Marcus Afzali: 'The District Concerns Vary by Neighborhood'

is running for his second term as a councilman for District 4.

Afzali moved to College Park in the 1980s with his family, where he grew up. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science, and a master's degree in government and politics. He currently works for T. Rowe Price.

Though he is running unopposed, we here at Patch think it's important for the public to know his viewpoints. We emailed Afzali some questions, and here are his responses:

College Park Patch: As you look back over the past two years that you've been on council, which of your contributions makes you most proud?

Marcus Afzali: I’m proud I got a “Memorandum of Understanding” signed between the University of Maryland and the city that requires the university to consult with communities near proposed construction projects. The Memorandum ensures communication occurs before these projects take place, which in turn reduces the potential for conflict later.

I’m also proud of creating the monthly “” events.  These events have allowed community members to meet with important local leaders like Rep. Steny Hoyer while promoting locally owned businesses.

Finally, I’m proud of my lobbying efforts on behalf of city priorities. The council has pretty limited powers when it comes to achieving many of our long-term objectives on our own, so lobbying is a critical component of the job.

Patch: Do you have any regrets over the past term as councilman?

Afzali: I don’t think I have many things I’d say I regret, but there are a few frustrations I’ve found with the position.  The biggest being the fact that there are so many things I want to do, but I realize that council is only a part-time position.  I’ve had to pick and choose priorities carefully over the past few years and really hammer down on those priorities. At times it means I have to leave a lot of things I care about off the table, but it’s the only way to get anything done.

Patch: What is the cultural make up of College Park’s District 4, and what challenges and/or opportunities result from that?

Afzali: Being the city’s largest district creates some unique challenges as the communities within the district can have very different concerns. The Autoville and Cherry Hill communities are located on [U.S.] Route 1 and largely focus on traffic and development issues. The neighborhoods located in West College Park are closer to campus so concerns are more often focused on the upkeep of rental properties and public safety (with some crossover of course).

The great part about District 4 is that we are such a large and diverse district. I think the diversity of our neighborhoods is one of our best selling points and is a reason so many citywide community leaders have come out of the district, including former mayors Alvin Kushner and Anna Owens, as well as delegate Joseline Pena-Melnyk.

Patch: What do you feel are the most important issues facing District 4, and the city as a whole?

Afzali: As I stated previously, I think the district concerns vary by neighborhood. I believe the biggest issues impacting the city as a whole are public safety, transportation, and redevelopment. The city has spent an enormous amount of time, energy, and effort on public safety over the last few years.  Improving public safety has to be an ongoing effort though so don’t expect any “mission accomplished” banners anytime soon.

As an urbanizing community located within a metropolitan area with a growing population we need to ensure that we have a comprehensive vision for how to deal with the transportation and development issues that come along with that growth. Managing this process presents us with both tremendous opportunities and serious challenges over the coming years.

Patch: What are your motivations for running for re-election?

Afzali: My motivation for running is my belief in our city’s potential and wanting to be a part of turning this potential into reality. It’s a great time for College Park as we’ve seen the , the first allocation of funding for the , the improvement of city-university relations under Dr. Loh, and the .

Transforming College Park into a great college town and one of the best places to live in the D.C. metro area isn’t going to happen overnight – but I do believe it’s going to happen.  I’m excited about the progress we’ve seen and feel pretty lucky to get to be a part of this effort.

Patch: How long do you see yourself serving as a councilman?

I don’t know how long I want to be on council to be honest.  I’m pretty excited to be signing up for a second term, but at some point it’s probably a good idea to let some other voices into the process.  Most likely I’ll try to run for another term or two if the residents of College Park give me that privilege.

This story has been corrected. The original story inaccurately described Afzali's academic pursuits. We regret the error.