By Barry O’Connell | The Maryland Wire
Prince George’s County residents might want to grab a magnifying glass—and a calculator.
In a stunning move, County Executive Aisha Braveboy has rehired Dr. Samuel B. Moki as Acting Director of the Department of the Environment, despite his prior dismissal for gross negligence in managing the county’s stormwater permit program. That firing wasn’t just bureaucratic drama—it was upheld by the Circuit Court, which found Moki’s conduct legally indefensible.
Now, he’s back at the helm. And he’s overseeing one of the county’s most ambitious and expensive environmental undertakings: the Clean Water Partnership (CWP) with Corvias Solutions, a 30-year public-private initiative tasked with retrofitting thousands of acres of impervious surfaces using green infrastructure.
The numbers are eye-popping:
- $350 million in total development costs
- 215+ projects across 24 municipalities
- Over 4,500 acres treated and counting
- Tens of millions in subcontracts awarded to local firms
The program has earned national praise for its economic and environmental impact. But praise doesn’t equal oversight. And with Moki’s reinstatement, the county’s credibility on environmental stewardship and fiscal responsibility is under fresh scrutiny.
If the person in charge of environmental compliance was previously found guilty of willful mismanagement, what safeguards are in place now? Who’s auditing the spending, verifying the results, and ensuring that the county’s most vulnerable communities aren’t left with broken promises and polluted runoff?
This isn’t just about storm drains and sediment—it’s about trust. The Clean Water Partnership touts its commitment to transparency, equity, and community development. But those ideals ring hollow if the leadership behind them has a documented history of failure.
Prince George’s County residents deserve answers. They deserve accountability. And they deserve to know whether this multimillion-dollar partnership is truly cleaning the water—or just muddying the ethics.