September 8 Newsletter
Happy Sunday, Ward One
If you’re on Facebook or Instagram, you’ve probably seen, well, a lot of stuff. Hopefully that includes our campaign’s first video ad. It discusses a few of the “little things” that we’ve made happen over the past year to make residents’ lives easier and safer. Check it out!
But I know there’s lots more work to do. Residents have a choice this election between—as Rick Hutzell put it recently—steady government, better government, or smaller government. Mark me down in the “better government” category. Optimizing, local, state, and federal government programs is exactly what I do in my day job, and I’ve got the energy, expertise, and positive vision to make that happen in Annapolis for these next four years.
Here are the top 3 things you need to know in Annapolis:
You should have received your mail-in ballot by now if you requested one. If not, call the clerk’s office: (410) 263-7942. The deadline to submit a request for one is September 12th. Drop your ballot in a dropbox by September 16th or a post office box by September 15th. Or, vote in-person at City Hall on election day.
There are lots of ordinances up for public comment tomorrow, including leases and ranked choice voting. Come share your thoughts!
Our last meet and greet before the primary election will be this Thursday evening, and there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer over the next nine days.
Updates from Harry
What comes after Gavin Buckley?
There’s a saying that every election is about the last election, and at the mayoral level that certainly seems to be true. The three candidates running are offering three distinct paths. Rick Hutzell recently described the choices as steady government, better government, or smaller government.
Far be it from me to disagree with Rick, but I’ve been thinking of the same fundamental premise in slightly different terms. If you’ve seen me speak in public, you know I have a tendency towards talking with my hands; I’ve found my hand gestures subconsciously expressing this trichotomy as a flat forward path, an upward path, or a path that curves down so much it goes backwards.
Alderwoman Pindell Charles’ pitch seems to be to keep the city moving forward in the way that’s been happening for the past 8 years. It’s indisputable that the city has made tremendous progress on many fronts during this administration from getting our financial house in order to adding new public water access. But some of the basics of interacting with city government have not improved or have even gotten worse, like getting permits or parking downtown. To me, that flat path feels like a failure of imagination.
Jared has recognized these shortcomings and has clear plans to turn city government into a force for making your life easier and more affordable. Whether as a small business owner navigating the pandemic or as one of the more pioneering aldermen this century, he knows how to be careful and how to innovate. Maybe more importantly, he know when to be each of those things. His vision is to build a city government where everyone feels heard and then can actually see their concerns addressed in a timely manner.
Bob O’Shea would tear it all down. He’s angry at both of the other paths, and he wants you to know it. He thinks we should go back to the drawing board on city dock and outsource most of our government to the county while he DOGEs the rest. This path goes down so steeply it turns around to take us backwards. These aren’t serious plans, but they represent a serious threat. We must take this general election seriously! And that will require a lot of us working together volunteering our time, treasure, and talent.
As we look to our Ward One race, no one is advocating the flat path, but it seems to me like many are advocating the downward path.
Like Mr. O’Shea, they’re taking their cues from the ABC group that advocatesstripping Annapolis of our parks and rec department, our mayor, and even our sovereignty itself so that the capital city of Maryland would become just another unincorporated area of the county, like Glen Burnie or Towson. Other candidates are promising to upend the city dock project and are complaining about the outdoor dining that’s made our streets more vibrant. They’re threatening to take us not just downward but backwards to an era when Annapolis was scolding and stagnant.
The balm for that fear and anger is hope. It is a positive vision of how optimizing city government can strengthen our neighborhoods, protect our people and environment, and take care of the “little things” that matter most. It is the upward path.
Working together, we can build a city government that listens to our community and takes efficient, effective action. It will be a government focused on rolling up our sleeves to implement solutions, not complaining about problems. It will mean getting crossing signals installed in days rather than months, parking downtown without the stress of pulling out your phone, and being able to improve your own home without permits getting lost in the abyss. It will include actually delivering on visionary projects (like turning city dock’s parking lot into a park) and making tangible improvements to the everyday obstacles (like fixing sidewalks).
