Dear Editor,
This letter is to address the incorrect statements made by Mr. Mellits in his letter to the editor.
We stand corrected in that Mr. Mellits is not a “contractor,” but an “engineer,” who is “contracted” to work on projects at Melford. Mr. Mellits works on development/re-development projects within the City of Bowie and that remains a conflict of interest. His main source of income is as an engineer and working for the citizens will be his part-time job. What will be his priority? Having a representative of the city who relies on development as his source of income is very disturbing to us and the Citizens for Accountable Government (recall team). In addition to Mr. Mellit’s development relationship, we noted that he failed to defeat Diane Polangin twice in 2011 and 2013.
We already have one candidate, Courtney Glass, who sits on the Bowie City Council as her part-time job and works for County Executive Rushern Baker as her main source of income. Who does she represent on City of Bowie issues? She was standing with Mr. Baker in opposition to a bill presented before our state legislature regarding the Jesuit property. She did NOT stand in representation of the citizens of Bowie! When push comes to shove, a candidate is going to vote with their main source of income over the rights of the citizens they represent.
The recall team never planned to even endorse a candidate in the Special Election to fill the vacant City Council seat. However, Diane Polangin elected to run, split the vote, and hope to reverse her overwhelming loss in the recall election. The recall team evaluated candidates, meeting with most, and decided who was best aligned with our mission statement. We are not a political club, political committee or campaign committee. Volunteers will independently support the candidate of their choice. However, the recall team, by a 95% majority, voted to endorse Dufour Woolfley as the candidate most likely to give the citizens of Bowie a long-sought voice on the City Council.
Sincerely,
John & Deborah Rice, Bowie