Jermaine S. Wright Released

"Yesterday Jermaine S. Wright was released from ECI. He is a 33 years old, 5'7" tall, black and about 170 lbs. his physique is muscular. his registered address is West Road in Salisbury. This man is VERY dangerous. In 1992 he raped and killed a girl at one of the under 21 clubs in Ocean City. The dna evidence somehow became compromised so they had to let him go. He fled to NC where he raped two more women. he spent 3 years in prison down there. During that time, a circumstantial case was built against him for the rape/murder in 92. He was convicted of that and has spent the last 7 years at ECI. now he's free. he is considered a sexually violent predator. the authorities are 100% sure that his actual history involves many more rapes and possibly murders than are listed above. He seems to prefer white women with no particular pre fere nce to age or physique. he also entered the home of one of the NC victims during the day through an unlocked door. The warden is asking us to put the word out to all of our friends/family/everybody, to please be careful. Women need to keep their doors locked if they are in the house with no adult males. They need also refrain from going anywhere alone at night. this is a rapist and a murderer who has been locked up for the last 10 years. Statistically speaking, it is VERY probably that he will strike again within the next 30 days."

OFFICE OF THE STATE'S ATTORNEY FOR WORCESTER COUNTY

PRESS RELEASE

ONE WEST MARKET STREET SUITE 208

SNOW HILL, MARYLAND 21863

410-632-2166

FAX: 410-632-3250

Michael W. Farlow Paul T. Haskell
Deputy State's Attorney Deputy State's Attorney
Circuit Court Division District Court Division

PRESS RELEASE

To: All Local News Media

From: Joel J. Todd

Re: Appointment of Special Prosecutor

Date: February 27, 2008

Worcester County State’s Attorney Joel J. Todd announced today his intention to have Thomas M. Degonia, II Esquire, of Venable LLP in Rockville, Maryland as special prosecutor for the case of State vs. Davis R. Ruark, State’s Attorney for Wicomico County. Degonia was formerly an assistant state’s attorney in Montgomery County.

A special prosecutor will be used due to the longstanding professional relationship between Todd and Ruark. Both the State Prosecutor’s Office and the Maryland Attorney General’s Office declined to provide a special prosecutor - the former because this is not an alleged case of public corruption and the latter because of a conflict of interest of their own.

It is essential that the public have confidence in the process, although we are all sometimes dismayed at the result. Some of what has been reported has been inaccurate. Todd has stated that he knew as soon as he received the call about Ruark’s arrest that he would seek a special prosecutor. He told police then to treat Mr. Ruark just like any other drunk driving suspect.

Other than to answer questions about the law, Todd’s office has kept itself out of this case. When contacted by Ocean City Police Chief Bernadette DiPino about the alleged handgun violation Todd was asked only what the appropriate law was. He did not direct her to charge or not charge for this crime nor did she ask for such advice. Todd made it clear to Chief DiPino that he was seeking a special prosecutor and could not advise her whether or not to charge.

In addition, it has been reported that Todd’s office prosecuted Ruark’s son’s case. This is also untrue. A special prosecutor from another county handled that case.

The justice system will handle this case objectively through the independent prosecutor. The public should be mindful that Mr. Ruark is, as is every other accused, innocent until proven guilty.

The Audit Nightmare

Although Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt has hired the accounting firm, Twilley, Rommel & Stephens to help save the day and hopefully uncover the balance of any wrong doing, WHAT IF ONE OF THE PEOPLE/COMPANIES ARE ONE OF THEIR CLIENTS?

I was in a deep conversation with a good friend of mine last night where we were discussing this exact issue and he said, why the hell did they hire someone local? They should have reached out across the Bridge to a firm who would be completely neutral? I couldn't agree more.

I placed a call to the Executives Office and brought up this concern, one in which hadn't been thought of. There was a silence once I mentioned it. I then suggested that IF there are ANY businesses involved, they should get written confirmation from this firm stating they do not, nor ever have done ANY work for these companies. The better answer would be, hire someone else outside the Eastern Shore. Someone who wouldn't give a damn either way what anyone thought of their end result findings.

