Brandy James made history last year by becoming one of the first two Black people elected to the Federalsburg, Md., town council in its 200-year history. The small town of Federalsburg on Maryland’s Eastern Shore on Wednesday settled a federal voting rights lawsuit by agreeing to apologize for its history of racism, committing to actions acknowledging Black contributions to the town and promoting reconciliation.
But the financial component of the settlement, which was negotiated down from $500,000, has sparked some criticism in Federalsburg, including from one of the recently elected Black representatives, who feels it takes critical funds away from a town whose annual operating budget is approximately $2.8 million.
The agreement resolves a voting rights lawsuit filed last year by the Caroline County NAACP, the Caucus of African American Leaders, and residents of Caroline County that said Federalsburg maintained a “white stranglehold on municipal power” with its long-standing use “of a racially dilutive at-large, staggered term election system, rather than a racially fair system that would afford Black Federalsburg voters an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice.
Brandy James, who became one of the first two Black elected representatives in Federalsburg when she and Darlene Hammond were elected to the city council last September, said she supported the nonfinancial aspects of the settlement but was disappointed with the $260,000 awarded in legal fees.