Scandal Brewing At PAC-14

We haven’t written much about PAC-14, Wicomico County’s public access cable channel in quite some time.  Because of that, many of you may think that all is well there.  Sadly, you would be mistaken.  The crew running PAC-14 (along with some of the vocal “supporters”) are just as conniving and deceitful as always.

We have to admit that we made a mistake.  We tried to be fair and allow PAC-14 Executive Director Mike Goodson and a majority of PAC-14’s board the opportunity to do what they said they were going to do.  Instead, this merry little band has decided that giving Wicomico taxpayers the “middle finger” is the best route to obtain their goals – and those goals have little to do with providing viewers an opportunity to watch their government in action and providing citizens the opportunity to produce local content.  No, the goal of the PAC-14 board is to siphon money from the taxpayers and build an entity that will eventually be handed over to Salisbury University so that taxpayers will no longer have even a marginal say as to how a portion of their tax dollars are being spent.

Thanks to elected officials like Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt, Salisbury Mayor Jim Ireton, Salisbury council members Louise Smith, Gary Comegys, and Shanie Shields, along with unelected “volunteers” such as Phil Tilghman, Elizabeth Bellavance and WCBOE President Mark Thompson, expect PAC-14 to blossom into an organization which wastes money (your money) on consultants and plans for grand schemes while refusing to adhere to the basic rules of transparency (which are in their own by-laws).

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More PAC-14 Propaganda

PAC-14 manager Mike Goodson is either getting bolder in his old age, or he’s running out of shills willing to stand before the public and make a bad argument.  Last Monday’s piece of propaganda in the Daily Times is just one more case on point.

“Goodson’s philosophy mirrors that of an informal group called Friends of PAC-14″.  Of course it does.  Goodson was instrumental in the group’s formation, just as he was instrumental in making sure that the board of directors weren’t called to meetings.  Goodson was also the driving force behind the recent “dog and pony shows” seen at recent Salisbury and Wicomico council meetings.

Goodson’s argument is a simple, and unrealistic, one.  Goodson wants a PAC-14 that receives taxpayer dollars but is not accountable to elected officials.  Goodson also wants cable rates to rise in order to finance a multi-million dollar palace for him to work out of.

Given that neither he nor his allies are able to offer a persuasive argument on the accountability issue, they claim that there will be accountability through an agreement requiring PAC-14 to broadcast city and county government meetings.  With all due respect, that is the price of admission Mike.  That doesn’t equate to accountability with tax dollars.

Goodson and his pals at SU have mislead the public and our governments by submitting budgets that were not reviewed (and failed to notify the governments that they weren’t reviewed).  They have mislead the government by spending tax dollars on “consultants” that have given little, if any, value to the citizens PAC-14 is obliged to serve.

No one is questioning Goodson’s passion.  No one is questioning his desire to push for more of what HE BELIEVES the public either wants or needs.  What I am questioning is his belief that only he has the answers and that he will do or say almost anything in pursuit of HIS GOALS.

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PAC-14 in the Dock Again

At today’s Wicomico County Council meeting PAC-14 is again up for discussion during the work session.  I can only hope that some progress is made in this matter.  Unfortunately, I’m not too optimistic.

As was noted after the council’s last meeting, Councilwoman Stevie Prettyman has made an excellent proposal.  A very modest PEG fee would be assessed to Comcast subscribers which would be used to partially fund PAC-14.  PAC-14 would incorporate as a 501c-3 non-profit with an independent board.  PAC-14 would enter into a contract (a “memorandum of understanding”) with the county (and hopefully the city of Salisbury) which would require, among other things, to carry all council meetings, Planning Commission hearings, etc.  PAC-14 could then raise all the money they said they could raise IF ONLY they were “independent”.

Why am I not optimistic?  Well, it seems that the so-called “Friends of PAC-14″ have been trying to play both sides against the middle on this one.  This little group with the likes of former councilman Phil Tilghman, former PAC-14 chair Dana Seiler (who quit after one meeting), and ace lefty activist Mike Pretl (along with the Daily Times) have been trying to sell the public a bill of goods.

First, we had the Daily Times prime the pump and imply that local government was somehow “trying to take over PAC-14″.  Inaccurate, but that’s not unusual for our local paper.

This was followed by Mike Pretle and a few others promoting a petition:
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PAC-14 – The Prettyman Proposal

After lunch yesterday afternoon the Wicomico County Council finally got around to the reason I bothered to show up – a discussion of PAC-14.  The conversation started off with a brief discussion of a proposal for a 4-4-1 board structure (4 members appointed by the county, 4 by Salisbury, and one joint appointment).  The conversations then moved to a “compromise” of having 3 members appointed by the county, 3 by the city and 3 by the “community” (or “membership).

One problem with the 3-3-3 structure was when to allow the “membership” to have board seats.  Should it be right away?  Should it be after they reached a certain number of members?  Should it be after the “membership” showed the ability to raise a certain amount of funds to aid in the operation of PAC-14?  There didn’t seem to be a real consensus as to when that should occur.