WATCH PAC14!

Ladies & Gentlemen, last Monday night I picked up on something no one else caught. If you watch the re run of the Council Meeting, soon after the Fire Department accepting a donation, Louise Smith brings something to a vote.

Now, what's unique about this is that I had to take a double take when I personally heard it. I then leaned over to Greg Latshaw, (a reporter from The Daily Times) and I said, did you just hear what I just heard? He replied, I think so but I'm not sure. I said, Louise Smith just said, "All those in favor say I, I. All those opposed say Nay, Nay."

I believe Louise Smith Voted Twice! Once she heard Gary Comegys say Nay, she said Nay as well, after saying I originally. We have people watching the CD of it right now to confirm I did in fact hear what I heard but I'm very confident I'm right.

I didn't want to say anything till now so there was no chance to edit the original. I cannot receive PAC 14 so I cannot tell. However, listen carefully and see for yourself just what Louise Smith is up to. I was paying attention because I thought I had heard her do so in the past.

That being said, the Council President isn't even supposed to vote, unless necessary. If you watch County Council President John Cannon, he rarely ever votes. Perhaps Louise is so used to a 2-2 vote on 99% of everything they vote on anyway, she throws in her say. However, she would do so after everyone votes and she would say, "the chair votes I, or Nay."

One Year Ago Today

Can you believe it? It was one year ago today voters opted for Gary Comegys over Tim Spies in the primary? Louise Smith was voted in as a scam allegedly from the Mayor. While many held signs in support of Louise Smith, who would have known at that time everyone was being set up? Victory is bitter sweet.

The question is, do you want to do something about it now? Get involved in recalling the Mayor for starters and send the right message out.

Green Drinking and Driving

I just couldn't resist. Today's Daily Times has an editorial written by Carrie Samis, formerly of the Zoo. She writes a rather lengthy letter about how the latest "thing" in environmental news is to have meetings at local bars/pubs. The statement she says, "What a great idea-gather at a local pub to socialize, share concerns, discuss solutions-and enjoy a beer. The first meeting will take place a Seacrets in OC in March.

Now I have to ask a few questions. Number one, is that the only way to get folks to hold a meeting on going "green?" I'm wondering if other organizations could follow that lead? How about having open bars in Churches where attendance has dwindled? How about an open bar at City/County Council meetings? Man imagine how much livelier they would be! Of course your going to need to hire bouncers for the occasional brawl that might break out. Just imagine the pictures I would be able to post then. Can you say blackmail material?

In light of what our own States Attorney is going through at the moment is it a good idea to encourage people to go out for a drink? I'm sure Layton Moore isn't desperate to have the business, but it doesn't hurt either. Is there going to be a green cab to drive those drinkers home afterward?

The scenarios are endless along with the laughs. The true shame of it all is that the only way to encourage people to get together to discuss "green solutions" is to lure them into a bar. How sad.

Perhaps these folks that are fighting so strongly to encourage going green should get more involved in the sewage spills and discharges into our rivers and bay. Where were they when local municipalities are steadily running huge pipes from our streets right into whatever local waterway is closest? Going green is more then just talking about it and patting yourself on the back about educating people. You have to get people organized to fight what local governments are doing to do the exact opposite of green. And that should have to happen with a beer in your hand.

One of the organizations that is involved in this going green stuff is D LITE, the organization that former Zoo Director Jim Rapp is heading. These are the same people that allowed illegal sewage to run right into the River polluting it. The MDE told Rapp to STOP doing so and the very next day, (once the MDE was gone) Rapp opened the pipes again to drain into the River and the MDE returned and forced them to cap the pipe. Hypocrites!

Once The Mayor Is Gone

There have been many statements about what might happen should the recall against Mayor Barrie Tilghman be a success. Here's the answer to your question.

