LA PLATA, Md. — The newly seated La Plata Town Council’s first special meeting on May 12 ended in a procedural standstill after a dispute over the agenda halted official business.
The meeting, which followed a ceremonial swearing-in, was called to adopt council rules of procedure and appoint members to boards and commissions. However, the council failed to approve the agenda after no member seconded a motion to adopt it.
Councilmember Patrick McCormick moved to amend the agenda to include discussion of new rules of procedure drafted by incoming members. Mayor Jeannine James ruled the motion out of order, citing Resolution 23-01, which limits rule changes to regular meetings with advance public notice.
Rather than appealing the ruling or attempting to suspend the rules, McCormick and a majority of councilmembers withheld support for proceeding with the mayor’s proposed agenda.
“This was not a rogue one or two members acting alone. This was a unified action by a unified council,” McCormick later stated in a public message. “I believe we on the council made a strong statement that the agenda and communication in Town Hall will not be controlled by one individual person. Everyone on the dais represents the 11,000 residents of La Plata.”
Mayor James criticized the move, saying, “The oath that they just took is in name only. They are not serving the people of La Plata if they can’t even go through the first special meeting.”
The meeting lasted approximately 21 minutes, from 6 p.m. to 6:21 p.m.
McCormick also addressed public concerns about whether councilmembers may have violated the Maryland Open Meetings Act by speaking with town staff outside of official sessions. He rejected that interpretation, stating:
“Before swearing in, the mayor sat down with three of us and stated that if we were to have a conversation with a department head, a FOP member, a town employee… that we would be in violation of the OMA. This is a fear tactic, plain and simple, that holds no water. Instructing or demanding action from a department is a violation of the act. Asking what does this or that line item mean does not. That is why I took the action I did on Monday.”
Upcoming Meetings:
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at 6 p.m.
Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at 6 p.m.
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The Open Meeting violation is for the council members to meeting without public notice.