Patrick J. “Irish” Mahoney chaired his second meeting in a row as Chesapeake Beach’s acting mayor Thursday evening, April 17. Mahoney is substituting for ailing Mayor Bruce Wahl. While the April session was relatively short, the board still got bogged down in a protracted discussion over a proposed ordinance to impose restrictions, and limitations on “oversized vehicles” parking on town streets and roads. The discourse was a carryover from the March 20 meeting. At that meeting the council opted to table the measure.
The number of council members at the April meeting—five instead of the full six—likely spelled doom for the parking restriction proposal. Four votes are needed to pass an ordinance and only three members favored the revision. Mahoney asked if the council was willing to defer a vote on the proposal until all six members were present but couldn’t muster the four votes needed to delay the decision.
Once the issue was formally removed from the table Councilman Jeff Krahling moved to modify the proposal with an additional clause to exclude town subdivisions with homeowners’ associations.
Councilman Stewart Cumbo stated that he didn’t think it was “good practice” to allow a homeowners’ association to “supersede a town ordinance.” Town Attorney Elissa Levan pointed out that homeowners’ associations already had that authority.
“Then what’s the point of the ordinance?” Cumbo asked.
“Not every road within a homeowners’ association community is public and not every road within a homeowners’ association community is private,” said Councilman Robert Carpenter. “I think there’s some middle ground we can reach.”
The vote in favor of Krahling’s proposed amendment was 4-to-1 with Cumbo opposed.
When it came time to vote on the amended measure, Councilman Eric Reinhardt, who had voted in favor of the amendment, announced his opposition to the proposal. “I cannot support this ordinance,” said Reinhardt, who explained his understanding of the “genesis” of the proposal was an isolated incident in one neighborhood involving a box truck. “I’m not sure what the safety issue is.” Since the incident appears isolated, Reinhardt stated it required “a specific solution.”
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