Over the course of a two-and-a-half hour special meeting Tuesday, there were multiple points of order and a brief closed session that led the La Plata town council to censure Mayor Jeannine E. James.
In a 4-1 vote, with James voting in opposition, the council passed a resolution that serves as a formal notice of conduct, Councilman Paul C. Guttenberg, who introduced the resolution, said during the meeting. The resolution allows the council to reaffirm the standards and expectations required by elected officials.
James pushed back on the censure, saying she did not violate any specific rules or regulations.
“Discussing this resolution here tonight reinforces that our procedural rules are binding standards that we must actively uphold,” Guttenberg said.
On July 20, Vinn White, senior advisor of the Maryland Department of Transportation, wrote to the town manager, Chuck Stevens, about the Safer Maryland Coalition Local Leaders Cohort, the censure resolution said. MDOT invited either the mayor or a council member to attend.
It’s about the context of an email James sent, Councilman Patrick McCormick said. In the final sentence, James said, “Thank you again for your leadership, and for the opportunity to engage in this important work.”
“I was under the impression this council allowed Councilman Guttenberg, and Mr. Stevens in an administrative capacity, to continue and engage in this important work,” he said. “Not for you to do so.”
James has interacted with the state because she’s on the executive board of the Maryland Municipal League and was the immediate past president of the Maryland Mayors Association, she said.
“I interact with all of them, and I do look forward to working with them,” she said.
The email to the town manager was for general guidance, not a formal invitation, James said. The formal invitation was issued to James on July 11.
On July 28, the town council nominated Guttenberg to serve as the town of La Plata’s representative to the Safer Maryland Coalition, the resolution said. Stevens then notified MDOT on July 29.
On the same day, James, “acting without the knowledge, authority or consent” of the town council, responded to MDOT and the Office of the Lieutenant Governor asserting that the council’s nomination “does not align with the intent or basis” of the initiative.
“Unfortunately, there’s a lot of emotion that poured into this resolution instead of its factual base,” James said. “That’s a shame because we are here to do the will of the town.”
The town council believes that James’ email resulted in MDOT rescinding its acceptance of Guttenberg serving as the town’s representative.
“You have acted in your own personal interests, against the will of the council, who is voted in to represent the people of La Plata,” McCormick said to James. “It has to deal with the fact that we are called to police the actions of our own.”
James asked Guttenberg if her email specifically asked MDOT to appoint her as the representative.
“You were trying to navigate something there,” Guttenberg said. “There is an implied action.”
The town’s rules and procedures do not regulate external communications with state agencies, nor do they require the mayor or other council members to have council approval before responding to communication addressed to the mayor, James said.
“The resolution does not identify a charge violated, a rule or procedure violated, a code section violated or any factual inaccuracy in the mayor’s communication,” she said.
The censure, which is a reprimand with no legal consequence, went into effect immediately following the Aug. 18 vote.