About Mel
Council Member At-Large Mel Franklin is currently serving his third term on the Prince George’s County Council.
First elected to the Prince George’s County Council in the November 2, 2010 General Election and re-elected in 2014 and 2018, Mel has a distinguished resume of accomplishments and strong ties to the citizens of Prince George’s County.
- J.D., Duke University School of Law & B.A., University of South Carolina
- Founder and President, Greater Marlboro Democratic Club
- Member, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
- Past Member, Prince George’s Chapter, NAACP
- Member, First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Upper Marlboro, MD
Mel Franklin is…
…A devoted father and a son of educators who values education and hard work
Mel and his two children reside in the Camp Springs community. A child of life long educators—his late-mother retiring after over 40 years in teaching; his father, a former teacher and a retired school district superintendent—Mel was born and raised in rural South Carolina. Building on the values of education and hard work instilled in him by his parents, Mel earned his B.A. degree in political science from the University of South Carolina, in 1998, and his Juris Doctorate from Duke University School of Law in 2001.
Having heard about the revitalization occurring in Prince George’s County and the opportunities it provided, Mel moved to the County after law school. He served for over four years as a Federal Attorney with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) where he fought against the kind of illegal business practices that raise the prices of groceries, health care, prescription drugs, job services, and many other goods and services most Americans budget for carefully.
He left federal service and worked at the private law firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP.
But after two years, Mel followed his true calling and returned to public service as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Maryland where he continued to fight to improve the quality of health care and get resources to communities in need.
…An attorney by trade; an activist at heart
Mel has a distinguished record of service to Prince George’s County, passionately and successfully advocating for the best interests of residents on a wide variety of issues important to our quality of life:
- As a member of the Board of Trustees of the Prince George’s Community College, he has worked to prepare residents of all ages to compete in the 21st Century Economy in addition to confronting the challenges of college and career readiness facing our high school graduates.
- In Annapolis, he pushed for raising the high school dropout age to 18; and he worked to remove state limits on the number of prosecutors our County State’s Attorney’s Office can hire—a measure enacted into law in 2008.
- Mel began addressing the foreclosure issues in its earliest days, cohosting a Foreclosure Workshop at Mt. Ennon Baptist Church that assisted hundreds of Prince Georgians in housing distress, with many receiving reductions in their mortgage payments.
- And he’s worked with parents and elected officials to support bringing new schools to south county, which resulted in a new elementary school and renovated middle school in Accokeek
…A recognized community leader and advocate
Because of his track record of success, Mel became a leader on many issues of critical importance to the citizens of Prince George’s County long before he became a Council Member
- He is Founder and President of the progressive South County grassroots organization, the Greater Marlboro Democratic Club (GMDC), est. 2005
- He was honored as 2006 Young Democrat of the Year, Prince George’s County Young Democrats
- Named one of the County’s “Forty Under 40” by the Prince George’s County Social Innovation Fund in 2013
- Named to the 2015 Class of Leadership Greater Washington (LGW)
…An effective, engaged civic-minded partner
- Founder, Maryland Association of Counties, Large Counties Coalition (2015-)
- Member, Board of Health, Prince George’s County (2010-)
- Member, Prince George’s County Democratic Central Committee (2005-10)
- National Capital Region Emergency Preparedness Council, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (2012-)
- Member, Maryland for Obama Steering Committee (2008)
- Past member, Executive Board, Young Democrats of Maryland
- Past board member, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Prince George’s County Chapter
- Complete County U.S. Census Committee (2010)
…A tested leader with a dynamic vision for the future of Prince George’s County
Mel came to Prince George’s County because he saw its potential to lead not only this region, but the world. Working first at the grassroots level with civic, HOA and community organizations, and now with his colleagues on the County Council, Mel is helping the County to fulfill that potential. But he knows that there is so much more to be done. The world is coming to Prince George’s County, and Mel Franklin is working hard every day to be sure that we’re ready to welcome it.
