Salisbury Mayor Barrie Tilghman's "State of the City" address on Monday provided us with a glimpse of how a truly devious mind works. For several years Tilghman and her "Dream Team" promoted the idea of a revitalization of the "North Prong" area of the city. The unstated goal has seems to be the gentrification of the West Side of Salisbury. To those of you not familiar with the term, gentrification usually has the end affect of driving the poor black folks (and Latinos) out and replacing them with nice, well coiffed white folk.
To date Tilghman and her minions have been unsuccessful in their pursuit. Their desire to subsidize developers through a Community Development Corporation (CDC) have been a bust. Too many of the unwashed see it for what it is (a bureaucratic boondoggle designed to consolidate Tilghman's power while funneling city funds to her friends). The state has, so far, refused to fund Tilghman's attempts to push a large portion of the minority community out of the city. Oh, what to do?
To get around this little problem Tilghman has devised a brilliant solution! The North Prong project is no long an economic development issue. It is now an "environmental disaster"! Tilghman is now seeking federal funds, with the help of Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (?-MD).
I have to give the old gal credit. No one can slap lipstick on a pig like Barrie! By relabeling her little scam an "environmental issue", she may be able to get the funds she desires. She may also be able to attract some of the more moderate tree huggers to her cause (Tilghman already seems to have the radical WET crowd firmly in her pocket).
Peeling off some of the opposition is key to her plan. She'll need help for STEP 2 of her minority eradication program.
STEP 2 involves a new "task force" that Tilghman has established. Their first charge will be to replace the "Fitzwater Street townhouses" with "Workforce Housing". Translation - she wants the city to take over those row homes west of the Perdue plant and replace them with housing that will sell for somewhere between $150,000 and $250,000. Who will be living there? It certainly won't be any of the hourly workers at the Perdue plant.
Of course this brings us to STEP 3. Tilghman didn't discuss this while telling her little story. STEP 3 will be coming up with a way to get Perdue to leave the city. Why? You can't have a Yuppie heaven on the West Side with that big ol' smelly chicken plant. Who wants to buy a $400,000 condo that overlooks those steam pipes? Forget how much Perdue pays in taxes and how many people the company employs.
Again, I have to give credit to Tilghman. She has done a masterful job of re-packaging her boondoggle. She may even get her funding.
Whether its two, five, ten, or fifteen years down the road the poor folks of the West Side will be able to thank Barrie Tilghman and Shanie Shields as they are being evicted from their homes.
cross posted at Delmarva Dealings
Technorati Tags: Maryland, Salisbury, politics, Salisbury politics, Barrie Tilghman, Shanie Shields, environment, affordable housing, neighborhoods, redevelopment, Barbara Mikulski, Ben Cardin, Wayne Gilchrest
To date Tilghman and her minions have been unsuccessful in their pursuit. Their desire to subsidize developers through a Community Development Corporation (CDC) have been a bust. Too many of the unwashed see it for what it is (a bureaucratic boondoggle designed to consolidate Tilghman's power while funneling city funds to her friends). The state has, so far, refused to fund Tilghman's attempts to push a large portion of the minority community out of the city. Oh, what to do?
To get around this little problem Tilghman has devised a brilliant solution! The North Prong project is no long an economic development issue. It is now an "environmental disaster"! Tilghman is now seeking federal funds, with the help of Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (?-MD).
I have to give the old gal credit. No one can slap lipstick on a pig like Barrie! By relabeling her little scam an "environmental issue", she may be able to get the funds she desires. She may also be able to attract some of the more moderate tree huggers to her cause (Tilghman already seems to have the radical WET crowd firmly in her pocket).
Peeling off some of the opposition is key to her plan. She'll need help for STEP 2 of her minority eradication program.
STEP 2 involves a new "task force" that Tilghman has established. Their first charge will be to replace the "Fitzwater Street townhouses" with "Workforce Housing". Translation - she wants the city to take over those row homes west of the Perdue plant and replace them with housing that will sell for somewhere between $150,000 and $250,000. Who will be living there? It certainly won't be any of the hourly workers at the Perdue plant.
