive in Prince George's County, Md. He is a Democrat. Rushern Baker, thank you so much for joining us.

BAKERThank you for having me.

NNAMDIAnd thank you all for listening. I'm Kojo Nnamdi.