Hagerstown a city 'in crisis and under siege': Corderman's letter sparks debate, outcry

A fatal shooting near downtown Hagerstown has sparked reaction that turned political after a state senator publicly posted a letter to the mayor and council stating that the city is "in crisis and under siege."

State Sen. Paul Corderman, R-Washington, sent a letter to the Hagerstown mayor and council on July 24, six days after the shooting and one day after a council meeting, expressing concerns about their "remaining silent, with no plan" and "welcoming the opportunity" to meet, discuss and support city officials to try to better the community. Corderman also posted the letter on his Facebook page.

Corderman wrote that it's been concerning that city political leaders "have not taken a more proactive approach to address the longstanding social issues that have been plaguing our City" and that community members are "now seeing this issue being compounded with repeated violence in our community."

But at the previous night's meeting, the mayor and some council members did briefly address concerns about violent crime and the effects of the drug epidemic during a portion set aside for council comments, according to a Facebook video of the meeting. Near the start of the meeting, several residents had expressed concerns to the council about the shooting, drug use near their homes and finding numerous discarded needles.

Councilwoman Tiara Burnett called for a meeting with Hagerstown Police, the Washington County Sheriff's Office and Maryland State Police about what's being done and what city officials can do to help.

Mayor Tekesha Martinez later looked toward Burnett and said they do need to talk with law enforcement, and asked a police captain at the meeting what the city could do to help.

It's not just up to the city, Martinez said during the meeting. Referencing state and county political leaders, Martinez said "it takes all of us working together."

"The last thing to do is to just point fingers and blame one particular person," Martinez said. "I don’t think that that works. I also don’t believe that having discussions around all the problems and not putting some solutions on the table will work either."

Martinez did not respond to requests for comment for this story. But some council members repeated in interviews with The Herald-Mail that it's not just the city's responsibility.

Fort Ritchie revival: When so many efforts to redevelop Fort Ritchie failed, why is the Ritchie Revival working?

Corderman's letter to Hagerstown officials on crime

In his letter to city officials, Corderman highlighted several points he would welcome the chance to discuss or help with, including the possibility of seeking state legislation.

One of them is something he noted that "the City" had talked about in the past — a drug ordinance similar to one in Martinsburg, W.Va.

Martinsburg's "drug house" ordinance fines violating property owners , according to Herald-Mail archives.

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25012772-july-24-letter-to-mayor-and-council

He also expressed concerns about the "plethora of social services continuing to expand" in the city's core and how those need to be spread out more. Corderman said in a phone interview Thursday that he's not opposed to treatment and having resources available for people, but those services should not be centralized in downtown Hagerstown.

"Obviously, what we're doing now is not working," Corderman said.

Corderman told The Herald-Mail that "we've come to a point ... where continuing to just say that we're going to collaborate and work and do something is not an option. They have to actually do something. We're seeing violent crime repeatedly happen in the core ... shootings, murder, assault."

Councilwoman Shelley McIntire said in a phone interview Friday that she can see what Corderman means.

McIntire said she led meetings for an anti-violence youth program and food and transportation coalitions.

"We're all so busy and all trying to do this work and a true action plan hasn't really been formed yet for all of us to collaborate together," McIntire said.

A strategic plan is needed for these social issues the community is experiencing, McIntire said. One where "everyone understands their roles and responsibilities and has action items," and egos and personal agendas are checked at the door, she said.

Could Washington County schools close?: BOE members insist there's no interest in closing two county schools, despite claims

Senator's letter draws criticism from council members

While Corderman's letter wasn't sent until July 24, he also had posted on Facebook after the July 18 shooting that the "local administration needs to take a leadership position and demonstrate this is not the acceptable standard for our city."

His two posts about the issue resulted in comments from residents and current and former elected officials about the issues and various government actions or inactions.

Several city council members told The Herald-Mail they agreed that public meetings need to be held with representatives from multiple government bodies and agencies as well as nonprofits to discuss what can be done about violent crime and societal issues that seem to be on the rise in the city.

