How Much More Can I Give?

While this post may seem like it's all about me, it's really about how petty vindictiveness is costing the taxpayers of Salisbury more money out of their already picked pockets. And how good people get smeared and labeled by everybody's favorite Mayor.

Barrie Tilghman has made a career in the past 2 years of blasting the Blogs and all of their negativity. She has created "The Dirty Dozen" along with former and one current Council Member and combined the two as offering nothing to the community and nothing but negativity.

While I can't speak for the dozens of "Dirty Dozen," I know a lot of the people Barrie Tilghman blasts have IN FACT given much to their community, state and nation in very positive and self-sacrificing ways.

For myself, I would like to state the following as a FACT. Back when I had issues with the Salisbury Zoo, my Wife and I still made an offer to sponsor animals at the Salisbury Zoo and purchase a Grandparent Membership. There were no conditions to our donations. We just wanted to support the animals and give our grandson something meaningful that we believe in.

The City changed the legislation creating a "not a friend of the Salisbury Zoo" status and sent ALL of our money back. Gee, a whole new set of rules just for little old me.

Then when the City was completely attacked by criminals with Graffiti, I personally offered to Urban Salisbury that I would pay for 100% of the clean up of ALL Graffiti throughout the City. My offer was denied and the Mayor intervened to have the City pay for it instead. I also walked the streets at nights for months in order to insure it would come to an end and it did.

That being said, I got a call at the last minute this past summer telling me the Jaycees were dropping the 4th of July extravaganza in which I stepped up to the plate and offered to pay cash, $10,000.00 to $20,000.00 out of my pocket to keep the event. It was too late, the Jaycees didn't tell me till 2 days had passed and the Fireworks Company had already relocated their equipment and event. But I let it be known I'd be there for them next year.

Most recently, hence the photo above, I knew City Clerk Brenda Colegrove was being denied by the Mayor every year as they would offer $1,200.00 in their budget for a new digital recording system, knowing it fell short of the actual cost of such a system and they wouldn't have to buy it. Barrie Tilghman is so dead-set against the public getting information easily that she's made sure for years that Brenda Colegrove and Kim Nichols, two of the hardest working and most professional people in all of Salisbury government, went without something that would make their lives a little easier.

Therefore, I offered to pay for the system, allowing Brenda and Kim the opportunity to make their jobs so much better and certainly more efficient. As you can clearly see from this letter, the City is refusing the accept my donation, (not that it's a big deal to me) simply because it has Joe Albero's name on it. At least I can take some satisfaction in knowing that if I hadn't stepped up with the offer, who knows when Brenda and Kim would have gotten this equipment?

My point to this whole Post is NOT what Joe Albero does for the City. It is about YOU the Taxpayers losing out because the City refuses to accept my donations. Everyone knows very clearly Joe Albero cannot buy/bribe the Mayor, nor would I ever want to try! They accuse me of being negative, but I've tried to do positive things and been refused. Why? Because I'm exposing what they don't want the public to know. Or pointing out when they are over the top in their behavior toward citizens. Or animals for that matter.

In the end it is the Taxpayers that pay the price for such ignorance and pettiness. After all, why accept something good from Joe Albero when she can just stick the costs to you?

More importantly, please do NOT allow this woman or anyone else say the Blogs, Joe Albero, or The Dirty Dozen are bad people and only negative! As I said, many of the people she bashes have fought in wars for us, raised funds for charity, and spoken out for you when you can't or are afraid to. In addition to the things I expose, I've also given pats on the back when earned, posted police press releases, and promoted community events like the Jaycees Christmas Parade, Movies in the Park, and Relay for Life, to name a few. And I post pictures of beauty from out my back door for people to enjoy. Now how the hell are those things "being negative"???

Barrie Tilghman is simply full of crap. I've even given her a pat on the back from time to time when she finally gets one right like the Westside Little League homecoming. But would she EVER do the same for Joe Albero? No, of course not. But that's okay because I have proven to be the better person each and every time, even when she's suing me. And I can live with that.