Commentary: When "Good Intentions" Risk Asking the Old Fourth Ward to Carry Another Burden

For generations, the Old Fourth Ward, today formally known as Ward 2, has been far more than just a neighborhood. It has been the historic heart of Annapolis' African American community, where generations of families built churches, businesses, institutions, and lives while preserving one of the area's oldest historically Black communities through decades of change.

Our families that remained did more than preserve a neighborhood. Our families preserved a legacy that continues to shape the identity of Annapolis today.

Related: A Look Back: Redistricting Efforts and The Historic Old Fourth Ward

Our legacy deserves more than recognition during commemorative events. It deserves consideration whenever public policy is developed.

On July 1, the City of Annapolis is scheduled to implement permit-only residential parking within Residential Parking District 4, which includes the historic Old Fourth Ward. At first glance, the change may appear to be a routine parking initiative intended to improve neighborhood parking management. For many residents, however, it represents something much larger. It raises an important question about fairness, accountability, and whether one of the area's oldest historically Black communities is once again being asked to shoulder the burden of solving a problem it did not create.

Related: Commentary: The lack of enforcement on illegal rentals and the prioritization of commercial zoning over affordable housing are eroding the fabric of the Old 4th Ward, just as Urban Removal once did.- By Ms. Veronica Grant

Related: Ward 2 Residents Outraged Over Sudden Parking Restrictions in the Old 4th Ward's Clay Street Community

This commentary is not about the cost of a parking permit. Whether a permit costs five dollars, ten dollars, fifty dollars, or any other amount misses the larger point entirely. The principle remains the same: residents should not incur any financial obligation associated with a permit-only residential parking rule implemented to address circumstances beyond our control.

If parking demand has increased, at least in part, because of broader policy decisions or increased activity generated by non-resident parking, then the financial responsibility for addressing those challenges should not begin with the individuals and families who live here.

The parking challenges facing Residential Parking District 4 are real, and residents understand that every neighborhood deserves safe, orderly, and accessible streets. The question is not whether the City of Annapolis should respond. The question is whether the response should require one of its oldest historically Black communities to bear yet another burden.

Government's responsibility extends beyond solving problems. It must do so without creating new inequities for the people it serves. Good public policy is measured not only by whether it can be implemented, but by whether it is implemented fairly, transparently, and in a manner that strengthens public trust.

That responsibility carries particular significance in communities whose history includes displacement, disinvestment, urban renewal, and other systemic inequities whose effects continue to shape daily life. The Old Fourth Ward has never asked for special treatment. It has simply asked for fair treatment. It has never sought to avoid responsibility; it has only asked that responsibility and the burdens that accompany it be shared fairly.

Available information suggests the decision to implement permit-only residential parking predates the current mayoral administration. That fact deserves acknowledgment. It does not, however, diminish the responsibility of today's elected officials to determine whether this policy, as currently scheduled for implementation, reflects the City's stated commitment to fairness, meaningful community engagement, and responsible governance.

Leadership is not measured simply by carrying forward decisions made in the past. It is measured by the willingness to reconsider those decisions when fairness, history, and the lived experiences of a community call for it. There remains time to get this right.

Public confidence in government is shaped not only by the decisions elected officials make, but by how those decisions are made. This issue is not being viewed from the outside looking in. Like many of my neighbors, I will live with the practical consequences of this new rule long after the public meetings have ended. That reality makes the process surrounding this implementation just as important as the policy itself.

By many accounts, notice of the June 11 public meeting began circulating only a few days before it was held, leaving many residents with little opportunity to rearrange work schedules, childcare responsibilities, medical appointments, or other obligations to participate in a discussion about a change scheduled to take effect on July 1. Meaningful community engagement should never become a procedural formality. 

When government adopts a rule that introduces permit requirements, new financial obligations, and the possibility of citations, fines, and towing, residents deserve adequate notice, meaningful opportunities to ask questions, and a genuine opportunity to help identify unintended consequences before implementation begins.

Just as importantly, the public deserves complete transparency regarding the scope of the changes. While the June 11 meeting announcement referenced "new parking hours" within Residential Parking District 4, many residents now understand that the City's implementation extends beyond revised parking hours to include permit requirements, associated costs, and enforcement through citations, fines, and towing. Those are significant changes with real financial consequences.

This commentary is not intended as criticism of the City employees responsible for administering the program, many of whom are carrying out decisions that appear to have originated before the current administration. The responsibility for determining whether those decisions remain fair, however, rests with today's elected leadership.

History reminds us that many well-intentioned public policies have produced unintended consequences. That is why implementation deserves as much attention as intention.

The Old Fourth Ward has experienced generations of displacement, disinvestment, and systemic inequities. The families who remained did more than preserve homes. They preserved one of Annapolis' most historically significant communities. That history does not entitle us to special treatment, but it should require thoughtful consideration whenever new public policies impose additional obligations upon those who have sustained this neighborhood through decades of change.

