Former Prince George’s County Council member Mel Franklin is talking about his new job for the first time since his release from jail earlier this year.
Franklin was in his fourth term on the council when he abruptly resigned shortly before he was charged with campaign finance violations last year. He later pleaded guilty and served time in an Anne Arundel County jail.
Shortly after his release, he was hired by his close friend and one-time colleague, At-Large Council member Calvin Hawkins, to serve as Hawkins’ chief of staff. It’s a hiring that has ignited controversy in the county, where even residents who believe in second chances question the hiring of someone who triggered an expensive special election following his resignation.
On Tuesday, Franklin had an answer for those who have criticized the use of taxpayer dollars for his second chance.
“I think public service usually is, and the question becomes, when you have so much that you’ve learned and that you have done in public service, do you quit because you messed up?” Franklin said. “Or you come back and you make up for it by doing even more and doing even better? I say the latter.”
Hawkins said he had to convince Franklin to take the job, and he isn’t surprised by the blowback he’s gotten.
“I expected that, but I also realized that the empathy that is Prince George’s County will overwhelm all the discontent and the negativity,” Hawkins said.
He also said he’s heard positive and negative reactions, and won’t run away from it.
“The only way you overcome mistakes is move forward. And this is an opportunity for him to move forward on the mistakes he made. And I’m not dismissing the mistakes he made. They were serious, but this is an opportunity for him to move forward and get the confidence in himself that he can do what we need him to do as a member of my staff.”
His arrest last year wasn’t Franklin’s first scrape with the law while serving on the council. In 2016 Franklin was charged with DUI while driving his county-owned vehicle and was sentenced to probation before judgment. That meant he never served time in jail.
After initially declining to speak with reporters, he described his experience in the Anne Arundel County Detention Center as “tough, but it was fair,” and he got emotional about the opportunity he’s now getting.
“I’ve done my time. I’m deeply apologetic for what I did, and I’ve said that before, and I say it again, and that’s all true,” he said. “I am very thankful for the second chance that this man has given me to serve, and I think I have a great deal of experience and knowledge to offer.”
Hawkins is a big proponent of helping returning citizens after he had his own run-ins with the law. In 1983 he was convicted of armed robbery, but eventually worked his way up through county government and was elected to the council in 2018. Several bills sponsored by him have focused on helping returning citizens.
“Who better to give him an opportunity than me? Who better to understand what he’s been through, assess the character, the integrity and all and walk this journey with him?” Hawkins said. “I knew this would not be an easy decision. I knew it’d be a great deal of criticism. But I believe in this man 100%.”
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