Salisbury Ethics Commission Show Trial

Displaying the cowardice to be expected of someone who attacks children, Barrie Comegys stooge Jonathan Taylor failed to show up for the Salisbury Ethics Commission show trial precipitated by his own actions.  While thousands of taxpayer dollars were wasted in this spiteful and ridiculous action, Taylor (who already lives on the generosity of taxpayers) hid from view while Barrie Comegys stalwart Lynn Cathcart was on hand to take notes for the wannbe “Powers That Be”.

To be fair, the Ethics Commission ran a fairly clean meeting.  The attending members:  Donna Forgash, Norman Lyster, Bob Gladden, and Fran Kane all asked valid, thoughtful, and polite questions.

While several people at the hearing asked the same question, “What the hell are we doing here?”, the Ethics Commission serves a theoretically important role.  It has been suggested that the board should have examined the complaint prior to today’s hearing and ruled that it was frivolous.  However, if a complaint had been filed against Barrie Tilghman, Mike Dunn, Gary Comegys, or Louise Smith and the Commission had done so (ruled it frivolous in a private meeting) I would be one of the first to scream fraud and cover-up;  so would many of the same people asking that question today.

Was the complaint frivolous?  It turns out that it was.  Councilwoman Terry Cohen made a presentation that not only proved the claim specious, but shamed City Solicitor Paul Wilber for his complete incompetence on these matters.  While not named specifically today, Cohen also proved Councilman Gary Comegys to be a liar, a fool, or both.  You’ll have to decide.
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Lynn Cathcart – A Double Dose of Hypocrisy

Barrie Tilghman’s Adoring Public Speaks

Is Louise Smith the New Chair of the “Lynn Cathcart for Council Committee”?

As we have intimated several times, it is our belief that former Salisbury Councilwoman Lynn Cathcart is keeping her face before the public in order to challenge Councilwoman Debbie Campbell in 2009. After Monday night’s performance we are left with the question of who is chairing her campaign committee. It seems to be Salisbury Council President Louise Smith.

Smith called Cathcart to comment on the proposed ordinance to budget additional overtime and repair dollars for the Salisbury Police Department. Cathcart came up and spoke for five minutes of so, but not about the ordinance. The closest Cathcart came was her preface that everyone knows that she supports our police. Yes, Lynn. We also know that you are in favor of puppies, small children and apple pie. Read more

Was the “Tilghman Times” Complicit, or Simply Lied To?

Yesterday we ran a post describing the full extent of the subsidy being received by Salisbury Mall Associates (SMA), developers of the old mall project. Forget for a moment that this group has yet to fulfill a single major commitment on time. Forget for a moment that we have now learned that SMA will be collecting the lion’s share of the city property tax revenue from this project to pay off the TIF (tax increment financing) bond that was issued by the Barrie Tilghman administration.

Today, Delmarva Dealings ran a post from its too infrequent contributor Amicus reminding us of the role played in this fiasco by the house organ of the Tilghman administration, the Daily Times. Was the Tilghman Times duped, or were they complicit in the deliberate spread of misinformation by the Tilghman administration and her minions then serving on the Salisbury City Council – Mike Dunn, Gary Comegys, Lynn Cathcart and Shanie Shields? Read more

The Truth Will Make You Sick

At Monday’s Salisbury City Council meeting the public was treated to the latest installment of the Lynn Cathcart for City Council ’09 campaign. Former Councilwoman Cathcart rose to state that the “attacks” thrown against her during the December 10, 2007 Council meeting by Councilwoman Terry Cohen made Cathcart “sick to her stomach”.

I have always maintained that Cathcart is no slouch as a politician. In true Hillary Clinton fashion Cathcart played the victim to the max. What did Cohen say in December? She stated that she could not vote for someone (Cathcart) to serve on the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals who had voted for an illegal zoning in the past. Shocking!

If Cohen had asked my advice prior to making the statement I would have said to not make it. Unfortunately for Mrs. Cathcart, Ms. Cohen was 100% accurate. Cathcart voted for the original re-zoning of the old mall, which was ruled illegal by Judge Jackson. Read more

The Homestead Tax Credit Ploy

At the meeting of Salisbury’s City Council on May 29 we once again heard Don Cathcart (Lynn’s husband) argue that homeowners should accept and fund the Mayor’s proposed budget “by means of a double-digit tax increase“ because of the so-called homestead tax credit. That device protects a resident from paying higher property tax on his/her home as a result of increase in its tax value (assessment) after he/she has purchased the home. The actual tax imposed by the City of Salisbury remains the same unless the tax rate is changed “ in which case the tax amount changes in proportion to the rate change. And that has happened twice in Salisbury in the past 4 years.” Read more