The News Review once again asked candidates for election to the Greenbelt City Council to respond to questions posed by this newspaper. Answers are limited to 150 words. If an answer exceeds the limit, the answer is cut off at that point. Responses will be published in various orders to avoid favoring candidates. Here are the answers we received to our first question.
Question 1. What is the most important thing the city council needs to accomplish in the upcoming term?
Silke Pope
Greenbelt is a thriving, growing, independent community that offers many valuable services and programs to its residents. The area that impacts all of these is economic development, and I feel that economic development is the most important thing council needs to accomplish in the next two years for the continued success of our city.
We currently rely solely on property taxes, and this puts a great burden onto our property owners. With growth comes the need to expand in all areas of the city management including public safety, public works, recreation, social services, etc. With the influx of new housing options, we need to expand most of the services throughout the city. I understand that we cannot accomplish this in the next two years, but I strongly believe we need to start now by exploring additional tax-based income sources. Raising taxes is not a viable solution!
Kristen Weaver
We have several priorities to address in the upcoming term. First is ensuring we are fully utilizing our American Rescue Plan Act money, which must be obligated by December 2024 and spent by December 2026. We have already funded many excellent programs for individual Greenbelters, businesses and nonprofits and the community as a whole. We need to follow through on those and work with staff to make adjustments and reallocations to utilize all the money effectively before the deadline. In addition, there are opportunities, for example through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, that could move us forward on projects such as the Cherrywood Lane Complete and Green Streets Plan, long discussed but never funded. I would also like to see us begin implementing recommendations of the Reparations Commission as they present them and ideas that come from the diversity, equity and inclusion assessment of city policies and practices currently in progress.
Emmett Jordan
In November, we’ll welcome two to six newcomers to the city council. As our new city manager adjusts to the “Greenbelt Way,” the importance of seasoned leadership is vital.
Our city faces many immediate challenges and opportunities. The efficient use of our American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funding, acquiring the Greenbelt Armory, recovering from the economic impacts of Covid and assisting GHI with stormwater issues are just a few.
My priority is to run the council efficiently, so that together, we can work for the community’s best interests and reach our individual goals. Too often, loud voices dominate our civic discourse, sometimes to the detriment of the city’s day-to-day operations. I’ve steered the council towards unity and coherence throughout my tenure.
Experience has shown me the limits of a two-year office term. I will continue to bring the balanced, knowledgeable and time-tested leadership that Greenbelt deserves.
William Orleans
Most importantly, council would recognize its role is to vote on the questions before it, and not to presume to know what’s best for Greenbelt residents. Council would truly be transparent and accountable, and not just say that it believes in transparency and accountability.
Real transparency would mean a lot less closed sessions (statute enables such, does not require such) where in fact it makes decisions and takes actions. Some of this incumbent council’s (and it’s immediate, predecessor council) closed sessions have not even been official meetings.
Real accountability would mean council would willingly accept criticism from residents and not, from council’s dais, feed an urge to answer any such criticism. A really transparent and accountable council would welcome and encourage more participation from residents, and would direct staff to facilitate such assistance as necessary (transit, child care, …).
James Whipple
The placement of barriers that protect bike lanes and pedestrians from cars is a public safety issue that needs to be addressed. This results in so much death and injury that the state of Maryland developed a program addressing it. From the zerodeathsmd.gov website, “92 percent of pedestrian-involved crashes in 2019 resulted in injury or death,” and “636 cyclists are injured every year in Maryland in collisions with motor vehicles.” The elderly and youth are both at risk, as they are unable to use cars to get to places.
However, this program does nothing to suggest how our cities can design our paths to be safer for everyone. The first step of placing permanent barriers for our bike lanes will dramatically reduce the risk to our citizens, buying us time to explore more transformative changes to improve the quality of life for those who commute outside of cars.
Jennifer Pompi
This year, council’s top priority should be expending and reallocating all remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Greenbelt received $22.88M ARPA dollars and all funds must be obligated by the end of 2024, and fully spent by the end of 2026, or the funds must be returned. Council must move quickly and decisively to ensure all current contracts and projects are carried out, including completing the Buddy Attick Master Plan and implementing the ARPA-funded Pedestrian and Bicycle Master plan. Unspent funds need to be reallocated quickly to shovel-ready projects – such as improving and updating recreation facilities equitably across the city, increasing public safety through measures such as the purchase of license-plate recognition cameras by the police department, which can be used to fight back against vehicle theft, parking lot crimes and illegal dumping at Northway, supporting green infrastructure and forest management of our parks and woodlands.
Mattthew Inzeo
I grew up in Greenbelt and have lived here 30 years. My brothers and I had no concerns about walking alone or at night, and never felt unsafe.
I sense that many of you don’t feel that way lately. News Review police reports are noticeably longer, people check their parking lot more often, and we recently experienced two horrifying violent incidents, including an abduction and murder in Greenbelt East.
I believe I can contribute to the solutions. I am a police officer, for Prince George’s County. I propose to use emerging technology to aid crime-fighting efforts, improve crime reporting to citizens, entrust our Public Service Advisory Board to help increase the effectiveness of our community policing, give our Police more consistent council support, and yes, increase the number of officers.
“Greenbelt is Great,” but greatness cannot be sustained in an atmosphere of insecurity. Reducing crime is council’s highest priority.
Ric Gordon
Being a proponent of The People’s Work 24/7 I believe the next council term should continue our focus on the uplift and well-being of our residents, which encompasses so many areas such as strengthening public safety and continuing to empower and support our police department to protect and serve. Smart development that leads to job creation also inclusion and equity programs such as workforce development to help better the lives of Greenbelters. Strengthen recreation and sustainable infrastructures, we must focus on strengthening space for an ever-growing Greenbelt. This focus also encompasses making sure we do what we can to hold the line on taxes on the hard-working residents of this city.