Labor leaders, residents and politicians gathered in support of Prince George’s County Council member Krystal Oriadha after she says some of her fellow council members are using her pending maternity leave to silence her and disenfranchise the 120,000 residents in her district.
Last week, the Prince George's County Council voted against a resolution to allow members to remotely attend meetings and vote. One councilman admitted he was hoping to keep a councilwoman from voting once she goes on maternity leave. Former Council Chairman Calvin Hawkins accused Oriadha of playing the victim during the debate of the resolution.
“I’ve sat in this chair and listened to your moralistic, holier-than-thou comments," he said.
He made it clear that he hoped to weaken the voting majority bloc that she is a part of by not allowing remote voting and participation while she was on maternity leave.
“We are a County Council of 11,” Hawkins said. “You all since December have made it a County Council of six.”
Labor leaders, other elected officials and voters are calling on the Council to change its vote.
“You are standing firm with not just me, but every woman that is going to come after me,” Oriadha said at a news conference Tuesday.
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The original motion was for all Council members to participate and vote remotely in the future since there are no current rules.
'We don't have enough moms in office'
"We are working on changing these policies so that more women of minor children can serve,” said Liuba Grechen Shirley, founder and CEO of Vote Mama Foundation, which works to break down barriers prohibiting mothers from serving in public office.
They say 85% of American women are mothers by the time they are 45 years old. But in 2022, moms of minor kids only made up 5% of state legislators. Only 12 women serving in state legislatures gave birth in the past year, and just three of them were Black mothers.
“We have policies that are failing women and children across the country because we don't have enough moms in office,” Shirley said. “And the reason we don't have enough moms in office is because our political system was specifically designed to keep women with small children out of office.”
That sentiment was echoed by the dozens of residents who spoke out against those who voted against the resolution.
Those who voted against it released a statement saying they do support maternal health.
Council Chair Thomas Dernoga on Thursday released voting records showing three of the Council members who voted against the remote option had the lowest attendance on the Council, saying perhaps remote voting could have helped them.
“Some of them have missed 50% of their committee meetings,” Council member Ed Burroughs said.
The five Council members who voted against the resolution released a statement that said, “The council woman’s district is also represented by two at-large members, who can address constituent concerns when she is not present.”
Both at-large members voted against the remote voting resolution.
The Council members who voted against the resolution now say they are willing to negotiate. The Council is expected to take up the issue again next week.
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