After One of The Most Tumultuous Terms in County Council History, Todd Turner Passes The Gavel

The following are excerpts from a November 26 interview with Legislative Year 2020 County Council Chair Todd M. Turner. In it, Turner discussed a range of issues from presiding over the council during one of the most challenging terms in Maryland history, including the U. S. Census, converting to an all virtual format during the pandemic, providing economic relief, addressing the call to vote in the national election and the loss of family members to COVID 19 by councilmembers and county leaders, including his own family loss.

Turner, flanked by At large Council member Hawkins moments after the 2020 Gavel Exchange as Turner became chair and Hawkins, vice chair. PHOTO: COURTESY PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY COUNCIL.

By Raoul Dennis

When former New York City Mayor David Dinkins passed away Nov. 23, it was yet another blow that the year 2020 dished to outgoing County Council Chair Todd M. Turner. It was the loss of one of his mentors---the man Turner says helped him to learn how to lead. That loss came just months after the loss of his mother, leaving Turner and his family struggling to find ways to cope with the new, unexpected void in the family – just as millions of other Americans are doing under the rapid, deadly sweep of COVID-19.

But the veteran elected official kept his center primarily because of the lessons both those personal influences left him with: “You don’t forget but I expect you keep moving.”

What would you say about this year?

This has been quite the age to be an elected official and in leadership this year. But I do have to say, our team has been outstanding: both the County Council and our legislative branch in our leadership. And the relationship we built with the Alsobrooks Administration last year, came to fruition this year under crisis circumstances. They always say with an old cliché ‘the greatest measure of a person—in this case the government – is in how they react in times of crisis.’ That relationship has been one of the stronger ones this year. It allowed us to move forward and be adaptable to the circumstances that we found ourselves in.”

Click here to view former County Council Chairman Turner's exit speech at the Dec. 1 Gavel Exchange.

The term you presided over is a history book smorgasbord. There was Covid-19, there was the Census, lockdowns, jobs and development losses, racial strife and social unrest, a national election with undertones that suggested a shift in our democracy. Talk to us about managing all of that.

I mean obviously this was a test that nobody expected as we began 2020. This was something nobody expected. Last year was about developing the relationship between the new County Council and the new administration. It went much smoother this year than last year. So, I think that that [the pandemic] is something that we've been able to manage because of the relationships that we built or strengthened last year as well as consistency and leadership over the two-year period.

In the past, we’ve done single year chairmanships, we have also done two-year chairmanships. Because of that trust and those relationships, we were able to do things in the best interest of the county and residents. We worked extremely well together. Our employees have been the backbone of the work that we have done even in a new environment, new virtual environment for many of them.

What would you say that you've learned from this?

I started to reflect on that when former [New York City] Mayor Dinkins passed away [last week]. I started my career in government in New York. This year’s experience in government has just made me reflect a little bit [on that time]. I even pulled out a picture I had of the opportunity. I was still in school, but I was able to work for Dinkins’ law department while I was in law school.

They had a summer event at the Gracie Mansion. And so, I went up there, got an opportunity to speak and to have a picture and a nice handshake with Mayor Dinkins. He wrote a nice note to me on the picture. So, all of this [and his passing] made me reflect about how I got started in government, many moons ago. And why and what I learned from David who was a role model. He taught us how you interact with people. And after all these years, that’s the way I’ve treated both the people I've served as an elected official and my colleagues in government: be respectful, appreciate them and care about them. That gave all of us strength during the past few years.

Despite whatever obstacles, everybody pulled together at the federal level, the state level, the county-level, and the local level on those big picture issues.

The same year that we were dealing with a pandemic, we were having a national election, we had the U.S. Census---all these things were in the mix this year. It was such a tumultuous year – but trying to be on goal, trying to be on task, providing communication and information to the people were the biggest things and rising to the challenge. I saw that in my colleagues who were out doing food drives or giving out gift cards or just simply sending out information in response to citizens’ requests for help. We have all stood up to the extent that we could to try to help folks.

How has it hit home and how did you handle it?

