On Saturday, December 30, Greenbelt City Council held its second listening session on the topic of the vacant council seat (see the December 28, 2023, issue for more on the first session). There were approximately 30 people in the audience at the Greenbriar Community Center, just under half from Greenbelt East.
Only half of current councilmembers were able to attend in person due to illness and travel. Mayor Emmett Jordan and Councilmembers Jenni Pompi and Rodney Roberts were present. Councilmember Kristen Weaver joined via Zoom due to Covid and Councilmember Danielle McKinney joined for some of the meeting from an airport. Councilmember Silke Pope was out of the country.
The meeting began almost 15 minutes late due to technical and audio problems on both Facebook and Zoom, as well as microphones in the room. Jordan began the meeting by standing and shouting remarks until City Manager Josué Salmerón was able to bring him a working microphone.
Jordan pointed to council’s recent 3-3 vote on how to proceed to highlight the need for expediency in the process, as they’re currently a council of six. Council plans to hold one more worksession to formulate a decision rubric to help shape the process.
Jordan shared that council has created a draft list of characteristics they are seeking in a candidate. Among them are motivation (why they are running), qualifications (skills, knowledge, experience), a track record of community involvement, demonstrated public service and viability (their ability to be a viable candidate if it were a regular election).
Jordan says he personally has received about 60 emails about filling the seat and “they’re pretty divided.” Roberts requested Jordan make the 60 emails he received public and part of the record for the meeting. He also asked the public to share their feelings about opening the application period back up, calling the timeframe “totally inappropriate” and insisting “the more candidates we have the better.”
Six individuals collected signatures, provided financial disclosures and statements, and successfully filed during the nine-day window. As announced last week, the applicants are Matthew Inzeo, Amy Knesel, Leon Schachter, James Whipple, Julie Winters and April Tanter, who has now withdrawn. Knesel, Schachter and Winters attended the listening session and introduced themselves. (See their statements on this page.)
Would-be applicant Kevin Lockhart “Coach K” was present, as he was at the first listening session, and spoke of his desire to represent Greenbelt West, though he did not complete an application during the window. Lockhart spoke of raising his son alone in Franklin Park for 15 years, after his son’s mother died, and of Ric Gordon. “I knew Ric very well. We worked together on some things,” he said. Speaking about the lack of participation from Franklin Park, he pointed to the two members of the audience from that apartment complex, saying, “Out of that 9,000, there’s three people here. That’s crazy.” Lockhart said he was jealous of all the resources in Greenbelt Center, listing a few and contrasting that to “a gym for basketball. That’s it” in Greenbelt West. “The bridge is not broken. We will continue that bridge,” he said of the isolation of Greenbelt West. Lockhart expressed willingness to serve as a liaison in some way but asked council to “open it up and let me in.”
Louise Weissman of Hillside Road spoke against reopening the process, saying Greenbelt has a representative democracy not participatory democracy. Questions she’d like posed to candidates are their opinions on rent stabilization and affordable housing, their thinking on commercial development and how to address police accountability.
Carmen Healey, of Motiva in Greenbelt West and formerly of Franklin Park, said she would like to see the process opened. “The one week was not enough,” she said, “especially for the West side. No one over there knows … I’ve been in Greenbelt for about seven or eight years. Had no clue … so I don’t think it’s a waste of anyone’s time … Ric Gordon was a big part of the West side of Greenbelt … We do need representation on the West side.”
Vijay Kowtha of Greenbelt East was against opening the application period again. “I’m very happy you have good candidates that have signed up, there’s no reason to increase it,” he said. He wanted to ask candidates how they’ll face societal changes, including an influx of immigrants. “The world is changing in front of us,” he stressed. Other priorities he shared were transportation and engaging the three parts of Greenbelt. “We are failing in transportation,” said Kowtha.
Aileen Kroll of Greenbelt Center expressed appreciation that council has the ability to consider the “totality of the circumstances” and not just appoint the next highest vote-getter, saying, “I’m looking for somebody who has shown they are engaged with all of Greenbelt.” She hopes council appoints someone invested in the city, with the ability to listen to divergent voices, to create unity and be accountable and transparent.
Susan Harris, also of Greenbelt Center, praised the process as “excellent” and asked if the interviews would be held publicly. Jordan believed they would be.
A resident of Windsor Green in Greenbelt East, said, “Representation does matter.” She
suggested Greenbelt West should be a big part of the consideration since that’s where Ric Gordon was from.
Heather Bloomhart, who lives in Greenbelt East near Schrom Hills Park and moved during the pandemic, spoke of the exclusion from Greenbelt. At the Greenbelt Aquatic & Fitness Center she was told that she didn’t qualify for resident membership and wasn’t a resident but found she was when she voted and checked her tax bill.
Judith Davis, former councilmember and resident of Greenbelt East, said, “I hope council does maintain a diverse council.” She hopes council will determine through their interviews that the person wants to do the work, read agendas and emails, meet people, attend meetings inside and outside Greenbelt. “I hope that this person has resided in Greenbelt for several years, that they have attended council meetings and worksessions, that they have time for meetings,” said Davis. “Finally, one thing I know the council will have to do when this is all over: Change the charter, please!”
Davis also shared that at one point Greenbelt East had a majority on council. “It changes …We all work for all of Greenbelt,” she said.
Bill Orleans argued, “It was not an excellent process as has been suggested several times today by several people. It’s a flawed process. Maybe even a very bad process … There’s someone aggrieved by the process. Allow it to open up if they did not receive the information to know about the week-and-a-half period to submit an application.”
Jordan said it was an oversimplification to break the city down into three sections.
Reverend Ray Raysor from Franklin Park asked, “If the process is already decided on, what is the purpose of the listening sessions?”
Jordan said the decision criteria and matrix are not set and councilmembers are interested in hearing from the public.
Pompi said the councilmembers are using a matrix and rubric to try to level the playing field and be as fair as possible, “We want to be fair, we want to be transparent and accountable too,” she said.
Roberts expressed appreciation for everyone coming out. “I think if you look back at Greenbelt’s history, you were not even allowed to live in Greenbelt unless you agreed to participate in the community,” he said. “That is a big, a huge part of our town. It always has been and it needs to be. Greenbelt is a participatory community and it needs to stay a participatory community.”
Toni Mathewson, of Hunting Ridge in Greenbelt East, would like the person who is chosen to demonstrate a collaborative nature and willingness to compromise. “Regarding extending the application process, I’m not particularly in favor of that but I think it highlights the issue of communication, especially with Greenbelt East and West, two-way communication,” said Mathewson.
Pompi stressed that residents can email council to have their comments be part of public record. That email address is council@greenbeltmd.gov.