By Miranda S. Spivack
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 6, 2010; 9:47 AM

Rushern L. Baker III is expected to get down to business quickly Monday after he is sworn in as Prince George's county executive, capping an eight-year effort to win the county's top job.

Baker, 52, who will start the day with a 7:30 a.m. interfaith service at his church, Cheverly United Methodist, has promised a "new day" for county residents, with increased emphasis on education, public safety, development and ethics.

Baker's 10:30 a.m. swearing-in ceremony in Upper Marlboro, the county seat, is likely to be clouded by the presence of the man he will succeed, County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D), and his wife, Leslie Johnson (D). Leslie Johnson is planning to take her seat as a freshman on the County Council, a little more than three weeks after the couple was arrested after federal agents overhead them on a wiretap plotting to flush a $100,000 check from a developer, and find a way for Leslie Johnson to stuff $79,600 in cash in her bra. Her husband is expected to accompany her at the ceremonies.

Baker offered blessings to the Johnson family as part of his closing remarks Saturday evening at a gospel concert honoring his new administration but has generally refrained from commenting about the Johnsons, except to say that any decision by Leslie Johnson to forgo her seat on the council is a "personal one." Five council members asked her to give up her seat, but so far, she has not responded in public and has been said to hold the tie-breaking vote when the council selects a new chairman Tuesday, likely to be Ingrid Turner (D-Bowie). Council members have been engaged in last-minute negotiations to try to work out a compromise.

In his inaugural speech Monday, Baker is expected to focus on what have been his standard themes throughout the campaign. He wants to "make a good county great" and will take a hard look at how the county is spending its $2.6 billion budget to look for savings so that he can offer more support to schools, economic development and public safety.

Baker ran unsuccessfully twice before against Jack Johnson for the county's top job, touting his ability to run a clean government. Now he gets his chance.

"I want to take the county in a new direction," Baker, 51, said in an interview with The Washington Post a few days before his inauguration. "My job as county executive is to promote Prince George's County and to grow it. I can't be deterred from that."

"We have challenges, but they are outweighed by the opportunities."
Lofty promises

Within a few hours of taking office and hosting a public open house Monday, Baker (D) is expected to fire or accept resignations from most of Johnson's political appointees. And after an evening inaugural gala at National Harbor's Gaylord resort, Baker must immerse himself in the details of running the government.

He has made lofty promises - no furloughs for teachers, firefighters or police, more money for education and possibly a longer school day - all of which cost money. He plans to establish an inspector general's office. He has told state officials he will be seeking more state dollars, noting that Prince George's delivered a huge Democratic majority to Gov. Martin O'Malley and to lawmakers in Annapolis. But in tight fiscal times, the county's political contributions might not be enough.

His first week, he said in the interview, will be spent poring over the county's $2.6 billion budget, something he had hoped to do before taking office. However, he said the Johnson administration did not provide as detailed a picture as he needs. Baker said he also will begin to examine ways to set up an inspector general's office in the county, and hopes to announce a task force this week.

"We don't exactly know what the picture looks like in terms of the deficit.

"We probably won't have a complete answer until I take over," he said. "I am concerned. We will take a hard look at the number once we get in there."

The solutions to money problems are limited, partly because of a voter-imposed tax cap that makes it virtually impossible to raise property taxes, and partly due to a lower overall tax base than in more affluent neighbors in Fairfax and Montgomery counties. While he hopes to expand the commercial tax base by attracting more business, he also plans to institute a broad examination of government efficiencies and will use a system known as CountyStat to ascertain how county funds are being spent.

"We clearly want to make sure that people understand how the government is functioning and how we are using each and every dollar they are giving us.

We are going to make some tough choices, and we will ask the residents of the county to support those tough choices," he said.

For now, Baker said he expected to hire some former officials as acting heads of government agencies, while he conducts searches for permanent cabinet-level appointments. He wants cabinet officers who come from the private sector and have already had to find ways to do more with less. And he plans a thorough examination of agencies, including the police and housing departments. Baker is expected to fire Police Chief Roberto Hylton on Monday, despite complaints from some Hylton backers that the chief should stay in his post.

Also, observers said, Baker will need to be alert to a potential fifth column of Johnson loyalists, including some political appointees who have burrowed into the career bureaucracy and would be difficult to dislodge.
The hopes of many

Baker's inaugural theme, "On the Path to Greatness," embodies the hopes of many county residents who say they are tired of the image of mediocrity and aura of corruption that have plagued the county for years.

Michelle Haywood, who is planning the inaugural ball at National Harbor, said she was drawn to Baker's candidacy eight years ago because she thought the county had much potential but wasn't moving forward fast enough.

Like many in the county, she was dissatisfied with the public schools and, for a time, home-schooled her young son and daughter. She would explain to them the importance of staying abreast of politics and understanding who represents them in government.

"It occurred to me that I had not lived up to what I was telling them," she said.

She and her husband became involved in Bowie city affairs and met Baker in 2002 as he was beginning his first race for executive. Haywood ended up being a loyal supporter and fundraiser, and now, his chief party planner.

Ericka Farrell, president of the PTA at John Hanson French Immersion School in Oxon Hill, did not vote for Baker in the five-way Democratic primary in September but is eager to see change, particularly in the 128,000-student public school system. "I know that is his focus, but unless they get some teachers in the schools who want to teach our kids, nothing is going to change," she said.

State Del. Barbara Frush (D-Prince George's), a longtime Baker supporter, has high hopes.

"He is going to come in and make dramatic changes," she said.

"It is a huge challenge, but I think he is up for it," she said. And despite the specter of the Johnsons' legal issues, and the difficulties ahead for the nascent administration, Frush said Baker is looking forward to whatever lies ahead.

"He's always positive, one of those 'I can do it' types. And he is willing to make the tough decisions," she said.

spivackm@washpost.com Staff writer Michael DeBonis contributed to this report.

© 2010 The Washington Post Company