Meet the Candidate: Silke Pope

A proud and active member of the Greenbelt community for thirteen years, Silke Pope came to Greenbelt from Germany in 1998 with family, initially making a home in Springhill Lake (since renamed Franklin Park). Pope is the mother of two adult children and the proud grandmother of Sofia, the newest addition to the Pope family.

Quickly taken with Greenbelt’s welcoming spirit and rich tradition of community, Pope soon engaged with neighbors and local government, helping in 1999 to found the Springhill Lake Neighborhood Improvement Team. The group bridged gaps — sharing concerns and generating solutions — among residents, complex management and the city on topics of public safety and other quality-of-life issues. This marked Pope’s initial foray into public life in Greenbelt.

Pope served on the city’s Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) for nine years, chairing the committee for six years until she was elected to Greenbelt City Council in 2009. During her tenure leading PSAC, the city saw real improvements in safety including the upgrade of security cameras at Roosevelt Center and their installation on the Spellman Overpass, as well as the installation of emergency call boxes on Greenbelt Metro Drive and in the Springhill Lake area. Pope has continued to be a strong supporter of Greenbelt's police department and places a strong emphasis on public safety initiatives.

Even before proudly earning U.S. citizenship in 2006, Pope had been very active in the Greenbelt American Legion Auxiliary where she was president for two years.  She continues to be very active in community fundraising for groups including the American Legion Auxiliary and St. Hugh of Grenoble Church.  A member of St. Hugh’s since 2000, Pope has been involved in several fundraising efforts including the church’s Texas BBQ, shrimp feast and Oktoberfest events. She has also served as president of the Belle Point homeowners association (HOA) since 2006, where her family now resides.

In her HOA position, she has ensured the efficient operation of the homeowners association and made every effort to ensure that its standards and Greenbelt's laws are adhered to. Pope has also enhanced its property values through the cost-effective maintenance of the common areas and the founding of Belle Point’s Landscaping Committee, which has planted more than 25 sizeable trees over the past several years.

Pope has uplifted and empowered many underprivileged children including those learning English as a second language at Greenbelt Middle School (GMS) from 2001-2007, as well as at GMS and Magnolia Elementary School as a parent liaison from 2007-2009, and most recently as a special education paraprofessional at Springhill Lake Elementary School. Employed in local schools since 2001, Pope has been able to enhance the lives of youth across Greenbelt.

While living in Germany, Pope worked in the field of international business relations where her bilingual ability and organizational skills were critical.  Attuned to cross-cultural issues, Pope has long practiced effective communication across all kinds of demographic boundaries. Her prior professional experience includes positions of responsibility within large international institutions focused on finance and account services. 

Since being elected to city council in 2009, Pope has served on several committees including the Maryland Municipal League Convention Planning Committee as well as the National League of Cities Small Cities Council Steering Committee and its Public Safety and Crime Prevention Committee. She is the liaison to the City of Greenbelt’s Senior Citizens Advisory Committee and most recently earned a fellowship from the Academy for Excellence in Local Governance at the University of Maryland. This fellowship provides Pope with a more thorough understanding of how local municipalities function and a strong understanding of governmental policy and ethics.

Raised in a small German town, Pope brings to Greenbelt familiar small-town values of community with the professional and social experience that comes from living and working in diverse cultures. Her natural tendency is one of engagement and activity in the community — taking on numerous volunteer roles and accruing accomplishments in Greenbelt over the past decade — many even before becoming a U.S. citizen.  By confronting the realities of modern Greenbelt, embracing young people and seeking to improve quality-of-life for all, Pope shows a long track record that continues to make Greenbelt proud. 

Bio Provided by the Candidate