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Prince George's County Councilwoman Marilynn M. Bland's ascent Dec. 2 to head the County Council is drawing sharply different reactions from civic leaders in her district.

In a telephone interview Dec. 4, Bland (D-Dist. 9) of Clinton said her top priorities for her district are school construction and repairs, development of a hotel near The Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro and "just staying green."

She said that her greatest achievements in her six-year career on the council have been her creation of a Youth Commission, a group of students who advise council members on issues affecting young people, her work on a committee established by Prince George's County Circuit Court Chief Judge William D. Missouri meant to fight domestic violence and her opposition to zoning requests she felt would damage the environment or rural character of her district.

"I'm very collegial," she said of her leadership style. "I'm known as ‘the council member who cares.'"

Civic leaders who have worked with Bland disagree about whether that designation is appropriate.

Kelly Canavan, a member of the Greater Accokeek Civic Association, a group that advocates for educational, environmental and other causes, said Bland has done little for her district.

"She has mismanaged our environmental resources, she has mismanaged our financial resources, she has mismanaged our educational resources," Canavan said.

Canavan said Bland has not secured enough funding for District 9 schools, which she said do not get enough county support. She noted that many of the schools identified as needing repair in a May study by Pasadena, Calif.-based firm Parsons 3D/International were in Bland's district.

Bland could not be reached for comment by press time.

"I don't know whether I'd call it a lack of aggression [on Bland's part]," Canavan said. "It's definitely a lack of savvy. It's a lack of interest."

Canavan also cited a common complaint against Bland—that it is hard for constituents to contact her with concerns and that she rarely makes public appearances, preferring to delegate that responsibility to her staff.

Bland said those concerns are unfounded.

"We're not even going to go there, because that's not accurate," Bland said. "To even discuss that would not be appropriate."

Canavan said she does support Bland's recent co-sponsorship of a defeated bill to create a Transfer of Development Rights program, something the bill's supporters said would have protected rural areas from development.

"I think a lot of people take hope from her co-sponsoring the TDR bill, that that signifies something," Canavan said.

Walter Thaxton, chair of the District 5 Citizens Advisory Committee, a group of residents who work with police and other government agencies to promote public safety in the Clinton area, said he has always approved of Bland's performance.

"I find her cooperative, supportive, and I look forward to working with her," said Thaxton, who said Bland helped his group get supplies for National Night Out, a crime-awareness campaign earlier this year, and worked to give CSA-23 a $2,500 grant, which the group could not collect because of its tax status.

"She's won some, she's lost some," Thaxton said. "I think as council chair she's in a position to win more."

Joe Brice of Cheltenham, president of the Prince George's County Civic Federation, describes his position on Bland five years ago as "A.B.M.—Anyone But Marilynn." But he said that has changed in recent years.

"I think she's had a six-year apprenticeship" as a council member, Brice said. "She's probably a good person for [the chairmanship]."

Brice said when Bland took office in 2002, she rarely made public appearances, and when she did, she demanded a list of questions be submitted beforehand.

Brice said Bland improved after 2006, when he claims two other council members—whom he would not identify— told Brice they would work with Bland to improve her performance.

"They said they would teach her," Brice said. "They kept their end of the bargain."

Most civic leaders asked to comment on Bland's new leadership role said she has improved with experience and said they hoped she will be more effective in the future.

Judy Allen-Leventhal, president of the Greater Accokeek Civic Association, said she hopes Bland will represent her district "with more energy" and with "better communication" to get more county support for District 9.

"I think we're optimistic that we'll have more visibility and more attention," said Allen-Leventhal. "We really want this to be a positive thing. We really do."

E-mail Greg Holzheimer at gholzheimer@gazette.net.