Update from Mayor
Good evening everyone!
I want to start tonight by congratulating the winners of the Sept 16 Primary, but I’d
also like to acknowledge and thank all the candidates who put their names
forward. It takes courage, commitment and a lot of hard work to run for office. We
all have different priorities and approaches, but we all want to make Annapolis
better so thank you to all those who stepped up for being brave and working to
make a difference.
I also want to acknowledge the effort of our all-volunteer Board of Supervisors of
Elections. It’s a thankless job and I know they put a lot of energy into it every four
years.
Unfortunately, this year, there was an error in the unofficial count on election
night when the votes of the two candidates in ward six were swapped. The error
was picked up during the final count and corrected - showing that checks and
balances in our process work. In addition, the Board issued a formal apology and
last Thursday conducted a full audit and hand count to ensure all vote totals were
correct. The audit reaffirmed that the official, certified results were right.
In particular, the audit result should give some closure to the candidates in Ward
Four, where there was a very close result, because the audit reaffirmed the
accuracy of the four-vote margin announced in the certified results.
Again, congratulations to all the candidates and we remind voters that November
4 is General Election Day with a new mayor and council sworn in on December 1.
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Starting Thursday, the Annapolis Boat Shows are in town for the next two
weekends.
The powerboat show is first, then the sailboat show next weekend. For residents,
especially in downtown, please give yourself extra time to get around because big
crowds are anticipated.
For visitors, please pay careful attention to parking restrictions. Best bet for
parking are the garages, where you can pay by the hour or the day.
The free magenta shuttle will be running throughout the weekend to help you
move around downtown.
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I want to thank everyone who came out last Monday for the dedication of a state
highway marker to honor the Capital Gazette Five. I particularly want to thank Carl
Snowden and the Caucus of African American Leaders, as well as the Maryland
Transportation Commission and State Highways who partnered with us on this
project.
The mass shooting at the Capital Gazette was one of the major events of my first
year as Mayor. I am proud that in my final year we have found another way to
remember those we lost that day - Gerald Fischman , Rob Hiaasen , Rebecca
Smith, Wendi Winters and John McNamara. As you drive down either side of
Rowe Blvd, approaching Grauls Market, you can see the highway markers that will
hopefully serve as a reminder of all they gave to our community as well as a
meaningful reflection on the power and purpose of a free press.
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As members of our Jewish community observe Yom Kippur later this week, we