I’m proud to have—in just the past year—taken many steps towards this. I’ve brought forward legislation to improve our elections with ranked choice voting and campaign finance transparency. The budget this year funds sidewalk repair at record levels, and Public Works this winter will be able to clear snowy sidewalks. We’ve shifted the three city-owned garages to a true drive-in/drive-out system and taken steps to push Hillman in that direction also. To keep moving us onwards and upwards, we’ll need not just a mayor and not just a Ward One Alderman but an entire city council that can collaborate to implement this vision.
And, yes, part of that upward path should be reducing the tax burden on residents. That’s why I’ve proposed and started working on renegotiating our PILOTs with nonprofits and other levels of government who don’t pay property taxes, improving our procurement and budget processes to save money, and allowing more fiscally-responsible land use.
The upward path is about making city government work better for you. I guess Rick and I aren’t that far apart at all.
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.
PS: There’s been a ton of misinformation floating around about my bill to re-allow duplexes on double lots. No, it doesn’t impact the historic district; yes, it would require more parking; no, it’s not being “fast-tracked”; and it only applies to about 50 properties in Ward One (not 1000 like some guy on NextDoor said). See my response at 53:35 of the WORA forum if you want to know what it’s really all about.
City council agenda
Call To Order
Mayor Buckley
Invocation
Alderwoman Pindell-Charles
Pledge of Allegiance
Mayor Buckley
Roll Call
City Clerk Watkins-Eldridge
Approval of Agenda
Ceremonial Items
ID-129-25 Citation: Boatyard Bar & Grill Attachments: Citation - Boatyard Bar & Grill
ID-132-25 City Council Member Recognition
ID-135-25 Citation: Chick and Ruth's Delly 60th Anniversary
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
ID-136-25 Reschedule the September City Council Special Meeting
Following our normal schedule of the second and fourth Mondays, the council should be meeting on September 8th and 22nd this month, but the meeting on the 22nd had to be rescheduled due to Rosh Hashanah. When that decision was made last year, I guess no one was thinking about the fact that city council chambers would be unavailable on the 15th because they have to get set up as a polling location. So, the meeting that should’ve been on September 22nd is going to get pushed back a week to September 29th, rather than forward a week to September 15th. The two council meetings in September will be September 8th and September 29th.
Approval of July 14 and July 28 Meeting Minutes
SA-3-26 Grant - APD - Maryland’s Governor's Office of Crime & Policy
SA-6-26 General - City Council - Reserve for One Time Uses
Supplemental Appropriations $50,000 & Above
SA-4-26 Capital - Department of Transportation - Capital Reserve
A grant was accidentally double-counted in the FY26 budget, so some of the funding for fixing the Transportation Department’s roof will now have to come from the capital reserve. This is one reason why it’s good to keep reserves. This project is both urgent and important, so we all agree it needs to continue. The Finance Committee will be examining on September 17th if there are other, less crucial projects funded by the capital reserve that could be cut or deferred to ensure plenty remains in that account.
SA-5-26 Grant - Fire - DSCI: Maryland Department of Service & Civic Innovation
This is a very cool partnership with the governor’s new Department of Service and Civic Innovation to get 10 cadets working with our Fire Department. The $246,000 state grant does require the city to incur some expenses for clothing and healthcare, so we’re funding that with $20,000 out of each of the mayor and city manager’s offices.
Public Hearings
O-29-25 Tyler Avenue Complete Community Overlay District
The community on Tyler Avenue between Forest Drive and Bay Ridge has for years brought concerns to the city about vacant properties and unsafe streets. The area was thus included in the comprehensive plan as an opportunity for improvement. The city’s comprehensive planners have worked diligently with the community there to create this zoning overlay district that will respect existing neighborhood character and activate opportunities for new housing, streetscape improvements, and community open space. This aligns with my goal to let the rest of the city look more like Ward One, so I intend to support it.
