Oh, You Think Things Are Bad With Delmarva Power?

Jennifer and I arrived home this evening just as we watched one of the most beautiful Rainbows I've personally ever seen and my camera was in the other car! Then, we no sooner got in the house and hit the light switches and NOTHING! No Power!

OK, so I thought, that's OK, I'll just get te laptop and check the messages on the Blog. I pull out the backpack and I can't find the wireless card! I searched every vehicle, (there's lots of them) and I couldn't find it anywhere. I thought for sure it was gone. Leave it to a level headed woman, (Jennifer) to say, it's got to be in one of the vehicles. We walked out and started looking again and withing minutes we found it in the crack of one of the trucks of one of the vehicle and here I am.

Look Boss Hog, life is too short to worry about their vehicle in your yard. If "I" were YOU, I would have drained ALL of the gas in the vehicle while it was on your property and smiled to no end when the truck died just a few feet from the house. ROTFLMAO! Get Creative Old Man!

Cohen & Campbell On Bill Reddish Show Monday Morning

The Tag Team of Campbell & Cohen will be live on the Bill Reddish Show Monday morning at 7:40 AM. That's WICO, 1320 AM. This one should be over the top!

A Sad Reminder of Where We Are Heading

A Marine back from Iraq was shot and eventually died of his wound to his neck in Cleveland Ohio. The culprits were a 19 and 20 yr old males. They shot him after they robbed him of $8 dollars! It is sad when a fine young man can survive a war zone but cant survive his leave in between tours. Sound familiar?

Semper Fidelis

Full story courtesy of Foxnews.com - http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,361304,00.html

DelMarVa Power Driver Parks in the MIDDLE of MY BACKYARD Without Permission or a Reason???

Friday afternoon I walk into the backyard and see a DelMarVa Power pickup truck parked in the MIDDLE of my backyard... WTF??? We had no appointment, were current on our bill and this was parked at least 50 FEET INTO MY PROPERTY WITHOUT NOTICE OR PERMISSION.



I walked to the front and looked down Market Street in Both directions, nothing.

This really teed me off that someone just drove over 50' onto my property and locked his truck & left. After Eastern Shore Gas caused over $100,000.00 in damages that we are still trying to collect on, we have posted NO TRESSPASSING signs that require ANY utility person to SIGN IN with the property owner.



I did a slow burn and called the Pocomoke City Police Dept to file an official complaint and have the truck towed.

If you look its not like the guy was a few feet off the alley, he just pulled all the way in.



Look at this picture, he is right next to my garden.

A few minutes later a PCPD squad car pulled up with a black guy in the back who got out, was uniformed and walked up to me and apologized profusely. He said "I was just reading meters, you must be the new owner I have been parking here for years..." to which I told him Mister you are totally full of shit, I have owned this house almost three years, the one next door for 20 and you have never parked here before. I went on that he was NEVER to park on my property again. The cop told him he was lucky that she found him or the truck would have been towed. (I have no idea how she found him)



He got in his truck without even taking the no trespassing notice and sign in sheet I had placed on his windshield down and sped away. Our property is next to the old Fire Station with room to park 200 cars and the Market Street Exchange building with 250 marked parking spaces... But this guy HAD to pull into the MIDDLE OF MY YARD and give some lame BS reason that was a total and complete lie.

My wife thinks he was up to some hanky panky with one of the nearby housewives but who really knows.

Does anyone think it's normal or proper for a utility company to pull into the middle of your yard and then just walk away without saying a word?

Is there anyone who can forward this to the CEO of DelMarVa power? This guy needs another job.

The Ed Baker Pension Deal

A Firend Writes In To Salisbury News:

"Pension Deal for the Wicomico County Attorney
Needs Much More Public Disclosure and Scrutiny

There has been little public disclosure and almost no discussion about a very unusual aspect of Rick Pollitt’s proposed budget that could tie the County to a huge but largely unfunded pension liability. The word “could” is used, rather than “will,” because factual information is not fully available. Apparently Mr. Pollitt and Edgar Baker, who for some years has been the County Attorney but not a full-time employee of the County, decided that Baker should become a full-time County employee with no other legal practice, beginning on July 1. Mr. Baker is in the process of winding up that other practice, which includes services for several local towns (but not Salisbury).

