That Slumlord Cash Just Keeps Coming for Comegys, Boda, and Shields

While the legal, over-the-table cash from Salisbury's major and minor slumlords continues to be heaped upon the head of the Barrie Comegys ticket – Gary Comegys, it's the illegal, under-the-table money that I find most interesting. Billing themselves as “a group of concerned rental owners”, a group of anonymous slumlords has spent thousands of dollars on a mailing to benefit the candidacies of their chosen ticket – Gary Comegys, Muir Boda, and Shanie Shields.

Little more than baseless lies, this mailing appeals to fear:

If you don't vote for Comegys, Boda, and Shields we're going to raise your rent!

What’s sad, is that this appeal defies all reason. Gary Comegys and Shanie Shields voted for a double-digit property tax increase less than two years ago. This seems fine with Salisbury’s slumlords. No, they are concerned about an increase in the landlord registration fee?
Why? The reason is a simple one. Slumlords are frightened that they may actually have to obey the law if Comegys, Boda, and Shields lose. This could actually cost them far more than the property tax increases sure to come under a Comegys administration with a rubber stamp council composed of Muir Boda, Shanie Shields and Louise Smith.
So what if a few folks die because rentals don’t meet the fire code? There will always be more people to pack into rentals. Who cares if slumlords take single family residences and illegally convert them into de facto boarding houses? The demise of our city’s older neighborhoods just means that slumlords get their properties at a cheaper price.
C’mon, they wouldn’t just make this stuff up. Would they?
Let’s see. Jim Ireton has stated emphatically that he isn’t interested in raising landlord licensing fees. Cynthia Polk hasn’t spoken out on the issue. Contrary to the claims put forth by these “concerned rental owners”, Debbie Campbell has never advocated a “per bedroom tax”. All three have stated that they weren’t interested in revisiting the “4-2” fiasco.
What are these claims based on? Two things. First, the authors are scurrilous liars who care no more for the truth than the price of bread. Second, back in 2006 Mrs. Campbell distributed a letter to the other council members which stated that taxpayers should not subsidize developers or landlords.
Imagine that! Debbie Campbell spoke out AGAINT TAXPAYER MONEY SUBSIDIZING DEVELOPERS AND SLUMLORDS. She opposed it prior to her election to council, she has consistently done so while on council, and I’m willing to bet that she’ll be speaking out against these subsidies AFTER she leaves council.
You know, that’s just what we don’t need – elected officials who are consistent in their approach to public policy and don’t hesitate to make a decision or take a stand. We need people like Muir Boda, who talks about the need for civility while comparing his opponent to Saddam Hussein. We need people like Shanie Shields who “ain’t never seen no wasteful government spending.” We need people like Gary Comegys who vote to raise water and sewer rates and then reverses himself when the public finds out (thanks to Debbie Campbell) that Comegys’ justification for the increase was based on a total lie (or was it gross incompetence?).
Gee, maybe those “concerned rental owners” are right.