O-30-25 Business Revitalization District Regulation Change
This very small, technical tweak changes just a tiny zone that was created in 2005. This less-than-a-block sized zone was created to support small businesses in the old fourth ward, but the floor area ratio is so low that it’s making it impossible to reach the allowed heights of three stories. This corrects that so the community can get back some of its local shops and vibrancy.
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. But the last lease was introduced at the beginning of 2017 to start in 2021. This is coming towards the middle of 2025 to start in 2031, so it is about a year and a half earlier than before. In addition to other questions, I’ll ask in the Finance Committee if there’s some urgency.
O-33-25Lease of City Property - Market House
Generally speaking, I think that the situation at Market House is amazing; it’s a vibrant community gathering place—as it has been for hundreds of years. But I am skeptical of why we need to create a new lease this far out. To be clear, passage of this would not lock the city into this tenant for the next 28 years, as some have said. Every five years has an option to renew or not. But that’s why I’m unclear why we’d put a new lease in place for 2033-2053 before agreeing to renew the lease in 2028. This is also obviously becoming a political football, which I think is really bad. The lease was negotiated by apolitical staff, and whether it gets approved or not should be a business decision. So, I’m waiting to make up my mind until the Finance Committee has a chance to review all the facts in detail. In the meantime, I’d love to hear your thoughts on how this is or is not a good deal for the city.
O-34-25 FY 2026 Changes in Exempt Service Job Classifications
This legislation corrects an oversight from the mammoth classification and compensation study legislation a few months ago by adding the “Community Service Coordinator” position to the list of exempt positions.
O-35-25Ranked-Choice Voting in Annapolis City Elections
You might not know that years before I was on the city council I began advocating for Annapolis to adopt ranked choice voting. Ranked choice voting ensures elections are fair for everyone by simply giving voters the option to rank candidates in order of preference: first, second, third, and so on. If your first choice can’t win, then your second choice vote counts. This would only apply to city elections and wouldn’t start until 2029.
Ranked choice voting works because it:
Promotes more representative outcomes and upholds majority rule
Gives voters more choices and a more meaningful vote
Encourages more candidates to run
Allows voters to pick their favorite candidate without worrying about playing “spoiler” or “wasting” their vote. Voters do not need to choose the lesser of two evils.
Rewards elected officials who deliver for a majority of voters
Lowers the barrier to entry for women and candidates of color
Discourages negative campaigning
Increases participation from military and overseas voters
Is popular with voters who use it
This is the single most personally important piece of legislation I have introduced. I believe very strongly that it will not only make Annapolis better, but it will be our little contribution towards fixing America’s broken democracy.
RCV brings independents and minor parties more into the political process. It would potentially complement future election reforms like open primaries or proportional representation. If you want to learn more about ranked choice voting, I highly recommend the short film, Majority Rules.
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.
Ordinance First Readers
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 new housing 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. We need to take a close look at to what extent this accomplishes its intended goal, and I’m sure the economic matters committee will do that.
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.
Resolution First Readers
R-33-25 Speed Monitoring System Fines
Making our speed camera fines progressive so that somebody going 50 mph over the speed limit gets a charge that will seriously discourage them from doing it again. This will also mean more funds for pedestrian and traffic safety infrastructure, since the proceeds are required to go towards safer streets.
R-34-25 Market Space Interest Charge Waiver
This waives the interest charges on late rent for Market Space, the outdoor dining area between Pinkney and Fleet Streets. As I understand, there was some confusion about whether and to whom the rent had been paid due to the complicated nature of our parking agreement downtown. I want to get into whether the fault was on the city’s side or the businesses’ side, so I’ve asked this to be referred to the Finance Committee.
