September 29 Newsletter
Happy Sunday, Ward One
We did it! In a five-candidate field, we won the Democratic primary with an outright majority of votes. Thanks very much to everyone who participated in our democracy last Tuesday, especially those of you who volunteered making calls, waving signs and knocking doors in the rain, driving seniors to the polls, and more.
With the general election around the corner, we’re back to legislating and addressing constituent concerns. I sent a note of kudos this week to our Public Works department after a dangerous spot of brick sidewalk got fixed less than 48 hours after being reported. That’s the kind of customer service we should always expect.
Here are the top 3 things you need to know in Annapolis:
If you voted for someone else in the primary, I want to hear from you. Let me know what I can do to earn your support going forward.
Legislation up for public comment tomorrow includes re-allowing historic duplexes, making granny flats eligible for federal loans, a charter amendment related to the process for setting elected officials’ pay, and more. Come share your thoughts!
On Wednesday October 8, we’ll be doing a meet and greet
Photo credit: Jacob Baumgart, Patch
Updates from Harry
You could call me a glass half full kind of guy. We got 51% of the primary vote! We won by 20 percentage points! Especially in a five candidate field, that’s a a pretty impressive validation of our positive vision for the ward!
But at the same time, 49% of primary voters went for someone else; the glass is almost half empty. I’ve invited all of those someone elses to discuss with me how we can incorporate their campaign’s best proposals into our platform and how to collaborate going forward. I do believe there’s more that unites us as Democrats than divides us, especially with the ludicrous attacks on our values that are coming from the alternative.
Since Tuesday, I’ve been out meeting more neighbors where they are and listening to those who chose someone else in the primary. Out of my unscientific sample, most just hadn’t gotten to know our campaign yet or voted for a trusted friend; those folks are excited to support us in the general.
But some do articulate clear policy or value disagreements. I tell these people that we are not going to agree on everything, but I will always listen because I want to do what’s best for our whole community. I will come sit down at your kitchen table for two hours and hear you out, if that’s what it takes, like I did a month ago with someone who felt strongly about some legislation. And we’ll work towards finding a way to get to make it happen.
One reason I heard a couple times was that I apparently “just do what the mayor wants,” which genuinely puzzled me. But as I thought more about it, I was reminded of something from the County Executive’s newsletter this week. He said:
“For truth-telling local governments, it’s become very difficult to communicate what we do to the people we serve. Yes, we make efforts to get the clicks by spicing things up from time to time, but the algorithms just don’t work in our favor.”
Here’s a truth: Over the past year, I have voted against the position of the mayor more than any other member of the city council. There are undoubtedly areas where our visions for the city overlap, but when we disagree, I’ve got no problem saying so.
Even before the votes, it’s important to have a representative who has a working relationship with the executive, someone who is part of what I call the “governing coalition”. For instance, oyster bar in the welcome center, I prevented that; dinghygate 2.0, I nipped it in the bud minutes before the council meeting; and I’ve been able to bring home funding to Ward One because of my position on the Finance Committee. Those quiet results don’t float to the top of feeds or grab headlines in the same way as an impassioned op ed, but we need an alderman who gets results.
And we need someone who listens. In next year’s budget, I’d like to establish a recurring funding source for scientific polling of our communities, so we can ensure the council has a regular way of hearing from a truly representative group of residents about what issues they’d like addressed.
If you voted for someone else in the primary, I want to hear what I can do to earn your support going forward. That’s the kind of listening we deserve.
As your representative, I will consistently to listen to everyone and adapt what I spend my time on to ensure we’re creating a city that works for all of us and that our kids and grandkids will love even more than we do.
The glass has water, but there’s room for more.
This week and every week, I’m grateful for the honor of representing you and our whole community. Never hesitate to contact me at harry@harrymhuntley.com.
City council agenda
Call To Order
Mayor Buckley
Invocation
Alderwoman Finlayson
Pledge of Allegiance
Mayor Buckley
Roll Call
City Clerk Watkins-Eldridge
Approval of Agenda
Ceremonial Items
Update from Mayor
Mayor Buckley
Reports by Committee
Comments by the General Public
Remember, you can come to any city council meeting to tell us about what’s important to you and your neighborhood! Register here or just show up.
