Rodney M. Roberts

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Council Member

Rodney Roberts 2023

Rodney M. Roberts, 60 years old, is a life-long Greenbelter who lives with his wife, Tara. He attended Prince George’s County schools, and was active in sports with the Greenbelt Boys and Girls Club. Roberts is sole proprietor of a small business that specializes in on-site repairs of various types of equipment and vehicles (21 years in business).

Roberts attended nearly every council meeting during his four years prior to being elected to city council in 1991, becoming known as an outspoken and effective community activist. During his 28 years on council, Roberts has never missed a council meeting.

Roberts volunteers his professional skills to groups such as Greenbelt Intergenerational Volunteer Exchange (GIVES) as well as individuals in need. When the New Deal Café was in danger of closing, Roberts worked with a small group of volunteers to install a commercial kitchen, giving the Café a new lease on life. It is now a thriving part of the Roosevelt Center. Roberts successfully fought efforts to demolish two single-family homes in Greenbelt, using his own funds and labor to do repairs on one. Both homes have been renovated and returned to use as beautiful and efficient homes.

In 1991, Roberts proposed, and worked through to implementation, a community policing program that included the city’s first bicycle patrols, to foster a better relationship between citizens and police.

Roberts was a leader in the citizen movement that resulted in the City’s acquisition of 184 acres of woodland, part of the original “Green Belt.” Roberts continued advocacy resulted in the 2003 passage of a city ordinance establishing a Greenbelt Forest Preserve consisting initially of 225 acres.

Roberts testifies on behalf of the city before state and county officials concerning development, transportation, recreational, environmental and fiscal issues. In 2004, his testimony secured $648,000 in Open Space Funds for the purchase of 10 acres known as the Sunrise Property in Greenbelt East, one of Greenbelt’s newest forest preserves. Roberts consistently opposed yearly tax increases for non-essential hiring and other items. Roberts is one of the longest serving members of the Washington Council of Government’s Transportation Planning Board, with nearly 28 years of service. He is also city liaison to the Youth Advisory Board and Forest Preserve Advisory Board. Roberts is a member and former chair of the Committee to Save the Green Belt and a founding member of the Greenbelt Foundation for the Arts.

Rodney M. Roberts
rroberts@greenbeltmd.gov
Council Member