Very recently it has become known that he may be allowed to participate in the County’s retirement plan by retroactive contribution to the plan for the period during which he has been the County’s attorney – about 20 years – apparently at his expense. But the terms and amount of that “buy-in” are not known. A well-informed source has stated that it would be based on his retainer (believed to be $5,000 per year) from the County during that period, even though his total fees paid by the County were much greater. According to that source, the total “buy-in” sum might be very small – perhaps $25,000 or so.

If Mr. Baker becomes a full-time County employee with 20 years service vested in the pension plan, then in another 5 or so years he would be eligible for retirement benefits that apparently based on his salary when he retires, which will certainly exceed $100,000 per year then even if not now. Thus, for a very nominal “buy-in” after only a few years as a full-time employee of Wicomico County, he could be entitled to a very substantial retirement income stream – possibly well over $1 Million if he enjoys good health –funded substantially by future tax revenue rather than the normal contributions during the term of employment.

We don’t know how much of this was presented to the County Council when it discussed Mr. Baker’s restructured position in a recent closed session. But the public remains in the dark, and that’s not appropriate or acceptable under Mr. Pollitt’s campaign pledge to conduct “transparent government” in the “sunshine.” "

Will The Princess Anne Police Take Action Before The Election?

Mystery Man and candidate John Wade refuses to be forth coming with information referencing why he's been driving all around Princess Anne, the whole time without having a Drivers License. To me, it's all about accountability.

In one breath he claims to be running on "open Government policies" but in another he refused to answer what state his Drivers License is in. I'm not sure what it should take to get Police action on this matter but IMO they should do so before the taxpayers waste their time and money electing someone who is clearly breaking the law.

Yesterday Mr. Wade was seen as a passenger in the same vehicle I took picture of him driving in just one day earlier. If he doesn't have a Drivers License in the state of Maryland and or any other state I checked into, why was he driving. I have spoken to some Officers who have in fact seen him driving that same vehicle as well.

Then you have to wonder by way of comments made, does he live in the home going up for auction because taxes haven't been paid or does he in fact live in Delmar, Maryland on Executive Drive with his Wife? The convenience of having an address in Princess Anne didn't afford his Wife any special exceptions as they denied her request to run for Office there just a week ago.

Then I'd have to ask, don't you have to be in good standings with the Town or State you live in? Bankruptcy is yet another issue as well as foreclosures. Is Mr. Wade expressing his "open government" by not coming forward with such issues? The bigger question is, why hasn't the Daily Times done anything in reference to these issues? I personally contacted Eric at the Daily Times and presented my article to him and I have yet to see anything in their paper about this situation?

One can only hope that the citizens of Princess Anne are now familiar with this situation and they can make an educated decision. OR, is this yet another Race Issue like we saw in Washington, D.C, many years ago with Marion Barry? You remember how they voted the man back into Office even after his conviction, right?

Tuesday, (election day) is just around the corner and I can assure you that I will be keeping a close eye on this matter. I want to see if people truly care or if we're witnessing yet another Town falling for the same crap we've seen for far too many years here on the Eastern Shore?

What would YOU want to see done about this? Would you like the Police to investigate it? Would you want the Election Board checking into it? Do you think it's right to own a home in a Town you might be renting to two other people and possibly be living in Delmar, Maryland, yet running for Office in another Town? Do you think it's right to allow someone NOT in good standings to a point their home is going up for a Tax Lien Sale and still be able to run for Office? I'm dying to hear everyone's response to this.

Barrie Tilghman - I'm Gonna Get You

Back in 2007 we ran a post about a discussion I had with several Salisbury businessmen. After listening to them whine about the state of the city I asked a very simple question:

If you are so dissatisfied with the state of affairs in Salisbury, how come I don't see you at City Council meetings expressing that dissatisfaction?

While each answer was worded a bit differently, the core of each response was the same:

If I show up and complain on Monday night, Tuesday (Wednesday at the latest) Barrie Tilghman will have her codes compliance people out to my business writing citations like there's no tomorrow.

To date, there has been only one businessman who has had the moral fiber to show up and complain - Stu Leer. Remember, Barrie is already trying to make his life miserable so I guess he had nothing to lose. But at least the public can hear it first hand:



If audio player doesn't appear in browser, click here.

