After a week of complaints and criticism of the process that led to the selection of Eric Costello to fill a vacant seat on the Baltimore City Council, aides to City Council President Jack Young released letters supporting and opposing Costello.
They were pretty evenly split. Twenty eight letters supported Costello, president of the Federal Hill Neighborhood Association, and six were opposed. One of the opposition letters had 35 signatures.
A committee of residents, business owners and two council members appointed by Young spent four hours interviewing candidates in September and then chose Costello within five minutes to fill the vacancy created when Bill Cole left to head the Baltimore Development Corporation.
That led to complaints from other applicants for the job. Critics accused Young of hijacking the process after Adrian Harpool, a committee member and close ally to Young, put Costello’s name forward after the interviews. Nine losing candidates have asked the City Council to send the recommendation back to the committee for further consideration. The Baltimore Sun editorialized in support of those candidates.
Young denied influencing the committee and councilman Carl Stokes, who chaired the committee said he had an equal number of letters supporting and opposing Costello.
Since then, The Sun, Baltimore Brew and Arthur McGreevy, one of the losing candidates, filed public information requests for access to letter, meeting notes and other documents.
Some of the letters reporters were allowed to view Friday commended Costello for his job leading the neighborhood association; others accused him of being a bad leader.
The letter with 35 signatures said Costello has a “clear lack of experience in the areas of executive leadership and legislative decision making” adding that he did not “fairly represent” residents on parking issues in the neighborhood among other issues.
Beth Hawkes, owner of Zelda Zen boutique, wrote she moved her business from Federal Hill to Fells Point because bars “have overtaken the Cross Street Market area.”
Shirley Summers sent a one sentence e-mail: “I oppose Eric Costello.”
Letters of Support credited Costello for reviving the neighborhood organization; growing its membership and navigating through tough issues fairly and without emotion.
“[Costello] showed he could roll with the punches, and keep his cool while others around him were losing theirs,” wrote Mr. and Mrs. Albert J. Wehrle.
Costello is also credited for working with surrounding neighborhoods.
Ron Solomon, president of the Otterbein Community Association, said in his letter Costello worked with him when the Monarch Academy Baltimore School was planning on relocating to Otterbein. Solomon said the neighborhood was opposed to it because of the size of the school.
“[Costello] took the lead in rallying his association to support our position,” Solomon said. He added Costello also talked to Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance about resident concerns.
Jean Malkiewicz, editor of the Federal Hillsider; the Federal Hill association’s monthly newsletters, credited him for bringing back former advertisers and making the publication – which brings the association revenue – profitable again. She also credited him for taking positions that did not always benefit him personally.
“He worked diligently to be a fair and honest broker, sometimes to his own detriment, as many thought he should have been completely one-sided,” Malkiewicz said.
Costello could take his seat right after he is confirmed.