My last post focused on a set of goals for the future of our community. Now that the goals have been stated, we need to think about implementation.
What I would like to help create is a vision for our future that will protect the sense of community, the physical environment, and the provision of a stable and supportable economic base. A lot of that is linked to the process of local city and county management and leadership.
Looking complicated?
There’s a ‘roadmap’ to be followed here. Progress that we, as citizens, can see will help us determine if we are on a path that addresses our expectations. The same roadmap will also serve as a scorecard to hold our political leaders accountable.
But where do we start? How about with a look at our recent accomplishments, shortcomings and failures to help determine if we are making progress, stagnating, or are going about the whole process dead wrong?
We should try to look through a lens that wants to see and celebrate accomplishments, but which is ultimately brutally honest. So, okay, let’s look first at what’s been in the news on the plus side of our ledger.
The work at City Dock is an obvious positive activity for the maintenance and beautification of our waterfront community.
What’s less obvious?
The public meeting or two on the ‘nuisance’ flooding in the historic area, then silence.
All the public meetings (over years and years) on a range of significant development projects proposed throughout our community.
So many meetings producing, in their wake, a little talk, more talk, and a paucity of follow-though resulting in virtually nothing, no action and little benefit for the overall community. Remember, this is the ‘positive’ side of our ledger.
On the negative side of the ledger, and almost overwhelming, are the failures of our elected officials to achieve a coherent vision for our future and public policies needed to bring that future to reality for the whole community. There is more polarization than progress, more defensiveness from our political leaders than leadership.
The accomplishments to date may partially fill a thimble. The failures could bring Ego Alley to overflowing. These failures include but are not limited to:
- Inability to protect and enhance our physical environment, with the continuing threats to Crystal Spring Forest and the open space at locations such as the Annapolis Yacht Club sites in Eastport.
- Failure to follow through with a public process for input and serious consideration of the needs of the community vs. the avarice and narrow interests of developers and their proponents.
- The embarrassment of the ghost town-like quality of Market Square.
- Failure to consider the implications of senseless development in the name of economic development without consideration of the second and third order effects on the whole community.
It’s important to understand that these are not isolated matters. They are part of a pattern. They are symptoms of misplaced support and attention by our political leaders. Take, as an example, the events resulting from the December 12, 2015 fire at the Annapolis Yacht Club.
Immediately after the fire there was a pilgrimage to the site by the Governor, the County Executive, and the Mayor. Granted, the AYC has long been lauded as an integral part of the community, providing jobs and recreational activities and water access to boating families. But it is not an educational institution. It is not a place of worship or a hospital. It is only a private club. Why was there a pledge of ‘total’ support and a commitment from these ‘pilgrims’ to cut through the red tape? There have been a multitude of other institutions and individuals that have suffered damage, interruptions and loss. Why haven’t they received anywhere near this level of attention?
Perhaps the pilgrimage by our political leaders is self-serving. Perhaps they went to show the flag to their base which, among others, lists as members some of the City’s most successful and well-known individuals. Is it possible their pledge of support for rebuilding was due less from altruism and more from political expediency? Are our political leaders at the City, State and County levels just possibly favoring those they consider their major and most influential supporters? Are they simply giving in to their nature, as politicians, to get re-elected first and foremost?
We cannot achieve our community goals if our elected officials do not stand with us, with the whole community. If they stand between us and our goals they need to be moved aside by the exercise of our votes. If we fail to vote them out of office, the fault for the failure of our dreams belongs to us. And if we fail to elect those candidates who make clear their support of the community over narrow special interests, if we fail to hold our political leaders accountable for their actions, well then,
Shame on us!
eastport defined 