Perhaps SWED will use the tape as part of one of its economic development pieces. Perhaps the Larsons will discuss their views on Mayoral intimidation in their next episode in Crossroads Chronicles (the quarterly Barrie Tilghman propaganda organ).

cross posted at Delmarva Dealings

Powered by ScribeFire.

Shame On ALL Of You!

Over the past week we advertised this memorial event held yesterday at the WCYCC and although the seats were full of veterans of many different wars and branches of service, I thought the public attendance sucked.

Forgetting where you came from will destroy this Country, I don't care what anyone says. I'll add, no one else has the ba_ _s to take the time and actually write an article like this. Shame on all of you! Do tell me, (there's plenty of room for comments) just what excuse YOU want to make as to why you couldn't take the time out of your day yesterday to educate your children? There were so many Soldiers who would have been glad to take the time and tell you their story.

No, you will not see this in The Daily Times, 47 News and or 16 News because they too refused to show respect for all these fine local men and women who served YOU to give US the freedom we now enjoy in this Country.

Although some Politicians were out of town, SHAME ON THE MAJORITY OF THEM WHO DIDN'T SHOW UP YESTERDAY! I'll NOT forget that either, because it says a whole lot about who they are! Joe Holloway, Bill McCain, & Gail Bartgovitch were present. Debbie Campbell was there with her Family. THAT'S IT! I know Rick Pollitt was in New York but Mayor Barrie Tilghman, NO SHOW! I'm sorry Folks. I know this isn't my normal style, especially lately but this just ticked me off to no end. Where are all the Teachers/Educators? Even the normal volume of Bikers that usually show us was limited to a dozen or so people/bikes. WE'RE AT WAR PEOPLE! I give up.

Thank You, ALL of you, who attended.

I SHOULD ADD: Not One Fire Truck! Not One Police Car! Not One Fireman! Not One Police Officer! No Ladder Trucks with the American Flag being flown between the two of them, yet they can find the time to do so when they all know the Press is going to be there for a fundraiser. The whole thing made me sick, quite frankly!

Campbell & Cohen Explain The Wilber Fiasco

The public will likely appreciate the following detail about the city attorney's services and compensation, which clarifies our reasoning and vote not to amend the current (fiscal year 2008) budget to increase the legal account a second time to provide even more taxpayer money for that purpose from the city's surplus.

The original FY08 budget provided $236,250 (almost $20,000 per month or more than $4,500 per week) for the city attorney's general fund services, plus $10,000 for an outside attorney if needed. The budget also included monies for legal costs associated with other funds, such as water and sewer. Further, the city has other legal counsel for such things as bond issuance and environmental matters, which are not paid from the amounts mentioned.

A few months ago, the council was asked to approve an additional appropriation of $88,750 because the account for the city attorney was nearly depleted. The Tilghman administration requested this amount based only on what the monthly rate had been running, despite our request for detail about anticipated work. This would have increased the general fund portion of the city attorney's costs from $236,250 to $325,000, or by 37.5 percent.

We supported an additional $40,000 so that the basic legal needs of the city could be covered, bringing the total to $276,250 (more than $23,000 per month or more than $5,300 per week), or 17 percent over original budget.

At the time of that approval, we made clear the expectation that the city needed to be conservative in its legal spending. Last Monday, the council was asked to approve yet another $28,750 to fund the city attorney for the balance of FY08, bringing total fees for the entire year to $305,000 ($25,417 per month or $5,865 per week).
This is the third year in a row that the city attorney's services have run over the original budget. In FY07, the audit shows this department ran into the red at year's end, even after a substantial amount of additional money was appropriated. The charter forbids over-expenditure and carries penalties for that act.

We question the management of the legal account and the manner in which decisions are made regarding what legal issues the city pursues. For instance, a recent matter involves the appeal by a property owner who represented himself successfully against a decision of the city's Historic District Commission in the Circuit Court. The property owner won his case. The mayor then authorized the city attorney to file an appeal for the city to the Court of Special Appeals in Annapolis.

The city's legal fees for this case exceeded $18,000. The decision in the local court and the appeals court lead us to wonder why the city pursued this case to a higher court level. On behalf of the appeals court judges, Judge Sharer wrote, "The conduct of that hearing forms the basis for the circuit court's reversal. We reproduce the commission hearing transcript, verbatim, so as not to lose the flavor of the event." The transcript of the decision can be viewed at our website, www.onyoursidesby.blogspot.com.

