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Greenbelt Mayor Colin A. Byrd, who berated Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) at the opening of a mass vaccination site in the Prince George鈥檚 County municipality earlier this month, was formally censured by his colleagues on the city council.
Byrd鈥檚 nine-minute attack on Hogan鈥檚 handling of the pandemic on April 8 generated considerable media attention.
He accused the governor and other state leaders of 鈥渟capegoating people of color鈥� by suggesting that some Black and Brown persons don鈥檛 want the COVID-19 vaccine. He also said Hogan鈥檚 decision to lift restrictions on business activity and social gatherings could lead to 鈥渕ore people getting sick and more people dying.鈥�
鈥淵ou have reopened the state, in my mind, far too quickly,鈥� Byrd said, reading from his phone.
A staffer鈥檚 efforts to pry him from the microphone were not successful.
Byrd, a Democrat, is seeking the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D) in 2022. Hogan, a Republican in his second term, is said to be considering a run for president in 2024.
By tradition in Greenbelt, the city council candidate with the most votes in the municipal election holds the title of mayor.
The censure resolution was introduced in the middle of the April 12 meeting of the council. It was sponsored by Mayor Pro Tem Emmett V. Jordan, the former Greenbelt mayor who finished 95 votes behind Byrd in the 2019 election.
The censure noted that, in Greenbelt, 鈥渢he Mayor is appointed by the City Council to perform ceremonial duties and speak on behalf of the Council and our residents.鈥�
Byrd 鈥渇ailed to exercise discretion and decorum,鈥� the resolution said.
鈥淒uring the ceremony, Mr. Byrd expressed his views as an individual in a context where his role was to speak as Mayor. As the ceremonial head of the City, he was expected to express gratitude to FEMA and to welcome the government leaders who were the City鈥檚 guests.鈥�
During the ensuing debate at the council meeting, Byrd defended his remarks and his right to speak his mind at a high-profile event 鈥� and he complained that Jordan did not apprise him of the resolution ahead of time. He unsuccessfully sought to have the matter tabled for a future session.
As council members debated the resolution, Greenbelt residents watching the virtual meeting began to express their views using the 鈥渃hat鈥� function. Their comments occasionally obscured the face of whoever was speaking.
鈥淪nakes do things like this,鈥� said one. 鈥淭his is unacceptable,鈥� read another.
鈥淚 urge the Council to finally take action on this tonight,鈥� read a third post.
The censure was approved by a vote of 5-2. Byrd and council member Rodney M. Roberts voted against it.
It鈥檚 unusual for political leaders to criticize one another at ribbon-cuttings.
In most news reports, Byrd鈥檚 words received as much attention as the opening of the FEMA vaccination site 鈥� the first in the region.
The Washington Post, Baltimore Sun and local TV stations in both the D.C. and Baltimore media markets all reported on the controversy. Video posted to Yahoo鈥檚 鈥淓ntertainment鈥� channel was viewed 2,700 times.
The April 8 comments weren鈥檛 the first time Byrd has caused friction with his council colleagues.
In January they publicly disavowed a Facebook post in which Byrd called on Del. Jazz M. Lewis (D-Prince George鈥檚) to resign.
Angry that the General Assembly opted not to hold a special session last year to act on social justice concerns and the pandemic, Byrd called Lewis a 鈥渢otal cornball brother who has no business representing Prince George鈥檚 County or Black people at all.鈥� (Byrd and Lewis are both Black.)
Lewis, chairman of the Democratic Caucus in the House of Delegates, is a senior adviser to House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.).
While council members defended Byrd鈥檚 right to express his personal views, they said 鈥渉is comments and decision to post them were not run past the other members of Council and no vote was taken [and] they do not represent an official position of the Greenbelt City Council or of the City of Greenbelt.鈥�
After the Hogan staff person tried to get Byrd to end his remarks at the FEMA event, he responded, 鈥淚鈥檒l wrap it up in a minute, Mr. Governor. You鈥檙e in my city, sir.鈥�
Byrd鈥檚 comments drew a rebuke from Prince George鈥檚 County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks, a fellow Democrat not given to public conflict.
鈥淚t does not take very much talent to spot what鈥檚 wrong,鈥� she told reporters. 鈥淚t takes much more talent and commitment to fix it.鈥�
Hogan responded as well, saying 鈥渨e would disagree with every word that he said.鈥�
鈥淚 can tell you the mayor has had nothing to do with our vaccine effort or this site, and didn鈥檛 have any idea what he was talking about.鈥�
In a statement following the censure vote, Hogan spokesman Michael Ricci said, 鈥淭he fact that the mayor鈥檚 own City Council has censured him says more than I ever could about what happened.鈥�
鈥淲hat is most disappointing is that the mayor had an opportunity to urge his residents to go out and get vaccinated at this federal site that we worked day and night for weeks to bring to the area, and instead he chose a political path. Just truly baffling and saddening,鈥� Ricci added.
The 28-year-old Byrd, who abandoned a brief run against Hoyer in March to seek the Senate seat, said on Friday he has no regrets about his decision to criticize the governor in public.
鈥淧eople disagree. That鈥檚 their right,鈥� he said in an interview. 鈥淏ut people also have a right to speak out on behalf of people who are voiceless and who have been harmed by the decisions of people in positions of power.鈥�
