Staff editorial: Election day endorsements

Two College Park City Council districts both have relatively high student populations, and the only student running for a council seat is in one of them.

District 3 features two incumbents running against a relatively unknown challenger. Stephanie Stullich and Mark Cook were elected without opposition in November 2007. Since then, Stullich has become one of the council’s most reliable members, while Cook missed meetings due to personal issues, including several after the birth of his son. It’s hard to hold this against Cook, but he simply hasn’t managed to distinguish himself as much as Stullich has.

Sadly, Stullich seemed to distinguish herself by proposing a policy that would disproportionately harm students. She wanted to increase the amount of time that would trigger increased penalties for noise violations from six months to a year, which could have unfairly punished new lessees. After a rightful outcry from students, the proposal was dropped.

This, coupled with a more reasonable push to increase the amount of city code enforcement officers on duty during the summer and winter months — the city generally has lower staffing levels when students are out of town — has caused her to be tagged with the “anti-student” label.

But in an interview, Stullich repeatedly emphasized reaching across the student-resident gap and working on common interests. She endorsed a variety of measures that would improve the lives of both students and residents, including attracting better and independent businesses to Route 1.

Mark Cook, meanwhile, claims credit for the council’s recent fiscal responsibility. He claims the pressure he put on staff was responsible for the city’s balanced budget this year. That seems to be a gross over-simplification, since multiple members of the council emphasize fiscal conservatism. He also takes encouraging stances on citizen involvement issues, but his absences make his term feel like one year insted of two. If he was being graded on an A-to-F scale, he would receive an incomplete.

Their challenger, Robert McCeney, has run a campaign centered on opposition to Stullich and Mark Cook’s support for rent control. But his critiques, including a bizarre argument that neighborhoods will soon be overflowing with gigantic, 10-person families instead of rowdy students, fall flat.
While Mark Cook shows promise, only Stullich has conclusively shown she deserves re-election. In District 3, The Diamondback endorses Stephanie Stullich.

District 4 features Marcus Afzali, the lone student running in the race. He has accused the incumbents, Mary Cook (no relation to Mark) and Karen Hampton, of being out of touch. In response, Cook essentially labeled him as a inexperienced, carpet-bagging student.

In reality, Cook’s attacks are hollow. Afzali, a College Park native who moved back to the city in 2007, has made an extraordinary effort to get to know District 4. His work in politics at higher levels — including his doctoral studies in the field and his work for the Maryland Democratic Party — help compensate for his relatively short period of involvement in city affairs.

Like Afzali, Denise Mitchell is ready to bring energy and enthusiasm to the council and could be a breath of fresh air. She, too, has talked about bridging the gap between students and residents.
Hampton, meanwhile, seems to have little impact on the council’s workings. She is often silent during meetings, something she blamed on outgoing Mayor Stephen Brayman. But both of Brayman’s biggest opponents — Mary Cook and District 2 Councilman Jack Perry — manage to voice their opinions on Tuesday nights.

Both incumbents voted against spending $500,000 for the city to hire three full-time contract police officers. To us, this was a plain and simple case of neglecting public safety. Both of their opponents said they would have supported the funding.

Despite this, Mary Cook still warrants re-election. She has pushed for more independent businesses to come to College Park, and she plans to play a big role in the coming months as the council discusses the Route 1 Sector Plan, although she can be unnecessarily obstructionist on development matters. Cook is also the driving force behind the city starting a strategic plan to lay out its long-term goals.

In the end, a combination of youth and experience is best. With District 1 Councilman Jonathan Molinatto, 28, leaving office, the 24-year-old Afzali can pick up his mantle. Mitchell would likely make a fine councilwoman, but Cook’s experience will be needed on a council that could face heavy turnover. In District 4, The Diamondback endorses Marcus Afzali and Mary Cook.