On Friday, January 23, the Prince George’s County Council appointed Timothy J. Adams, the current mayor of Bowie, to serve as the new District 4 councilmember, filling the seat vacated by Ingrid Watson’s resignation. Greenbelt’s Mayor Emmett Jordan had also submitted an application for consideration. Adams was selected from a list of seven candidates who submitted applications during a period of less than a week. On Wednesday, January 21, the council publicly announced they would select a new councilmember at a special meeting on Friday, January 23, less than 48 hours after the brief application window closed. The appointment was originally scheduled to be made on Tuesday, January 27.
Curtailed Public Input
Several Greenbelt residents expressed their support for Jordan’s application and some expressed frustration at a timeline that constrained the public input that could have been considered. The lack of notice and technical difficulties, including the meeting not yet appearing as an option to register to speak at as of Thursday afternoon, circumvented the public’s ability to offer comment at the public hearing, which required pre-registration for speakers. After the Wednesday news release announcing the Friday meeting, the period in which to register to speak closed Thursday, before many knew about the meeting being rescheduled to Friday. Greenbelt Mayor Pro Tem Kristen Weaver was able to sign up to participate in the general public comment but others couldn’t navigate the process. The deadline to sign up was 3 p.m. Thursday and the meeting wasn’t listed on the drop-down for the required form as of approximately 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, said Weaver, who emailed someone for help. She received a call in response on Thursday evening, after the official deadline, at which point Friday’s meeting was listed so the form could be filled out.
“I was disappointed with how rushed the process was, as it didn’t allow time for input from the residents of District 4 in any meaningful way,” Weaver told the News Review. “I believe Mayor Jordan was a highly qualified applicant for the appointment, and I hope he will consider running for the seat in the upcoming election, as he would be a powerful voice for Greenbelt and an advocate for all of District 4 on the County Council,” she said.
The Appointment
The seven candidates considered for appointment were Adams, Jordan, Juliet Agocha, Ashlee E. Burks, Cameron Davis, Dominic Henry and Preston W. Thomas III. Prince George’s County Council’s Public Information Officer Pete DeLuca told the News Review no video of the meeting is available due to technical difficulties and minutes of the meeting were not yet available at time of press. Multiple sources the News Review contacted reported that the council recessed for far fewer than 10 minutes following the hearing before reconvening to vote. DeLuca told the News Review the recess was “roughly ten minutes to convene in executive session prior to the vote.” Councilmember Sydney Harrison recused himself due to missing most of the testimony and all other councilmembers voted in favor. Adams’ appointment as the new councilmember had been widely predicted.
Due to Adams’ and his company’s financial contributions to current councilmembers, the News Review reached out to the county council’s media office and the county administration’s Office of Ethics and Accountability to ask about protocol for potential conflicts of interest in the appointment process, but neither responded to calls or emails (see the January 22 issue).
Tim Adams
Adams has more than 30 years of experience in business, government and philanthropy, noted the county council in their announcement of his appointment. He will be the first councilmember using a wheelchair to serve on Prince George’s County Council, something Council Chair Krystal Oriadha (District 7) lauded as a milestone in inclusivity. “I know his leadership will inspire us to prioritize accessibility and representation in our legislative efforts,” said Oriadha.
Adams has served as the mayor of Bowie since 2019 and is Bowie’s first African American mayor. He is also the founder, president and CEO of Systems Application & Technologies, Inc. (SA-TECH), a Defense Department contracting firm founded in 1989 and headquartered in the county.
“District 4 reflects many of the same priorities I’ve addressed at the municipal level, including strong schools, reliable transportation, affordability, environmental stewardship and thoughtful development that serves existing communities as well as future generations,” Adams told the council during Friday’s public selection process. “My commitment is to listen first, govern responsibly and be a reliable partner focused on advancing the best interests of District 4 and Prince George’s County as a whole.”
Appointments Now Three
Pursuant to the County Code, when there is a vacancy on the county council that occurs during the last year of a term, a majority of the remaining councilmembers make an appointment to fill the vacancy. The District 4 seat is now the third to be filled by appointment since the beginning of December 2025, meaning that now more than a quarter of the councilmembers are in positions to which they were appointed rather than elected. This number includes Wala Blegay who was initially elected but then appointed to her current At-Large seat.
