By Richard Crumbacker

CRISFIELD — The city’s standoffish relationship with the Greater Crisfield Action Coalition warmed slightly but perceived or actual conflict of interest by two council members could stop further embrace for the next several months.

At their February work session the City Council by consensus favored supporting GCAC’s grant application to start a Youth Entrepreneurial Program (YEP). If funded, there would be workshops this summer for high school students to learn more about business ownership, trade skills, STEM careers and financial literacy.

But two other requests by the community development corporation for council support — budgeting $30,000 and endorsing a $300,000 grant to hire an executive director for three years — failed to receive a majority consensus.

Not only are the four council members split 2-2 but the code of ethics as explained by City Solicitor Michael Sullivan mutes Vice President Eric Banks and Councilwoman Charlotte Scott from having an active role on these matters.

Mr. Banks is a GCAC board member, and Ms. Scott is past president. Although Ms. Scott stepped down a month before the June election, the city code requires 12 months of separation.

As a board member, Mr. Banks “cannot participate in any matter that would directly benefit that organization,” Mr. Sullivan said. “And if you would like to participate in those matters,” he continued, “you can resign from you position, however, there is a one-year period of time that must lapse following that resignation.”

Mr. Sullivan said the code refers to “business entity” but by definition that includes not for profits like GCAC. He added that Crisfield was commended by the state ethics commission attorney for legislating this one-year time out.

It was Councilman Mike Atkins who first cautioned Mr. Banks as a GCAC member to consider the ethics ordinance before discussing or voting on issues that directly affected the organization. Dr. Atkins said during his previous term on the council both he and former Vice President LaVerne Johnson would leave the room when McCready Foundation issues were being discussed because they were employees.

“We did not want to have the appearance of any conflict of interest,” Dr. Atkins said, “and to this day I don’t know what those discussions were about.”

He said there’s the “letter of the law” but also the “perception or appearance of an ethics violation.”

Mr. Banks said he did not have to be a member of GCAC to know what it’s doing and voiced his support. Ms. Scott, however, said she did not think she could comment as she did not leave the organization until May 18, 2020.

Mr. Sullivan said when organizations meet and discuss issues that concerns constituents council members are not prohibited from attending, but “‘Perception’ and not the letter of the law” is the word “that’s extremely operative” in this case.

Mayor Barry Dize has resisted the city establishing a formal memorandum of understanding with GCAC but again said he is willing to work with it on a case by case basis. The youth program is one example, which he said he personally supports, but supporting a grant application to pay the salary of an executive director is not.

“As a mayor who puts in 40 to 50 hours a week for $2,000 a year, to sign off on a letter for an executive director making $100,000 a year for three years, when I’m making pittance for what I do...it sure as hell doesn’t make my stomach feel good,” he said. While he knew what he was getting into when he ran for mayor in 2018, if he was on the council, “I would not be in support” of a letter of endorsement.

The request for $30,000 so GCAC could provide strategic consulting services for the city was also not supported and will not move forward for a formal vote.

Dr. Atkins said he compares GCAC to It Takes a Village to Help Our Children Inc. which provides valuable after school services for at risk youth. But ITAV “reached out for private funding on their own” and operates on grant funding. “They don’t need the city’s support to do that, and they are very successful,” he said.

During the virtual meeting, broadcast on the city’s Facebook page, many comments were posted about the lack of a fifth member on the council, a situation that arose when Nelson Sheppard resigned and was hired to work for the city as code enforcer. In January a vote on the redevelopment of the former Carvel Hall failed 2-2.

A fifth member to the council is expected to be appointed by Mayor Dize at a special meeting March 3, with the next regular meeting set for March 10. At that time GCAC requests as well as the future of the Carvel Hall property are expected to be decided.