Annapolis Capital Punishment

TGIF. The Market House debacle appears to have been resolved, at least until we decide what to do next. I don't want this current administration or its appointees or cronies deciding what to do and full public participation is a must. Mayoral Candidate Chris Fox, a restaurant owner, has already given some thought to the physical re-design to deal with the continuing HVAC issues and even is circulating a floor-plan. That's a refreshing approach--to have a business person with some expertise get involved instead of having bumbling bureaucrats try to figure it out. If I were Site Realty I'd want a bond or an escrow account or some kind of collateral. Just more to add to the perfect storm about to blow into Annapolis over the next few months....and a job left to the next mayor to resolve.

While on the way to Sip N' Blog Thursday I noticed a few interesting things going on, each signaling in their own way, challenges in our city, and the different levels of addressing them--or not. First, some contractors were digging up a water main to place meters on them. It turns out that City Dock and City Hall have never been metered. What does this mean?

Then I saw, as I always do, carloads of uniformed St. Mary's students taking up our Eastport residential on-street parking spaces. Dozens of them. Right in a row in a Lexus, a Volvo and a LandRover and from each, emerged one uniformed student each. What a country. Our cup runneth over. Sending our privileged kids to private schools in single-occupant, private luxury automobiles. It's bad enough that this school causes three traffic jams a day, but their seniors take up our parking spots all day--for free in Eastport. They even have a traffic light and crossing guards. And they are tax exempt.You know, render unto Caesar etc., etc.

As the light turned red at Severn and Sixth I watched not one, not two, but three cars zipping down Severn Ave. (without slowing for the water main diggers) and go through the red light by the Rockfish Restaurant and the Mercedes dealer. Three in a row. Might these be the same who would be the first to complain if we put up red-light cameras? I saw that occur at almost the exact same place a PCP-crazed driver plowed into and wrecked my car while it was stopped at a stop-sign. Speeders and red-light violators are a major threat to our safety. Another reason why I say that walkers are second-class citizens in Annapolis.

And of course the Sam Shropshire and Classie Hoyle sponsored charter amendment to deliver us another year of Ellen Moyer. I cannot figure this one out and former Alderwoman Cynthia Carter told us at Sip N' Blog that Hoyle had thought she was agreeing to a change in the NEXT and not the upcoming election cycle.
We can speculate endlessly and wonder about various different scenarios but two things seem pretty certain to me. One is that Ellen Moyer does not want another term. She wants to go and do legitimately what she has been doing illegitimately as mayor--take long trips. Yes, please, let her travel, as much as she wants. Two, I consider Sam Shropshire's move to be nothing short of political suicide to suggest we get another year of Moyer--this late in the cycle--a cycle in which he is heavily invested. It makes no sense that he would do such a thing. Yet the fact that he got this on the agenda so quickly suggests that Moyer told City Attorney Kling to move it through. But we're not Sam Shropshire. He has some explaining to do for all of us but it might help explain why he ignored email and telephone requests from CP to get his support for placing the city manager petition information on the city's web-site.

I doubt this amendment will fly. I hope it will not.

There are reasons both pro and con to keep our election cycle separate, but this is not the time to try and change it. To do so will throw another monkey wrench into this election cycle and threaten us with another year of Moyerocracy. No way. Of course if it went through, and she resigned, it would mean the Demokratische Central Cominterm would pick the next mayor and that committee includes a mayoral candidate, an aldermanic candidate and the legislative aide to an elected official also running for mayor.


We have to be very careful about speculating and concocting conspiracy theories. On the one hand, many of us would not put anything beyond the realm of this incompetent and corrupt Moyerocracy because of what it keeps doing...and doing...and doing. On the other hand (or perhaps similarly) because we place no trust in the Moyerocracy, we are willing to believe anything is possible.

Let's all proceed carefully and not add any more wind to the perfect storm of elections, a referendum and budget problems etc. that is blowing in.

See what Greg Stiverson has to say at www.stiversonforward6.com/?p=108 .

Scott Bowling has also weighed in though it is not yet posted at his web-site. However, in an email he said, "As Election 2009 gains momentum, and Annapolitans begin to shift their attention away from the incompetence of the Moyer Administration and look toward a brighter future from a new Mayor and Council; SURPRISE, CA 06-09 is introduced, and Mayor Moyer and her cronies are back and trying to extend their term one year. Their justification of course is that they must act in response to School Superintendent Maxwell’s decision prohibiting local schools from being used as polling places."

This charter amendment will be introduced Monday night. Perhaps by then Shropshire will rethink this...and withdraw his proposal....and maybe even his candidacy.