First of all, they have 90 days to get 3,500 registered voter signatures. On a side note, I'd get every signature possible, including non registered voters. The reason I say that is, this Mayor should know how many people out there feel ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. If someone tells you they're not a registered voter, have a secondary sheet for them to sign and thank them for their support.

After they have received more than 3,500 registered voter signatures and Brenda Colegrove confirms the recall has been successful, the City has another 30 days to set up an election. Voters will then be asked to come out and vote to recall the Mayor.

Once she's been voted out, then it is up to the City Council to appoint a new Mayor of their choosing and this person has to accept the position, obviously. It's my understanding that 47 News will have a piece on this today, perhaps at Noon?

Hopefully this helps everyone to better understand what's involved to get this done and how they'll move forward. ARE YOU READY?

WHOOPS!

OK, I had the biggest laugh yesterday when I was reading The Daily Times. Under "CORRECTIONS" they had screwed up something so bad, well, look and see their correction.

"A sentence in the story "Local fireman calculate future" in Sunday's The Daily Times should have read "Coincidentally, the town is currently lobbying Worcester County Commissioners for a tax differential on duplicated government services, which could save Ocean City taxpayers about $13 million."

How convenient to SCREW that up and then come back elsewhere with "the fix."

Ron Alessi Inserts Foot In Mouth

Wicomico Councilwoman Stevie Prettyman (R-2) seems to have raised the ire of certain members of the Wicomico County Liquor Control Board. Mrs. Prettyman had the audacity to question a board member, Ronald G. Alessi, performing over $50,000 of work for the board. Good for her, and shame on Mr. Alessi and any other member of the LCB that supports his position.

Mr. Alessi refused to answer questions posed by Daily Times reporter Joe Gidjunis yet doesn't hesitate to engage in a written monologue riddled with factual errors. If Alessi's little op-ed piece in Tuesday's Daily Times is any indication of the board's performance then the public would be best served by more scrutiny, rather than the "leave us alone" attitude of Alessi.

It is true that the liquor control board is appointed by the Governor and does not answer directly to the county government. As an agency operating under a state mandate they are held accountable to state ethics guidelines which hold that behavior such as Mr. Alessi's is highly questionable (at a minimum). Even an appearance of conflict is to be shunned. The very fact that Alessi serves on the board and is then paid to perform work for that same agency is certainly an "appearance" of impropriety. That assumes that everything else which Alessi states is true.

This is a big assumption. Alessi states, "we went to the market at a time when construction was booming and received bids for work to be done that were outrageous". The logical inference from Alessi's own statements is that he reviewed the bids from other contractors and then underbid to get the work. I wonder if the other contractors who bid on this business would have enjoyed having the same benefits as Mr. Alessi?

Not only is such a practice unethical, it may be criminal. IF the other members of the board, Stewart Haemel and Cecilia Dennis, were aware that Alessi was accessing bid / estimate information prior to submitting his own bid they, along with Mr. Alessi, should be forced to resign in disgrace rather than wait for Gov. O'Malley's new appointees to take their seats. At a minimum, the Governor should ask for Alessi's immediate resignation based solely upon Alessi's own statements.

Alessi claims in his piece that ALL profits from the Liquor Control Board are given over to the Wicomico Country treasury. This is simply not true. As Councilwoman Prettyman pointed out at the last meeting of the Wicomico County Council, the profits are split between the LCB and the County based on a formula that must be approved by the County Council. Perhaps Mr. Alessi misspoke, but the factual error remains.

Mr. Alessi makes multiple references to his belief that the Wicomico Liquor Control Board should be run like a business. He and I would both agree on the words, but evidently not on the meaning of those words. I believe that a business should be run to maximize the benefit to its shareholders. In the case of the LCB, those shareholders are the citizens of Wicomico County. Alessi seems to believe that a business is to be run to provide benefit to its shareholders while also helping to line the pockets of the "good old boy network" of which Mr. Alessi is a member. The benefit to shareholders (citizens) is merely a means of keeping the "great unwashed" at bay.

