Nobody can accuse Councilmember Jenni Pompi of sitting back. The list of organizations and interests she’s involved in and titles she holds seems endless. There’s the Eleanor Roosevelt High School PTSA, Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt Democratic Club, the Greenbelt Library and Greenbelt Pride, just to name a few. Even she laughs when asked what her Google calendar looks like.
And, of course, since last November, Pompi added Councilmember to that list of titles. In the most recent election, Pompi received the fourth most votes, surpassed only by three incumbents – Emmett Jordan, Kristin Weaver and the late Councilmember Ric Gordon, who died a few weeks following his re-election.
Growing up in western Massachusetts and, especially southern Maryland, Pompi reports that her family was more socially liberal than many of their neighbors. She learned the importance of standing firmly in her beliefs while also seeking common ground with others. This is an approach that has served her well in Greenbelt, where she’s lived with her family since 2018, as well as in her other professional endeavors.
Currently a magazine editor at a nonprofit organization, Pompi has also served as a fundraiser and activist for other progressive causes. All of this, she says, gave her a real appreciation for local government and the work it does. It also jibes with the intentionality of how she and her family – husband Nelson and their two teenage sons, Oscar and Miles – live their lives. They understand it’s important to be involved and engaged, she says of her family. Pompi believes you have to be intentional about being involved in things, about making connections.
“If you want to be a part of a community, you have to be intentional and build that community. You can’t just drop in and have community exist around you … I think this is the way to live your life.”
But as involved as Pompi was in the community, it was a hard decision to pursue a seat on council. Yes, she and her family are busy, but she had also suffered what she described as a devastating loss in 2022 when running for the Prince George’s County School Board. Yet it was the many people who approached her after that loss and encouraged her to run for council that made her seriously consider it.
Pompi admits to being terrified of running another campaign. However, there were so many who were supportive – people like Jordan and Gordon – that she felt like there could be a place for her on council and that there was more work she could do. Though she lost the school board race, that first campaign likely gave her a small advantage over the other nonincumbents.
“Greenbelters already knew that I was here and present in the community, that I knew the issues, that I cared,” she said.
Still, Pompi admits to being in complete disbelief that she had done so well in the election. She expected to come in seventh or not win a seat at all, but, she said, “People had connected with me through the course of that [first School Board] campaign and recognized how important it is to serve and work hard.”
Pompi says that after being a careful observer for so many years, it feels wonderful to have a literal seat at the table now, be able to shape policy and have a direct effect on the community.
“I’m able to connect in a different way,” she says. “And people connect with me differently now, too. Greenbelters are very civic minded. Community members want there to be an awareness of the work they’re doing and the things they’re passionate about in the city.”
So, what does she care about and prioritize now that she’s a council member? Noncitizen resident voting and increasing environmental sustainability within our green spaces are two issues she’s passionate about. On the former, Pompi will consider her term a success if all Greenbelt residents are given the right to vote. On the latter, Pompi wants to continue addressing invasive species, maintaining biodiversity and protecting species critical to maintaining a sustainable ecosystem. Although there’s much work to do, specifically on communication and education around these issues, Pompi is heartened that many in Greenbelt are already working on these initiatives.
“Greenbelt is ripe to be a community in which we value sustainability … and where we all work together towards it.”
And this includes all of Greenbelt, Pompi says. Equity is key and maintaining the status quo is not necessarily the answer, Pompi adds.
“For some, Greenbelt has a history that is painful and hurtful.” Pompi is mindful of this and advises that the Reparations Committee will play a big part in how we move forward as a community.
Pompi says that more is needed by both council and the city to reach different areas of Greenbelt. Whether that is through meetings or worksessions in Greenbelt West or Greenbelt East, Pompi believes that you need to go where the people are to increase involvement. Pompi has no interest in dictating to others and, instead, she wants each distinct community to communicate its needs and for council to help meet them.
Pompi is also aware of the different dynamics of the current council and the difference that may make in how things are done. Unlike in recent years, all council members have full-time jobs, and women are the majority, two members with children at home. This changes the way people work, she says. There’s simply less time in the day.
“Every minute that I’m at my job or at council is a minute I’m not with my family. So, I have to be working really hard with that time. I want that time to be extremely effective for the city and get the most done we can …People want to see action, they want to see things happen and they are hoping that this council is going to be a council of action, which I do, too.”