After drama, Mount Rainier mayor avoids council censure

Tensions that had been bubbling for months among the five-member Mount Rainier City Council were about to boil over Tuesday evening.

Ahead of the legislative meeting, Vice Mayor Danielle Carter introduced a resolution to formally censure Mayor Celina Benitez. Carter, who ran against Benitez for mayor last year, alleged that Benitez had violated the City Council’s rules and procedures when she appeared before the General Assembly to testify about the city’s state-level priorities without getting approval from the council.

The resolution also accused Benitez of refusing to “accept responsibility for overstepping her authority” during the council’s May 19 work session when Carter publicly raised the issue. Benitez also “used profane language in accusing another Councilmember of a personally-motivated attack,” the resolution said.

But, before the council could vote Tuesday, Ward 2 member Valerie Woodall moved to strike the censure from the agenda. Ward 2 member Joseph Jakuta spoke in support of withdrawal, and Carter ultimately agreed to withdraw the resolution under the condition she be allowed to make a statement later in the meeting.

Ward 1 member Jenny Hoffpauir, whom Benitez said called her “a bitch” during a past public event, appeared exasperated with her colleagues’ retreat. At one point, she made a motion as if she was going to stab her eye out with a pen.

Benitez, for her part, defended herself in an interview with The Banner ahead of the meeting, saying she testified only on legislative issues the council had previously approved or supported.

“[Carter] is downplaying it like it’s nothing,” Benitez said of the censure. “Then why go through it? Why separate the community?”

‘I suggest you do not say anything’

During the 2026 session of the Maryland General Assembly, Benitez testified in support of several pieces of legislation, including a Senate bill establishing an observance day for civil rights icon Ruby Bridges and a resolution that the city had previously adopted, among other measures.

She submitted 13 letters backing other pieces of legislation, including measures to legally protect immigrant minors in court and to block state and local agencies from sharing data with federal tracking agencies. Most of the statements were submitted “on behalf of the City of Mount Rainer,” according to the censure resolution.

But, according to council members, that testimony ran afoul of their internal rules that prohibit the mayor and lawmakers from representing the “voices of their constituents on issues outside of the city’s jurisdiction … except in the case of approval by a majority of the council.”

Carter said in an interview that, if Benitez had brought these items to the council for consideration, “about 90% of them would have been approved on sight.”

Carter raised the issue during a May 19 work session and suggested a more collaborative approach to setting the city’s priorities before state legislators. The other council members backed Carter’s call for more collaboration.

Although Benitez appeared open to working with the council, she pushed back against what she perceived as a personal attack and asserted that the council had, in fact, approved the issues she advocated for.

But Hoffpauir disagreed.

“That did not happen last year, Mayor. There is a lot of disconnect between what you’re saying and the facts,” she said, asserting that the council discussed priorities for municipal legislation, not legislation at the state level.

“I’m tired of the misstatements being made about this,” she added. “It was not discussed. I’d like to correct the record that you have made a lot of misstatements about this, and I hope that this year we can operate differently.”

The session went downhill from there.

Benitez and Hoffpauir continued to go back and forth, with Benitez accusing Hoffpauir of engaging in personal attacks and Hoffpauir accusing the mayor of being disrespectful.

“Please don’t,” Benitez said. “After you called me a bitch in a public event, I suggest you do not say anything to me anymore.”

Carter screamed: “Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh Jesus!”

And Hoffpauir packed her things and left.

The council then took about a 10-minute recess. When it came back, it moved to the next agenda item.

It’s not over

As council members voted Tuesday evening to strike the formal censure of Benitez, the room erupted into a mix of clapping and cheering; some residents booed and walked out of the council chambers. Several attendees noted to The Banner that this was one of the most well-attended meetings in recent memory.

But the resolution is emblematic of the friction among members of the body that represents the more than 8,000 residents of Mount Rainier. They have engaged in name-calling and have had to navigate difficult group dynamics.

Hoffpauir, who plans to resign before her term ends due to work and family demands, said in an email to The Banner that she has grown tired of the “procedural fights.” But, she said, she doesn’t think a censure would change anything.

Hoffpauir also addressed Benitez’s accusation. (Benitez said the invective was used during a March fundraising event for immigrant communities.)

“Mayor Benitez has chosen to mischaracterize a private conversation we had, and has ignored my repeated attempts to speak with her and apologize.” Hoffpauir said. “As colleagues, I would hope that we could engage in dialogue and acknowledge mistakes we each have made in our communication and move on from them constructively. I will continue to try to figure out how to work with her, but it has proven more challenging than I had anticipated.”

During the public comment portion of the meeting, residents slammed the council for its ongoing dysfunction and pleaded with members to move past their personal beefs.

“I am extremely disappointed in how the council has been functioning pretty much ever since I have lived in Mount Rainier,” resident Derek Reynolds said. “I’ve watched bickering, fighting, personal attacks and people pushing one another apart.”

Other residents stood to defend the mayor’s track record, saying her advocacy work, regardless of whether it’s been authorized by the council, is a reflection of the city’s values.

Resident Emily Bird said she does not like the way the mayor has reacted in some of the council meetings this year but overall she respects Benitez and is grateful for her advocacy on behalf of the town. Bird was not as pleased with the council.

“I know that you all are on your best behavior tonight, but there has been a lot of arguing, bickering, yelling, eye-rolling and engaging in negative exchanges,” Bird said. “I ask you, for the sake of the city, to stop obstructing progress and goodwill throughout our government.”

Although Carter agreed to withdraw the censure resolution on the condition she be allowed to make a statement, the council never returned to her for that opportunity.

But she spoke candidly with The Banner after the meeting, saying she felt silenced.

Carter said she faced pressure leading up to Tuesday’s vote, claiming she received identical form emails accusing her of racism. (Carter is white, and Benitez is the first Latina mayor of Mount Rainier.)

“Some of these people are so intent of defending people of color by virtue of the fact that they’re people of color,” Carter said, adding that she didn’t go full-court press on the statement or the censure because she didn’t want allegations of racial prejudice levied against her.

Benitez said she was grateful for the outpouring of support from residents.

“The priority of the city must always be the people,” she said in an email. “The legislation I testified on aligned with the values of the city and law we have voted on for many years to protect our community.”

Although the censure resolution was struck, Carter isn’t dropping the issue. Wednesday morning, she called The Banner to say she plans to file an ethics complaint.

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