College Park City Council Slams Prince George’s Redistricting Proposal

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College Park City Council unanimously condemned a proposal to redistrict Prince George’s County Council voting districts. The vote took place during a rare emergency session of City Council held Oct. 18, 2021 specifically to address the redistricting proposal before Prince George’s County Council meets Oct. 19, 2021, to possibly introduce the proposed map for consideration. Once introduced, the map cannot be amended – only voted up or down.

Mount Rainier gets new City Councilor to fill vacancy

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Mount Rainier elected officials voted to seat Jimmy Tarlau, a former state delegate and city councilor, to fill a City Council vacancy left by May’s election of Celina Benitez as mayor. 

Tarlau was voted in by a vote of three to one at Mount Rainier’s June 1, 2021, City Council meeting. Ward Two Councilor Scott Cecil voted against. Under Mount Rainier’s City Charter, the responsibility for selecting possible candidates to replace Benitez lies exclusively with the remaining Ward One representative, City Councilor Luke Chesek, who is allowed to forward up to three names for consideration. 

In nominating Tarlau, Chesek said Tarlau’s experience in city as well as state government will be an asset. 

“The biggest reason just has to do with experience,” said Chesek. “I just thought about a few people who had been in this role and Jimmy made the most sense.”

Tarlau said he was happy to be nominated to help Mount Rainier. “I’m really just here to help the Council fulfill its mission.

Mount Rainier City Hall is seen from the distance on a bright sunny day. Solar panels top the roof.
Mount Rainier

10 years later, solar panels start making big bucks for Mount Rainier

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Mount Rainier officials expect the solar panels atop city hall to generate around $100,000 for the city over the next year. That’s a big chunk of change for the city, which – due to a stale email address – earned nothing from the solar panels for the better part of a decade. The news was announced at Mount Rainier’s Sept. 2, 2020, City Council meeting by Councilor Bryan Knedler, who spearheaded the effort to get the panels installed in 2011. According to Knedler, the panels generated about $7,000 for the city last month.

Coronavirus

College Park won’t ask landlords for lease relief

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College Park City Council voted down a measure that would have seen the city endorse a letter from area elected officials calling on landlords to be lenient with student tenants who may not be returning to campus this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The vote took place during a special voting session held after Council’s regularly-scheduled Aug. 4, 2020, worksession. College Park Mayor Patrick Wojahn, explaining his support for endorsing the letter, said University of Maryland officials expect about half of their students to attend class remotely this fall. Some students, as reported by The Diamondback and The Baltimore Sun, are now scrambling to cancel their plans to live on or near campus as a result of the pandemic’s impacts on in-person schooling.