Last night, at the , the renamed “People's Dock” was renamed again, the “Maritime Pier.” In a 5 to 2 vote, the Council re-selected the longtime project name, “Maritime Pier,” originated by project advocates and long identified on project documents.
Community angst over the politically charged name “People's Dock” prompted the change. Even Councilman Tim Payne, who supported, and initially motioned for “People's Dock,” one of two Parks Commission recommendations for the name, acceded to the change.
Council members Ken Malich and Derek Young, voted against "Maritime Pier." Councilman Malich supported “Fisherman’s Pier” as an alternative.
An unusual process was employed by the City Attorney to foster a fair vetting of potential names. The process appeared to be largely unnecessary. The City Council reached an easy majority, which appeared to surprise the Council.
The Mayor allowed no public comment, consistent with Council request.
That didn’t stop a determined Rosemary Ross, who stood and spoke anyway. Ms. Ross advocated for the name “Makovich Maritime Pier,” based on the historic weight of Lee Makovich, Sr., who was a civic-minded fisherman of note in the early part of the last century. Lee Makovich, Jr., his son, wrote local fishing history and was a key figure in the property acquisition of .
Nick Tarabochia, Jr., the city parks commissioner, politely offered to elaborate on the Parks Commission stance. The City Council acknowledged his offer, but that was all.
Hopefully, the City Council finally got it right. Otherwise, two weeks from now, they’ll be doing it again, just like the movie, Groundhog Day.
