Elected officials often face criticism from angry constituents, and this year’s Maryland Municipal League summer conference will cover precautions to consider when criticism turns threatening.
George Mathews, a former community relations liaison for the Greenbelt Police Department, is a speaker at this year’s summer conference.
He said there are times when a given topic on a council agenda can fuel passions in the community.
“Sometimes that passion crosses the line,” Mathews said, and it needs to be addressed when it crosses the line into threats of violence.
Mathews and former Greenbelt Police Deputy Chief Thomas Kemp are delivering their message of safety at public meetings to members of the league on Wednesday.
Items on the agenda include sessions for newly elected officials, including adjusting to the first months of being in office and a chance of meeting viral sensation Benji the Therapy Dog.
The conference topics will touch on the stress that a job in public life can bring and how the COVID-19 pandemic brought some tension during public meetings nationwide.
“There’s been many incidents where people got in shouting matches,” Mathews said, adding that some people have been arrested during public meetings because of they made threats and acted disorderly.
While recognizing the need to make sure that people get a chance to be heard, Mathews said when there are indications that caution is called for, elected officials should consider having an officer present.
The purpose should not be to inflame with the presence of police, but “to monitor and make sure things are going well,” Mathews said.
He also said he and Kemp often advise public officials to consider monitoring social media ahead of meetings when there’s a hot-button issue on the agenda,
“Social media is oftentimes a precursor to a problem that might be brewing,” Mathews said.
When meetings become charged, Mathews said, “I don’t know if it’s generational or just what’s going on today,” but “It would be great if everyone could just take a collective deep breath and just lower the overall temperature.”
