Despite a passionate outpouring of support from residents, the New Carrollton City Council voted 4-1 on Wednesday evening to remove Mayor Phelecia Nembhard from office.
The council forced Nembhard to forfeit her seat over allegations that she violated the city charter by reinstating two employees without council approval during a hiring freeze in place since October 2025. The decision abruptly ends — for now — Nembhard’s tenure in city leadership. The mayor promised to run in any forthcoming special election to fill her position.
Nembhard served as council chair from 2018 to 2020 and as mayor from 2020 to 2023; she was reelected in 2025.
The vote took place during a lively meeting at a packed New Carrollton Municipal Center. More than a dozen residents approached the lectern to sing the mayor’s praises — many noted that they have lived in the community for decades. They thanked her for feeding their families and for her unwavering commitment to the city. Cassandra Donelan, CEO of the Prince George’s County Boys and Girls Club, credited Nembhard with the organization’s local success.
The comments, at times, turned tense.
An impassioned woman sporting a Nembhard campaign shirt admonished council members, saying, “You all are corrupt, you’re liars and you’ve stolen money.”
The woman, who did not give her name but introduced herself as a longtime resident, was eventually removed by officers.
Council members acknowledged Nembhard’s visible community work, but most of them held firm in their belief that she violated the hiring freeze.
Council member Briana Urbina noted that she originally voted for Nembhard in 2020 because she saw her as an active community leader.
“The reasons why they more or less fell in love with her personality are the same reasons I was drawn to her, too,” Urbina said. “But over my tenure of being in public service and understanding of the rules, we can’t just have people in office because we like them. The law is important, and no one is above the law. It doesn’t matter how many great things you’ve done.”
Council member Agnelli Sybel Malavé echoed those sentiments, adding that while the community sees the mayor in the streets handing out food, it doesn’t excuse her from violating the law. Sybel Malavé noted that the council met Sept. 3 to present Nembhard with their findings and guidance from the city’s lawyer.
“It was a hard decision, but it was the right decision to make,” Sybel Malavé said. “I’m not surprised the mayor had such a strong show of support.”
Council member Cynthia DB Mills was the sole dissenting vote. She urged the council to listen to the community’s support for Nembhard.
The conflict stems from Nembhard’s efforts last month to bring back the city’s public works director and code enforcement manager. Nembhard has consistently maintained that she did not officially hire anyone. Rather, she said, she merely advocated for their reinstatement.
“The people were never reinstated at all,” Nembhard said in an interview after the meeting. “There’s no proof, nobody has contacted our HR department, nobody contacted our finance department, these people are not on the books.”
She characterized her removal as a “personal witch hunt.”
Internal emails and records obtained by The Banner show that the former public works director formally accepted a reinstatement offer on Aug. 24. During the meeting, council members noted that the two individuals in question showed up to work as city employees in late August.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Nembhard was quiet and stoic as council members spoke. When it was her turn, she channeled Michelle Obama: “When they go low, we go high,” the mayor said.
“What you are doing tonight is acting as the judge, jury and executioner,” Nembhard told the council. “Do whatever you want to do — it won’t even faze me because I am and will always be the people’s mayor.”
The room erupted in applause.
After the vote, Nembhard fired back at the council, calling their allegations “self-merited.” She said council members Duane Rosenberg, Sybel Malavé and Urbina should also be removed from office.
“When we live in a glass house, don’t throw stones, because if you throw a stone and it comes my way, I’m going to throw it back,” Nembhard said.
The city must now navigate an abrupt transition and multiple key vacancies.
City manager Maisha Williams resigned last month, shortly after the fracas over the mayor’s conduct reached a climax. “The environment is just very toxic. It’s almost like being in a mentally abusive relationship,” she told The Banner this week.
Council member Lincoln HG Lashley is serving as the temporary mayor, a responsibility he acknowledged caught him by surprise.
“We will probably plan to reorganize at our next meeting because I have a full-time job and can’t really take this on,” Lashley said.
The council discussed the possibility of holding a special election in mid-November to replace Nembhard. Council members said Nembhard is not permitted to run in that special election, but she strongly disagrees.
“There’s nowhere in the charter that says that I will not be able to run in the special election — that’s their interpretation,” Nembhard said.
Supporters greeted the ousted, yet persistent mayor outside following the meeting. They cheered and hugged. One person held a sign that said, “We love our mayor,” as the crowd chanted, “We gon’ fight, we gon’ fight.”
“Because the people spoke, I feel comfortable that I have done all that I have done to take care of the residents,” Nembhard said. “When I tell you I’m going to walk out of here with grace, it won’t be long. I’ll be back.”
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