Holloway Uncovers MORE Wasteful Spending at the BOE

Wicomico County Councilman Joe Holloway isn’t very popular with the bureaucrats over at the Wicomico County Board of Education (WCBOE).  He politely asks for information on their spending habits, they attempt to stonewall him, Holloway keeps fighting for the information, the bureaucrats are embarrassed.  At least the taxpayers get to find out how their dollars are being wasted.

Speaking last night at the monthly meeting of the Wicomico chapter of Americans for Prosperity, Holloway gave a brief re-cap of his term on the county council.  Holloway made one thing crystal clear – despite the protestations of people like Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt and several members of the county council, Wicomico County doesn’t have a REVENUE PROBLEM.  Wicomico County has a SPENDING PROBLEM.

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WCLCB – How Many Ways Can You Pick A Pocket?

What’s next at the Wicomico County Liquor Control Board?  Caribbean cruises for all employees?  New cars for all?  Don’t think that it’s so far fetched.

In their latest scheme to deflect attention away from THEIR corrupt practices, a public agency has decided to threaten YOUR elected officials with litigation.  If that isn’t bad enough, YOU are paying for it.

Claiming that that remarks by Wicomico County Council members Stevie Prettyman and Joe Holloway are,

“Dragging the liquor board members and their reputations through the mud does not advance the public’s understanding of any of the issues involved, but only damages the board members in their personal lives and reputations in a most unfair and inappropriate manner,” Laws stated.

For a very brief moment, let’s assume that what WCLCB attorney Victor H. Laws, III says is true.  Isn’t that a problem for the three board members?  Why should Laws be involved?  This is equivalent to Barrie Tilghman and Allan Webster suing Joe Albero and using Salisbury tax dollars to pay their respective lawyers.

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WCLCB – If You Tell a Lie Often Enough

Is there wasteful spending at the Wicomico County Liquor Control Board?  Absolutely.  Does the WCLCB engage in spending that may be criminal?  Yes.  However, if you read this morning’s op-ed in the Daily Times you would believe that the dispensary is pure as the driven snow.

Dispensary manager Justin Collis again attempts to pull a “bait and switch” on the taxpayers.  He lists a litany of expenditures that no one has attacked and then tries to portray council members Stevie Prettyman, Gail Bartkovich and Joe Holloway as somehow out of touch.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

The expenses for employees during the holiday season last year were $1,340, not the “thousands” some would have you believe.

That would be lovely, except that the “thousands” of dollars Prettyman, Holloway and Bartkovich have noted are not for Christmas food baskets.  Collis isn’t honest, or foolish, enough to attempt justification of thousands spent on taking dispensary employees to Dover so that they can drive race cars around the track.

Collis doesn’t mention taxpayer funds handed out to local non-profits and social clubs.  Why?  Because they can’t justify them.  Our county council rightly chose to strip funds out of the county budget that would have allowed County Executive Rick Pollitt the authority to hand out tax dollars to non-profits of his choosing.  What the dispensary board does is far worse.  These people are not elected and have no oversight.

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Since When is Stealing from the Taxpayer Not “Unethical”?

Despite the fact that the Daily Times is attempting to make corruption at the Wicomico County Liquor Control Board sound like a tempest in a teapot, one disturbing note did come from their “investigation” (County Council members Joe Holloway, Stevie Prettyman and Gail Bartkovich actually did the investigating). We now know that Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt doesn’t possess a sufficiently strong opinion on the dispensary board’s nefarious activities to call them “unethical”:

But Fineran, who said County Executive Rick Pollitt is opposed to the concept of government competing with private business, declined to comment on if the WCLCB’s spending is unethical.

“It’s a totally autonomous organization,” he said. “I don’t think we should be in the position of judging them, but at the same time, we want the greatest amount of revenue.”

That’s your problem Rick. You’re only concerned that you’re not getting enough money to spend. It’s only a peripheral issue that three non-elected individuals are picking the pockets of Wicomico taxpayers.

In all fairness, Pollitt (through his spokesman, Jim Fineran) probably didn’t want to sound like a hypocrite. You see, Pollitt likes to hand out tax dollars to charities. It’s good politics. You know, pick up a few votes, get your picture in the paper.

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080908 Media Monday – Putting Lipstick on That Pig

If you picked up Sunday’s Daily Times and looked at the front page article on the misadventures of Wicomico County’s Liquor Control Board you would think that all of the hoorah is much ado about nothing:

The government monopoly that sells liquor in Wicomico County is under fire again, this time for records that show it donates to local charities, buys holiday hams and once rewarded a retiring employee with an $875 watch.

