Kirk pushes for vote on keeping harbor rules

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE CHANGES IN POLICY: Commenters are required to have a username with a valid and verified email address. Gloucestertimes.com reserves the right to ban the IP address of any commenter (person) found using multiple aliases under multiple e-mail addresses in a deceptive manner. Posts that do not meet site standards, which can be found here, will be removed.

If you are experiencing problems logging in or posting comments, please contact Disqus' help center by clicking here.

comments powered by Disqus

October 4, 2012

Kirk pushes for vote on keeping harbor rules

By Steven Fletcher Staff Writer Gloucester Daily Times The Gloucester Daily Times Thu Oct 04, 2012, 12:00 AM EDT

Mayor Carolyn Kirk has called for a non-binding referendum on the preservation or removal of the Designated Port Area regulations that cover Gloucester’s Inner Harbor.

In a letter she sent to the City Council on Tuesday, Kirk asked councilors to work with her office on a non-binding referendum question on the Designated Port Area. Results of the referendum, Kirk said, would guide the city’s Harbor Planning Committee as it prepares the next Harbor Plan and DPA master plan.

The harbor planning process will start in November, Kirk has said. In addition to public meetings and a DPA panel discussion the city held earlier this year, she said a non-binding referendum would be a helpful source of information for committee members.

“It’s a ways away,” Kirk said. “The operative word is collaboration between my office and the City Council to get the question right.”

The question, according to a release from Kirk’s office, could read as “Shall the city of Gloucester seek to remove itself from the state Designated Port Area program and in doing so turn over control of its working waterfront to local officials?” or “Shall the city of Gloucester retain its status as a state Designated Port Area thereby assuring protection of the Inner Harbor for marine industrial use?”

In the past five years of harbor planning, Kirk said, the city hasn’t tried to seek voter opinion on the issue.

“After almost 35 years (with the DPA), perhaps it is time to obtain broader input,” Kirk stated.

Kirk did not return a call seeking comment on this story.

While he said he’d support it, City Councilor Bruce Tobey said the referendum wouldn’t be put out next year. And Kirk said she doesn’t expect the ballot question to come up before then.

Kirk said the harbor planning process will take a year to wrap up, at least. She said she raised the ballot question after talk about pulling the I-4, C-2 lot out of the DPA came up again.

Tobey is moving aheadto submit a home-rule petition to the Legislature asking that the I-4, C-2 lot on 65 Rogers St. be pulled out of the DPA.

“I will certainly vote for this, but not in any way does this deter me from moving ahead with a home rule petition for I-4, C-2,” Tobey said.

Steven Fletcher may be contacted at 1-978-283-7000 x3455, or sfletcher@gloucestertimes.com. Follow him on Twitter at @stevengdt.