Voting Starts this Saturday

Click here for details about voting in the 2023 City Council elections.

Problems with Greenbelt’s Council Elections

Back in 2017 I predicted low voter turn-out in the Council elections due to Greenbelt’s system of voting – all Council seats are at-large – which pro-democracy and voting rights groups criticize, for good reason:

• At-Large Voting as Incumbent Protection Plan
• At-large Voting Dilutes Minority Votes, Causes Under-Representation

And as someone who lived in a similar-size city (Takoma Park) with a mix of at-large members and wards for each part of the city, I’ve seen a:

• Difference in Accountability of Council Members

This year, with retirements by two Council members (Davis and Byrd), there WILL be two newcomers on the Council. So, good news for turn-out! But a safe prediction is that ONLY two challengers will win – because ALL the incumbents will win. (This explains why ) It’s my understanding that only one Greenbelt City Council incumbent has ever lost, and he was embroiled in a very public scandal (involving money, I’m told).

Another problem and suggested solution to our voting system was raised by Bernard Kelly in his October 19 letter to the editor of the News Review editor (see page 2). The solution he proposes is ranked choice, something I’m eager to learn more about.

Meet the Candidates

Thanks to Greenbelt Access Television for interviewing all the candidates! The resulting videos are embedded below, starting with the challengers.

Jenni Pompi:

Danielle McKinney:

James Whipple:

Matthew Inzeo:

Bill Orleans:

Moses Sekatawa:

Emmett Jordan:

Kristen Weaver:

Ric Gordon:

Silke Pope:

Rodney Roberts:

More information from the Greenbelt News Review

Click here for biographies of all the 2023 Council candidates.