Saturday’s Conway / Mathias Meeting

Much has already been written about Saturday morning’s Salisbury town hall meeting held by Del. Norm Conway (D-38B) and Del. Jim Mathias (D-38B).  Michael Swartz of Monoblogue provides a very factual, blow-by-blow account.  Julie Brewington of Right Coast Girl weighs in with a little more opinion.  My friend Joe Albero, uncharacteristically, is taking a “can’t we all get along” approach.

There are two things that almost everyone seems to agree on.  One is that we appreciate Conway and Mathias taking time to meet with constituents.  Yes, I know it’s an election year AND that it’s part of their job.  Yet, not every member of the legislature takes the time.  The second thing is that both Conway and Mathias are “good guys”.  I concur.  Wicomico County Exec Rick Pollitt is a “good guy”; so is Councilmen John Cannon and Dave MacLeod.  Councilwoman Sheree Sample-Hughes is a “good person”.  Hell, I’m sure there are even a few people who like Salisbury Councilwoman Louise Smith and Wicomico Councilman Bill McCain.  Regardless, taxpayers need to ask themselves if they can afford to continue supporting these “good guys”.

BIG GOVERNMENT CONSERVATIVES?

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Rick Pollitt Takes Dog and Pony Show on the Road

Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt took his anti-revenue cap show on the road this morning.  Speaking before a Salisbury / Wicomico Economic Development (SWED) meeting, Pollitt and a member of his finance staff argued that the county’s existing revenue cap is simply unsustainable.

I would agree that the revenue cap is unsustainable without a genuine re-structuring of the county government.  This point has been argued for several years by Wicomico Councilwoman Stevie Prettyman.

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Wicomico Taxpayers Receive Back Door Tax Increase

The arrogance of bureaucrats never ceases to amaze me.  They spend the TAXAPAYERS’ money yet act as if it’s from their personal discretionary account.

A current example is the $4 million purchase of the Powerwave campus on the corner of US 50 and Walston Switch Road, east of Salisbury.  Almost daily we hear a sad tale of woe from Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley or Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt about the said state of either the Maryland’s or Wicomico County’s fiscal situation.  There simply isn’t enough money to go around according to these two.

However, a few days ago we learned that the Tri-County Council of the Lower Eastern Shore (TCC) has purchased the Powerwave Campus.  According to comments made by several officials, the TCC needs the space.  Perhaps they do.  I’m certainly in no position to argue that point.  However, several points are easily arguable.

With the purchase of this property, the land and building will be going off the tax roles.  Based on its current assessment, Wicomico County will be losing approximately $30,000 per year in property tax revenue.  This means that county taxpayers will be paying a higher rate next year than they would be otherwise.  This isn’t arguable – this is fact.  One of the benefits of the county’s revenue cap is that big government advocates such as County Executive Rick Pollitt or Councilman Bill McCain can’t truthfully argue otherwise.

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“Daily Times” Endorses Evening Meetings for Wicomico Council

Lo and Behold!  The editorial board of Salisbury’s Daily Times has actually taken a firm stance on an issue.  Usually straddling the fence with a skill usually seen only in Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt, the Daily Times has decided to endorse the idea of the Wicomico County Council holding at least 50% of its meetings in  the evening.

The Daily Times has now joined Americans for Prosperity, NAACP, Delmarva Dealings, and SbyNEWS in calling for the Wicomico County Council to allow more participation in our local government.  We’ll have to see if our council members begin to get the hint.

Councilman Joe Holloway (R-5) has been the people’s champion on this issue since he was sworn in to office.  Bill McCain, council’s chief advocate of the teachers’ union, has been the council’s most vocal opponent.

Take one minute and email Holloway and McCain to show your support for evening meetings.

Simply CLICK HERE and you can email McCain (with a copy going to Holloway).

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The Arrogance of Bill McCain

Wicomico County councilman Bill McCain (D-At Large) must be the most arrogant elected official in Wicomico County, perhaps the whole Delmarva Peninsula.  It’s obvious that he answers to his special interest pals, not the people who elected him.

For the last several council meetings, members of the local chapter of Americans for Prosperity have been showing up at council meetings and asking that the Wicomico County Council begin holding at least half of their meetings in the evening.  While only a few of us actually went to the podium to comment, as many as 15 – 20 AFP members would show up at a meeting to show their support for evening meetings.  The idea behind this is simple.  Most taxpayers work during the day.  In order to give these citizens an opportunity to see their government in action, evening meetings would be necessary.

Admittedly, this is an issue dear to my heart.  I’ve been advocating for this since the current council took office in 2006.  Councilman Joe Holloway (R-5) has been leading the charge on this attempt to bring county government closer to the people.

Some council members don’t want to hold evening meetings for various reasons.  Councilman Dave MacLeod (D-4) argues that evening meetings would prevent seniors from attending.  While I don’t agree with his argument, I also don’t doubt that MacLeod is sincere.  Other members argue that they have experimented with evening meetings in the past and that attendance did not increase.

I understand this argument.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t hold much water.  If council would commit to holding all (or half) of their meetings for a period of time (I have suggested one year), then we could really find out if attendance would increase.  Holding an evening meeting every once in a while certainly won’t tell us anything.

