Fallout After No Special Session: Mayor Calls on House Democratic Caucus Chair to Step Down

The decision by leaders of the Maryland General Assembly not to hold a special legislative session this fall to address the myriad problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic continues to reverberate politically.

Earlier this week, Greenbelt Mayor Colin A. Byrd posted a six-page document on Facebook, calling on Prince George’s County Del. Jazz M. Lewis, the chair of the House Democratic Caucus, to resign from his leadership position.

In his statement and in an interview, Byrd — who works for the legislature, as chief of staff to Del. Julian Ivey (D-Prince George’s) — suggested that Lewis and other legislative leaders have dragged their feet on necessary actions that could have helped struggling families as the public health and the economic devastation of the pandemic rose.

Byrd also chastised Lewis for his votes on a series of issues that have come before the legislature in recent years — most notably, his support for legislation that lets Johns Hopkins University establish a private police force.

Read more: https://www.marylandmatters.org/2020/12/11/fallout-after-no-special-session-mayor-calls-on-house-dem-caucus-chair-to-step-down/