Flanked by family members and new colleagues, a pair of community activists became Baltimore City Council members last night, as more than 100 gleeful supporters applauded and snapped pictures.
In a brief ceremony, Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke gave the oath of office to the Rev. Norman A. Handy Sr. and Lois A. Garey, commending both for "an outstanding job trying to strengthen their areas of the city and trying to strengthen the city overall."
The pair were appointed unanimously by the council to fill vacant posts. Dr. Handy assumed the 6th District seat in West Baltimore and Southwest Baltimore left by Timothy D. Murphy, who was elected to Maryland's House of Delegates. Ms. Garey fills a void in the 1st District of East Baltimore and Northeast Baltimore, replacing Perry Sfikas, who was elected to the state Senate.
Both new members bring resumes loaded with experience in neighborhood projects.
In the five years since he arrived in Baltimore as pastor of Unity United Methodist Church, Dr. Handy, 50, has become a catalyst for change in the poverty-stricken Harlem Park community that surrounds his West Baltimore church.
He was co-chair of the coalition that persuaded city lawmakers to ban billboards advertising liquor and cigarettes in residential neighborhoods. He testified in a federal court affidavit, helping prosecutors seize the assets of an Edmondson Avenue nightclub that once belonged to imprisoned drug kingpin Melvin D. "Little Melvin" Williams and that continued to be a source of drug activity. And he is a member of the board governing the city's new empowerment zone.
"He's made himself available on a variety of neighborhood issues," said Hathaway C. Ferebee, executive director of Citizens Planning and Housing Association. "He's a very fair, thoughtful and dedicated person who is motivated by what is going to improve his community. He will get involved with ideas that will work."
Dr. Handy, who lives next door to his church, also has shown the ability to change his opinions. He once was an outspoken critic of Educational Alternatives Inc., the for-profit company running nine city schools. But he became an avid supporter of the experiment, partly because EAI solved a long-standing problem with a smelly bathroom at Harlem Park elementary and middle schools near his church's parsonage.
"I think he has a good sense of vision and justice in the community," said the Rev. Arnold Howard, president of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance. "He feels his role is not confined to Unity United Methodist. He has a heart for all the people in his community. The City Council position will allow him to focus broadly, citywide now."
Ms. Garey, 48, says community work has prepared her for the seat on the council, where she wants to continue her grass-roots approach to solving city problems.
"I'm both honored and humbled. I have a lot of experience and I also have a lot to learn," she said.
She has spent the past five years working with 92 community groups, business associations, churches, school PTAs and hospitals that make up the HARBEL Community Organization, the Northeast Baltimore umbrella group that she ran as executive director.
At HARBEL, she had a staff of 30, a budget of $750,000 and watched over programs for treating drug and alcohol abusers, tutoring school children, preventing juvenile delinquency and helping families buy homes.
Last year, when the city threatened to close Hamilton Elementary and Middle School, she helped parents who wanted to keep the school open. HARBEL conducted a neighborhood survey, and Ms. Garey brought together parents, political leaders and school officials. The community was able to save the school on Old Harford Road by agreeing to move students temporarily during renovations.