Ireton’s “Slumlord of the Week” – Policy or Sham?

Today’s front page story in the Daily Times regarding Salisbury mayor Jim Ireton’s new “Slumlord of the Week” policy fails to answer several questions:

1. Is this “policy” meant to accomplish anything?
2. Why doesn’t Ireton actually do something to fulfill his campaign promise “to ‘close loopholes’ in the city’s municipal codes and get crime out of neighborhoods”?

IF Ireton was actually doing something to close these loopholes and to actually enforce the spirit, as well as the letter, of the city’s zoning laws that would be one thing.  Instead, we have seen one woman loose her rental income because of zoning (last Sunday’s DT), but we’re not seeing any progress in taking care of the scores of non-conforming uses in the city.

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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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In Salisbury, Working People Need Not Apply

As Salisbury councilwoman noted on the radio this morning, today’s Salisbury City Council work session is “relatively meaty”.    While I haven’t talked to councilwoman Debbie Campbell today, it’s a decent bet that she won’t be there.  Why?  Campbell has to work for a living.  So does Cohen, but fortunately she is self-employed.

The “council majority” of Louise Smith, Gary Comegys, and Shanie Shields don’t work for a living.  They live off of the teat of the taxpayer.  Therefore, why not move work sessions to the morning.  The meetings aren’t televised.  Working citizens can’t attend.  Campbell can’t attend many.  Cohen will undoubtedly miss a few because she has to earn a living.

By this action alone Smith, et al provide an excellent argument for not allowing anyone on a PUBLIC pension to hold elected office.  No – I’m not advocating that action.  I’m just noting that there is an argument to be made when people like Smith, Comegys, and Shields behave as they do.

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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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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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Barrie Comegys Party Wants to Waste More Tax Dollars

When will they ever learn?  The Barrie Comegys bloc on Salisbury’s city council wants to throw more tax dollars (potentially millions more) down the drain.  Since Mayor Jim Ireton vetoed their attempt to take a notorious property owner off of the hook for cleanup, their response was tried and true (at least in Democrat circles) – they played the race card.

BARRIE COMEGYS WANTS YOUR MONEY

I understand the argument for acquiring the Lake Street property.  It could serve as a means to jump start the proposed North Prong redevelopment project.  As someone who supports redevelopment of the North Prong (just not the ham fisted Barrie Comegys approach), acquiring the property could have some merit.

However, to call this property a “brown field” is probably being generous.  Given that no one has any idea what kind of clean-up problems will be encountered if the city took possession of the property, it makes good sense to find out BEFORE the city is on the hook.  In fact, Councilwoman Terry Cohen made such a specific motion to amend the agreement before council last Monday.  Councilman Gary Comegys stated that he would support such an amendment ONLY IF it did not stop the city from acquiring the land.  Councilwomen Louise Smith and Shanie Shields (the other two legs of the Barrie Comegys Party stool on the Salisbury council) also voted down the amendment.

Let’s try this again.  NO ONE knows what the clean-up will cost.  It may me $10,000.  It could be $1 MILLION!  For all anyone knows, it could be more.  YET, Comegys stated that it was more important to acquire this piece of land.  Basically, the Barrie Comegys position is that this land is worth ANY PRICE.

Why not?  The taxpayers are footing the bill.

RACE PIMPING IN THE ‘BURY

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Barrie Comegys Party Going Schizophrenic

During the reign of her late, lamented highness Barrie Tilghman we were always told by the likes of party commissar Gary Comegys that they had to “listen to staff”.  They also rubber stamped every proposal emanating from HRH.  Hell, Comegys wouldn’t even go after the Tilghman clique when they misplaced millions of dollars.

Tonight, thanks to our friends over at TwoSentz, we learn that the Barrie Comegys majority on city council went against the city’s planning staff, the Central City District Commission, Urban Salisbury, and Mayor Jim Ireton by refusing to donate a parking lot for the proposed new library.

In all fairness, I don’t know whether I would have supported the deal or not.  Wicomico County sure isn’t going to pony up for a new library any soon, that’s for sure.  However, I’m not the one who supported an Historic District Commission that cost Salisbury taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars because of stupid behavior on the part of a member or two.  I’m not the one who has been a human rubber stamp for some of the craziest stuff seen in municipal government.  I’m not the one defending a police chief who has seen the city he is charged with protecting become nationally infamous.

Regardless of the merits of the proposal, I think we have a clear case of simply denying the new mayor.  Gary lost, Louise Smith can’t run for re-election (unless she wants to explain a double-digit tax increase and myriad stupid statements), and Shanie Shields hasn’t the capacity for original thought.  They got walloped in the last election (even if Shanie did win by one vote), so they want to make Ireton pay.

Keep it up guys.  We need the amusement.  Many of us will continue to criticize Ireton when we disagree; support him when we think he’s right.  One thing’s for certain – we’ll never rubber stamp his every proposal or oppose him for the sheer sake of it.

Here’s looking forward to 2011.