At the same time, some city officials took issue with parts of Corderman's letter, and his posting it publicly rather than reaching out more directly to city officials.

In interviews, Councilman Kristin Aleshire described Corderman's letter as "disingenuous" while Burnett said it was "divisive."

Burnett said in a text to The Herald-Mail that the letter was the only one the mayor and council, "as a body," received from Corderman's office outlining his concerns. Instead of asking to join a public meeting to discuss the issues and offer support, "he chose to send this letter via email and post it on his senator Facebook page first."

"Using these unfortunate events to make his stance on crime and drugs was insensitive to the families and communities still grieving from these traumas," Burnett wrote. His letter also downplayed Hagerstown Police's efforts and "dismissed the work of non-profits addressing these social issues."

"It is time to stop blaming and pointing fingers. Instead, we need to roll up our sleeves, work together, and show our communities the power of collaboration by setting aside our differences for the betterment of our constituents. I hope the Senator will join us in the upcoming discussions," Burnett texted.

Councilman Matthew Schindler said he was both frustrated and encouraged by Corderman's letter.

"It's great to see our state delegation willing to come to the table with us," Schindler said.

But Schindler said he thought the letter "was very politically motivated and kind of accusatory when we're all working for the same thing."

Maryland state lawmakers are not up for election this year. The Hagerstown mayoral post and all five council seats are up for election on Nov. 5 with Aleshire, Burnett, Schindler and Peter Perini facing several challengers to retain their council seats.

Perini said Friday that he was sure the entire council appreciated Corderman's concern and interest and that he hopes the state lawmaker "did that with the best of intentions and that he sincerely means what he says when he offers his help."

"I hope that the senator is sincere in his offer to help and I look forward to hearing what suggestions he has on what he can do," Perini said Friday. "Other than to write letters and post them all over Facebook."

Hagerstown double shooting: Hagerstown man charged in recent double shooting that left one dead

Hagerstown councilman: City officials can't change state laws

Aleshire responded to Corderman's letter with an email Wednesday night that he sent not only to the state senator, but to state and county political and law enforcement leaders as well as to court and county health department officials.

Aleshire noted in the letter and in a phone interview that city officials and police are limited in what they can do in some ways because of state laws, state and federal directives, and funding programs with nonprofits and other agencies. He specifically referenced the legalization of recreational marijuana in Maryland, despite the drug remaining a Schedule I controlled substance on the federal level.

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25017331-kristin-aleshire-letter

Aleshire also said the city has no control over how cases are treated through the court system, and expressed concerns about a harm reduction program run by the Washington County Health Department, part of the Maryland Health Department, that includes providing clean needles to drug users.

"There are clearly concerns in the community about" the needle program, Aleshire said. "If that is a concern, as Paul indicates, and I get it, it's a rub among the parties at the state level ... I think we should have that discussion as a mayor and council. Do we or do we not want to send communication to the (Washington) County Health Department to say, 'Hey, we don't think it's good for the city. We would like you to stop doing this and providing this service within the City of Hagerstown?' " Aleshire said.

In Corderman's letter, he highlighted — among other issues — the "needles and feces all over the place." Among the points Corderman offered to discuss was calling on the Public Works Department and the county health department to clean up the city's core. If the health department continues to promote and provide needles, "they should be held accountable by the City to be the ones cleaning it up daily — not the City and not our citizens," Corderman wrote.

Aleshire called for multiple meetings, taking one issue at a time with the appropriate parties to vet them publicly so residents know what the city can and cannot do, and who is or isn't responsible for each specific item.

Schindler agreed with the idea of multiple meetings, including one with the State's Attorney and court officials, and another with nonprofits and social services.

"I am happy to participate in any public hearings to discuss these concerns," Washington County State's Attorney Gina Cirincion, the head prosecutor in the county, emailed The Herald-Mail.

"We're all raising our families here," Schindler said. "We all want the same thing."

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Hagerstown a city 'in crisis and under siege': Corderman's letter sparks debate, outcry