After 20-Year Break, Ricks Plots Return to Office

It was 1988 when Hayes Edward Ricks last sat as a member of the Laurel City Council. And while he continued to keep a high profile in the city over the years through volunteer work, he is now planning a return to office after the Nov. 1 city election.

Ricks, 66, was born in Cheverly but has lived in Laurel his entire life. He served on the council from 1980 to 1988. He said obligations at his job working in the Family Division of the Superior Court in Washington, D.C. did not allow him much time to focus on the council. Now retired, Ricks said he hopes to raise engagement and awareness on domestic violence in the city if elected to the council.

“I feel like I have more time” now, he said.

Ricks said he has always been drawn toward community service. He’s involved in public safety committees for the Laurel Police Department and the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department. 

"I just gravitated toward [community involvement],” he said. “I’m a community activist.”

During his tenure on the council, he pushed for permitting that required all single-family homes in the city to have sprinkler systems in case of a fire.

Ricks said he realizes times have changed since he last sat on the council. Shrinking budgets and increased needs for services within the city are all on his mind.

“With 20 years going by, things are going to be different,” he said. “Some of those decisions are not going to come as easily.”

Ricks is likely to place on the council for Ward 1, which has two seats. Only he and council member Valerie Nicholas .

Ricks had hoped to be appointed to the seat vacated by former  Councilwoman Gayle W. Snyder but out to Nicholas.

“I was pretty mad [when I was not appointed]. I thought I was the best qualified candidate,” he said. 

Despite the setback, Ricks said he pushed forward.

“When things happen I don’t hold onto them,” he said, adding that he looked forward to working with Nicholas, also an advocate of preventing domestic violence.

Ricks said that the current council has done a good job at managing resources in the current economic climate. While the council has been criticized for not engaging all citizens, and for the within city government, Ricks said he feels as though the city has always been open to racial diversity and engagement.

“I think it’s a well-run city,” he said. “The door is open [for diversity]. I welcome it.”

Ricks' supporters said he is a man known for his dedication to the community.

"If you haven't been part of the fabric of the city, then maybe elected office isn't for you," said Rick Wilson, a former Laurel council member who is supporting Ricks. "The reason why I support him is because [he has a] history."

Ollie Dipietro, a city resident, said she's known Ricks since he was a child.

"He puts his heart into Maryland," she said. "He's very much a Laurel person."