We don’t have much on the agenda for Monday, but there is one piece of legislation from the Mayor that I do have quite a bit of concern about. But before I get to that, you'll see two items up for a public presentation: one on houseboats and house barges from the harbormaster, and another on short term rental enforcement, presumably from Planning & Zoning.
Mayoral power grab?
O‑41‑25 proposes creating a new Deputy Chief of Staff position within the Mayor’s Office. If adopted, it would expand that office to 15 employees with a $2.1 million budget —making it the largest and most expensive Mayor’s Office in Annapolis history (up from just 7 employees in FY17). By contrast, the City Council, which serves as the legislative branch, has no staff of its own. This imbalance raises serious concerns about the separation of powers and the Charter’s clear distinction between the Mayor as the City’s chief executive and the City Manager as the chief administrative officer. Many of the duties currently performed by, or proposed for, the Mayor’s Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff fall squarely within the City Manager’s administrative responsibilities, not the Mayor’s political and executive role. And one of the roles fundamental to the Mayor's office, that of being Chair of the Council, is partially off-loaded to this new position—serving as a liaison to the City Council—and is especially troubling as the Council should not require an intermediary to communicate with one of its prime members. Big picture, expanding the Mayor’s Office without evaluating the needs of all branches risks further blurring these lines and concentrating too much power in the executive. For these reasons, I believe this legislation should be postponed until the budget process, when the new City Manager can weigh in and we can assess the needs of every branch together. While I respect the Mayor as a friend and colleague, I also swore an oath to uphold our Charter, and as written, this proposal conflicts with both its letter and its spirit, and is not the collaborative approach to governance I was hoping for and expecting.
Town Hall video
Thank you to all Ward 7 residents who attended last week’s town hall with the mayor and our directors. We had a strong turnout, although there was one disruptive individual who was not even from our City—fortunately, he wasn’t from our Ward! Otherwise, the event went very smoothly. If you have any questions following the meeting, please feel free to reach out. If you missed the town hall, you can watch it here.
Snow on sidewalks
If you see sidewalks that are still covered with snow in the City, please email [email protected]. If you see sidewalks along Forest Drive, Bay Ridge Rd, Hillsmere Drive, those are maintained by the County and they have enforcement authority. Please submit those complaints at Report a Concern | Anne Arundel County Government.
Summary of last meeting
At our last Council meeting, we approved R-2-26 – Establishing the order of succession for Mayor (I voted Aye).
Stay healthy and safe,
Rob
Next Council meeting – 2/9/25 (agenda)
This meeting starts at 7pm and will be televised on local cable, YouTube, Facebook, and the City website. You can submit public testimony at http://www.annapolis.gov/testimony. This will be an in-person meeting.
Public Hearings
There is no legislation up for a public hearing at this meeting.
Public Presentations
Legislation being introduced on first reader
- O-2-26 - Mooring requirements in City Waters - This updates and clarifies Annapolis’ mooring regulations to ensure safe navigation by defining annual and transient moorings, standardizing placement requirements, and correcting outdated language that inadvertently made compliant vessels appear in violation.
- R-4-26 - Extending the public paddlecraft rack pilot project – This extends the City’s public paddlecraft rack pilot program, lowers the rack fee, and continues allowing limited public storage at a waterfront street‑end park. I have signed onto this legislation as a co-sponsor.
Legislation up for Second Reader (i.e final vote)
- O-41-25 - Fy2026 changes in Exempt Service Job Classification – The title of this is a bit misleading. In reality, what it does is add a new Exempt (i.e. appointed) position within the Mayors office; a Deputy Chief of Staff (DCoS) position. I have a number of concerns with this. Please see my opening remarks above for details.
Community & Political updates
No updates this week.
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