Braveboy Selects New Fire Chief, Park and Planning Chair
As she begins her new role, County Executive Aisha Braveboy (D) continues to fill in her leadership team with new appointments.
Braveboy announced Thelmetria “Meme” Michaelides to serve as the next fire chief.
“My journey to this moment as the next fire chief of Prince George’s County Fire and EMS Department hasn’t been a traditional or linear path,” Michaelides said. “Every twist and turn along the way has, I believe, prepared me to serve.”
Michaelides, the first African-American woman in Maryland to become a bomb technician, will be replacing Tiffany Green, the county’s first African-American woman to serve as fire chief.
Green remains actively involved in the transition and will serve as the county’s assistant public safety director going forward.
The new fire chief’s first goals are to build her command staff and conduct an evaluation of the department.
“As chief I won’t have all the solutions. But I will empower and challenge command staff, and all men and women of Prince George’s County Fire and EMS Department,” she said.
County Council Chair Ed Burroughs III (D- District 8) offered praise and encouragement for the new fire chief.
“If you heard Chief Meme’s story, from dispatcher to now chief, it’s a beautiful one. And I believe your story will be an inspiration to all of Prince George’s county residents, that you too can start out as a dispatcher,” he said, shortly after her appointment was announced, before emphasizing her qualifications. “She said she was nervous up here. I find that interesting because she can diffuse a bomb.”
While Michaelides suffered a health emergency during a fireworks demonstration at the fire department’s training academy in Cheltenham, she has since recovered.
In addition, Darryl Barnes, who formerly served as a state delegate and led the Legislative Black Caucus in Annapolis, has been announced as the next chair of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, a bi-county agency that manages over 50,000 acres of parks and operates the Prince George’s recreation programs.
“I was proud to vote in support of Darryl Barnes as the next chair of the Park and Planning Commission,” said Councilmember Wala Blegay (D- District 6), who voted in favor of Barnes to serve in this new role and represents the same area on the County Council that he did while in Annapolis.
Blegay noted his combination of skills will serve him well in this new role.
“As a former Delegate for District 25, past chair of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, and a longtime advocate for our communities, Darryl brings bold vision and leadership to the table,” she said. “He understands how to bring quality development to Prince George’s County while also ensuring that our parks, recreation, and planning efforts reflect the needs and voices of our residents.”
Moore Commits to ‘Just Communities,’ Announces More Cannabis Pardons
As part of Juneteenth celebrations, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), announced various efforts— from housing plans, to cannabis pardons— to combat racial disparities and support Black Marylanders, one of his signature campaign pledges.
“Today, on Juneteenth, we honor the spirit and legacy of Juneteenth not just by celebrating a triumph in Galveston, Texas, but also by carrying forward the work of repair. Today we continue the march to freedom. On day one of our administration, we made clear that in this moment, Maryland would refuse to tolerate a widening racial wealth gap, because we know the racial wealth gap affects all of us,” said Moore in a speech on Juneteenth delivered at Bethel AME Church in Cambridge, Maryland, an Eastern Shore town where Harriet Tubman was once enslaved, now featuring a museum and a mural dedicated to the famed Underground Railroad conductor and her historic achievements.
Alongside Maryland Secretary of Housing Jake Day, Moore promised that an estimated $400 million of designated funds will be given top priority to be distributed to Cambridge and 418 other “just communities” across Maryland, to incentivize new housing and economic development in majority-minority communities and census tracts.
Day, who formerly served as the mayor of Salisbury, is excited to use his office to improve housing opportunities in Maryland.
“The first-of-its-kind designation of Maryland’s ‘Just Communities’ is a critical step in lifting the barriers that create separate and unequal neighborhoods all across our state,” said Day. “Fostering fairer development and addressing inequity not only creates healthier, more resilient communities, but generates lasting social and economic well-being for all.”
During the day celebrating freedom for African Americans, the governor emphasized how the racial wealth gap can be detrimental to not only Black people, but all Marylanders.
“It hurts our economy, it restrains job growth, and it limits our potential as a state. Not just for certain groups, but for every single Marylander. Over the last two decades, racial inequality has cost the American economy $16 trillion,” said Moore. “Bigotry is expensive! And if you want a growing economy, make sure it is an inclusive one.”
The governor also announced nearly 7,000 additional pardons for misdemeanor cannabis possession.
Last year, Moore announced pardons for more than 175,000 Marylanders formerly charged with misdemeanor convictions for cannabis including beyond 150,000 who were charged with cannabis possession before Jan. 1, 2023. He described this as “the largest action of its kind” in American history.
The Legislative Black Caucus, a 65-member body including the Black members of the General Assembly, offered both praise of Moore’s actions surrounding cannabis and criticism of the governor’s past veto of a reparations study.
“As we celebrate Freedom Day and reflect on meaningful progress, we remain focused on our unfinished work, particularly the creation of the Maryland Reparations Commission,” read a statement from the state’s Legislative Black Caucus shortly after the gubernatorial pardons were announced. “While the steps announced today are important, they do not replace the need for reparations. Addressing the racial wealth gap, health disparities, our unequal justice system, housing access, and education outcomes requires a comprehensive approach—and reparations must be central to that effort.”
