45 Facts About Jolene Ivey

Jolene Ivey is an American politician who has served as a member of the Prince George's County Council since 2018, first representing the 5th district from 2018 to 2024 and then the county's at-large district since 2024.

Jolene Ivey has served as the council's president from 2023 to 2025.

Jolene Ivey unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor of Maryland on the ticket of Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler in 2014, placing second behind Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown and his running mate Kenneth Ulman.

Jolene Ivey's parents divorced when she was three years old, and her father remarried to Genevieve Abel Stephenson, an African-American woman, in 1968, when Jolene was seven.

Jolene Ivey graduated from High Point High School and later attended Towson University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in mass communication in 1982, and the University of Maryland, College Park, earning a Master of Arts degree in journalism in 1992.

Jolene Ivey has worked as a freelance writer since 1989, and as the director of media relations for the Community Teachers Institute since 2004.

Jolene Ivey first got involved in politics after being elected class representative as a senior at High Point High School in 1978.

Jolene Ivey later volunteered for Jesse Jackson's 1984 presidential campaign.

From 1988 to 1989, Jolene Ivey worked as the press secretary for US Representative Ben Cardin from 1988 to 1989.

Jolene Ivey ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in 2006, challenging the district's three incumbents.

Jolene Ivey defeated delegate Rosetta Parker in the September 2006 Democratic primary and ran unopposed alongside delegates Doyle Niemann and Victor R Ramirez in the general election.

Jolene Ivey was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 10,2007.

Jolene Ivey was a member of the Ways and Means Committee during her entire tenure and served as the chair of the Prince George's County Delegation from 2012 to 2014.

Jolene Ivey focused on issues related to children and families, and was supportive of same-sex marriage in Maryland and efforts to authorize a casino in Prince George's County.

Jolene Ivey was a delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention, pledged to US Senator Barack Obama.

In December 2012, Jolene Ivey defended former state delegate Tiffany Alston following her suspension from office after being found guilty of stealing state funds to pay an employee at her law firm, saying that Alston should still have her seat "if the truth is that she made a sloppy bookkeeping mistake".

Jolene Ivey defended Gansler after the National Journal published a photo showing him at a house party attended by his son where underage drinking was taking place.

Gansler and Jolene Ivey were defeated in the Democratic primary election by Brown on June 24,2014, placing second with 24.2 percent of the vote.

In October 2015, Jolene Ivey said that she was planning to run for Prince George's County Executive in 2018, seeking to succeed term-limited county executive Rushern Baker; she instead filed to run for the Prince George's County Council in District 5 in May 2017, seeking to succeed term-limited councilmember Andrea Harrison.

Jolene Ivey's campaign focused on improving constituent services in the county.

Jolene Ivey was sworn in to the Prince George's County Council on December 3,2018.

Jolene Ivey ran unopposed for a second term in 2022.

In December 2022, outgoing county council chair Calvin Hawkins nominated Jolene Ivey to succeed him as council chair.

Jolene Ivey served in this position until March 2025, when the county council elected Ed Burroughs as its new chair in a surprise vote.

In June 2024, after county councilmember Mel Frankin resigned from his at-large seat on the county council, Jolene Ivey told WUSA-TV that she would run in the special election to succeed Franklin.

Jolene Ivey won the Democratic primary on August 6,2024, and defeated Republican nominee Michael Riker in the general election on November 5,2024.

In October 2024, Jolene Ivey said that she would run for Prince George's County Executive if Angela Alsobrooks defeats Larry Hogan in the 2024 United States Senate election in Maryland.

Jolene Ivey withdrew from the race, but remained on the Democratic primary ballot, on February 12,2025.

In March 2025, Jolene Ivey revealed in an email to her constituents that she had withdrawn from the county executive election because she had multiple ongoing health concerns involving her lungs, stomach, and colon.

In October 2020, Jolene Ivey voted against a plan to build six schools in Prince George's County using a public-private partnership, expressing concerns with the partnership's lack of transparency and questioning its timing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In February 2012, Jolene Ivey voted for a bill to impose a five-cent tax on plastic bags in Prince George's County.

Jolene Ivey supports relocating the Federal Bureau of Investigation's headquarters to Prince George's County.

In October 2013, Jolene Ivey said that she opposed plans to redevelop part of the University of Maryland Golf Course into an academic village of housing, office, and retail development.

In 2019, Jolene Ivey introduced a bill to eliminate and cut the county's food truck application fees, which were among the most expensive in the Washington metropolitan area.

Jolene Ivey declined to back legalization, worrying that it would make Maryland a magnet for people in surrounding states where it remained illegal.

In October 2015, Jolene Ivey supported a bill that required Prince George's County businesses to provide employees up to seven days of paid sick leave annually.

In October 2021, Jolene Ivey voted against the county council redistricting plan proposed by councilmember Derrick Leon Davis and criticized the county council for voting to approve it over the map that was being drawn by the county's redistricting commission.

Jolene Ivey supported repealing "Maryland, My Maryland" as the official state song.

Jolene Ivey supported the death penalty amidst efforts to repeal it in 2013, but eventually voted for a bill to repeal it after her husband Glenn testified for it.

In June 2021, Jolene Ivey expressed frustration with the county's spending of at least $17.6 million toward defending the county in police discrimination lawsuits, saying that the county should do more to stand up for African-Americans as a majority-Black county.

In October 2022, Jolene Ivey voted against the appointment of outgoing councilmember Todd Turner as the chair of the county ethics office, expressing concerns with his integrity in the office.

Jolene Ivey opposed a proposal to raise property taxes in Prince George's County amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in Maryland.

Jolene Ivey opposed proposals by Governor Larry Hogan to expand the Capital Beltway.

Jolene Ivey opposed proposals to build a Maglev train connecting Washington, DC and Baltimore, saying that it would "disproportionately benefit the wealthy" and hurt the county by peeling customers away from Amtrak.

Jolene Ivey is a member of the Cheverly United Methodist Church.