Campaign Update

carolinefosterdesi
Jun 7
4 min read

Hello Neighbors!

Here’s a quick update on the below campaign email we sent out yesterday:

Canvassing – Due to the rain today, Jared and I postponed canvassing from 10 AM this morning to 1 PM today. And we are still planning on 2 PM tomorrow/Sunday. Please join us if you can – we are meeting at Eastport Shopping Center (in front of Palate Pleasers). Please sign up for Sunday, so we can keep you posted if there is a change.

City Council Meeting: The meeting to vote on the budget on Monday will be at 7 PM, not 10 AM, and is open to the public and can be viewed on the City’s YouTube channel.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Frank Thorp

Candidate for Alderman

Annapolis Ward 8

2026 Budget: I watched all the City’s budget meetings over the last month with great interest. The City Council held a Work Session on May 22 to introduce 69 amendments to the 2026 budget, adding $5.8M to the proposed budget of $199M in operating expenses and $30.2M in capital expenditures. On Monday, June 2, the City Council held another Work Session to review the amendments.

Tax Rate: The budget proposal includes maintaining the City’s tax rate at $0.738 per $100 of assessed property value.
Next Step: An all-day budget meeting on Monday, June 9, at 10 AM, is open to the public and can be viewed on the City’s YouTube channel.
Improving the Process: After watching all the 2026 City Budget deliberations from the beginning, I see a lot of potential to better align expenses to meet the residents’ desires through improved and more transparent processes. Please contact me if you would like to discuss the budget in more detail.

Traffic for Major Events: Traffic congestion on Blue Angels practice day was unsafe and unacceptable for the residents of Eastport. Annapolis needs a Major Event Traffic Management Plan for these Eastport events, including Fourth of July Fireworks. This will be a priority for me if I am elected.

Fifth Street & Sixth Street Lane Closures: The major patching of Fifth Street (north of Severn Avenue) and concrete testing of Sixth Street (between Severn Avenue and the Spa Creek Bridge) will begin on/or about Tuesday, June 10, 2025. See attached for more info.

House Barges: The Task Force to Study Marine Vessels met May 14 to make work group assignments. The next Zoom meeting is Wednesday, June 11, and I expect members will provide updates on the progress of the work groups. This is an important meeting for the future of our waterfront. I continue to encourage the Task Force and the City Council to ask “Why” we should authorize more house barges rather than “Why Not.”

Anne Arundel County Sheriff: I appreciated hearing the presentation by Anne Arundel County Sheriff Everett Sesker - most timely as it came the day after the Department of Homeland Security declared Annapolis and Anne Arundel County “sanctuary jurisdictions.” Sheriff Sesker has a solid grasp of this crucial topic as we move forward.

Endorsements: Thank you to Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman and Eastport leader Peter Bittner for their endorsements. View all on our Endorsement page.

Upcoming Events:

Door-knocking with Jared Littmann: Jared and I are kicking off our first coordinated campaign canvass this Saturday and Sunday, and we’d love for you to join us! We’ll be knocking on doors across Ward 8, spreading the word about our races and connecting with neighbors. If you're around and interested in helping out, please sign up here — we’d be thrilled to have you canvass with us!
Juneteenth Parade: Sign up to join our team as we march in the Annapolis Juneteenth Parade on Saturday, June 21, to commemorate the emancipation of the last enslaved Africans in the United States.

Recent Events:

Memorial Day: Great Memorial Day Parade in Annapolis. Honored to watch the parade with Mayoral candidate Jared Littmann.
Eastport Veterans Park: Honored to attend the rededication of the Eastport Veterans Park on May 30. A huge shoutout to Eastporters Hugh Bernard, Vic Pascoe, Bumper Moyer, Mike Mattingly, and Jay Estrada for their hard work and perseverance to get this done. Thank you also to now Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth and Delegate Dylan Behler for ensuring State funding for this important memorial.
STEM on the Water: Thank you to the Eastport Yacht Club Foundation (EYCF) for inviting me to visit their STEM on the Water event, where every Eastport 5th grader has the opportunity to learn about maritime sciences and experience the water on boats captained by EYC captains.
Meet & Greets: Continuing to meet many neighbors at Meet & Greet Events around Eastport. If you would like to put a group of neighbors together to discuss the issues, please email me.

Annapolis lauded in New York Times: “36 Hours in Annapolis, Md: Things to Do and See” Eastport was noted as one of the “Key Stops” in the city with special call outs to Boatyard Bar & Grill, Davis’ Pub, and O’Leary’s Seafood.