It’s important to reflect on what I’ve learned
Four years ago, I ran for alderwoman to be an advocate, neighbor and representative for all.
I sought to bring my engineering and construction management skills to work for you. Annapolis had aging infrastructure, tidal flooding and historic inventory that desperately needed attention.
Aligned with this commitment, in 2023, we will begin a large infrastructure project to provide flood control measures by increasing the elevation of City Dock. Additionally, the aged Hillman Garage will be replaced with a stateof-the-art garage featuring wayfinding technology to optimize parking. This substantial progress could not have been done without the mayor’s leadership and partnership with Historic
Annapolis, and the county. However, the next several years will be challenging and I will assist my constituency in navigating this construction as I am familiar with it.
As I look toward the future and how I will continue to serve, I believe it’s important to reflect on what I’ve learned over the past four years that will frame my decision-making process.
Budget: Our capital city is dense with roads, utilities, shoreline and parks needing our full attention so as not to impede city services. At the same time, we’re subject to the same national challenges major cities have — post pandemic activity, the opioid epidemic and social inequities. We must be able to address both. With that, we’ve introduced performance measures in the next budget cycle to ensure we’re focused and efficient on providing the services we owe our residents, while addressing these aforementioned national challenges. To assist, the finance department has worked these last three years to reconcile the past administration’s budget to accurately represent our spending so it is a benchmark for establishing budget priorities.
City code: Over the years, we’ve developed an inefficient and “layered” code that is difficult to enforce and needs updating. With this in mind, I support the Annapolis Office of Law and respective department heads to work together and rewrite the code, which is already underway. I believe our code should be more general, enforceable and can reference regulations under separate cover. As with all things, I will not introduce legislation unless it serves a policy objective and is enforceable.
Historic preservation: I applaud the decades of effort our Historic Preservation Commission has done and continues to do to keep the scale and fabric of the historic district. I believe it’s our responsibility to protect and be stewards of our historic buildings, but I also believe we must make them livable and adaptable. Our existing regulations may not be conducive to the environmental challenges we face today, so I will be exploring options where we can be more flexible without sacrificing key elements of these structures. I will never waiver on height and bulk guidelines supported by the National Trust. It was our promise to the National Park Service decades ago, and I will keep it.
Safety: Residents and businesses need to feel safe. I’ve been fortunate to have easy access to our police chief and deputy to meet and discuss progress, specifically downtown. As a result, we’ve added foot patrol at 3 a.m. on weekend evenings, which has been beneficial through the summer. In tandem with safety, cleanliness contributes to a sense of orderliness and well-being. We pride ourselves as being welcoming and a beautiful city to visit and we must maintain that positive stance.
Finally, one of the biggest priorities I plan to undertake if reelected is to focus on increasing the long-term residency downtown. The area is challenged by the draw of the Naval Academy, water access and tourist attractions. While this is vital to our city’s economy, downtown residents of Ward One have left while investors have increased. Residents, whether home owners or long-term renters, participate in their communities, take ownership of what happens and enhance the authenticity of the area. It’s imperative that we relook at legislation to encourage the return of residents downtown.
I hope I have your vote to continue my work and represent you for the next four years.