With All Due Respect …

I want to preface this post (and the one to follow) by stating that I have great respect for Bill Duvall. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t bother reading DuvaFiles or argue against his views when I disagree with them. Even when I don’t agree with him, at least he makes me think. A case in point is today’s post about the “Tilghman Times” editorial opposing a feasibility study of whether to enlarge the Powell Convention Center in Ocean City. I know Mr. Duvall is an early riser and perhaps he needs to get that second cup of coffee before he starts writing in the morning.

I understand the complaint about the “Tilghman Times” not criticizing the Wicomico Civic Center while it criticizes Ocean City’s plans to enlarge the “Fish Bowl”. I just happen to believe that Mr. Duvall allowed his not so secret feelings towards Wicomico County Parks chief Gary Mackes to cloud his thinking. With the exception of the next to last paragraph (which I will address later in this post), this editorial could have been written by Bill Duvall, Michael Swartz, or me for that matter. What I find so hypocritical is that there wasn’t much of this concern for the taxpayer when Barrie Tilghman, Louise Smith, Gary Comegys and Shanie Shields were screwing the pants off of the Salisbury taxpayer a few weeks back. Of course that’s why the local rag is called the “Tilghman Times”.

The editorial actually makes some excellent points. It shouldn’t cost either the Maryland, or Ocean City, taxpayer over $5 million to determine if an expansion of the convention center is either needed or feasible. In all fairness to Ocean City, I think that the parking problem could be easily solved however. I would have been more impressed if the paper had just come out and said that the state has no business funding any part of this. Of course such a position would then preclude them from advocating that similar projects in Wicomico County or the city of Salisbury belly up to the Free State trough.

Where the writer really got off point was complaining that Ocean City is an expensive place to live or visit. Tough! The market determines the cost of an Ocean City vacation, not whether or not the city funds a study to expand the Powell Center. As for their tax rate, that’s for the residents of Ocean City (through their elected representatives) to decide. If non-resident property owners don’t like it, put “For Sale” signs on all of their condos.  That’s what homeowners seem to be doing in Salisbury.

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