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Donna Kuzemchak has been a steady legislator and voice for the community on the Frederick City Council, and before that, the Board of Aldermen.
But she was misguided in introducing a resolution asking the City Council to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and in all regions receiving U.S. military aid, and to denounce Israel's conduct in the war against Hamas in Gaza.
What, you might well ask rhetorically, is the City Council's role in foreign affairs and foreign wars?
And so, what is the point of trying to drag the council into a divisive, difficult issue over which it has no control, or any real influence? It's a thought exercise and perhaps a moral stance, but quicksand from which the city can, and should, steer clear.
All that can be accomplished here is to divide the city's residents.
Are there good arguments for calling for a ceasefire in Gaza? Yes. Are there good arguments against calling for a ceasefire in Gaza? Again, yes.
The Frederick City Council chamber is not the setting for those arguments to be debated.
Kuzemchak made a motion at a meeting last week to add her resolution to the council agenda, but it failed to get a second.
Council Members Derek Shackelford and Kelly Russell were present and did not support moving ahead with a debate on the resolution.
Council President Katie Nash and member Ben MacShane were absent.
Dozens of people came to the meeting at City Hall, mostly to speak in support of Kuzemchak's resolution. Such a resolution has long been sought by groups like Frederick for Justice in Palestine.
Some attendees called out "shame" when Russell and Shackelford did not second Kuzemchak's motion.
Afterwards, a number of Frederick residents spoke out about the resolution and about Israel and Gaza -- from a variety of perspectives.
What would be the effect of a resolution in Frederick City Council? And who will create the long list of world matters about which the Frederick City Council must craft future statements?
We are all citizens of the world and, individually and collectively, can speak up for others around the globe. But it's not a task for the Frederick city government to conquer, particularly with so many deep emotions fueling many months of local debate on what to say and how to say it.
And the city is knee deep in local issues with an election happening next month.
At the end of the meeting, Kuzemchak made a motion to schedule it for the City Council's Aug. 21 meeting. She again did not get a second.
Kuzemchak said she would try to introduce her resolution again in the future.
The wisdom of the rest of the council should prevail. It's time to move on.
-- Frederick News-Post