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Polk vs. Shields – Rubber Match Moves to Friday

While the overwhelming margins of victory won by both Salisbury Mayor-elect Jim Ireton and Councilwoman Debbie Campbell sound the death knell of the Barrie Comegys party, hope remains in District 1.  There, incumbent Shanie Shields is tied with Cynthia Polk after last Tuesday’s election, the Absentee I canvas and the Provisional canvas.  Friday’s Absentee II canvas, with five (5) District 1 ballots will prove to be the rubber match.

Voters throughout the city are asking, “How can this election possibly be so close?”  Scandalously low turnout is one obvious answer.  However, it is our opinion that turnout is only part of the answer.

While no charges of electoral impropriety have been leveled by the Polk camp – yet – there is certainly the appearance of impropriety on several fronts.  A family member of Shields served as an election judge – at the sole District 1 polling place.  Voters from the east side of District 1 were deliberately disenfranchised when the Tilghman administration and its rubber stamp council refused to allow those residents the opportunity to vote at Harvest Baptist Church – literally blocks from a very large block of District 1 voters.  The city electoral board, Barrie Tilghman appointees all, refused to segregate challenged absentee ballots.  Not leaving SAPOA out of the mix, one witness has come forward claiming that they were paid to vote and hauled to St. James AME Zion Church (the District 1 polling place) by their landlord.  This is in additon to the persistent rumors of such behavior by Salisbury’s leading slumlords.

Even if Shields manages to scratch out a 1 vote win, what little credibility she had maintained is effectively gone.  If the Barrie Comegys council bloc of Louise Smith and Gary Comegys acts to stop the change voters clearly want it will take little more than a warm body to defeat either in 2011.

Hold tight Salisbury.  Friday should be interesting.  While Polk could challenge a defeat on multiple fronts, Shields cannot challenge.  To date, Shields has failed to send a single representative to the Electoral Board canvasses.  Perhaps she assumed that City Attorney Paul Wilber and the Tilghman appointed electoral board would serve as her proxies.  Perhaps they did.  Unfortunately for Shields, I doubt any would publicly admit to error or wrongdoing to help her out.

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Barrie Comegys Blog Gets Even Scummier Post-Election

Jonathan Taylor, the “mind” behind the unofficial blog of the Barrie Comegys ticket of Gary Comegys, Muir Boda, and Shanie Shields is on a tear.  While I didn’t think it was possible to sink lower than they did during the recent Salisbury mayoral and council races, I was wrong.  From calling the spouse of one individual a “Bitch” to posting derogatory comments about the spouse and child of Councilwoman Debbie Campbell, it is obvious that the Barrie Comegys team will continue to be practicing the politics of LIES, HATE, and FEAR for some time to come.

While we should expect this from individuals like Mr. Taylor, going after someone’s kid is low even for the likes of Jonathan and his sleazy pals.  This is particularly so AFTER Taylor promised to stop attacks on Mayor-elect Jim Ireton and re-elected councilwoman Campbell.

I have been thinking today about what direction I want to go in now that the
election is over. I have finally made my decision. I will no longer make any
more personal attacks on Jim Ireton or Debbie Campbell, I will reserve those
for Joey only.

That was on Wednesday.  I can only conclude that in the sub-70 IQ world of Jonathan Taylor “I will no longer” means “I won’t do it NOW”.  On Thursday, the chief scribe of the Comegys, Boda, and Shields ticket was going after Campbell’s husband Bill and their son Billy.  Bad move Jonathan.  Billy Campbell may just be the smartest person you’ve ever been in a room with.
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The $1.3 Million Endorsement

Salisbury’s slumlords simply LOVE Barrie Tilghman.  Unfortunately, Barrie realized that she couldn’t be re-elected.  So the slumlords and their dirty little guild, SAPOA, are placing all of their hopes behind Barrie’s chosen successors – Gary Comegy, Muir Boda, and Shanie Shields (aka the BARRIE COMEGYS ticket).

Why do Salisbury’s ruling class love Barrie and her heirs so much?  Tilghman has basically refused to enforce city zoning and building codes (at least regarding her SAPOA pals).  What’s a double-digit tax increase among friends when you can rape the city like the Vandals in Rome?  SAPOA is quite confident that Comegys, Muir, Shields (along with Princess Louise Smith) will continue to deliver.

… This is especially true if your name is Rinnier.  Besides all of the special treatment afforded SAPOA, the Rinniers were able to pocket a cool $1.3 million at taxpayer expense thanks to Barrie Comegys.  Remember the Marley Manor lift station?

Perhaps that’s why the Rinniers have illegally spent money to benefit the campaigns of Comegys, Boda and Shields.  Keep in mind, that you can only spend $250.  I find it hard to believe that the Rinniers were able to print all of these letters and paid people to distribute them throughout the Rinnier rental empire for $250.

Maybe they expect another fat subsidy if their candidates prevail on Tuesday.  We think the taxpayers of Salisbury’s have paid enough.

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