The PAC-14 Fiasco – Part II …

… Who Will Decide How This Money Will Be Spent?

This winds up being the $64,000 Question. To date the public has been pushed aside, ignored, and even deceived when it comes to answering this question. Remember, the proposal that’s floating around involves the spending of millions of dollars of both your tax dollars and your cable rate money over the next decade. It would be nice to know who’s going to decide how that money is being spent. Unfortunately, the score card seems to get more complicated by the day; and there may be more names skulking in the shadows.

The Board

It’s pretty amazing, but with all of the people that have had their names attached to this proposal, one group is glaringly missing – the PAC-14 Board of Directors. The original reason for my interest in this matter was the fact that meetings were being held and decisions being made WITHOUT any notification to or approval of the existing board.

The parties who are trying to circumvent the existing board and deceive the public claim there is no board. This could not be further from the truth. PAC-14 was originally incorporated as “ACCESS-26” and has a set of by-laws that states that, while adoption only required a majority vote, any change to the board structure or membership make-up must be unanimous. Since neither the Salisbury nor Wicomico Councils have passed any legislation adopting an amended set of by-laws, there should be no question that this board is still legally intact.

To the best of my knowledge, the current board is:

• Betty Crockett, chair

• Frances Kendall

• Jerry Waldron

• Stevie Prettyman

• Marvin Long

• Dana Seiler

• Debbie Campbell

• Grace Murdock

• Memo Diriker

This list is based on the last official list that I was able to find and adding in known changes. As an example, on the last list I have, Mike Dunn is a member. However, he was replaced by Debbie Campbell last year.

More interesting is that fact that Fred Marino of SU was replaced by SU’s Chief Information Officer Jerry Waldron. Oddly, Waldron claims that there is no board. However, when he explained his involvement to me in June he claimed that he was asked to serve upon the retirement of Fred Marino. There is no question that Marino’s involvement was through the board.

It should be noted that both Waldron and board chair Betty Crockett have been heavily involved in circumventing the existing board. Crockett is responsible for calling board meetings and has not done so in a long time. However, both Waldron and Crockett were at a May 5, 2008 meeting where it was decided to, among other things; appoint the now infamous “Transitional Task Force”.

Perhaps more damning is a note from early 2007 where Crockett is noted to question whether the board really needs to exist. Rather than working to undermine the board, Crockett should have simply resigned. This is another small piece of evidence that Salisbury University has an agenda that is not in the best interest of the citizens of Wicomico County or the mission of PAC-14.

The “Partners”

One of the most frustrating things in researching this fiasco has been the refusal of the involved parties to answer questions. Whether you asked Mike Goodson at PAC-14 or Jerry Waldron at SU the answer was almost always the same – you would need to ask the “Partners”. You couldn’t even get a straight answer as to who the “Partners” were.

In theory, the “Partners” consist of Salisbury University, Wicomico County, and the City of Salisbury. Of course, these are institutions – not live, breathing persons. The problem comes when trying to find out who the real participants are.

Initially I was told by Jerry Waldron that he was SU’s representative. While he was claiming that the existing board was really just an “ad-hoc” organization, he conveniently left out the fact that Betty Crocket was also representing SU as one of the “Partners” (just as he left out that he was also a board member). As for who represented the city and county, it was hard to get an exact answer – until July 15, 2008.

At the July 15 Salisbury Council meeting the question was asked WHO the “Partners” were. Mike Goodson started his normal song and dance. The consultant couldn’t answer. Finally, when the question was finally put to Salisbury City Administrator John Pick we received what may, or may not be, a straight answer.

According to Pick, the city representatives for the “Partners” were himself, Mayor Barrie Tilghman and Councilwoman Louise Smith. He stated that the representatives for the county were County Executive Rick Pollitt, County Administrator Ted Shea and Councilman John Cannon.

This leads to even more questions. Who appointed Smith? Who appointed Cannon? By both the city and county charters they don’t have the authority to represent the city or county – on any matter.

