Incumbents Rodney Roberts, Colin Byrd and Emmett Jordan are the latest of the certified candidates to submit their biographies to the News Review. Biographies are prepared by the candidates and are published as they are received by the paper after they have been certified.
Rodney M. Roberts
Rodney M. Roberts, 63, is a life-long Greenbelter, who lives with his wife, Tara. He attended Prince George’s County schools, and was active in sports with the Greenbelt Boys and Girls Club. Roberts is sole proprietor of a small business that specializes in on-site repairs of various types of equipment and vehicles.
In 30 years, Roberts has never missed a council meeting. Roberts volunteers his professional skills to groups such as Greenbelt Intergenerational Volunteer Exchange (GIVES) and individuals in need. Roberts successfully fought efforts to demolish two single-family homes in Greenbelt, using his own funds and labor to do repairs on one.
Roberts proposed and worked through to implementation a community policing program that included the city’s first bicycle patrols.
Roberts was a leader in the citizen movement that resulted in the city’s acquisition of 184 acres of woodland, part of the original “Green Belt.”
Roberts testifies on behalf of the city before federal, state and county officials concerning development, transportation, recreational, environmental and fiscal issues. He represented the city on the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Transportation Planning Board for 28 years.
Working for four months, Roberts found legal representation to help the city fight the maglev train.
Colin Byrd
Colin Byrd is a lifelong Greenbelter. Growing up, he fell in love with everything Greenbelt – parades, movie theater, Community Center, pool, parks, library, people and so much more.
Colin was first elected to the Greenbelt City Council in 2017 and now serves as mayor. He is liaison to GreenACES (the city’s environmental sustainability advisory committee) and the Youth Advisory Committee. He is a member of the Prince George’s County Climate Action Commission and the MWCOG Board of Directors. Colin is the second African American elected to the Greenbelt City Council. And, previously, he served as the youngest ever regional director for the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials and as the chair of the Prince George’s County Municipal Association’s Legislative Committee.
Colin is committed to civil rights advocacy. He is a member of the Urban League, the NAACP, and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Colin is a committed progressive Democrat. He served as a delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention and is a longtime member of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt Democratic Club.
Colin is an alumnus of the University of Maryland, College Park, where he studied sociology, was inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the OMSE Academic Excellence Society, and was a research assistant in the fields of psychology, economics and public health. He was also Mr. Black Student Union. His accolades include the James Otis Williams Award for Cultural Leadership and the MICA Award for Champion of Diversity.
Colin is committed to public safety and to increasing the compensation of city workers. He proposed raising the minimum wage to $15 for all city employees, introduced and passed legislation to require regular public hearings and briefings on crime and worked with colleagues to approve a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that includes pay raises and increased benefits. And he did so while pushing for and helping to secure the most transparent CBA review process in city history, setting in motion a new precedent that these multi-million dollar contracts will no longer be voted on without the public being able to read them first.
Colin has made TV appearances on NBC4, Fox 5, ABC7, News Channel 8 and WUSA9. His career includes stints as environmental policy advocate for Environment Maryland and union organizer for the Service Employees International Union. Colin’s hobbies include basketball, ping pong, (watching) football, tennis, playing the piano and the arts in general.
Emmett V. Jordan
Emmett V. Jordan is an incumbent member of city council, serving as mayor pro tem after serving three terms as mayor. A Greenbelt resident for 22 years, Emmett relocated to work with the University of Maryland in 1998. He soon moved to Greenbriar Condominiums, attracted by the convenient location and many recreational amenities of Greenbelt. In 2009, he became the first African American elected to serve on council.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, he studied liberal arts and music at Morehouse College and at the University of Cincinnati, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in urban administration. He earned additional graduate-level credits in public administration at Seton Hall University. Emmett participated in the UMD Legacy Leadership Institute on Municipal Government in 2009 and completed an Academy for Excellence in Local Governance Fellowship in 2011. He frequently attends workshops and conferences to expand his competencies.
Emmett has worked hard to develop productive relationships with surrounding municipalities, the county and state/federal delegations. These relationships provide a platform to advocate for the best interests of Greenbelt. He is a current member of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Transportation Planning Board and Chairman of the National League of Cities First Tier Suburbs Council. He has served as vice-chair of the Maryland Municipal League Legislative Committee and president of the Prince George’s County Municipal Association in 2013.
Emmett’s career provides him with over 25 years of experience in project management: planning and implementing capacity building programs for organizations. He has worked with a variety of
organizations including the Smithsonian Institution, University of Maryland and the United Negro College Fund. Since 2005, he has worked as an independent contractor, providing marketing and development services. Prior to 2009, Emmett served on the city’s Advisory Planning Board where he spearheaded the effort to create a Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. He completed a four-year term in 2010 with the Greenbelt Community Foundation, serving as chair in 2014. He served on the Greenbriar Condominiums Association Phase I Board for five years beginning in 2004. From 2000 to 2005, he co-chaired the Urban Roundtable, an auxiliary of the Greater Washington Urban League. Emmett still finds time to occasionally volunteer with various Greenbelt organizations.
An energetic and active person, Emmett enjoys attending concerts, art exhibits and cultural programs. His favorite pastimes include spending time outdoors around Greenbelt, playing tennis, bicycling and playing the guitar.