R-35-25 181 Prince George Street Sidewalk Easement
Sometimes it’s funny how little the things that have to get addressed by the council are. But even these hyper-specific issues have a big impact to the people who they affect. This is to allow a trash enclosure that’s already been permitted by the Historic Preservation Commission and everyone else to remain on what is currently the city sidewalk. You can see from the picture that the enclosure sits between the stairs and the bump-out of the building, so it’s not blocking anything. But it’s important to follow the appropriate process.
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. 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
I want a farmers’ market downtown. 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 still have some logistics to work out through the special events permitting process, but getting this resolution introduced is a good first step.
R-40-25 Equitable Public Water Access Plan
I strongly support giving more public water access. It’s incredible how little of our beautiful waterways are publicly accessible. This is a gargantuan plan that’s been developed over a long time, with lots of community input. I see a lot to love in here. I have also heard a couple concerns. Please let me know if you have any thoughts on it.
R-41-25 2025 Go Bowling Military Bowl Parade and Football Game
This is our annual waiver of fees for the Military Bowl parade, which is put on by a nonprofit. It would waive up to $15,000 of fees for services like directing traffic.
Ordinance Second Readers
O-12-25 Prioritizing Affordable Spending Through Expansion of Financial Advisory Commission Duties
Alderman Arnett decided (and I agree with him) that the important goals of this ordinance would be better served by turning it into a Request for Information and then Request for Proposals to obtain the research described in this ordinance. It did not need to be put into code. Thus, the legislation is going to be withdrawn.
O-31-25 Issuance of General Obligation Bonds and Bond Anticipation Notes
This ordinance is both a big deal and very routine. It’s a big deal because it involves a lot of money, but it’s really just fulfilling the plans that have already been debated in the budget. While it authorizes borrowing up to the maximum needed to complete all bond-funded capital projects, the actual amount of bonds that will be issued is surely much lower. The city has a target of 10% of General Fund expenditures being debt service costs with absolutely no more than 12%, and we’re continuing to stay well within that. There’s an interesting discussion to be had about when is best to issue bonds (“timing the market”), and we talked about this at length in the Finance Committee on Wednesday. There is tremendous uncertainty in the bond markets right now. That might sound like we shouldn’t be issuing new bonds, but part of the calculus is that it might be much better to issue them now than later. The Finance Director will attempt to hedge against risk, for instance by issuing bond anticipation notes (a more short-term cash-flow instrument). There is no perfect solution here, but—based on my conversations with staff, talking with outside experts, and my own research—I believe we have the right people in place to carefully make the most appropriate decisions for the city’s financial health using the best available information. So, I intend to support this ordinance.
Adjournment
Other news you can use
The historic Reynold’s Tavern got a grant for renovations and upgrades in advance of Annapolis 250.
Today 11-5 is the First Sunday Arts Festival on West Street.
Tonight’s City Dock Concert Series is Island Breeze, a Polynesian Arts Group.
The Anne Arundel County Fair kicks off this Wednesday and runs through Sunday the 14th.
At the same time, Annapolis will be hosting the Songwriters Festival, headlined by the Dirty Heads.
On Thursday, we’re having our last meet and greet before the primary, and it’s going to be a blow-out! If you know anyone who’s still on the fence—or who needs a nudge into volunteering for the campaign—invite them to come to the Connors’ on Thursday evening. You can RSVP here.
Tonight, Thursday night, and next weekend, we’ve got opportunities to help the campaign by writing postcards and knocking on doors. If you like this newsletter and want to keep getting it, I would love to have you come out and help our ccampaign.
September 20-21 is the Baygrass Festival, which benefits awesome environmental nonprofits, like the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and Oyster Recovery Partnership. The full lineup just got released.
Spot something that needs attention in the ward? You can report all sorts of needs at the Report an Issue portal. This can be anything from sidewalk repairs to needing grass cut at a park to potholes.
Please send me any events or other information you’d like advertised to your neighbors.
Have a great week, everyone!
Harry