You Ain't Gonna Believe This One, Folks! Then Again...

The Planning & Zoning Commission hearing on the old mall began with a bang and went out with a banging…

Of rubber stamps, that is.

At the request of the developers and the City, the Findings of Fact for the whole mall redevelopment plan was pulled from the agenda. You know, to accommodate the great promised revision for lower density and mixing residential and commercial space like real urban villages do. But wait! After such a momentous keeping our word start, what happens?

Well, they go right ahead with a public hearing to do something they didn’t need to do: toss out the county parking lot and bring in the land Eckerd’s and the bank sit on. Oh, they’ll still work out a deal with the county for the lot. After all, they got a nice $6 million tax break for that oh, half a million tops, slab of pavement.

But they didn’t need to do anything with either of these pieces of land because they are going to be revising the plan anyway, right, with the developers holding public input meetings, right?

But wait! The developers have scheduled the Great Revision And Public Exchange (GRAPE) meeting just a week away! How generous (not!) GRAPE, better known as the Fabulous All-inclusive Revision Charade Exemplar (FARCE) with a whole week’s notice shall certainly compel hundreds of citizens to drop their scout meetings, church choirs, candidate forums, and non-refundable tickets to Third Day and The David Crowder Band concert at the Civic Center in a heartbeat! (Then the Civic Center won’t have to worry about parking on mall property.)

Excellent comments from the public as to why all of this should be tabled and considered as part of the Sacred Revisions were endured by the obviously shut minds behind the table.

Then, the room was hushed by a Tale of the Bizarre. Chairwoman Corinne LesCallette called for the room to clear for a closed session. Uhhhh, a closed session? Even P&Z Director Jack Lenox had to catch his breath. He asked her what code she was referring to for a closed session. LesCallette drew a blank, so Puppet Cathcart tried to slip her a lifeline with “Legal issues?” LesCallette said, “Uh, the legality of what we’re being asked to do,” or some such. Lenox jumped back with a couple of criteria needed to hold a closed meeting and LesCallette seemed stumped. Finally, Lenox, as gentlemanly as he could, tells her this doesn’t meet criteria for a closed meeting.

Oooookaaay. LesCallette finally “got it” and asked the Commission their wishes, i.e., give us a motion, boys and girl, and let’s go home.

The resounding roar of rubber stamps pounding away was heard clear to the State Line. You cannot make this stuff up.


When Bill Duvall referred to "The Fix Is In," he wasn't kidding. Worse, both the Commission and the developers want to waste busy people's time pretending to listen. That just sucks.

The photos above of Lenox and LesCallette were taken exactly in the moment while the two argued over the rules.

PROGRESS?

The Downtown Plaze, 3 Days Later!

Once again I was depressed to see the Downtown Plaza as a complete disgrace to the City of Salisbury. Usually when I report something, (photos) the Mayor jumps right on it and gets it cleaned up, unless it's the river at the Zoo. In this case, the Plaza looks like crap and it's time someone start pushing the Mayor to get it cleaned up. I stated 3 days on here because I took this photo at the end of the work day and it would be expected this mess will still be there in the morning. Is the Mayor rebelling against my Blog? Is she refusing the clean things up again like she did at the Zoo? There is a crew each and every day down on the Plaza, so this is the only thing that makes any sense. What a shame!

Jim Rapp Forgets To Thank The Blogs!

Jim Rapp wrote a Letter the Editor today thanking everyone but the Blog Sites? Here we are promoting the Night of the Living Zoo, they have a RECORD attendance and is it a question to anyone else why they had such a huge turn out? The Blog Sites have far more circulation than the Daily Times and I think they should show their appreciation for a job well done on our behalf. If not, well we're just not going to help them again. Jim always seems to forget the people who helped make things a success and instead always takes the credit himself. You need to change your ways Jim Rapp. Maybe he got his instructions from Ron Alessi?

Are We Tired Of It Yet?

Slick Barrie Tilghman & Chief Webster, But Not Slick Enough!

Although they'll only run this add once, I've been on the lookout for it for weeks and it popped up in yesterdays Daily Times. No heads up by the Times either, mind you. In my opinion, this ad should be run for several days and the fact that it's not, (unless I'm wrong) clearly shows the City is doing everything it can to keep this under the table as best as possible.

However, this Blog Site is slammed daily with hits and it's growing each and every day. The horses are up for auction Folks and you must act quickly if you have any interest in them. Click on the image and it will enlarge it enough for you to be able to read it clearly.

To Mr. & Mrs. Hearne,

Thank You so very much for all the unconditional love, concern and financial support over so many years that these horses have received from you and gifted to the Salisbury Police Department. Coming from two serious animal lovers, (Jennifer and I) we hope this means something to you as we'll enjoy trying to live up to your standards. If only the Former Chief were still alive, things would be quite different!