Mayor's trip yields historical, transit ideas
By NICOLE YOUNG, Staff Writer
Published August 20, 2007
Six weeks, hours upon hours aboard boats and trains and more than 3,000 photos later, Mayor Ellen O. Moyer is back. She was on a goodwill mission to Annapolis' sister cities in Europe.
Near the top her list is lifting some transportation ideas from Paris, including more underground parking and increased public transportation on the water.
Beginning in Rochefort, France, Ms. Moyer's trip took her through Europe, including stops in Paris; Richmond, Yorkshire, England; Dumfries, Scotland; Newport, Wales; and Wexford, Ireland.
Ms. Moyer said she's now armed with a "whole notebook of ideas" - and she's ready to go through it and find out which are viable options for the city.
The Annapolis Sister Cities program, similar to having a pen pal on a municipal level, has led to governmental, economic and cultural collaborations, as well as student exchange programs.
Annapolis has sisterly ties to more than 10 cities around the globe, including Tallinn, Estonia; and Annapolis Royal in Nova Scotia.
Many of the mayor's experiences were documented in a blog - ellenmoyer.blogspot.com - with historical backgrounds of each town, ties to Annapolis and the efforts of the local government.
She said transportation options in Paris were numerous, and seemed like something Annapolis could look to for guidance in the future.
She described bicycles lined up in the main tourist areas; with the swipe of a credit card, a bike could be unlocked for use. A public "boat bus" stops at eight locations aroundthe city and car lots are kept out of sight in underground parking garages.
"Public transportation is totally different," Ms. Moyer said. "No Taj Mahal (parking) garages there. But useful exchange of skills will be a natural occurrence."
Giving back to the sister cities overseas, Ms. Moyer is hoping to share the city's historical preservation expertise with some of them and possibly even set up a pen-pal program with students in Annapolis schools.
She said she also learned about public housing in Europe and was most impressed by the appearance of the homes. She also looked to the mayor of Newport, Wales, for information on how that city keeps its public housing system working, and bringing in a better mix of options for home ownership.
"Subsidized housing just doesn't look like it there," she said. "The cottages all have flowers in the yard and are well-kept and fairly attractive."
Alderwoman Julie Stankivic, I-Ward 6, also made a short trek to Europe earlier this month on city business, but wasn't able to meet up with the mayor.
But Ms. Moyer returned to more pressing matters. Upon her arrival in Annapolis she jumped in with a five-point-plan to address fears of escalating violence and crime in the city. Her proposal included reducing the number of shifts for police from five to three, adding a horse unit to the force, buying four Segway scooters, designating Annapolis a drug-free zone and improving lighting on city streets.
Ms. Moyer said she's also interested in planning special programs to raise money for the sister cities program, to "treat them as well as they treat us."
"The exchange has to go both ways," she said.
Representatives from several of the sister cities, including Wexford, are making arrangements to visit during Annapolis' 300th anniversary next year, she said.
Her blog will continue to be updated in the coming weeks with information about the last portion of her trip, she said.
