More Attainable Housing, Less Red Tape Are Goals For City Council Hopeful

Patch invited all candidates for Annapolis mayor and City Council to complete a candidate questionnaire. We are posting their responses verbatim before the primary election on Tuesday, Sept. 16, and the General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

We will share all of our candidate profiles and election news at this link. More election information is posted here.

Name: Harry Huntley

Elected Office Sought: Ward One Alderman

Political Party: Democrat

Profession: Agriculture Policy Analyst

Age On Election Day: 27

Website: HarryMHuntley.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579318954518

What makes you the most qualified candidate for this position?

I grew up in a family where your mission is to “Leave the world better than you found it.”

My background is working hard on farms then becoming an expert in agriculture policy. Both of those roles prepared me for being on the city council, because Annapolitans expect someone who will “make it happen”. That requires both a raw determination to go out and get things done yourself sometimes and the nuanced legislative skills to bring together all groups to hash out innovative solutions to complex problems.

You can tell by looking at the long list of community leaders who are supporting my campaign–from Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth to Mayor Gavin Buckley and from community association board members to local small business owners–that I’ve been an effective representative for Ward One.

Over the past year, I’ve demonstrated that I care deeply about the “little” things that have a big impact on improving our neighbors’ quality of life. We’ve increased sidewalk repairs, improved our ability to respond to snow storms (after a wakeup call this winter), and have started to make parking easier. I’m running for reelection because we’ve made a lot happen, but there’s even more work to do.

How will you approach the planned construction of City Dock Park?

My priorities for city dock are unpaving paradise and preserving it for posterity. My top priority is getting city dock done. And I’m the only candidate for Ward One Alderman with a history of making environmentally-positive projects like this one happen faster and more cost-effectively.

That’s what I do in my day job by cutting through red tape, helping governments adopt technology, and focusing on outcomes. And I have already brought that same, deeply analytical approach to moving the project forward.

On the new Harbormaster building, I take a middle ground. When it needed to be smaller, I said so, and I made that happen. I got the commitment that it will not have an oyster bar. But I do believe this public space should be for the public, and I believe everyone–not just those with a yacht club membership–deserves a second-floor view of our magnificent harbor.

In the “exceeding unlikely” (according to the Director of Public Works) situation where we lose the FEMA funding, we would defer some of the nice to haves and use less expensive materials (think, concrete instead of granite) but prioritize stopping the flooding and creating a public park.

How will you address crime in Annapolis?

Let’s start with preventing crime by strengthening communities. That means creating well-paying jobs and lowering expenses. It’s also important to have safe places where neighbors can gather and kids can play. I’m particularly proud of the investments this council made in after-school and summer programming for kids in vulnerable neighborhoods.

To protect our people, we need more lighting and eyes on the street. I’ve personally ensured dozens of streetlights are fixed, and we should be expanding the network in neighborhoods that are still too dark. We’re also working to get more police cameras in targeted areas so they can deter crime and ensure criminals are caught. To get more eyes on the street, we provided $20,000 sign-on bonuses for new officers, and we should revisit my unsuccessful budget amendment to fund the Downtown Ambassadors, who would have acted similarly to beat cops and visitor guides at lower cost.

I also think public safety needs to include traffic safety. I’ve passed legislation to automate traffic enforcement so police can focus on other priorities while keeping speeders out of our neighborhoods. Proceeds from this will go to infrastructure that makes it safer to walk and bike in our communities.

How will you address affordable housing and public housing in Annapolis?

We need to make housing more attainable in Annapolis, especially for young families like mine. A lack of home choices is making it too difficult for both younger and older people to stay in Annapolis.

We should be exploring ways to allow the rest of the city to develop in the smart, fiscally-sustainable ways that Ward One has. My legislation to re-allow duplexes on double lots is one step in that direction. We know that having walkable amenities makes more vibrant neighborhoods, so let’s stop prohibiting these in our zoning code.

This doesn’t mean changing Annapolis’ historic character; it means embracing it. Having a diversity of housing types and being able to walk to both necessities and fun is how Annapolis developed for over two hundred years.

The way we’ve treated public housing is not unique to Annapolis but is a clear stain on our history. Concentrating poverty does not work. We should move towards all public housing being mixed income and mixed use. This will create stronger, diverse communities, while providing needs, like grocery stores, to people who currently struggle to access them.

How do you plan to balance development and historic preservation in the city?

Residents can always trust that I will take a balanced approach to issues of preservation and development, not universally opposing change but ensuring it’s appropriately managed for the good of our city and our citizens. I don’t come in with preordained opinions but evaluate each project on the merits and always stand up for the residents of Ward One.

I do not support changing the height limits at city dock and was instrumental in scuttling the proposal for a marina there.

We should absolutely protect the historic buildings in Annapolis. One way to do that is by improving our permitting system so residents don’t have to beg the city to make simple fixes, like replacing a board on the porch. I’m proud that I prevented a $200 increase to the minimum permit fee homeowners pay for repairs in the historic district, while increasing the fines on bad actors who conduct illegal demolition or otherwise violate preservation requirements.

How should Annapolis respond to the ongoing cuts to federal jobs and grants to local governments?

We’ve got to strengthen our tax base by making it easier for people who love Annapolis to invest in Annapolis—including their homes, small businesses, and neighborhoods. Right now, 78% of the city by land area pays less in property taxes than it costs to maintain its infrastructure. The city’s Land and Infrastructure Value Study shows that this is largely in the areas of the city outside Ward One but also includes nonprofit and government properties, which pay no taxes.

I’ve been pushing for a comprehensive evaluation of tax exempt properties in the city to restructure or create their Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOTs). And we should collaborate with the Comptroller's office to explore if vacant properties in Annapolis have been systematically undervalued, as has been discovered in Baltimore.

We must also increase our discipline when it comes to expenses. I’ve shown my willingness during the past budget to cut unnecessary funding, like a vacant position in the mayor’s office or $105,000 for leafblower vouchers. To do that most effectively, we need to shift to an outcomes-based budgeting model to more clearly link resources to results. I think some of the biggest savings will come from improving our contracting practices to make bidding more competitive—just like I do for environmental projects in my day job.

What else should voters know about you and your platform?

I am not a political bomb thrower who spends my time complaining. I’m a wonk and a technocrat who rolls up my sleeves to develop and implement innovative solutions to complex problems, while being abundantly transparent. You can see how I’ve done that over the past year at HarryMHuntley.com/accomplishments.

In my day job and on the council, I’ve demonstrated the ability to get the right people together in the room and ensure we come out with a productive solution. The partnerships I have in our community and with elected officials have made me more effective in serving our community. And you can see why so many of them are supporting me at HarryMHuntley.com/endorsements

One of my favorite aspects of my role is writing my biweekly newsletters to tell voters everything they need to know about city government. In it, I candidly describe my thoughts on each piece of legislation in a way that every resident can easily understand. I talk about events around town and my own opinion on how to tackle tough challenges or make Annapolis even more vibrant. You can see all my previous newsletters and sign up to get the next one at HarryMHuntley.com/news

Source: https://patch.com/maryland/annapolis/more-attainable-housing-less-red-tape-are-goals-ward-1-candidate-harry-huntley