You just have to keep your nose to the grindstone in order to do what you've been elected to do. We're still dealing with [the loss of my mother]. My sisters and I were able to come together so we were with my mother when she passed. The role I had as the chair of the council and an elected official and a leader in Prince George's County and all the things that we’re dealing with, provided me with focus. I've not had my time to reflect fully on the loss of my mother. Maybe I can do that now that we're into the holiday phase.

One of the things that we did as a result is, we have begun a weekly or bi-weekly family call. The entire, extended family is virtually checking in on each other and how everyone is doing.

You try to cope as best you can to move on. Dr. Carter had a death in his family. Chief of Staff Joy Russell had a death in her family. [Deni Taveras endured several COVID-19 related deaths in her family, as well]. You try to cope as best you can and move on particularly when you know it’s happening in everybody’s family. I think to be honest that it probably gave us all the strength to keep going because of the way we were all brought up to be able to move on, to move forward and continue to work and to make them proud of us even in their current ‘life’ away from us. That’s the way I was raised, and I think [my mother] would be proud of me. I think she would be proud of the work I’ve done. My sister was in New York at the time so she’s still there. One of her daughters is down here now and she had a baby boy. So that's brought us joy.

Congratulations. That's good.

Turner Alsobrooks Hawkins at Red Gala 2019.jpg

You know, I hate to say it, but it is the cycle of life. I have been thinking about how we responded [as voters] with the new national administration coming in, and how I think things will be different in the upcoming year. That makes me hopeful that we are moving in the right direction for the country and how we can come together, despite a once-every-hundred-year-pandemic, we, as Americans and Prince Georgians can overcome --- in spite of the darkest days that we have had.

These times make you re-calibrate a bit. You presided over a lot of ‘firsts’ while keeping things going.

Yes, we had to re-calibrate everything: going to an all-virtual format. Over the last eight months we passed a $5 billion dollar budget virtually while still allowing residents to be able to participate in the process. We've had historic health legislation to include healthy meal prep through the healthy kids meal legislation that we passed last week. We adjusted tax credit areas so we can address some of the food insecurity issues in the county. We launched the second report from the Rand Corporation with respect to health care and just adopted a resolution for us to move forward to do

PHOTO: COURTESY PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY COUNCIL

that as we look forward to the opening of the Regional Medical Center. And we strengthened the relationship we have with the University of Maryland Medical System as well as our other health care partners and hospitals---particularly during this health crisis as we're unfortunately seeing a COVID 19 surge in the hospitals.

There were a whole range of things we did in emergency legislation with respect to evictions and late fees and rental increases during the state of emergency. We’ve done it seven times over the last eight months to continue the authority for the health officer and the county executive, change what’s occurring in our base of operations [to keep up with] the metrics we are seeing with COVID 19. And this was happening with all the other things that we would normally do as a county council: whether it's going to a virtual format for a district council in order to move forward land use items or economic development issues. So, we really have ramped up and adjusted. I give all the credit to our administrative aides at the council because without them, it wouldn’t work. It looks very easy on the front end and very good but there's so much work that's going on behind the scenes--and they're working, almost twenty-four-seven--to be able to do that in a virtual environment. It's that adaptability that has been the hallmark of this county and the council during this past year.

PHOTO: RAOUL DENNIS//PRINCE GEORGE’S SUITE MAGAZINE & MEDIA

How does it feel to have been at the helm of leadership at the council during such a significant point in history?

“It has been my honor to lead such a dedicated, gifted, hardworking and passionate assembly of public servants through this incredibly challenging and pivotal point in our history. Recognizing early in the term the value of the strong collaborations we established with the County Executive, federal and state lawmakers, regional and municipal government leaders, our communities, businesses, nonprofits, and other County stakeholders, we were able to battle the impact of the COVID-19 on our communities and coordinate critical resources and information to support our residents.

My own sense of leadership is guided by the maxim that only through service to the community can we achieve progress in Prince George’s. Hopefully, we achieved that goal despite the unprecedented and historic year it has been.”