Consent Calendar
SA-7-26 Parking - Parking Operations - Parking Balance/Contract Services
I opposed the resolution renaming of Hillman Garage to Mills-Hillman Garage for two reasons: There are more urgent issues to solve with this garage, and there are more important issues to spend money on than signage. When that resolution passed, we were told that it would cost $15K. This is now saying that it will cost $23,400. I will definitely be voting against this.
AP-58-25 Appointment - Ms. Samantha Watts - Education Commission
Public Hearings
CA-2-25 City Council Pay and Benefits Deadline
This legislation tweaks the charter, which currently requires that any pay increases for the city council happen within a narrow window right before the election. The Salary Review Commission has to be convened a year before the election, do their work, make their recommendations, which have to be acknowledged, then an ordinance has to pass more than 90 days before the election making the change. This legislation would strike the requirement that that last step happen more than 90 days before an election. I actually think this is a fairly reasonable change on the merits, but I’ve been clear that I don’t support raising the council’s salary, so I intend to vote against it.
O-15-25 Accessory Dwelling Unit Requirements
Right now, accessory dwelling units (aka granny flats) are allowed to be built across the city, but the owner of the property must live in either the ADU or the main house. The unit that the owner is not living in can currently be short-term rented, long-term rented, or just allowed to use for free (perhaps for a granny). That owner-residency requirement makes it impossible for people—even those who are planning to live there—to get a Federal Housing Administration loan, forcing them to pay more on the private market. This removes that owner-occupancy requirement, allowing community members building ADUs to get lower loan rates. The intention of this legislation from Alderman Schandelmeier has never been to encourage short-term rentals, and he has an amendment to make crystal clear that the bill’s underlying change would not apply if the property is short-term rented.
O-18-25 Re-Allowing Historic Duplexes in R2 Zoning Districts
Duplexes are very common in Annapolis. They’re on Charles Street in the Historic District, on Archwood in Murray Hill, on Ridgewood Street in Germantown, on Bay Ridge in Eastport, and more. Often, you might not even know it’s a duplex unless you notice the two mailboxes. One problem we’ve had is that those duplexes can be converted to large single houses, but there’s no way to convert them back, ratcheting working class people out of the city through gentrification. By simply striking the requirement that duplexes—which are currently allowed in the R2 zone—have to have been built before 1970, this bill will re-allow duplexes on double lots in much of the city. This legislation does not apply to the historic district, would require twice as much parking, and is going through rigorous public review. It is very aligned with the city’s Comprehensive Plan that underwent extensive public comment and was approved by the council. At 53:35 of the WORA forum I explain how this legislation is good for homeowners, important for our city’s future, and as Annapolis as crabcakes and sailing. All that said, I’m always open to improvements and look forward to hearing public comment.
O-37-25 City Capital Facilities Charges Payment Plan
Alderman Schandelmeier is always working to bring down the cost of housing. This legislation from him would shift when fees for small groups of new housing (six units or less) are paid to the city, in order to better align cost with risk. It’s a reform that has been tried in other cities to de-risk investment and encourage smaller projects over large ones. I think this is probably a good idea but am looking forward to hearing public testimony and the deliberations of the economic matters committee
O-38-25 Exception to the City's Prohibition on Doors or Gates Opening Over Sidewalks
Code prohibits anyone from putting in a door or gate that opens outward over the sidewalk in all cases. This lets the Director of Public Works grant exceptions to that requirement when a door or gate opening over a sidewalk does not pose a hazard. It’s particularly meant for containers to hold trash cans, which don’t make sense to open in. I’m hoping we can fully evaluate this and R-35-25 in the Environmental Matters Committee.
Resolution First Readers
R-42-25 Compensation of Acting City Manager Victoria Buckland
This just allows the acting city manager to continue to be acting for another six months or until a new permanent city manager is hired. I think it makes sense, considering we will have a new mayor soon.
Ordinance Second Readers
O-19-25 Regulation of Tours in Historic Annapolis
This is once again on the agenda, and I am once again pulling it from the agenda, because I can’t get the law office to sign off on a way of exempting the little guys from this licensing.