If the City believes permit-only residential parking is necessary, then it also has a responsibility to implement the program in a manner that reflects fairness, transparency, and sound public administration. This is not a debate about the cost of a permit. It is a question of who should bear the burden. Residents should not incur any financial obligation associated with addressing a parking challenge they did not create, nor should they immediately face citations, fines, or towing simply because a new rule has taken effect.

Government unquestionably has the authority to adopt reasonable regulations. It also has a responsibility to implement those regulations reasonably. There remains time to strengthen this policy before July 1, and doing so would not demonstrate weakness. It would demonstrate leadership.

The purpose of this commentary is not to oppose better parking management. It is to encourage better implementation. The City of Annapolis still has an opportunity to demonstrate that fairness is more than an aspiration. It is a guiding principle reflected in the practical effect of its decisions. If permit-only residential parking is to move forward on July 1, several modifications should be adopted to ensure the program achieves its intended purpose without imposing unnecessary burdens upon the very residents it is intended to protect.

First, all resident permit costs should be waived. This recommendation is not based upon the amount of any fee. Whether a permit costs five dollars, ten dollars, fifty dollars, or any other amount is beside the point. The principle remains the same: residents should not incur any financial obligation associated with a permit-only residential parking program implemented to address conditions we neither created nor control. If increased parking demand resulted, at least in part, from broader policy decisions or activity generated by non-resident parking, then the financial responsibility for addressing those challenges should not begin with those of us who live here.

Second, the City of Annapolis should establish a six-month education and evaluation period, for residents, before citations, fines, or towing are imposed for permit-related violations. During that period, enforcement should focus on education, outreach, and written warnings while residents adjust to the new requirements and City leadership evaluates whether the change is achieving its intended purpose without creating unintended hardship. This recommendation should not apply to vehicles creating legitimate public safety concerns, including those blocking fire hydrants, emergency access routes, intersections, travel lanes, or other conditions requiring immediate enforcement.

Meaningful community engagement should continue long after July 1. The June 11 meeting should represent the beginning, not the end, of this conversation. Residents deserve additional opportunities to ask questions, raise concerns, and provide constructive feedback as the City evaluates the program's effectiveness. Good government does not end when a policy is adopted. It continues by listening to the people most directly affected and making adjustments when fairness, experience, and common sense require them.

Likewise, if parking demand associated with short-term rentals or other forms of non-resident activity contributed to the need for these changes, those underlying issues should continue to be examined as part of the City's long-term parking strategy. 

According to information communicated by a representative of Metropolis, the City's contracted parking enforcement provider, increased parking demand associated with short-term rentals was identified as one of the factors discussed in connection with the implementation of permit-only residential parking. If that is the case, then the City's response should seek to address those underlying conditions without asking residents to bear new financial obligations for circumstances we neither created nor control.

This commentary is written with respect for those who honorably serve in public office and with an equally strong belief that public officials have both the authority and the responsibility to reconsider policies when legitimate concerns are raised.

Every budget reflects priorities. Every public policy reflects values. Every implementation decision reflects who government expects to bear the burden of those priorities and values. The question before the City of Annapolis is not simply whether permit-only residential parking should begin on July 1. The question is whether one of the area's oldest historically Black communities should once again be asked to incur a financial obligation to address a problem its residents did not create.

I write this commentary not from the outside looking in, but as someone who proudly calls this historic community home. 

Public policy is strongest when it is shaped by an informed community willing to participate respectfully in the democratic process. Residents and supporters of the Old Fourth Ward who have questions, concerns, or comments regarding the planned July 1 implementation of permit-only residential parking are encouraged to respectfully contact Alderwoman Karma O'Neill, Mayor Jared Littmann, and Metropolis to make their voices heard:

Ward 2 Alderwoman, Karma O'Neill
Phone: 410-919-8393
Email: aldoneill@annapolis.gov

Mayor of Annapolis
Phone: 410-263-7997
Email: mayor@annapolis.gov

Breyanna Denton, Operations Manager, Metropolis
Phone: 443-648-3087
Email: bdenton1@metropolis.io

Respectful civic engagement remains one of the most effective ways to influence public policy. Whether by phone, email, or public comment, informed participation helps ensure that the voices of Old Fourth Ward residents continue to be heard.

There is still time to get this right. Leadership is not measured by an unwillingness to revisit a decision. It is measured by the wisdom to listen, the courage to improve, and the humility to act when fairness requires it.

A city's greatness is measured not only by the problems it solves, but by who is asked to bear the cost of those solutions. The Old Fourth Ward has carried enough. It should not be asked to carry this burden, too.

Respectfully Submitted,

Timothy Boston