Councilman Patrick Wojahn touts experience as election day approaches

Patrick Wojahn speaks at the mayoral and District 3 debate at City Hall on Oct. 28, 2015.

After Patrick Wojahn got a call that his friend’s car had broken down on Route 193, the District 1 city councilman drove over to help.

As the two stood in front of Wojahn’s 1999 Ford Contour and talked on the phone to AAA, an SUV rammed into the parked car, pushing the men over the guardrail and leaving Wojahn with a badly broken left ankle and a dislocated right foot.

Wojahn didn’t let the accident, which came two weeks before his mayoral campaign kicked off on Aug. 1, slow his campaign. He went door-to-door first in a wheelchair, then on crutches and finally with a cane.

“I would get help from the people on council who are supporting me for mayor,” he said. “P.J. [Brennan] and Stephanie Stullich and Alan Hew all at one point helped me carry my fliers and clipboard while I was knocking on doors.”

Wojahn also has the support of Mayor Andy Fellows, who cited the four-term councilman’s experience, regional leadership and positive energy when giving his endorsement. Fellows is stepping down after three terms.

READ MORE: College Park Mayor Andy Fellows endorses Patrick Wojahn as successor

“He’s been re-elected time and time again in District 1, representing the views of that community,” Fellows said. “He’s done a great job really listening and engaging with that community, and he’s done a great job impressing the other three districts with his fairness and ability to lead.”

This is an “exciting time for the city,” Wojahn said, which prompted him to run for the vacant seat. 

“The university is making a historic investment in our city and is on board with turning College Park into a top-tier college town,” Wojahn said. “I want to see the city that I live in turn into something great, something we can be proud of and that serves all its residents — both students and long-term residents.” 

If elected, Wojahn would be the first openly gay man to serve as College Park mayor — something he said hasn’t come up much in his campaign. 

READ MORE: College Park’s mayoral election will make history, regardless of outcome

“It’s significant in some ways because of how much of a non-issue it is, really,” he said. “I can go out and talk about my husband, and most people don’t bat an eyelash. It’s just a fact of life that Dave is my family, other residents have their families and we all live together in College Park.”

While on council, Wojahn spearheaded a motion to change the city’s charter, adding a provision stating that with regards to employment, housing and public accommodation, the city would not discriminate because of religion, gender or sexual orientation, among other bases.

READ MORE: Council seeks to end gender identity discrimination

“While you don’t get any major points in terms of providing anything new, like services, to the city, you provide an environment and promote a culture of inclusivity,” District 2 Councilman P.J. Brennan said of Wojahn’s efforts to pass the charter amendment. “That was a very important and thoughtful thing.”

It’s not the first time Wojahn was involved with legislation promoting equality. He and Dave Kolesar, his husband and campaign treasurer, were among the 19 plaintiffs in the lawsuit that led to marriage equality in this state.

But his work in College Park has gone beyond LGBT issues. He said he prioritizes collaboration with city stakeholders, which led to what he counts as one of his most notable accomplishments — founding College Park Day.

“We brought together people from the university, from the SGA, from the county, as well as residents from every neighborhood in the city to make it into a great event,” he said. “When we started that in 2010, there were over 1,000 people. … This year, we had over 4,000 people in attendance.”

He also formed the Neighborhood Stabilization and Quality of Life Workgroup with District 3 Councilwoman Stephanie Stullich. The group came up with more than 70 strategies to “address the long-standing tensions in our city between students and long-term residents,” he said.

READ MORE: What do our candidates stand for?

Some of these strategies included the creations of on-campus tailgates and community event grants, which any resident can apply for to host neighborhood events like block parties.

The “atmosphere of collaboration” between the city and university has grown stronger since university President Wallace Loh took over in 2010, Wojahn said. He remembers Loh inviting the City Council and the university’s senior administration to his president’s residence for dinner.

Wojahn recalls discussing the “great and innovative things” done at this university and the potential those projects have to bring jobs into the city.

“Under Armour got its start at the university, but unfortunately, as of now, these types of businesses move to other cities to make all their money,” he said. “We need to work hard to get them to stay in College Park. Having that dinner and sitting down to talk to the top officials at the university made me realize the potential fruits of our collaboration.” 

The new developments popping up along Route 1 -— and the quality of these new businesses — show that potential, something Wojahn said he wants to build on.

Wojahn said he recognizes some residents’ concerns with new development and would work to ensure they get the services and amenities they are looking for.

READ MORE: Meet the Candidates: College Park Edition

“We need to make sure that development is something that serves the residents well, and resident voices are at the table,” he said.

Committing to high-quality development is part of the reason Wojahn voted to rebuild the College Park City Hall in its current location on Knox Road  — a vote that divided the council 5-3. 

“That was a question of whether or not we want to invest in our downtown,” he said. “We’re working … to create not just a great civic building, but a public square. I envision it as a gathering place where the city and university meet.”

Some residents, including West College Park Citizens Association President Suchitra Balachandran, said Wojahn’s vote went against the wishes of residents who wanted further discussion on the project. 

At a candidate forum earlier this month, Balachandran asked Wojahn why District 4 residents should vote for him if he does not listen to what they have to say.

“Patrick is very smart and has a lot of good ideas, but a lot of times it doesn’t work out in the residents’ best interest,” said Christine Nagle, a former District 1 councilwoman who is running to reclaim a seat this year. “Patrick doesn’t really bring the city together.”

Stullich has the opposite opinion. She said Wojahn “tries to find win-win solutions during sometimes difficult issues in a way that makes sense for the city as a whole.” The vision he has for College Park, she said, is a positive one.

“I hope to see College Park become a top-tier college town,” Wojahn said. “I hope to see us have a Route 1 corridor not just known for its traffic but for its high-quality businesses and art scene and atmosphere that people want to come to and spend time in.”