O-24-25 Election Report Deadlines
This adds two new campaign finance reporting deadlines earlier in the election cycle. It would not apply until the 2029 elections. Currently the first campaign finance reports aren’t due until the month before the election. By requiring candidates to report their contributions six months and three months before the primary, the legislation will give voters more transparency into who’s funding city elections. Unfortunately, my colleagues on the Rules and City Government Committee seemed to think this additional transparency is not worth the hassle, and this received an unfavorable recommendation, so it may not pass.
O-32-25 Lease of City Property - 2031-2036 Fall Boat Shows
The Boat Shows are an iconic part of our nautical culture, a great partner with the city, and a significant source of revenue. The new lease provides some flexibility for any changes from the city dock revitalization. The shows are a massive undertaking with planning happening years in advance, so it makes sense that the lease would get introduced years ahead of when it begins. We reviewed this in detail at the Finance Committee, and I am confident in extending this lease so that the boat shows can continue to invest in the city (and pay us half a million for three weekends a year).
O-36-25 Lease of City Property - 2031-2036 Spring Boat Shows
This is the same as the fall boat show lease with some nominal changes to reflect that spring shows are a little smaller.
Resolution Second Readers
R-35-25 181 Prince George Street Sidewalk Easement
This grants an easement to a sidewalk container on Prince George Street. The apartment building has three units, two of which have access to the backyard and one which doesn’t. So, the idea is to put trashcans in a structure out front. Some neighbors have had concerns about this for a while. I’ve asked that it not be passed tomorrow night and instead be referred to the Environmental Matters Committee for consideration with the ordinance about doors opening onto sidewalks.
R-36-25 Fees for Clearing Snow and Ice from City Sidewalks
This sets the fees for my legislation that allows the city to clear snowy sidewalks if the owners don’t. I collaborated closely with Public Works to ensure this is workable for their operations, while not being too onerous for anyone whose sidewalk has to get cleared. It was really a model for good legislating where we brought together all parties. The fees are progressive, based on the size of the sidewalk. This will make it safer to get around town this winter!
R-38-25 Re-assigning Fiscal Year 2025 and Fiscal Year 2026 Community Grants
One of the community grants was awarded to a for-profit entity, but the Finance Department caught the issue. This reallocates those funds to a nonprofit doing similar work.
R-39-25 Itinerant Merchant Sales in the Historic District for a Flea Market
The businesses who lease market space for outdoor dining are very excited about doing a farmers’ market downtown. So, when someone came to the city asking to do a flea market in this space, it seemed to me like a great one-off test case to test out the farmers market idea. This will be primarily vintage clothes, so there’s little competition with our brick and mortar businesses. We tweaked it a little in the Finance Committee. But due to a staff oversight, this is the same weekend as the Maryland Avenue Fall Festival, so I’m working now to reconcile those. This may have to get moved to a different weekend.
Adjournment
Other news you can use
West Annapolis Oktoberfest is today to celebrate the beginning of Autumn. 11 AM to 4 PM head over to Annapolis Street for family-friendly fun, beer, and lots of lederhosen.
The annual Murray Hill Picnic is today! 4 PM until dusk at 144 Lafayette. Bring a dish based on your last name:
A-G: Appetizer
H-N: Main dish
O-T: Side dish/Salad
U-Z: Desserts
Starting today is Cafe Diem, a fun way to support local coffee shops. Just stop in, buy a drink, get a punchcard, and when you fill up the punchcard, take it to Visit Annapolis. A full list of shops is available here.
Apparently, my general election opponent is having an event Friday hosted by the campaign manager for the MAGA Republican mayoral candidate, but, sure, he’s “unaffiliated” ;)
Next Sunday (October 5th) 11-5 is the First Sunday Arts Festival on West Street.
October 8th, we’ll be having a meet and greet on Southgate, hosted by some lovely families near Southgate and Franklin. RSVP and share with your friends.
Every Saturday and Sunday between now and election day, we’ll be door knocking. The Democratic coordinated campaign is having amazing speakers, like Sarah Elfreth and Brooke Lierman, join us to kick off these launches. If you want to be notified of volunteer opportunities, please sign up on our website
Please send me any events or other information you’d like advertised to your neighbors.
Have a great week, everyone!
Harry