City Dock process has been transparent

A frustration of working in government is that no matter how much you do to inform citizens and include them in a decision-making process, someone always complains they didn’t have enough information or the opportunity to participate in the process. Michael Collins’ guest column (The Capital, March 27, 2024), faulting the City Dock planning process, is an example of this cynical tactic.

While former Mayor Ellen Moyer may have originated the idea of replacing acres of polluting City Dock parking with resilient green spaces, former Mayors Joshua Cohen and Michael Pantelides failed to muster the will to take on the status quo establishment.

In moving the City Dock project forward, Mayor Gavin Buckley has relied on the most participatory, extensively documented and transparent planning effort in the recent history of the city.

That process included the work of a 92-member City Dock Action Committee, 136 public meetings, 300 stakeholder meetings, multiple public meetings of the Historic Preservation Commission, the Planning Commission and City Council public work sessions. The project has been extensively documented including the approval of the site plan by the Planning Commission. And, the proposal remains open for public comment through the city’s website.

So, what is the real reason for Collins’ 11th-hour opposition to this defining project that is enthusiastically supported by most Annapolitans? Has he not been paying attention? Is he just one of those folks who resists change? Or does his objection have roots in personal or political differences with the mayor?

I applaud the mayor for his respectful rejection of those who, for whatever reason, would stand in the way of progress.

— Bob Gallagher, Annapolis