At this point Councilwoman Stevie Prettyman (R-2) spoke up.  She wanted to offer a different solution for people to think about:

Set a PEG fee and let that provide the funding for PAC-14.  Government could then get totally out of PAC-14.

She was clear that she wasn’t advocating for any particular solution, but that the council should at least think about it.

Admittedly, this was not the solution that I was looking for.  I happened to be more in agreement with a form of the 3-3-3 proposal.  However, Prettyman’s proposal is not only intriguing – it has merit.
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PAC-14 and Global Warming – Part II

It never ceases to amaze me.  People on the left seem to think that all they have to do is change the wording a little bit and the stupid masses (that’s you and me) will just fall in line like so many sheep.  This is exactly what Mike Goodson, Mike Pretl and the rest of the wannabe PAC-14 pirates are attempting right now.

In a conversation I had just last week with one of this merry little gang I was actually told that THEIR approach -

handing PAC-14 over to a largely self-appointed, self-perpetuating, and wholly unaccountable group

is the CONSERVATIVE approach to managing PAC-14.  I’m still laughing.

Their argument goes something like this:

Allowing the Wicomico County Council and the Mayor of Salisbury (with confirmation by the city council) to appoint the PAC-14 board is equivalent to government control.  Such government control will inevitably lead to CENSORSHIP and politicization of PAC-14′s content.  Only governance by a COMMUNITY board will assure that THE PEOPLE maintain control.

I’ll admit that the argument sounds great.  There is not one ounce of truth to it, but it sounds great.
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PAC-14 and Global Warming – Part I

Last July we outlined a plan by a group led by some folk at Salisbury University to seize our community television station – PAC-14.  The public reaction was sufficient that the group ran for cover.  Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that the battle is over.

That doesn’t mean that the battle is over.  No, they’re back with a vengeance.  They’ve just changed the rhetoric a little in hopes that they can persuade some of our elected officials to hand over $200,000 (and raise your cable rates) with NO ACCOUNTABILITY.

What has any of this to do with global warming?  Nothing with the weather and a whole lot with the rhetoric.

Have you noticed that none of the chicken littles who want you all peddling to work on bicycles talks about “GLOBAL WARMING” anymore?  Instead, we hear about “CLIMATE CHANGE”.  That way, they can can still try to cripple our economy despite the fact that “GLOBAL WARMING” has been discredited.  It’s harder to argue with “CLIMATE CHANGE” since weather patterns have always moved in both long and short term cycles.

The same with PAC-14.  Their argument is the same.  The players are basically the same.  They have just changed the rhetoric in hopes that they can get what they want this time.  They claim: Read more

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The PAC-14 Fiasco Continues

Citizens of Wicomico County are about to see their public access cable channel (PAC-14) handed over to a group of local agitators and Salisbury University.  This group will be wholly unaccountable to the taxpayers and cable ratepayers who will continue to foot most, if not all, of the bill.  This is the revised strategy of PAC-14 Director Mike Goodson, local left-wing activist Mike Pretl, Salisbury Mayor Barrie Tilghman, Councilwoman Louise Smith and various shills of the University.

Starting Monday we will begin another series on the revised plans to steal PAC-14 from the citizens and hand it over to a politically motivated special interest.

In the meantime, you may want to look back at our previous series:

• The PAC-14 Fiasco – Part I

• The PAC-14 Fiasco – Part II

• The PAC-14 Fiasco – Part III

• The PAC-14 Fiasco – Part IV

• The PAC-14 Fiasco – Part V

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PAC-14 Board Meets

The PAC-14 Board met yesterday for the first time in almost two years.  For any of you expecting fireworks, sorry to disappoint.

After months of reading quotes in the Daily Times about how dysfunctional the PAC-14 board was, I thought that perhaps I had wandered into the wrong meeting.  There were no food fights.  No one stripped naked and started dancing on the conference table.  No one even raised their voices.  In fact, one criticism was that I had a hard time hearing board members Marvin Long and Michael Day a couple of times because they spoke softly and I was at the other end of the room.

What was the difference?  The most obvious one was the absence of former chairman Betty Crockett.  Given the past performances of Ms. Crockett and her cohort Jerry Waldron before council, it isn’t a stretch to guess where any past dysfunction came from.
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Is the PAC-14 Fiasco Coming to An End?

Today’s meeting with two of the three “partners” in PAC-14 was fairly interesting.  While nothing was definitively settled, we did learn that the SU Provost has decreed that SU will not longer be a “partner”.

See a copy of Dr. Jones’ letter to Wicomico County

We’ll have more details later.

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The PAC-14 Fiasco Continues

This morning at 10AM, representatives of the three “partners” in Salisbury / Wicomico’s public access channel will gather in room 305 of the GOB.  All those interested in the future of public access in the area should try to attend.

Rumors are flying that representatives of Salisbury University will try to play a heavy handed game – including threats of pulling support from the station.  Given that the University’s representatives, along with Salisbury City Administrator John Pick, are at the root cause of the current turmoil we would not be surprised by almost any tactic.

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