HOW BARRIE HELPED COMEGYS SURVIVE – MAYBE – BY FREE ADS ON WICO-1320 AM

Although he got 38 more votes at the polls on March 3, Bubba’s lead has been reduced to 12 after the initial count of 143 absentee ballots yesterday (March 5). There are another 50 or so ballots to be considered, and we won’t have the final count until next Friday.

Regardless of whether Comegys survives the primary (by taking second place behind Jim Ireton), it’s now indisputable that he would not be in contention at this point without the complicity of Barrie Tilghman. That’s not surprising in light of her effort to boost Bubba’s reelection to the City Council in 2007, when Barrie led the character assassination effort directed at Tim Spies at a last minute media event that she staged.

This time around, Barrie has used the forum provided by radio station WICO-1320 AM, which allows her to do a weekly program in her capacity as mayor. Described as a “weekly public affairs program of WICO news,” it’s a half hour show (actually about 24 minutes) over which she seems to have complete content control. Acting as the host she interviews guests, usually City employees who explain aspects of the City’s government. The show is prime-slotted at 8:30 AM on Monday morning with earlier slots on Sunday.

This week’s show features Comegys as the guest, and it ran at least 3 times on the two days immediately before the primary election. Why she invited Bubba but none of the other mayoral candidates to speak with her was not mentioned. Nor did she inform the audience that she and her husband have donated $500 to Comegys’ campaign.

In her opening statement Barrie reminds listeners that she is “retiring” and then proceeds to introduce Comegys as “one of the candidates for mayor.” After having him discuss his background, she asks him what he has done on the Council that most satisfies him: “putting the City $40 Million in debt to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant.”

It soon becomes obvious that the show is a scripted promo piece for Bubba that plainly distorts his record in order to portray him as the initiator of matters that were actually initiated by other members of the Council. Significant parts of his voting record that would clash with the desired portrait of his “leadership” are simply omitted.

After 20 or so minutes of pure propaganda, Barrie asks Bubba “why are you the best choice,” which prompts a final self-serving spiel, followed by her wishing “good luck, Gary, then the fade out music.

Those familiar with Comegys’ conduct on the Council react to his blather by either turning it off or uncontrollable laughter. But anyone not aware of the real Bubba could easily be duped by this charade that the management of WICO allowed to be broadcast without the standard “and I approve this message” proviso required for political ads. Only 10-15 such voters, perhaps even fewer, would make a difference who becomes Mr. Ireton’s opponent in the general election on April 8. So it is plausible that this show might make the difference in who will be the next mayor and, thus, the future of Salisbury.

There’s a short spoof of the show using soundbites from it. A link to this little gem has already been posted - http://sbynews.blogspot.com/2009/03/bubba-comegys-yo-nex-mare-rotflmao.html - ENJOY!