Salisbury Residents Call on City Council for Transparency, Changes to City’s Appointment Process

SALISBURY, Md. — Monday’s Salisbury City Council meeting drew a crowd of frustrated residents who feel their voices were left out of the council’s decision to appoint Melissa Holland to the District 2 seat.

The District 2 seat was left vacant after former City Council President D’Shawn Doughty resigned. Several community members took the stand on Monday night to denounce the city’s process for filling vacant seats.

“I believe we have to amend the city charter so that, in the future, a special election is required to replace any City Council member. There have been three, in my opinion, very flawed replacement processes over the last three years,” a community member said during public comment.

Salisbury resident Natalie Saint-Phard, who applied to be considered for the empty seat, claims the city has a pattern of blocking fair access to public service, allegedly using residency requirements as justification.

“I’m looking at the trends. I’ve been told this isn’t the first time someone has been excluded from the process or asked to further verify where they say they live when they are not a likely choice,” Saint-Phard said.

Councilwoman Melissa Holland says that the necessary protocols were followed and that she plans to represent District 2 to the best of her ability.

“The City Council followed the charter; they followed the process. I wasn’t the first appointment made this way. This has happened in the past. Honestly, I’d like to put all of that behind us. I’m here to represent everyone in my district in the City of Salisbury, and honestly, I want what’s best,” Holland said. “I’m one of those people who does my research, and any vote I make will be well-informed, or I won’t make that vote.”

Saint-Phard is asking for more transparency in the council’s process moving forward.

“I want to ask that the process change and that we look at things differently so that, moving forward, we do so with transparency and the utmost sincerity in the process,” Saint-Phard said.

The next City Council meeting is set for Dec. 15.