Smith, Cannon, and Pollitt have all denied participating in any appointments or decisions to circumvent the PAC-14 Board. Smith claims that her involvement basically involved the attendance of the June meeting and providing some names of people who might be interested in serving on a committee (which we now know to be the “Transitional Task Force”). Pretty much ditto from both Cannon and Pollitt. So far, the evidence backs them up.

Pollitt does admit to sending staff to subsequent meetings, but the key meeting appears to be the May 5, 2008 meeting. No one from the county attended this meeting and it was here that the decision to appoint a “Transitional Task Force” was made. Note that the May meeting was attended by:

• Jerry Waldron – SU

• Betty Crockett – SU

• Mike Goodson – PAC-14

• John Pick – Salisbury

• Sue Buske – The Buske Group

Note that there is not one elected official in the bunch. Of course, we all know that John Pick doesn’t visit the men’s room without Barrie Tilghman’s permission. We can therefore conclude that Tilghman’s interests (if not Salisbury’s) were well represented.

Given that the large decisions were made at this meeting – to circumvent the board, appoint the “Transitional Task Force”, keep the consultant on retainer, etc. it is noteworthy that PAC-14’s single largest source of funds – Wicomico County – was not represented.

This also leads us to ask who approved the retaining of a consultant. Since Betty Crockett has refused to call board meetings – Who approved their budget? Can taxpayers and Comcast ratepayers afford a PAC-14 that is seemingly accountable to no one?

The TTF – “Transitional Task Force”

We are finally getting around to the group that may be doing the most damage to PAC-14 (even if unintentionally) – the now infamous “Transitional Task Force”. The TTF is a group of eighteen individuals who appear to have been appointed by another group of non-elected individuals but who want to dictate how your tax dollars and cable money is being spent.

These people are, by and large, well meaning individuals. Of this, I have no doubt. The problem lies with just a few individuals and their possible motivation. Approximately half of the members produce, or have produced, programs on PAC-14. A few people such as Eleanor Mulligan (Louise Smith’s campaign manager) and former Wicomico councilman Phil Tilghman can be counted on to have a political agenda. A couple more may also have one.

However, the most dangerous member of this little group is local attorney Mike Pretl. Pretl is the most prominent socialist in Wicomico County. Besides his activity with the Wicomico Environmental Trust (WET), he was actively involved in the so-called “Wal-Mart Bill” and currently serves on the boards of the Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative Education Fund and the Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative, both part of the Maryland Healthcare For All Coalition. If you want socialized medicine here in Maryland, Mike’s your man! Pretl’s the man who wanted to turn the Wicomico Neighborhood Congress into an advocacy organization lobbying for such lofty (or is it lefty) goals as “distributive justice”, a post-Reagan euphemism for socialism

I’m not questioning Pretl’s motives. I honestly believe that he is sincere in his beliefs. It’s simply that his views are so far out of the mainstream that the results he seeks would be detrimental to the citizens of Wicomico County and to PAC-14. What makes Pretl dangerous in this situation is not the fact that he’s a socialist – he has the same right to his political views as you or I – but that he’s smart, can be charming and persuasive, and he knows how to game the system. He is a lawyer after all.

Pretl’s plan (which will be discussed in-depth in part IV) would yield a public access channel with no direct accountability to the public. I don’t know about you, but if my tax dollars and part of my Comcast bill is going to PAC-14, I want some public accountability.

So Who Will Decide How This Money Will Be Spent?

Listening to Mike Pretl on his recent PAC-14 show with Phil Tilghman we have a nice outline of WHO will be spending YOUR MONEY. Guess what folks? It won’t be anyone you voted for, or anyone appointed by someone you voted for.

As we stated earlier, we’ll have an in-depth analysis of the “Pretl Plan” on Thursday. For now, let’s just say that the goal seems to be a non-profit with no direct responsibility to the people who are footing the vast majority of the bill. The plan is to have PAC-14 run by a board which is elected in the same manner as they hold ELECTIONS IN CUBA!

Tune in tomorrow for Part III – Why Are They Meeting In Secret?

If you missed Part I – How Will YOUR MONEY Be Spent?

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