Politics & Government

Hyattsville Council Appoints Police Chief Acting Administrator

Chief Douglas Holland will stand in for the next for weeks or longer, at the council's pleasure.

The Hyattsville City Council Monday night voted to appoint police Chief Douglas Holland temporary acting city administrator for the next month.

At its first November meeting, the council will review Holland’s management plan for the city and determine at that point if they would like to go another route.

Some council members were concerned that Holland, while qualified for the job, wouldn’t be able to fulfill the duties of an acting administrator, especially given the council doesn’t yet know what it would expect from him in this position.

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“I would never propose to know how to do any of these other [city] jobs,” Holland said. “But I think I have the capacity to be a facilitator … I would be happy to do it.”

Holland has acted as administrator during the absences of

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The city administrator position came upon at the Oct. 7 departure of Gregory Rose from the office. , to return to his family in Texas.

“I have nothing but the highest opinion of Chief Holland,” Councilwoman Shani Warner (Ward 2) said. “I’m a little concerned about the position that we’re putting [city staff] in. I have the sense that this is a big job.

“Unfortunately, I think we’ve shown a lack of ability in giving direction to city staff to things that require a lot of thought,” she said.

City staff, some of who were at the meeting, said they support Holland for the spot.

But in the police department, there is one vacant lieutenant’s position.

Councilwoman Candace Hollingsworth (Ward 1) said she is concerned about holding Holland in that spot for the long term.

“I don’t think we as a body are able to provide expectations,” she said. “We’ve had a blow to the knee cap and we are expecting another one.”

Hollingsworth did not elaborate on that comment.

Mayor Marc Tartaro, who initially suggested Holland for the acting spot, is confident in the chief’s ability to take on the added work.

“I think he certainly represents the best of our city staff in being able to take on the task,” he said.

In the mean time, the city council has directed Clerk Douglas Barber to check with the Maryland Municipal League to see if any “circuit rider” administrators might be available to stand in.


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