The following are my remarks to the Bowie City Council on 9.18.2017 regarding the proposed amendment to our City Charter's Recall Provision; an amendment born of vengeance, meant to silence political adversaries, by way of manipulation.
Full text of the proposed amendment may be found here
Upon winning your election, each of you swore to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States.
In my capacity as the teacher of an American Government course, I ensure that my students know that you can only fully understand the Constitution through the context provided by the Declaration of Independence.
The Declaration states:
“Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness”
It could be said that the American Revolution was the world's biggest recall - King George wasn't listening, and the colonies had had enough - so they acted.
After 2 years of refusing to listen to your constituents, as you looked at our homes and our city as your personal Monopoly game - we acted. We put forth a historic effort to recall members of this council. Never before had Bowie taken such drastic steps, but never before had there been such dissatisfaction with your representation.
Simply put, the Charter Amendment Resolution put forth by Ms. Levan is a disgrace.
It is a slap in the face of the more than 2,300 people who joined our movement, and it is an attempt to silence them.
More than half of the incorporated cities in Maryland have a Recall Provision - and ours is the most stringent. With only 30 days to collect 25% of the registered voters signatures, you confine us to an impractically short time period and impose and unnecessary burden on Bowie voters.
Furthermore, should we be successful in a recall effort after the passage of this resolution, we would then be faced with the process of judicial review, which is tantamount to government helping government.
Would the British courts have sided with American Revolutionaries? Not a chance. Given the opportunity to review it, would King George have found our recall valid? Never.
This amendment does not serve the interests of Bowie Citizens - it provides the council with further opportunities to weasel their way out of the democratic process.
I urge you to vote no on this amendment as submitted - and amend it to benefit the citizens you represent.