Commissioners have praised the city's $30 million waterfront redesign, but Bill Moss thinks the acres of open green space would look better without Spot, or spots.

After visiting the waterfront this weekend, Moss said he was disturbed at dog owners' unwillingness to clean up fecal waste. Although there are "BioBags" available to clean up the waste, and it's illegal to leave a mess behind, Moss said police officers are too busy to enforce the law.

Moss wants the commission to empower security guards to hand out fines for irresponsible dog owners. The guards also could fine violators of other ordinances that the police have difficulty enforcing, he said.

"We can empower our security guards, the yellow-shirt guys, to issue code violations for people who allow dogs to poop on the lawn and then not clean it up," Moss said. "Otherwise it will no longer be an area where people will want to put blankets down. There are kids running around. I observed it myself over the weekend."

Mayor Lois Frankel feared that approach would discourage dog owners from visiting the waterfront.

"People should come down to enjoy the waterfront," Frankel said. "This is not a police state."

Moss, usually an ally, disagreed: "You think people picking up after a dog is a police state?"

Frankel said the city might want to consider renaming its disposal bags.

"Part of problem, I think, is that those bags have a fancy name," Frankel said. "Do you really know what a BioBag is? Why not call it a doggy poop bag? Or doggy bags?"

However, Frankel reiterated that the waterfront is dog-friendly.

"Keep coming down," Frankel said. "We have bags, and if a doggy poops, pick up the poop and throw it into the garbage can."