Crowded Field of Contenders Eyes Laurel Council Seat

Six candidates are vying to join the Laurel City Council June 1, after current council members decide who will .

While most candidates appeared a bit nervous in interviews in front of the council this week, they all pledged that, if selected, they would do their best to move the city forward, but their plans varied in how they would go about it.

Brian Lee, who works as an assistant fire chief in the D.C. fire/EMS department, told the council he would be an advocate for "smart growth" to spur business development throughout the city and limit sprawl.

“The most important act on the council [is to address] the needs of the constituency,” he said.

H. Edward Ricks, who served as a city councilmember from 1980 to 1988, reminded the council of his more than 20 years of service to the city, including volunteer positions on city committees and his work with the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department.

“I was a team player then; I am a team player now,” he said.

Ricks told the council he would focus on bringing more upscale businesses to Main Street and do more to engage business owners and citizens.

Peter O’Reilly, who works as a project manager and financial counselor in Beltsville, told the council that the city should focus more on commercial development rather than residential because the housing market has “peaked.”

O’Reilly said his work as a project manager makes him capable of figuring out how to get things done and how to manage budgets, but he insisted he would fall in line with the wishes of the community.

“I would look to serve as honorably and ethically,” he said. “I think we need to re-engage the people and fulfill their wishes."

Valerie Nicholas, a 10-year resident of the city and an advocate for domestic abuse victims, told the council she would hold more town hall meetings to engage citizens. She said she would also give health and fitness seminars.

“I’d like to reach out across the barriers,” she said.

John Kenyon, president of the Willow Oaks Homeowners Association, said he would help the council reach a consensus on tough issues.

Kenyon, a two-year resident of the city, was the only candidate who said he had not voted in a city election.

Still, he told the council that he wanted to do more to make Laurel an attraction.

“I’d like to get it more as a destination rather than a place that people come through,” he said.

Samuel Epps, a labor organizer, told the council that he would engage citizens the old-fashioned way--by hitting the streets and knocking on doors.

“I believe in going door-to-door,” he said.

Epps, asked how he would deal with disagreements on the council, said any such service involves give and take.

“We may not agree on all things but we know to compromise for the good of Laurel.”

Any candidate selected to fill the vacancy will still need to win over constituents during the city’s general election this November. According to The Gazette, just 7 percent of the city’s eligible voters turned out in the most recent election.

Councilman Fred Smalls (Ward 2) y will be taken into consideration when filling the vacancy.  Minority groups make up more than 60 percent of the city’s population.

The council will announce its decision June 1.