Having reviewed invoices and seen many of the legal memos generated, we are also concerned about when and why legal opinions are written, when a simple answer at a meeting often would have sufficed. We also question the practice of marking so many legal opinions "privileged and confidential" when other communities appear to take a more open approach.

In addition, we believe that taxpayers and citizens expect their elected officials to strive for the best price and value for services paid for with public money. In pursuit of that belief, we have asked the city to consider handling legal services differently. We have suggested that the city's legal services be competitively bid on a regular basis, that Salisbury consider a staff attorney or that the city negotiate a contract with a flat rate for routine service and an hourly rate for specialized services. The city is a regular and major source of income for any law firm that would hold the contract, so it is reasonable to expect there is room for contract negotiation.

Wicomico County, which serves a populationmore thanthree times that of Salisbury's, budgeted $285,000 for legal counsel in FY08.For FY09, bringing the county attorney in house for dedicated service, the proposed budget is only $286,080.

Under the current charter provisions, the council has limited say in the day-to-day use of the city attorney's time and services. As with all departments, however, the council can choose whether or not to condone and support poor management and unwise spending choices by the administration via how much money it appropriates. On behalf of the taxpayers and citizens we represent, we chose not to use their money to continue subsidizing what we believe is a lack of fiscal responsibility.

This article can also been seen on The Dail;y Times HERE.

Question of the Day, Sun 6/1

I remember having a Strawberry Shortcake record player when I was a kid. I remember playing The Oak Ridge Boys and Alabama records like it was yesterday.

Name some records you listened to as a kid. Do you still enjoy these songs? Are you embarrassed to still enjoy them?

This Kid Was Serious...

This comment is not intended as a knock towards The Wicomico Board of Education or any educator in the County.


A student said "he was proud and cool" that he had been arrested. He referred to high school boys, who also have had been arrested and are "thugs" as his "uncles" A sign of respect and acceptance as a part of a group for those nefarious culprits in their circle. His comments came after the class was disciplined for not following simple directions and blatant disrespect. A stern lecture came from an amazing educator, who previously worked in the prison system, to the class about where they were going and what would happen if they did not straighten up. It was to the point, true, and hopefully a shock into their conscience. Sadly it did not look like it got to him too much.

The worst part, he is in third grade.

Major problems arise when this mentality is developed and chosen by these kids. It is starting earlier and earlier whether it is substances, sex, or crime. Cognitional development just develops a little more each year as they mature, but when it is crucial in their early years, they do not have the reasoning skills or the capacity to rationally put things together in a intelligible way.
Kids take in what is immediate to them. When their world consists of the antitheses of strong moral value, a world infused with things that they ought not see and experience at their age, and a loss of a tradition of doing what is expected of you within society adds up to a dangerous outcome. It is so hard for them to see that there is more than their world; there is another path other than being a delinquent; there is more to life, the very possibility and hope of something outside of their corrupt world.

What is the bottoming out point when more and more of our youth are going down this path? The World War II generation fought a war so that their families would not be subject to such an evil and that the generations would never have to do what they had to do. As a community and society we must ask ourselves "what are we willing to do to prevent our future generations from dealing with excessive crime and un-productive generation?" The real question is "how do we reach them?"

It has gotten worse and it is scary to be hearing more youth turning out this way. Schools can only do so much and again it starts at home/outside of school. Think how things will be 10 years down the line when they are physically matured and have brought more into this cycle? Just some food for thought.

Graffiti Vandals Strike Again! Salisbury News There First!

Once again graffiti vandals have struck again this time at the Verizon Wireless Center and it's adjacent buildings which are the internet cafe/Hispanic Ministry and the hair/nail salon on Rt. 13 next to University Park.

With the marks of Kord and Dublin they defaced the backs of the buildings and a trash receptacle in the backs of the building which was found this morning placing the time of the vandalism Friday night/ Saturday early morning. As you can tell these are some pretty big markings taking up large amounts of the buildings and will cost a good dollar to get rid of.

The service shed next to the tracks by UP that has been tagged before was also hit on both sides. I did not see any damage to the back of the new bank going up or any other buildings in the vicinity. Still too much needless damage was perpetrated by some punks that these small business owners will have to fix! When you start adding up all these little things that detract from our town it adds up to a big black eye which we all have and have to look at!

Good news comes in that the marks do not appear to be gang related.