In Fall, 2017, the city of College Park made national news by passing a motion to approve non-citizen voting in the city’s municipal elections.  In doing this, they angered many citizens by rejecting the option of referring this controversial issue to a voter referendum.  Fortunately, the motion to allow non-citizen voting was later held invalid since it didn’t comply with a rule requiring a “super” majority for such charter amendments.  Oddly, the city didn’t follow its own voting rule in this matter, which had just been passed by the same body only a few months before.  
     Many College Park citizens, including myself, were alarmed and outraged by this action for non-citizen voting, seeing it as a dangerous first step to threaten the integrity of responsible government and respect for basic citizenship rights.  And further, in rejecting a voter referendum and failing to follow their own rules in voting, the city of College Park was made an object of ridicule at the national level, prompting a former administrator at the University of Maryland to write an article in the Baltimore Sun, nominating College Park as the “dumbest town in America.”
     In consultation with other College Park citizens, I spoke out against such non-citizen voting to local and national news media, and work with like-minded city residents to prepare and support a slate of municipal candidates who all stated their firm position AGAINST non-citizen voting.   I was also confident that these candidates would otherwise provide the best possible leadership to our city by working for lower taxes, cost-effective government, responsive public safety and a friendly, fair business climate to the benefit and well-being of all.

The result of this civic action raised awareness of this important issue, which is the necessary beginning to assure future responsible voting and accountability to the citizens in local and state elections.