I was amused at Alessi's claim that LCB Chairman Stewart Haemel was "ambushed" at the last County Council meeting. Again misstating facts, Alessi argues that this matter occurred in past years. This is only partially true. When the Council received the audit for FY 2007, it was noted that Mr. Alessi had performed work for the LCB in FY 2007. Mrs. Prettyman also noted that Mr. Alessi had done work in the previous year as well. This is hardly an ambush. If Mr. Haemel wasn't prepared to answer questions about the FY 2007 audit he should never have asked to be appointed in the first place.

Alessi also serves as a member of the Salisbury Zoo Commission. I would hope that the Salisbury Council begins to ask if Mr. Alessi, or any business which he is associated with, has done any work for the Zoo. If it turns out that Alessi benefited from this relationship as well, we will truly know his definition of "public service".

Mr. Alessi's parting comments may tell the greatest tale of all:

Maybe the best way for these council members to serve the citizens of Wicomico County would be to better monitor the assets of Wicomico County, instead of meddling in a business that is so very beneficial to all of the citizens of Wicomico County.

I've got news for you Ron. Real public servants like Stevie Prettyman are doing their job. Since a portion of the LCB's profits go to the County the Wicomico County Council has a responsibility to see that profit maximized. While their "meddling" may not be good for your business, it should prove beneficial to the citizens of Wicomico County.

cross posted at Delmarva Dealings

Technorati Tags: Maryland, Wicomico, Salisbury, politics, Wicomico politics, Salisbury politics, Liquor Control Board, Wicomico Liquor Control Board, Stevie Prettyman, Ron Alessi, Salisbury Zoo, ethics, unethical conduct

Minneapolis Fire Chief Takes Baltimore Post

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minneapolis Fire Chief is leaving his job to be fire chief in the city of Baltimore.

Chief Jim Clack was the commander who oversaw the rescue operation in the immediate aftermath of the Interstate 35-W bridge collapse. Mayor R.T. Rybak praised his "calm, collected leadership."

Clack took over the Minneapolis Fire Department in February 2007 and had been interim chief for 10 months before that. He took over after the troubled tenure of Bonnie Bleskachek, who was reassigned following an investigation that showed her tenure was marked by intimate relationships with other female firefighters.

Clack has served a total of 22 years in the Minneapolis Fire Department.

He said the new opportunity is too good to pass up.

Clack is replacing Fire Chief William Goodwin, who resigned in November. Goodwin served in the department for 32 years.

A VIEW FROM THE WEST:And now the beginning...

Congratulations to Jordan. If all goes well (and they don't screw him) he will soon have 90 days to recall Salisbury Mayor Barrie Parsons Tilghman from office. If he is successful, maybe a porn star will come out and run for office, just like that one did during the California recall election in 2003. But all jokes aside, there is now hope in Salisbury that one does not have to wait until 2009 for Tilghman to be bounced out of office.

With that in mind, a few words of caution...cover your [radio edit].

Remember what happened last year when signatures were collected last year to fight the change to the city charter. 164 signatures were ruled invalid with a big majority of those who signed were only registered to vote in Wicmoico County, not Salisbury. If you want this petition drive to succeed, it is absolutely vital to make sure that everyone who signs the petition to meet what the city requires.

From my view, Tilghman probably was a bad student from the Martin O'Malley school of running a city. When O'Malley taxed Baltimore City to his hearts content, at least his accountants followed the basic principles to accounting. She also does not know how to handle criticism. At least O'Malley knows how to ignore his critics with class and WITHOUT name calling (i.e. Dirty Dozen.)

Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson (D) must have been a star student in O'Malley's school. He just ignores everyone and sends his spokesman to the press. I am starting to wonder if my county has a recall provision in it's charter.

Any who, my point is make sure all of the "i's" are dotted, the "t's" crossed and the names properly registered.

P. Kenneth Burns is the editor/writer of Maryland Politics Today and is a contributor to Salisbury News and Red Maryland. He lives in Laurel, Maryland. His email is kennyburns@marylandpolitics.us.