Roberts Claims Mayor is Waging Personal Attack

Greenbelt City Council member Rodney Roberts is refusing to give up his seat on the Washington Council of Government’s [COG] Transportation Planning Board (TPB).

The council voted to delay the vote on Robert’s appointment, while it looked into the possibility of Roberts and Mayor Pro-Tem Emmett Jordan sharing the city’s one vote on the TPB.

Roberts has served on the TPB for more than a decade. But this time around Jordan put his name in for consideration as well and was not backing down.

Council Member Konrad Herling suggested letting one member vote, but allowing two members to sit at the dais of the TPB and have a voice.

"I'm not interested in just going and sitting there. That's not why I'm serving on City Council to go and sit," Jordan responded.

Jordan asked council whether it would consider splitting its vote on the TPB. Council Member Leta Mach suggested accomplishing this by appointing two representatives and no alternate.

Roberts didn't like the idea. "I'll hang on to my position, thank you," he said.

On Friday, the director of the TPB, Ron Kirby told Patch that the board had no provision to accommodate splitting a vote. Only the one member from Greenbelt could vote, Kirby explained. The alternate, however, could vote in the principal member’s absence, he said.

To Roberts this is about more than a board appointment. At Monday’s council meeting, he claimed that this was about control and was a personal attack against him by Mayor Judith “J” Davis. 

Mayor Davis denied Roberts allegations. "I have certainly seen a lot of comments that there is some underhanded conspiracy going on. It is not," she said.

For many years, council has determined committee assignments through common courtesy and seniority, Roberts asserted.

Roberts said that Council Member Putens and Jordan had worked out a deal where Putens was going to give up his position on the Advisory Planning Board and trade it with Jordan. But at council’s last work session, Jordan did not uphold his end of the agreement, according to Roberts.

“Well apparently Mr. Jordan decided that he was going to change his mind that he didn’t want to give up his committee. But at the same time he still wanted Mr. Putens’ committee,” Roberts said.

When Putens balked and wouldn’t give his seat over to Jordan, Mayor Davis honored Putens’ right to do that and didn’t call for a vote, Roberts said.

“You respected Mr. Putens, and you need to respect me as well,” Roberts declared.

The two situations were different, according to Davis, because Jordan and Putens were able to work it out.

They worked it out because Putens was allowed to say no, Roberts said.

Jordan said the incident that happened with Putens did not escalate because he chose not to escalate it.

Jordan Said It Was Not About Personalities

Jordan assured council that it was not about personalities.

“It’s about my sincere desire to serve on the Transportation Planning Board," he said. “And I don’t think council assignments should be made exclusively based on seniority or privilege.”

If council were to force Roberts into a vote to keep his seat, Putens said he thought it only fair that all committee and board appointments went up for a vote.

Putens expressed support for Roberts keeping his seat on the TPB.

“This has come up repeatedly three or four times, specifically at that committee and Mr. Roberts,” Putens said. “This is really wrong, it’s almost discriminatory.”

Davis Said Roberts Had an Attendance Problem

Roberts insisted Mayor Davis was trying to get him off the TPB. He reminded her of a phone call he said she made to him two years ago telling him he needed resign from the TPB because that position should be reserved for the Mayor Pro-Tem.

“So for two years after that you have continually harassed, harangued and attacked me over this issue,” Roberts declared. “And now all of the sudden you’re going to say that you’re neutral.”

Mayor Davis said that the reason she had suggested Roberts get off the TBD two years was because she knew there was “an attendance problem.” But she said Roberts had since corrected this.

Roberts denied the mayor’s claim, saying that he did not have an attendance problem two years ago.

On Tuesday, TPB Administrative Assistant Debbie Leigh said that in 2009, Roberts missed four meetings; in 2010, he missed one and in 2011, he missed three. The board meets once a month, except in August, she stated.

Kirby said these numbers do not indicate an attendance problem. “That’s not an unreasonable attendance record,” he said.

The council voted 5-1 in favor of postponing the vote on all COG appointments to policy boards and committees, including the TPB, until its next regular meeting on Jan. 23. Roberts dissented.

Mayor Judith "J" Davis, Mayor Pro-Tem Emmett Jordan, and Council Members Konrad Herling, Leta Mach, Edward Putens and Rodney Roberts attended the meeting.