Dog owner takes a bite out of council’s Willard Beach vote (June 27, 2008)
By Nate Jones
Staff Writer
Dog owners in South Portland sighed in relief when South Portland Dog Owners Group member Chris Kessler discovered last week’s city council 4 to 3 vote changing the hours dogs are allowed on Willard Beach, shouldn’t have been allowed on the agenda. They voted to allow dogs on the beach from 6 to 9 a.m. to 6 to 9 p.m until Sept. 30
“I just had a bad feeling about everything, looked at the city charter and saw that it was not right,” Kessler said. “It was a little shocking the city council didn’t know their own rules.”
City Clerk Susan Mooney confirmed the vote should not have been on the June 16 agenda because, the council agreed to add it with a 4 to 3 vote immediately before the vote, and such a motion requires a two-thirds majority in order to pass.
“They needed a 5 to 2 vote to put it on the agenda,” she said.
In a press release, Councilor Maxine Beecher, who first introduced the change in hours, stated she has no plans to bring the issue back to the table.
Dog owners will still be able to walk their dogs on the beach from 6 to 9 a.m. until a Willard Beach Task force – which met for the first time yesterday – determines a final arrangement between dog owners and property owners along the shoreline.
“Clearly, rules of procedure are put in place to prevent end runs around public process,” Councilor Claude Morgan, who voted against adding the item to the agenda, wrote in an email.
Morgan wrote he could not recall any other instance in which the council had agreed to suspend procedural rules to add an item to the agenda unless it was an emergency that “garnered the full, unanimous support of the council.”
“Gives you an idea of the weight that’s usually placed on waiving our standard rules of procedure,” he wrote. “We so rarely pull that trigger.”
If re-introduced to the council, the amendment would be subject to first reading and public hearing, making the earliest approval date July 21, and the ordinance would become effective Sept. 10, 20 days prior to the beginning of off-season dog access, Beecher stated.
“To reintroduce this amendment now would produce a very limited impact when approved,” Beecher added.
Staff Writer
Dog owners in South Portland sighed in relief when South Portland Dog Owners Group member Chris Kessler discovered last week’s city council 4 to 3 vote changing the hours dogs are allowed on Willard Beach, shouldn’t have been allowed on the agenda. They voted to allow dogs on the beach from 6 to 9 a.m. to 6 to 9 p.m until Sept. 30
“I just had a bad feeling about everything, looked at the city charter and saw that it was not right,” Kessler said. “It was a little shocking the city council didn’t know their own rules.”
City Clerk Susan Mooney confirmed the vote should not have been on the June 16 agenda because, the council agreed to add it with a 4 to 3 vote immediately before the vote, and such a motion requires a two-thirds majority in order to pass.
“They needed a 5 to 2 vote to put it on the agenda,” she said.
In a press release, Councilor Maxine Beecher, who first introduced the change in hours, stated she has no plans to bring the issue back to the table.
Dog owners will still be able to walk their dogs on the beach from 6 to 9 a.m. until a Willard Beach Task force – which met for the first time yesterday – determines a final arrangement between dog owners and property owners along the shoreline.
“Clearly, rules of procedure are put in place to prevent end runs around public process,” Councilor Claude Morgan, who voted against adding the item to the agenda, wrote in an email.
Morgan wrote he could not recall any other instance in which the council had agreed to suspend procedural rules to add an item to the agenda unless it was an emergency that “garnered the full, unanimous support of the council.”
“Gives you an idea of the weight that’s usually placed on waiving our standard rules of procedure,” he wrote. “We so rarely pull that trigger.”
If re-introduced to the council, the amendment would be subject to first reading and public hearing, making the earliest approval date July 21, and the ordinance would become effective Sept. 10, 20 days prior to the beginning of off-season dog access, Beecher stated.
“To reintroduce this amendment now would produce a very limited impact when approved,” Beecher added.
This way of handling council matters is reflective of an (ongoing) incompetency in leadership. I have read, sometimes with amusement, the comedy of errors that characterizes so much of the SoPo City Council. It's just quite delicious to read about the Council and its evolution over the years!
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Just a reminder about Dog Park Etiquette!
1. Only bring dogs to the park that are healthy, spayed or neutered, licensed with tags and microchips. Make sure your dog is current on all vaccinations and flea control. Don't bring puppies that are under 16 weeks old.
2. Don't forget to bring plenty of water, keep your dog hydrated and happy!
3. Clean up after your dog. Don't let your dog dig or destroy the landscape.
Most important, keep a watchful eye on your dog. Look out for aggressive play and keep your dog safe and happy with his dog park excursion.
"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot about puppies." !!
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We had great dog parks out in AZ. Fully fenced in with doggy water fountains and double gates to prevent the dogs from accidentally escaping. Why don't they have places like that in ME? My poor dogs haven't gotten a good off-leash run since we moved back here! One of my dogs chases bikes, trucks and airplanes so I just don't feel comfortable letting him loose in a place thats not fenced in.
Even in Syracuse NY they have real dog parks! Up there it's sponsored by the local chain grocery store (hint hint Hannafords and Shaws...). All we need is a space about the size of a soccer field, some fencing, and some voluteers with shovels and we could put together something really nice. A space near an industrialized neighborhood where the dogs wouldn't bother anyone. Near a truck depot, or a oil depot or something.
Instead of trying to ban dogs from public places they should be putting together other options for the dog owners. I'd get behind a project to build a new REAL dog park in South Portland. The Millcreek Park (on Ocean St) has a large unused piece of grass and tree land across from Hanafords. No one ever really uses that except for 2-3 events a year... They could easily throw in a few hundred square feet for dogs and not even notice a difference. The dogs are there anyways, it might as well be enjoyable for them to! If anything, a fenced in area would be a great way to keep those little kids off my dogs when I'm there. They already have multiple dog bag stations there. Lets just make it official!
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