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Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Pocomoke Mayor Mike McDermott Calls Destruction of Public Documents Subject to FOIA Request by City Manager 'Error'

Yesterday in a post on the PocomokeTattler.com blog site, Pocomoke Mayor Mike McDermott admitted he has been lying to the citizens of Pocomoke City about what happened to City Manager Russell Blake's illegal, self-dealing employment contract.

The contract is an official public document that was signed by the Mayor, City Council, City Clerk, City Manager and witnessed by the City Attorney on the eve of the 2005 municipal elections.

Mayor McDermott has been telling myself and anyone else who asked (including in writing on this website) that the City Manager 'Verbally tore up" his illegal employment contract in front of the city council. Today he has stated something totally different:

The City Mangers Employment Contract was destroyed at meeting of the Mayor and Council a month after it was penned. While there was apparently no copy retained (certainly an error), I, for one, recall most of aspects of the document vividly. It was very close in design to the one offerred and accepted by Chief Ervin (which expired in June). The contracts were uncalled for and, at the time, Billy Burke praised the actions of the City Manager in abating the contract.

"Certainly an error"?

No Mr. Mayor destruction of this public document was not an error, it was a criminal act in violation of SG-627 and probably many other statutes.

City Manager Russ Blake should have been terminated on the spot for destruction of a public document.

How can a "sworn law enforcement officer" who is the Mayor and sworn to uphold the laws and rights of the citizens call destruction of a public government document, with an active Maryland Public Information Request (from myself) to copy and review this document, "certainly an error"

SINCE WHEN IS THE DESTRUCTION OF A PUBLIC DOCUMENT SUBJECT TO A FOIA REQUEST NOT A CRIMINAL ACT?

It's Pocomoke... Where Boss Hogg and Deputy Dawg make up the rules as they go...

What an insult to myself and all the decent people who elected you, it looks like we all made "an error" too but ours is not illegal, like the "error" you witnessed and have lied about for over 3-years.

I guess that allowing Honiss Cane to illegally retain his City Council seat after moving outside his district, thereby disqualifying himself from the right to retain his seat "certainly an error"

Was taking 3-years to get Councilman Canes junk cars removed from the city another "error"?

Is allowing the crack cocaine concession (which has moved along with Councilman Cane from Fourth Street to Butlers Village) to openly operate with police protection "cetainly an error"?

The contracts were uncalled for and, at the time, Billy Burke praised the actions of the City Manager in abating the contract.

Mr. Mayor I did not "praise the actions of the City Manager" for withdrawing his illegal, self-dealing employment contract signed by the Mayor & Council 11-hours before a municipal election.

I said it was a good start and called you a "p*ssy" for not demanding Russ Blake's resignation in front of both of our wives.

Boss Hogg & Deputy DawgNow I can add PUBLIC LIAR to P*SSY because its pretty obvious you are now "King Boss Hogg" City Manager Russ Blake's boy, mouthpiece and defender of the faith.

Take a look at the tumbleweeds blowing down Market Street, look at burnt out slum apartments, look at the vacant lots while you are looking for the 1,200 breadwinner jobs that have left Pocomoke City during the past 32-years the decent people have been disenfranchised by the openly corrupt Pocomoke City Government with its un-elected Dictator Russ Blake pulling all the strings.

Mr Mayor Sir: You act indignant that I continue to call the Pocomoke City Government "Openly Corrupt" while you lie to my face, you lie to the citizens and you stand behind criminals and support their criminal actions.

What do you as a sworn law enforcement officer & public servant call: Destruction of a self-dealing, incriminating, PUBLIC document which has been properly FOIA'd from a citizen, by the person who is being incriminated by that document?

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