By SOFIE PATERNITE
Brentwood’s vice mayor and town administrator both resigned from their positions in mid-June, provoking concerns among residents.
Former Vice Mayor Stefan Leggin posted his resignation letter in a town Facebook group on June 19, citing his concerns with the mayor and the town council’s leadership approaches.
“Throughout these years, I have faithfully supported this administration to the best of my ability, but recent decisions have shaken me to my core,” Leggin said. “Safeguarding our residents is a foundational responsibility of government. It is where we start — not an afterthought — and I can not support leadership that rolls the dice with our community.”
Leggin wrote this statement after Brentwood Mayor Rocio Treminio-Lopez reportedly hired an individual with a known criminal record.
The individual in question pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual offense charges in 2007 for a crime committed with two other men in 2005. They were 19 years old at the time of the crime, and they are now a tier-three sexual offender. This means they will stay on the Maryland Sex Offendry List permanently as a result of serious crimes such as rape or kidnapping, according to a Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services website.
Treminio-Lopez posted a response to concerns about the hiring.
“As Mayor of the town of Brentwood, I have always utilized the authority granted by the town’s Charter to make decisions that are in the best interest of our community,” she began.
Treminio-Lopez added that she supports giving people a second chance, and that helping returning citizens find employment aids personal recovery and community prosperity. She cited the Maryland Re-entry Initiative, a program designed to help those with criminal backgrounds increase their employability, according to the State of Maryland website. Furthermore, Treminio-Lopez said that both the county and state conduct in-depth screenings of returning individuals to ensure community safety.
“I understand that this decision may have caused some apprehension among residents,” she wrote. “It is important to recognize that everyone deserves a second chance. The individuals that are hired have served their time and are seeking to reintegrate into society as productive, law-abiding citizens.”
At the July 9 mayor and council town meeting, residents encouraged the council to be transparent about staffing turnover to allay public concern. Some residents also expressed concerns about how the new hire would interact with the community.
“Please look out for us. Inform us. Let us know what is happening here in our town and whether or not the concerns that are circulating are things that we really should be worried about,” a resident said during the meeting’s public comment period. Another resident added, “You are the mayor of this town. You’re supposed to keep our community safe. … [Now a rapist] represents us.”
During the meeting, Treminio-Lopez repeatedly said that she has made her decision and stands by it. She declined to comment on if the decision was made by her alone or by the entire council. Additionally, as of press time, Treminio-Lopez had not responded to requests for comment.
Town Attorney Jason DeLoach informed residents that they could contact the former town officials regarding why those officials left.
“The mayor council is limited in the information that they can provide on a few of these matters because they are personnel matters,” DeLoach said. “Personnel matters are not anything they can disclose.”
The former Brentwood town administrator, James Gaston III, held the position for three years, but now works as the deputy city manager in Hopewell, Va. As of press time, Gaston had not responded to requests for comment on his resignation. C. Reginald Bagley now serves as the interim town administrator.
Additionally, a Town of Brentwood website post states that Calvin Washington is now the interim police chief. However, Washington was sworn in as Brentwood’s police chief back in 2022. During the July 9 meeting, a resident asked why Washington resigned and then came back; Treminio-Lopez responded that he never resigned. It is unclear why Washington’s title changed and if it’s related to the other two resignations. Treminio-Lopez said that the town is actively searching for a new police chief.
Sofie Paterenite is an intern with Streetcar Suburbs Publishing.
