Prince George's Council Committee Advances Controversial Nominee For Environmental Post

By Christine Condon, Maryland Matters

October 10, 2025

A Prince George’s County Council committee advanced the nomination Thursday of Samuel Moki to be the next head of the county’s Department of the Environment, largely brushing aside concerns that he had been terminated from a job at the agency about a decade ago.

The 3-1 vote, with one abstention, of the council’s Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee came after about three hours of passionate testimony from supporters, including a host of current department employees who said he has been a capable and personable leader in several months as acting director.

While a number of community and environmental advocates testified against the nomination, citing Moki’s checkered past as a former associate director at the department, the majority of committee members did not appear convinced that his past termination should disqualify him.

A few expressed concern that Moki might have taken the fall for larger problems with stormwater management at the agency during the 2010s when he was let go.

“The way I see it, there was some scapegoating that happened 10 years ago,” said District 6 Councilmember Wala Blegay.

The committee voted 3-1 in favor of Moki, with District 3 Councilmember Eric Olson voting no and District 1 Councilmember Tom Dernoga abstaining. The nomination now goes to the full 11-member council, which is expected to take it up later this month.

Samuel Moki’s supporters sported buttons at Thursday’s hearing on his nomination to lead the Prince George’s Department of the Environment. (Photo by Christine Condon/Maryland Matters)

Moki was nominated in June by County Executive Aisha Braveboy, who has remained a vocal supporter after it was revealed that he had been terminated from the county government for cause in 2014. That firing — which was upheld by the county personnel board, a county circuit court and the state’s intermediate appeals court — claimed that Moki mismanaged the county’s stormwater management program, and failed to ensure projects were completed in accordance with federal mandates. The county paid thousands of dollars in stormwater fines during the period around his tenure.

Olson had pointed questions for Moki during Thursday’s hearing. In the court rulings over his termination, “there was no evidence presented by you that any supervisors prevented you from administering the program. I’d like to hear your response to that.”

Moki defended himself in part by denying allegations from the court record — namely that he had access to a stormwater fund that never dipped below $40 million, but failed to use it to complete projects to reduce harmful runoff.

“That’s patently false,” Moki said. “The associate director of the Department of Environment does not have unfettered access to the stormwater fund. Even the director does not.”

He added that the fund had to be split between his department and others, including the Department of Public Works, and that it was not large enough for the county to do all the work needed to remain in compliance with the federal Clean Water Act.

“Even if the county spent all that $40 million on stormwater, it would still not have brought the program into compliance. The issue that people don’t want to face is: The county underfunded this program. So it’s not on me,” Moki said.

Moki said that, since his appointment in June, he has found a way to trim $31 million from the county’s stormwater budget over the next four years, arguing that the previous budget was not “sustainable.”

At the hearing, Moki also spoke to his detractors directly, stating that he doesn’t shy away from confrontation.

“I make a commitment — irrespective of whether or not you disagree with me — if I’m honored to be given this position, my offices are open for you to come in and discuss,” Moki said. “This is not going to be a war. It is partnership for the interest of the environment.”

During the hearing, a parade of current Department of the Environment workers — from Moki’s two deputy directors to administrative assistants — came to testify in support of him. Several described his affable nature, saying he makes a point of greeting staff and fostering a positive environment, while also traveling to county facilities for site visits. Some said they hd known him for several years, including during his past stint at the department.

“I believe his heart is special,” said Rodney Taylor, a department associate director. “In my 42 years, he’s the first one I’ve seen that spent this kind of time with his staff.”

David Fisher, an associate director of the department’s animal services division, said Moki made a great impression during two visits to the county animal shelter, including when he came recently to commend the staff after a record monthly “save rate.”

“He says, ‘I came to the facility today so I can congratulate the staff on the work that they did in person, because sending an email didn’t seem like enough to me,’” Fisher said. “I cannot say enough that his leadership is welcome at DoE.”

But some opponents cast doubt on remarks from Moki’s subordinates.

