Barrie Takes A Page From Campbell/Cohen's Book

A reader writes in:

Joe,

After watching the last Salisbury city council meeting on PAC14 and catching the mayor's state of the city speech, some things were just too hard to miss and I just had to write to you. I apologize if some of this sounds harsh, but I think I've just "had it."

First, the political ploy at the last council meeting of Tilghman, Smith and Comegys dumping all the budget add-ons into one big vote was the first transparency we've seen out of this bunch. They tried hard to set Campbell and Cohen as voting against motherhood, apple pie and the American way of life, as Cohen put it. How stupid does this "leadership" think we taxpayers are?

Second, Tilghman, like you posted before about Smith, is starting to try to claim the transparency theme from Campbell and Cohen by mouthing the word repeatedly. I don't buy it. See last sentence of previous paragraph.

Third, that same night Tilghman said she asked the public works director if he could find money in his department for the hydrilla treatment for Schumaker Pond, and Tilghman reported he said he couldn't. Whoops. Go check out Campbell and Cohen's website (www.onyoursidesby.blogspot.com). Cohen's got a proposal for funding the hydrilla treatment out of unspent zoo salaries. Why? Because the public works director said he could find money there if the council wanted to kill off geese in the park.

Now, I'm not dumping on the PW director here. He's new. Seems like a quiet fellow. And he didn't tell the council he couldn't find money for the hydrilla. The mayor said he said that. I guess she hasn't told him that speaking straight up to council members is a no-no. You can bet that little chat will be had now.

Let me make a prediction: The council won't take the proposal as an opportunity for unity as Cohen describes in her website post. They will find a way CRUSH it because they can't possibly acknowledge that Cohen or Campbell will ever have a good idea or be right even about directions to the bathroom. Then, the mayor will ride in on her white horse with and proclaim how she found funding for the hydrilla treatment to save the day. Or she'll give the holy grail to Smith or Comegys (likely the latter) to make one of them look good, like the Church St. bone she gave Smith and the Environmental Committee she tossed to Comegys.

Honestly, Joe, it's just all become as predictable as a TV sitcom!

The pattern is already well-established, like in the mayor's state of the city address. She mentioned everybody and their dog for their contributions -- except Campbell and Cohen. Then the mayor ad libs at the end (you could tell) that she'll have more to say later about how staff is treated. We know by that comment that she has a public flogging in store for Campbell and Cohen. I just wait and watch for when the next flogging is any more. We know it's coming.

In this same farce of a speech, the mayor talked about increasing citizen involvement, even creating work groups. Cohen and Campbell have been living, breathing, eating, sleeping citizen involvement, probably since birth.

But Tilghman's been thinking about citizen involvement "since January, and oh hey, I just remembered I've formed groups like that before and and uh uh...."

You get the picture. The pattern. No credit to your political opponents, criticize and smear them, but try to steal their ideas and methods as your own because you see the public loves them for what they offer.

One problem. Sincerity. Smith faked it once, but now she's no good at it because people know it was faked. Tilghman can't fake it any more either. Campbell and Cohen don't have to fake it. They've got the real deal. That's why so many comments were made on that last meeting, and most comments were in suppose of these two.

Anyway, Joe, I'm more of a reader than a writer, but after what I watched and read in the last couple of weeks, I just had to write to you. Thanks for letting me vent. Oh, and one more thing. Today I decided to look at what they call "the briefing book" for Monday's meeting. It's long, but check it out. Did you know that the city attorney has been overbudget three years in a row? You should do a story about that. If this city did the right thing in the first place, maybe our legal bills wouldn't be so high.