Of course this brings us to STEP 3. Tilghman didn't discuss this while telling her little story. STEP 3 will be coming up with a way to get Perdue to leave the city. Why? You can't have a Yuppie heaven on the West Side with that big ol' smelly chicken plant. Who wants to buy a $400,000 condo that overlooks those steam pipes? Forget how much Perdue pays in taxes and how many people the company employs.
Again, I have to give credit to Tilghman. She has done a masterful job of re-packaging her boondoggle. She may even get her funding.
Whether its two, five, ten, or fifteen years down the road the poor folks of the West Side will be able to thank Barrie Tilghman and Shanie Shields as they are being evicted from their homes.
cross posted at Delmarva Dealings
Technorati Tags: Maryland, Salisbury, politics, Salisbury politics, Barrie Tilghman, Shanie Shields, environment, affordable housing, neighborhoods, redevelopment, Barbara Mikulski, Ben Cardin, Wayne Gilchrest
12 comments:
Been a long time coming. The river could be a real "drawing card" to Salisbury, like many other cities. In this case I agree, move the people away from that real estate, and bring something to the entire town.
Have you seen the two new houses in the neighborhood? One across from Brew River, another behind that, and then a gut and remodel three doors further down. Something's happening in there and it's not the people living there who are sprucing things up. Somebody with money is already starting the gentrification process.
Good, glad to see that the Mayor is sprucing the city of Salisbury up. We need to rid ourselves of the slums and beautify our city. Let those who didn't work hard in school and get an education go live in Mardella or Hebron. We don't need them. Thank you elected officials.
It's a real "win-win" for Barrie:
She rewards some of her landlord supporters by the Fitzwater Street Townhomes deal, and probably gets a reelection campaign donation in return from the developer of the condo project that's underway across the street. Of course, the minority residents get displaced, but they can rent from slumlords somewhere else.
Hey, they won't need a grocery with that poultry plant next door!
What about the local businesses that are there and have been for many years and are specialized types that can't just go anywhere. Why should they have to move out along with the blacks and latinos. Nothing has worked to revitalize these areas...it is not a drawing card for the City of Salisbury...look at our government: who wants to be close to that and our waste water plant? Let's support our local businesses and keep it clean, but don't make the specialized businesses such as Perdue Grain, Cain Masonry, R C Holloway, Farmers & Planters, etc. and many more be put under pressure to "move out" because Mayor Barry Tilghman is trying to make a name for herself.
joe,
i find it interesting that the land where the new firehouse is was purchased 1/19/2000 by salisbury center in for $150,000.00
may 27, 2005 it was sold to cecil l decker jr & multi accts arms-length for $175,000.00. exactly 4 months later it was sold to salisbury trust llc $636,000.00. does this strike anyone as strange? any inside info on this deal perhaps? sjd
This IS interesting. There must be a story in here somewhere. More than 1200% profit for someone, in only 4 months. I want a deal like this.
Very good points GA, as usual. I think I tend to agree that the Perdue plant needs to be moved, if they do plan to redo the West side. But the problem is "where"?
You do know that there is another "blighted" area in Salisbury, besides the West side. What will the boss lady do about Smith and Newton Streets. Lots of housing needs redoing in this area too!
A. Goetz
Oh, Art, she'll probably move the Perdue Plant to Smith St. as punishment to Camden, the "evil" neighborhood.
The Camden people I know would spoil her plan by embracing the company, plant flowers outside of it, devise ecologically sound management tools inside it, then serve an international buffet for the employees (all chicken, of course).
The handwriting was on the wall after she took office the second time and moved out from Camden to Newtownish area--let the area around the college go to hell as student/immigrant slums in order to replace the slum properties on Fitzwater,Delaware avenue etc. Want to be that one of the persons that will make the most money is a Hanna?
Shanie has a brand new car, however can't pay for a house to live in. And SHE is managing MY money!
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