Speak Out Against Crime in Salisbury

Attend this evening’s Salisbury City Council meeting.  During public comment ask this simple question:

Will you continue to support the rising crime rate or will you take action against crime, starting now?

Let the Barrie Comegys bloc – Gary Comegys, Louise Smith, and Shanie Shields – know that you want change!  This means letting Police Chief Allan Webster go and putting someone in the job that is more concerned about fighting crime than attacking Mayor Jim Ireton and Councilwoman Debbie Campbell.

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Jim Ireton’s Answer to Salisbury’s Crime Problem

  When Jim Ireton was running to be Salisbury’s mayor there was no question that crime was a TOP concern of voters.  Things don’t seem to have gotten much better since his election.  At Tuesday’s meeting of the Salisbury Crime Taskforce Ireton provided some hint as to his solution for the crime problems – GRANTS.

While Jim’s FRIENDS – Frank Kratovil, Barbara Mikulski, Ben Cardin, and Barack Obama – may be doling out taxpayer dollars by the bucket full, at some point in time Ireton is going to have to DO SOMETHING about fixing the problems facing Salisbury.  That means Ireton needs to understand that crime is one of, if not THE BIGGEST problem facing his once fair city.

At Tuesday’s meeting a member of the taskforce asked Ireton what was the status of a grant Salisbury applied for to replicate a highly successful crime initiative in Annapolis.  Ireton’s reply was a song an dance about how “competitive” the application process was and how applicants were being “scored”.

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Who Is Running Salisbury?

I thought that elections were held last spring.  However, the person who was elected mayor of Salisbury certainly isn’t the person running the city’s government.  If Salisbury mayor Jim Ireton really is in charge, he must be schizophrenic, because he publicly states that one thing will happen and voila, the opposite occurs.

Here are just a few recent examples:

Investigating Debbie -

Police chief Allan Webster claimed that he was investigating Salisbury councilwoman Debbie Campbell over a “surveillance tape” that Webster claims was in her possession.  Let’s forget the fact that this supposed incident occurred 11 years ago!  Let’s forget the fact that there is no prosecutable offense EVEN IF Webster is telling the truth; and that’s a REALLY BIG IF.

On September 1st, the Tilghman Times (another big if in the veracity department), Ireton ordered Webster to cease his “investigation”.  Of course, the next week another document from Webster’s office regarding this fiction shows up in the newspaper.

Way to control your department heads JIm!

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“Daily Times” Becomes the Story in TapeGate

Salisbury has become one of the most dangerous cities in America.  The spendthrift policies of the Barrie Tilghman administration has led Salisbury to the its own fiscal crisis.  A newly elected mayor has shown an inability or unwillingness to control his own police chief.  You would think all of these would make important and interesting stories.  However, Salisbury’s own Daily Times (and one of its reporters) has become “the story”.

Salisbury councilwoman Debbie Campbell held a press conference Thursday afternoon to answer attacks by former(?) mayor Barrie Tilghman and Salisbury police chief Allan Webster.  As Campbell was preparing for the press conference she received an email from Tilghman Times reporter Laura D’Alessandro.  While the first half of D’Alessandro’s email sounded almost like a journalist, it was the last half that showed her true vocation – sleazy attack dog for the Barrie Comegys party :

According to a letter from Chief Allan Webster to former Mayor Barrie Parsons Tilghman on April 3, 2009, you told the Chief you didn’t know anything about the issue. This information is false.  Are you aware this is a misdemeanor under section 9-501 of Maryland state criminal law?  How and why were you able to install surveillance equipment in your office as a private citizen?  Is this a standard service offered by SPD?  What is on the tape?  Are you covering the burglary? (all emphasis mine)

How does D’Alessandro know that the information from Campbell is false?  If D’Alessandro is to be believed about the memo from SPD officer Mark Tyler then there is a sizable credibility gap between Campbell and Tyler.  Campbell has faithfully served the citizens of Salisbury while (again, according to D’Alessandro) Tyler has admitted to violating police procedure and possibly committing an illegal act.  Sorry Laura, the objective reader will have to side with Campbell on this one.

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Campbell Responds to Political Attacks

Salisbury City Councilwoman Debbie Campbell held a press conference this afternoon to respond to the baseless, manufactured, charges lobbed at her by political detractors:

“In an attempt to put some of this foolishness to rest, I am here today to answer questions regarding this matter. I have decided to stand up for myself and refute the false accusations and half-truths that the Daily Times feels are worthy of multiple front page stories. I am confident that my answers will allow the public to gain a better understanding of the lengths to which some groups will go to avoid honest, civil debate AND to prevent meaningful change for Salisbury and her citizens.”