Back to Bill McCain …

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Wicomico Property Rights Under Attack Again

If at first you don’t succeed, try to slip one under the table.  That appears to be the mantra of the likes of Wicomico County councilman Bill McCain and his spendthrift pals.  After losing in the “Great Land Grab” of 2009, McCain and company are looking to have another go.  This time they will claim that the county will lose state funds if they don’t go along.

As usual, the interesting stuff on tomorrow’s council agenda will be in the work session.  Under “MALF Certification”, McCain and his land grabbing buddies will make a pitch to bring back the proposal to steal farmers’ land rights without any compensation.

For the uninitiated (don’t worry, I had to look it up), MALPF stands for the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation.  This body is supposed to compensate farmers for giving up their development rights.  We should note that there is NEVER enough money in MALF to compensate all of the farmers who have their property rights stolen by their state or county governments.  However, that doesn’t stop the mindless Marxists in Annapolis from playing out their little charade.

 

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Wicomico Budget Vote Tuesday – Another Pig in a Poke

As the Wicomico County Council prepares to approve another budget, taxpayers will again be buying a pig in a poke.  No, this is not a criticism of the council, but concern that Wicomico elected officials will be appropriating most of the county’s tax dollars to a proverbial black hole – the Wicomico County Board of Education (WCBOE).

So far, the county government has no idea as to how tax dollars at WCBOE will be spent.  While I am sure that we would hear protestations from the likes of Supt. John Fredericksen and councilman Bill McCain, the facts are simple;  we don’t know how much the WCBOE’s employees will be paid next year.  Given that a disporportionate percentage of the BOE’s budget goes to salaries, how can we know how much the BOE is spending next year.  How can the county council or County Executive Rick Pollitt?

The answer is simple.  They can’t.  As county employees dodged the furlough bullet, expect to see WCBOE employees either receive raises, an increase in benefits through the now infamous “Rate Stabilization” slush fund, or both.

Expect Pollitt to continue to whine about the revenue cap.  Expect the teachers’ union (or probably all four WCBOE unions) to start organizing for the cap’s repeal.  Expect to hear that “It’s for the Children!“.

When bad teachers can be fired and the majority of BOE members start treating the taxpayer with something better than contempt, MAYBE it will be time to start having that discussion.  Of course, if the cap is ever repealed I’m sure Rick Pollitt has a huge wish list.

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Why Looters Would Rather Steal From You

Yesterday we ran a post highlighting a proposal by the unholy troika of local / regional enviros, the socialist majority of the Wicomico County Council (led by John Cannon and Bill McCain) and County Executive Rick Pollitt (who is attempting to PUBLICLY straddle the fence as usual).  This legislation would legalize the theft of land from Wicomico County farmers.

In our post we discussed why enviro groups such as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) need to participate in socialist schemes rather than actually solve problems as they claim.  Today I noticed further evidence of this from the Commonwealth.

Oyster packers and waterman wish to expand the planting of Asian oysters.  The CBF and other lefty enviros vehemently oppose this.  Their claim is that there could be “unforseen consequences” of introducing a non-native species into the Chesapeake Bay watershed.  I would agree, except that these oysters are STERILE.  They can’t reproduce.  Of course, there may be “unforseen consequences” of the sun rising tomorrow.
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Looters Loose in Wicomico County …

… County Council Proposes Plunder in the “Name of the People”

If you have ever read Frederic Bastiat’s The Law you are familiar with concept of legalized plunder.  If you have ever read Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged you are familiar with the looting class.  If not, I heartily suggest you read them FAST.  THEFT in the name of “public good” has come to our little corner of the world.

Last Tuesday, the Democrat majority of the Wicomico County Council (sorry John Cannon, you no longer qualify as even a “Republican in Name Only”) voted to move forward with legislation that will strip farmers of their property rights.  The council’s proposal would reduce the number of lots which a parcel may be subdivided into.  It also ends the dreaded “cluster provision” which allowed farmers to sell parcels of land for development at greater density by requiring that more open space would be preserved.  The net effect of this proposal is to drastically reduce the value of a given parcel relative to its value if still developable.

Translation – the farmers pay so that certain developers and special interest groups may prosper and the lefty fringe can feel good about themselves.

Council members Gail Bartkovich, Joe Holloway and Stevie Prettyman stood their ground.  If Ag District landowners are to lose value in their greatest asset, they need to be compensated.  Additionally, the legislation itself appears to be seriously flawed.  This doesn’t seem to bother the socialist majority of the Wicomico County Council.

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County Council Moves Forward With Land Theft Bill

The Democrat majority of the Wicomico County Council moved forward today with legislation to strip Wicomico farmers of their property rights.  Council members Gail Bartkovich, Joe Holloway and Stevie Prettyman demanded that their names be removed from the legislation after noting that there was no mechanism to compensate farmers for the proposed land grab.

Moving the legislation to public hearing was approved by council members Bill McCain, Dave MacLeod, Sheree Sample-Hughes, and the council’s newest Dem John Cannon.  Sample-Hughes was at least honest enough to admit that there would NOT be any compensation mechanism in the legislation.

We’ll have a more detailed report tomorrow.  We are also waiting for a response from County Executive Rick Pollitt.  Pollitt has stated on at least two occasions that he would not support a bill that failed to compensate land owners for the loss of development rights.  I’m hoping that he sticks to his guns.

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