March 10, 2025 Newsletter

Happy Sunday, Ward One

It’s Annapolis’ St. Patrick’s Day, and everything is green! My tulips are coming up, daylight savings time just kicked in, and you might even be able to see some buds on the trees. One other thing that will be getting greener: our Severn River watershed, which was selected to be targeted with restoration funding as part of the Whole Watershed Act—a state law sponsored by then-Senator Elfreth that I helped develop in my day job.

Here are the top 3 things you need to know in Annapolis:

• The St. Patrick’s Day parade kicks off at 1 pm today, and Shamrock the Dock is noon to six.

• This week we’ll have public hearings on the mayor, city manager, and city council’s compensation and on an ordinance to change the process for appealing rulings of some boards and commissions.

• If they haven’t updated automatically, be sure to spring your clocks forward for the beginning of daylight savings time today.

Updates from Harry

As you’ll see below, I’m giving the invocation at the council meeting this week. This can be a prayer, a short encouragement, or something else meaningful to guide the body as we make consequential decisions. In October, the last time it was my turn, I read part of a favorite poem that encourages us to “plant sequoias” and think about the future.

This time, I’m feeling somewhat less hopeful about the future. As we see near-daily injuries to democracy itself at the federal level, I am more focused than ever on good governance at the local level. When I see something crazy happen in the Oval Office, I know I can’t stop it—at least in the short term—but I can make our city run just a little bit better, get the streets paved sooner, or make a parking problem easier. That’s what I can control.

And, for me, the most meaningful part of my job on the city council is strengthening the vibrant, inclusive communities we have here in Annapolis, especially in Ward One. That can mean ensuring Thompson Street-end park is maintained well enough that it can be a gathering place (see my resolution that passed last meeting). Because I do believe that when people know their neighbors and know their neighbors have their back, they are less likely to vote for fear and division. You and I can make that happen right now.

For the invocation this week, I’ll be reading excerpts from Senator Robert F Kennedy’s speech in Indianapolis the night that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Senator Kennedy—just months before he himself was killed—exhorts us “to understand and to comprehend, and to replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand with compassion and love.”

Amen.

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

Alderman Huntley

Pledge of Allegiance

Mayor Buckley

Roll Call

City Clerk Watkins-Eldridge

Approval of Agenda

Ceremonial Items

ID-53-25         Citation: Eastport Volunteer Fire Company & IAFF Local 1926 Union  

Update from Mayor

Mayor Buckley

Reports by Committees

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!

Consent Calendar

Public Hearings

O-33-24         Appeals Process for Property Development in Annapolis

In the case of a project appealing decisions of our quasi-judicial commissions, this will put the decision to "stay" (pause) a project in the hands of a neutral judge, rather than happening automatically when the appeal is filed. It also makes city Board of Appeals hearings more transparent and more expeditious. This aligns with my desire to make it easier for people who love Annapolis to be able to invest in Annapolis, and I’m hopeful it will improve housing affordability. In looking through the Planning Commission’s findings, it seems like they have weighed the need for strong protections with concerns about the costs of stays and “believe this legislation balances the rights on both sides of a dispute”. The Board of Appeals requested some minor changes to the sections adjusting their process, so I expect we’ll see some amendments before this is fully approved.

R-8-25        Mayor, Alderperson, and City Manager Compensation

This resolution does not by itself change anyone’s pay. It acknowledges the findings of the charter-required Salary Review Commission and allows us to hold a public hearing. There will be an ordinance brought forward after this that would actually make changes to compensation. I have been clear that I do not support raising the city council's salaries beyond a cost of living adjustment. This is what I told the Commission, and it continues to be my position. I physically cannot work any harder for you, no matter how much more I'm paid. I would much rather any funds that could go towards raising the council's pay be spent on additional staff that would allow me to be more responsive to your concerns and to conduct more vigorous oversight and follow-through of legislation. I think also that taking this from a 30+ hour a week job down to a 15-20 hour a week job (via staff support) would expand the pool of people willing to run for the council and ultimately lead to us all having better representation. The city manager salary recommendation is in line with the Classification and Compensation study that examined the pay for that position across other jurisdictions. The recommendation for the mayor also seems fairly modest to me relative what a person competent enough to be mayor could command working fulltime in the private sector.

Resolution First Readers

R-5-25        Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts Fee Waiver-  

This would waive some fees for the Maryland Hall for the Creative Art's third phase of its multi-year project to renovate its 93-year-old building and facilities in and around the building. This is a pretty big fee waiver, so we’re talking with Maryland Hall about ways to offset it and decrease the cost.

Resolution Second Readers

R-10-25         2025 Annapolis Film Festival Fee Waiver - 

This waives $2500 worth of fees for the Film Festival.

R-11-25           Director of Finance--Brittany Moran-  

Our impressive Director of Finance, Jodee Dickinson, is retiring, and this will confirm her replacement: Brittany Moran. I’ve met with Brittany and found her to be competent and clear-eyed. She’s currently the Town Treasurer for Chesapeake Beach, the other municipality in Anne Arundel County.  

Adjournment

Other news you can use

• St. Patrick’s Day Parade at 1 and Shamrock the Dock at noon today.

• Beginning at 28:28, you can watch Superintendent Bedell’s “State of Education” speech showing progress in Anne Arundel County’s public schools. I attended Dr. Bedell’s speech and was vey impressed with his focus on the metrics of success; we need more of that in city government.

• Naptown Scoop’s Mutt Madness is still going on. Vote for your favorite pup! I’d tell you all to vote for Hobie, but he got knocked out in the first round—as did Horatio, another Ward One favorite.

• Are you a small business in Annapolis? The Baltimore Banner wants to highlight you in their new series.

• St John’s Mitchell Art Museum has opened a new exhibition of Chinese rocks that seeks to explore the question: “Is there art in nature?”

• You can report all sorts of Public Works needs at the Report an Issue portal. I especially encourage you to do this when you see places in the ward that you see need sidewalk repairs.
  

Please send me any events or other information you’d like advertised to your neighbors.

Have a great week, everyone!
Harry

Source: https://mailchi.mp/cb6b6657f406/your-31025-city-council-agenda?e=f83cd5ce61