Campbell responded to false allegations that she was in possession of a surveillance by categorically stating:

“I do not have this surveillance tape in my possession. I have never seen this tape. I do not even know that such a tape exists.”

Campbell attributed these malicious and fabricated attacks to a desire to intimidate her and put a stop to positive change for Salisbury and her citizens:

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The Joke That Is Salisbury’s Tapegate

On days like this I am reminded of a comment made by my friend and Red Maryland colleague Brian Griffiths.  It was something to the effect that more things appear to be written about Salisbury town government than most cities 10 times its size.  He’s right.  I’m one of many culprits; but at least I can be thankful that I’m not in the idiot pen with the Tilghman Times and the Barrie Comegys crowd.  Case in point – TAPEGATE.

The Story -

It all began in early July.  Salisbury police chief Allan Webster thought that the town’s new mayor, Jim Ireton, might send him packing.  Fair assumption given Webster’s record and the city’s less than stellar crime statistics.  Ireton had made both an issue during the recent mayoral campaign and Webster attacked Ireton in the Tilghman Times on multiple occasions.

To save his job, and reportedly to pad his pension, Webster went on the offensive by publicly attacking Ireton’s two allies on council – Debbie Campbell and Terry Cohen.  Unfortunately, Ireton’s bungling of the matter appeared to make Webster and his cronies even more brazen.

To date, Webster has asserted (on several occasions in collusion with the Tilghman Times) that his rights were violated, that city personnel policy was circumvented, that the Salisbury taxpayers should foot all of his potential legal bills, … and that he was was somehow being persecuted as a “whistleblower”.  What makes this so amusing is that it was either Webster or someone acting on his behalf that provided copies of the documents (which Webster claims are damaging to his reputation) to both the Tilghman Times and to the house blog of the Barrie Comegys party.

Webster’s claim of “whistleblower” status is based (if one can call it that) on a purported investigation of Councilwoman Campbell.  Webster claims that Campbell has possession of police surveillance footage supposedly taped about 12 years ago when Mrs. Campbell was the founding Executive Director of Salisbury Neighborhood Housing Service.  TAPEGATE!

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Webster, Whining, and the Wannabe Journalists

The drama emanating from Salisbury city government is something to behold.  It’s a cross of the “Worst of Barrie Tilghman” and a bad comic opera.  We now have Salisbury police chief Allan Webster, with the blatant collusion of the Tilghman Times, attempting to save his job by building a giant straw man on the front page.  Unbeknownst to Webster, he may be providing all the ammunition Salisbury mayor Jim Ireton needs to clean a large portion of his house before Labor Day.  Tuesday’s article in the Tilghman Times also shows the absurd lengths that reporter Laura D’Alessandro is willing to go in order to please her bosses.

According to D’Alessandro, Webster has “responded” to “complaints” filed by councilwomen Debbie Campbell and Terry Cohen.  It’s fairly obvious to all but the most obtuse reader that the “response” was leaked by Webster himself.  If not, it was leaked by a surrogate.

Webster seems to believe that he is saving his job by this little ballet with D’Alessandro.  Unfortunately, he has made several errors that not only could cost him his post, but also cause several other Tilghman appointees to “take a BIG hit for the team”.

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Daily Times – Shoddy Reporting or Political Intimidation?

It’s doubtful that Salisbury’s Daily Times will win a Pulitzer anytime soon.  That said, they seem to be sinking to lows that may exceed their own dismal record.  The question is whether the staff of the Daily Times is lazy, incompetent, or attempting to influence local government through intimidation.

This morning’s article about a mysterious “report” on Salisbury police chief Allan Webster not only fails to meet any standard of truth, it doesn’t even meet a standard of accuracy.  The article even admits that it is based on “rumor”.  Given that the reporter, Laura D’Alessandro, was unable to confirm any of these rumors, I am shocked that any newspaper would run such a story anywhere, much less on the front page above the fold.

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The Webster v Albero Saga Ends

As noted on Salisbury News, the lawsuit brought by Salisbury Police Chief Allan Webster against Salisbury News publisher Joe Albero has been settled, hours before the trial was due to begin in Snow Hill. Albero could not comment other than to refer me to the lead of his post:

“The Parties have resolved their disagreement on non-monetary terms.”

Given that the settlement is on non-monetary terms and there was no mea culpa from Albero, it is a safe conclusion that he did not initiate the agreement. We can only speculate as to why Webster would settle this late in the game.

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