By SHARON O’MALLEY
City Councilmember Stuart Adams (District 3), who represents College Park’s southern-most neighborhoods, announced on Dec. 22 that he will resign his council seat effective Jan. 8.
Adams joined the council in 2021 after unseating Councilmember Robert Day, who had served for a decade, by 35 votes. Adams was re-elected in 2023 and represents District 3 alongside Councilmember John Rigg.
In his resignation letter, Adams, who lives in the Calvert Hills neighborhood, said family commitments have constrained his availability for council work. Adams is the father of two small children.
“As a young father, my availability as a city councilmember has become more constrained,” Adams, 38, said in the letter, noting, “I must reflect, and based on weighing my priorities, I have decided to resign.”
Adams, whose council job is part-time, works full-time as a community resilience engineer for Stantec, an Alberta, Canada-based global firm specializing in sustainable engineering, architecture and environmental consulting.
The city charter requires the city to hold a special election to fill Adams’ seat within 65 days. Adams’ replacement will hold the seat until the next general election in November.
In his letter, Adams asked the mayor, councilmembers and residents to “continue to push” a number of projects he has championed during his three years in office, including the Calvert Hills stormwater drainage project and affordable childcare, and to “find peace” with what he called “the fictitious north/south College Park divide,” noting, “We’re all in this together.”
District 3 includes the neighborhoods of Yarrow, College Park Estates, Old Town and Calvert Hills.