Holiday Greetings from Harry

Dec 22

Happy Sunday, Ward One!

There’ll be parties for hosting, marshmallows for roasting…and people sleeping outside in the cold.

So many of us have much to celebrate this holiday season, and we should enjoy those parties, marshmallow toastings, and other opportunities for cheer. But it’s important to remember that we have neighbors who are struggling. Yesterday, I presented a city council citation (center photo) to the Anne Arundel County Coalition to End Homelessness at their “Longest Night” memorial for people who were homeless and died in the past year. The ceremony was deeply moving, and the list was far too long.

Thank you to all of you who I know are spreading cheer and goodwill this time of year, especially towards those who are most vulnerable. That includes distributing backpacks with coats to the homeless (Bob), having a party for your neighbors and friends (Katie), gathering your neighborhood to collect toys for needy kids (Al), and so many more of you helping in ways big and small.

The picture on the left above is from the annual Santa Run, organized by our Fire Department to collect and distribute toys to kids in local schools. I had the honor of riding along with Firefighter 1st Class Garret Scholz in the medic unit last Sunday to collect toys and then went to “The North Pole” (Park Place) on Tuesday to sort the toys for each family. I was blown away by our community’s generosity that led to hundreds of families having presents for Christmas. A huge shout out to Mike Williams for his first year coordinating the Run.

The picture on the right is of my own tree full of local presents after Midnight Madness on Thursday. Check out my tribute on Facebook to the community spirit that makes that event happen. How many local businesses can you spot in the photo?

This week and every week, I’m grateful for the honor of representing you and our whole community. Never hesitate to contact me at aldhuntley@annapolis.gov.

Updates from Harry

This edition of the newsletter does not have a city council agenda, because there is no council meeting on Monday. Things are mostly quiet around city hall over the holidays. The next council meeting will be January 13th, and the Finance Committee will meet again on January 8th. Just after those, the council will kick off budget discussions with a work session on January 16th to share budget priorities. The hope is that by having this meeting very early in the budget season, the mayor (who prepares a proposed budget) can incorporate alderpeople’s priorities in the first draft and minimize the crush of amendments in May.

As the chair of the Finance Committee, I’m asking each alderperson to attend and be ready to share their top three priorities for the budget process. My #1 priority is to rebalance our budget away from new projects and towards maintaining what we have: streets, sidewalks, sewer mains, and other essential infrastructure. What do you think the other budget priorities for Ward One should be?

A reminder to join me for the coffee shop tour. The first two stops were great, and I hope to see you at Brown Mustache (in Old Fox Books) on January 8th.

Other news you can use

Did you enjoy the Eastport Yacht Club Lights Parade? Check out Naptown Scoop’s round up of the winners.
December 27 will see the return of the Miracle on West Street with a parade Budweiser Clydesdales 3-5, followed by a pub crawl 5-8.
Saturday is both the Go Bowling Military Bowl at Navy Stadium and its associated parade. The parade kicks off at 2 pm at City Dock. Expect street closures on both Friday and Saturday, and see the details here.
Downtown Annapolis has lots of options to celebrate New Years Eve:
- Acqua Al 2’s “lounge-style party”
- Ram’s Head’s “Ultimate 80s Prom”
- Watermark’s “Yacht Party” cruise
- and, of course, the city’s fireworks over Spa Creek at 9 pm
My pal, Jack Wildlife, is hosting a first day of the year birding hike: 10 am on January 1 at Quiet Waters Park.