Vote in Threes - Cohen, Smith and Spies

Sunday’s “Tilghman Times” editorial on the primary was chock full of misinformation, for good reason.

This election cycle, the city seems ready to elect a council of critics: We hear a lot about what’s wrong and too little about what will be done to make things right. Issues? So what are they? Voters are right to wonder. The current crop of candidates has failed to make issues the center of the primary campaign, instead focusing on personalities, conflicts and a bevy of assorted outrageousness. Public forums have offered little, if any, insight.

The “Tilghman Times” would like to endorse the Barrie Tilghman / Slumlord ticket of Gary Comegys, John Atkins and Don Ewalt. Unfortunately for the editors, Gary Comegys has been forced to defend the indefensible and his cohorts are attempting to get elected by peddling vagaries. As to candidate forums, the paper does not believe that they have offered anything of substance because the Tilghman / Slumlord ticket has faired so poorly. The paper’s response is to attack the other candidates (if not by name) by claiming that they are not offering solutions and are merely a bunch of naysayers and critics. Three candidates stand out as offering a range of positive solutions for a range of issues.

Before looking at individual candidates, you have to examine some of the premises put forth by Mayor Tilghman, her minions and the “Tilghman Times”. First, to solve a problem one must define the problem. Barrie Tilghman doesn’t want anyone to define a problem, therefore persons who offer positive solutions start off (in her eyes) as negative. Second, Barrie Tilghman doesn’t want positive solutions unless they are her own. To claim that all candidates, except for the Tilghman / Slumlord / “Tilghman Times” ticket are “critics” is just plain wrong. Some are. There are at least three candidates who are willing to admit there are problems and offer solutions to those problems.

Terry Cohen has been active in her community and involved in a range of issues, most noticeably growth. As a member of We Care and a spokesperson for the Salisbury Independent Neighborhood Association Terry has offered positive solutions to citizens and the city council for helping to save the city’s neighborhoods. Terry endorses a better pay structure for the city’s first responders and has offered several solutions to help pay for it. Here most prominent plan is for the city to implement a strong APFO along with impact fees to help pay for the increased police, fire and EMS protection that will be needed as the 11,000+ homes already approved for the city get built. Terry is an advocate of good (non-retail, non-polluting) commercial growth that will provide permanent, high paying jobs for the residents of Salisbury.

Tim Spies, a retired Navy Master Chief, has served as president of his neighborhood association, founded the local Weed & Seed program (a US DOJ program for grassroots crime prevention) and is a strong advocate of economic development to help pay for needed services. Tim is the candidate who properly defined the debate on the old mall TIF, by stating that it is not just an issue of the TIF and the project, but one of enforcing the city’s demolition order and then the TIF and the development itself. Regardless of your views on the old mall TIF, the vast majority of citizens want the old mall torn down. There is a legal demolition order in place, and it should be enforced. Tim is also the candidate who has blown the lid off of the Tilghman / Comegys / Dunn / Cathcart slogan of “growth pays for growth”. With an administration that is willing to give a way the store to attract residential development, the city will NEVER dig its way out of the financial hole it is now in. Commercial growth provides permanent, well paying jobs while using less in services than it pays in taxes. Residential development costs between $1.20 and $1.35 in services for every $1 it pays in taxes.

Louise Smith is a retired education administrator. She has a long family history in the city. Louise possesses the background to help insure that the city manages the taxpayers’ money properly and spends it wisely. Ms. Smith has run on a platform of financial and political accountability. Council’s job is to enact legislation and to provide oversight. While we are sure that Ms. Smith will perform admirably on the legislative side, she will provide expertise and insight on oversight. At present, only Councilwoman Campbell is interested in seeing that the city’s ship sails a financially prudent course.

Despite what the “Tilghman Times” claims, we do have candidates running for council who offer sound, fiscally prudent solutions to solve an array of problems. Since the paper doesn’t want to discuss the city’s problems, they don’t want to acknowledge those solutions. We do and strongly encourage Salisbury voters to go to the polls on Tuesday and vote for TERRY COHEN, LOUISE SMITH and TIM SPIES. These individuals will work well together and with the other members of the city council. They will provide necessary oversight and provide solutions to the problems that Salisbury
faces as it moves forward.

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