“Most people that got up here have talked about how they’ve interacted with Samuel Moki just over the past few months, and that’s what alarmed me,” said Taylor Frazier McCollum, a community advocate from Landover. “Do you really know him? In my opinion, it’s unethical to have subordinates testify — period.”

Lily Fountain, chair of the executive committee of the Prince George’s County Sierra Club chapters, said her organization is requesting “a new candidate with requisite background and integrity to lead this vital department in these changing times.”

Environmental advocate Staci Hartwell, who currently serves as a strategic adviser for the South County Environmental Justice Coalition, expressed frustration that Moki did not work in environmental fields after his dismissal. He testified that he completed a master’s degree in environmental management in 2016, and later taught policy courses at local institutions.
Prince George’s County Councilmember Eric Olson listens to Councilmember Tom Dernoga during Samuel Moki’s nomination hearing. (Photo by Christine Condon/Maryland Matters)
“We need a candidate with a clear record of professional excellence — not controversy — and competitive, relevant experience, not a decade-long industry-related leadership gap,” Hartwell said.

Others expressed concern that Moki’s appointment could cause county environmental gains to backslide, like Cheverly resident Dan Smith who argued that stormwater failures during Moki’s tenure were damaging.

“We lost ground because of what occurred at that period,” Smith said. “We cannot afford to lose any more ground.”

Sherman Hardy, representing Citizens for Accountability in Governance, argued that the Moki nomination damages public trust in the county’s government.

“Today, I have the painful task of asking whether my government has lost its moral footing or its mind,” Hardy said. “What we are witnessing with this nomination is not just wrong-headed, it’s malpractice.”

But Moki defender Joe Gaskins, representing the Maryland Business-Clergy Partnership and the Prince George’s Contractors and Business Association, said Moki’s “resume is envious.”

“I’m hoping that the individuals in this room will get over this, what I see as racism, discrimination on this guy,” Gaskins said.

That was echoed by Council Vice Chair Krystal Oriadha, who is not a member of the committee but attended part of Thursday’s hearing. She applauded Braveboy for appointing Moki and refusing to be “bullied or manipulated” by opponents, specifically those “behind the scenes that don’t look like me or you.”

“I just see a lot of things that I’m really sad about, in this case, as a Black woman, as a woman of an immigrant father from Africa,” Oriadha said.

Moki spoke briefly about his own experience as an immigrant and naturalized citizen, an experience he said left him with a “with a strong desire to enter public service.”

Oriadha argued that stormwater fines against the county “continued to increase” after Moki’s dismissal.

“A lot of times, blame is left at the feet of people that are not the ones making the decision,” she said. “And we have to be mindful of that. And I find it kind of hypocritical that the person that was in charge of the agency wasn’t made responsible.

Councilmember Wala Blegay said Samuel Moki has been responsive in his few months as acting director of the Department of the Environment. (Photo by Christine Condon/Maryland Matters)

Blegay credited Moki for jumping in to help with stormwater problems in her district, which includes Largo and Upper Marlboro, after she struggled to get assistance from the previous administration.

“He brought his whole team to my office, and they started talking about possible goals,” Blegay said. “We have resolution now, because of Dr. Moki.”

District 2 Councilmember Wanika Fisher, who is also an attorney, implied that politics may have been at play in Moki’s 2014 dismissal.

“There are two sides of the truth,” Fisher said. “That’s one thing I know for sure, being in courtrooms in this county for the last 10 years — and there are politics in every aspect of our judicial system.”

Dernoga, who abstained Thursday, said he had asked for particular documents from Moki and received them Thursday morning. He said he planned to review the documents and come to a “more solid position” by the time the full council votes, but he called the concerns about Moki’s past “valid.”

District 9 Councilmember Sydney Harrison also appeared ready to abstain, saying he wanted to “reserve any thought that I have to learn more and to understand more.” But he ultimately voted for the nomination.

“I do not know how I’m going to vote when you come before the entire council, but it’s going to give me more opportunities to learn,” Harrison said.