The actions wouldn’t normally get a private business into hot water, but to Councilman Joe Holloway and Council Vice President Stevie Prettyman, they amount to the latest example of the Wicomico County Liquor Control Board overstepping its powers. (emphasis is mine)

Daily Times reporter Greg Latshaw makes it sound as if those crazy council members – Joe Holloway and Stevie Prettyman are complaining about not much of anything. Nothing could be be further from the truth.

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Will the Wicomico County Council Defend the Taxpayers?

It is true that 2010 is the earliest that we can expect a vote by citizens as to the abolition of the Wicomico County dispensary. In the meantime, should the Wicomico County Council just sit on their collective collective hands?

Of course not. There are several things that the Wicomico County Council can, and should, do in order to safeguard the taxpayers’ money.

As noted in Thursday’s editorial in the Daily Times,

“The bigger question, then, is transparency, which is actually the issue
that sparked this year’s discussion of the dispensary system’s pros and
cons — financial transparency, mostly.”

That’s the first thing that council should do – DEMAND TRANSPARENCY. Stew Haemel and his merry little crew can whine all they want. The WCLCB IS subject to the Maryland Public Information Act. That AG opinion that Haemel seems to carry a copy of wherever he goes even says so.

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WCLCB – Spin, Spin, Spin at the County Council Meeting

Wicomico County dispensary board chair Stewart Haemel claims that he’s not a politician. He can sure tell stories better than just about any I’ve ever known. At Tuesday’s County Council meeting Haemel took the opportunity to stand before the TV cameras and tell some real old fashioned “fish stories”. Like watching a bad French movie, Haemel needs translation – if you want to hear the truth versus the sounds emanating from his lips (sub-titles are in italics):

I feel compelled to address the issue of accountability. – Sure you do Stew! Up to now you’ve been claiming that you don’t have any accountability.

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WCLCB – Better Late Than Ever

One complaint heard this morning was that the Daily Times, true to form, charges to take on an issue … AFTER their opinion could have an impact. All too true. However, never one to look a gift horse in the mouth I figure we should take what we can get. There are, however, several things about this morning’s editorial – calling for the Wicomico County dispensary to open its books – that are humorous, and disturbing.

While I don’t know who wrote this morning’s piece, I do know that they are ignorant of some basic facts. They state:

“The question will not appear on the 2008 ballot because the Wicomico
County Council voted 5-1 against asking the Maryland General Assembly
for permission to do so.”

This simply isn’t true. The possibility of placing the measure on the 2008 ballot ended when the county council postponed action at their first August meeting. The deadline for placing a measure on the ballot passed prior to the August 19th meeting. Some will also point to an AG’s opinion that claimed that the legislature must approve a referendum. If this is the same opinion prepared for Sen. Lowell Stoltzfus, the opinion only states that a binding referendum would need legislative approval.

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Council Votes to Continue Corruption – Part II

As we noted yesterday, the discussion and vote over Resolution 110-2008 (to ask the legislature for a binding referendum to abolish the Wicomico County dispensary) was confusing to say the least. Last night I had an opportunity to review the proceedings on PAC-14 and was dismayed to discover that Wicomico County Councilman John Cannon had indeed abused his authority as council president.

Cannon’s tenure as council president has been relatively smooth. As a rule, Cannon runs a good meeting. He follows the rules. Both he and the other members of council treat each other, and the public, with respect. Compared to the Salisbury City Council’s under both Mike Dunn and Louise Smith, this Wicomico County Council is a joy to witness.

Why then did Cannon use a variety of bush league, Louise Smith – type, tricks to railroad the defeat of the referendum bill? You’ll have to ask John Cannon. I can only explain what he did and why it was not only improper, but an abuse of his office as chair of the council.

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Council Votes to Continue Corruption

By a 6-1 vote, the Wicomico County Council voted down a resolution to ask the Maryland legislature to allow a referendum to abolish the Wicomico County dispensary system. The only council member to vote for the resolution was Councilwoman Stevie Prettyman.

Charges have been leveled that Councilman John Cannon abused his authority in the manner the vote was taken. The council meeting is being re-broadcast tonight at 6PM on PAC-14. I want to review the matter before I pass judgment on the matter. However, it is clear that not all council members and certainly not all members of the public knew exactly what the vote signified.

Councilman Joe Holloway believed that he was voting to postpone the measure to a later meeting. Talking with various citizens who witnessed the vote, some believe the resolution failed while others concurred with Holloway. Some simply said, “I don’t know”.

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