At last week’s candidate forum sponsored by the Camden Association, the only candidate who was opposed to refurbishing the non-functional "standpipe" was Bob Caldwell. The other candidates for mayor did not object to spending City funds – estimated at $135,000 – to refurbish it. Since then, the City has posted on its website the actual cost estimate to demolish the obsolete standpipe – $47,150.00 although it has had that information for several months now.
If refurbished, the standpipe will need further maintenance and repainting in the future – i.e., it will continue to be a sinkhole for public money. Why the City didn’t have it demolished a couple years ago, when scrap metal was much more valuable, is astounding. Now, it has contacted a firm in Kentucky for an estimate.
Do you think that a local Delmarva business might have a better price to tear it down and haul the pieces away?
Once again, voters can see that electing Bob Caldwell as the next mayor is the best way to restore fiscal and budgetary discipline in Salisbury.
24 comments:
Actually, to be fair, only Comegys can be said to be okay with the price tag since he voted yes on the Capital Improvement Plan.
Ireton said he wanted to preserve our history, but he didn't say whether or not he'd accept that price tag, especially in these hard times.
This is a bit like Dunn's accusation against Debbie Campbell that she voted against the fire department when she voted nay on the Fire Palace because of the price tag, not because she doesn't think the west side needs fire protection too.
Barrie and Gary would like people to think the standpipe's gotta be done NOW. Of course, this is simply not true.
Ireton brought everything back to the key priorities, with crime at the top of the list.
The city spending money on the standpipe is like the family about to lose their house putting new siding & a roof on it. We don’t have money to spend to make an old eyesore look presentable just because it’s old. If it had historical significance and would draw visitors to the city, there might be some justification to expend funds during steady economic times, but not now.
Some members of the city council, city administration, and all department heads need to attend and pass a financial fitness class to learn about budgeting and spending the money you have on the things you need and not on the things you want.
Polling places are open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Voters in District 1 can cast their ballot at St. James AME Zion Church, while voters in District 2 are split between Harvest Baptist Church and Wicomico Presbyterian Church. Voters should have received a mailing from the Wicomico County Board of Elections with their polling place. For questions, call 410-548-4830.
It it was THAT necessary and HAD to be done, then they should have done it instead of buying the new fire truck or at least have done it years ago. Why now all of a sudden?
1:53 -
ACTUALLY: at the forum last week Bubba backed dumping 135K into this. And he could have made a motion to strike it from the CIP at the Council meeting.
That money would better be spent to address crime -- where would Ireton get the money to do that if it is wasted in this manner.
Suggest that you double shoot tommorrow -- for Caldwell & Ireton.
I'm with Anon 1:53 on this one: Ireton clearly said that although it would be nice to protect and restore the pipe, it was not wise to prioritize this during a period of fiscal crisis, particularly while crime should be the main focus.
call Saisbury Steel and say come get it, the metal is all yours.
2:24, yep. That's exactly what Ireton said. The city's problems come first, not the standpipe.
Caldwell is the easy choice for me. Remember folks, Ireton is a member of the same political party has Mayor Tilghman and President Obama, all they know is spend spend spend.....
2:24 --
I was there & heard Ireton give a confusing spiel about the standpipe -- don't know where he stands except he did not want to tear it down -- but that's the only sensible course of action at this point.
He has the habit of beating around the bush (no not that bush). Have you heard his response to the question about his job and the mayor's duties? Like, "I'll tell you when I deem it to be appropriate, sometime after the election".
3:26,
If you want Comegys to win, vote for someone besides Ireton. It is as simple as that.
Gooooo Bob. Ireton's my second choice.
Hopefully you can announce tomorrow that Bob won in the primary.
3:26 Funny.
With a price tag of $47,000, tearing the standpipe down is not the only course of action.
They said it was okay as is, but for needing a little foundation work.
I have no idea whether it has historical significance or not. The point is, it can just sit there with some extra cement on its feet for now and let's deal with the damn crime!
That's the impression I'm getting about Ireton's statement. I can live with that.
As for the idiot who's bringing in Ireton's party (Democrats), guess what? The only two fiscal watchdogs on that council -- Campbell and Cohen, in case you forgot their names -- are also Democrats. I can live with that, too!
You people are letting Barrie Chaos Tilghman throw the discussion off track. Congratulations. Let's discuss a $150,000 standpipe to death while people get shot at ATM's and somebody else gets murdered for going out for ice cream and they build a new Taj Mahal for their oversized cartoon-emblazoned fire ladder truck.
At this point, if Ireton's got the best chances of beating that spending bloat called Comegys, then he's got my vote. And based on the donor disclosures, that's what it's sounding like. Ireton's answers aren't perfect, but they're good. And I can live with that!
What I can't live with (at least not in this city) is four more years of Barrie Tilghman in the form of a blowhard boy with pants. Twelve years has been more than enough.
Also to be fair, there are other ways to go about this. For instance if one of the historical groups like Wico. County Preservation Turst is interested, why not give it to them. there is a mind set that the city must own or do everything instead of utilizing other organizations that Salisbury/Wicomico has to get some of these things done. Ireton is right about old buildings, etc. providing a sense of place. The money that would otherwise be used to pave streets or build water lines should not be used for this, but that doesn't mean that it should be torn down. There is a happy medium.
And there is another reason to vote for Caldwell. He has impressed me all along. I believe no other candidate cares as much about Salisbury and its future. I wish him well.
3:20 Louise is e Rpe. and she spends like a drunken sailor. Send Campbell back and Ireton too, along with someone new in District 1, I think that we will see civility restored, it will be okay to debate and come up with good ideas and solutions and in 4 years we'll be very glad at how much better things are for the taxpayers/citizens.
Joe, I'm really confused. There are posts by you where you speak well of Ireton and Caldwell both, but then there are posts that support just Caldwell and even seem a little hostile to Ireton (and they don't even sound like you).
Then the comments are really weird because there seem to be people (person?) who put Ireton down while praising Caldwell, but then ask Ireton people to vote for Caldwell, too.
What gives? It's coming off a little schizo.
FWIW, I think both Ireton and Caldwell are good candidates, in different ways and in some same ways. But this kind of schizo pattern has turned off a couple of my friends that I just did turn on to this blog. I'm feeling a little foolish now.
I agree with Ireton that we should preserve our history. I think it is imperative to form a committee to explore fund raising options for this project.
Remember the Christmas Lights in the park and the Band Stand.
Look Salisbury, lets Boot Bubba in the primary and then we can work on raising donations to preserve that historic part of Salisbury's History.
Signed Fan of Historic Salisbury
(Anonymous for retaliatory reasons)
standpipe....crackpipe. whats the difference?
Screw the Standpipe and some of your wet pant liberal crap. It's a metal tank that serves absolutely no purpose! Take it down and donate money to the old Mill in Mardela instead. That's a piece of history, not a freakin pipe. PLEASE!
for those of you still talking about this, Ireton said the city comes first, not the stupid stand pipe. I was at the forum, and he couldn't have been more clear. Caldwell had a great line about it, though. "Just because something's old, doesn't mean it's historic."
"Just because something's old, doesn't mean it's historic."
no, you have to be deemed historic by "the society" even if you're not.
what good is that historical society, anyhow?
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