Yesterday’s unexpected defeat of the effort to stifle cluster development in Wicomico County represents a major victory for liberty and stunning loss for the proponents of “big brother” government, including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the local power-structure that operates under the umbrella of the Greater Salisbury Committee. The four members of the County Council who stood fast against them – especially Gail Bartkovich, Joe Holloway and Stevie Prettyman – deserve praise, as does John Cannon for being “better late than never.”
The three members who supported the land-grab did not distinguish themselves by directing their sour-grapes statements at the majority. Both Ms. Sample-Hughes and Mr. MacLeod objected to the fact that some members who oppose the Bill refused to be listed as its sponsors, as if that were reprehensible, and cast other aspersions upon those members. Those who were not there should check PAC 14’s rerun schedule for the meeting.
The prize-winning whiner was Bill McCain. After criticizing the majority for not devising a means to compensate landowners for the loss of development potential, McCain-1.mp3 he then berated everyone for not offering another solution. McCain-2.mp3
Surely he is well aware of the proposal put forth by Wicomico County Concerned Landowners, which can be reviewed on that group’s website: www.wicomicocountyconcernedlandowners.com
Two sound bites from McCain’s spiel are presented FYI. The man is a maestro at finger pointing.
But we have not seen the last attempt to seize property rights from local landowners. The CBF is well-funded, and it can be expected to strike again. And then there are the NIMBY’s who operate under the umbrella of the “Wicomico Environmental Trust” guided by ideologues like Michael Pretl, and, of course, the Maryland Department of Planning and Martin O’Malley. The Daily Times will never print the facts – for example, that there have only been 263 lots created in cluster subdivisions in the 11 years since they were first permitted under the zoning code – but will simply spout whatever those groups say (or pay to have circulated) to distort the truth.
The fat lady has not yet sung, folks!
16 comments:
We are being conned by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Wicomico Environmental Trust and Maryland Department of Planning.
I'm not being conned by them. I'm being lied to by them. This bill was bad from the start. I hope the farming community can find a way to come back together. I think we all want to preserve farmland, let's find a way to do so that is fair and just.
How about you attribute the source of your "263 lots" figure? If they Daily Times did print that number, at least they'd tell you where they got it from.
Anything that affects this many people should be a ballot item.
The bill itself should have plenty of time to be discussed beforehand, and all parties should have the chance to voice their opinions.
Bill McCain is right. Other council members pick sides but none of them offers solutions. Bill McCain is looking out for the county as a whole and the others are looking out for the next election. John Cannon should just become a prostitute. He would sell his grandmother to win the next election. You can't say that about Bill McCain, but what you can say is integrity....
10:59-
The source of the 263 lot data is the Planning Office -- it was presented and discussed at the County Council's work session last week. And that info -- both the number and the source -- was given to the Daily Times, which did not cover that meeting.
Any more questions?
12:10-
How's this for a solution: Leave us alone!
If you want out land, then buy it.
1:05
I could not agree with you more. Government needs to stay out of our lives. They are trying to control everything we do.
1:05 what's out land? Is that eastern shore for our land?
What can be truthfully said about Bill McCain is that he should have never been allowed to present his professional opinion at the July 2008 meeting while he sat as an elected county council person who was going to have to vote up or down on the issue. He knew better but he was carrying the torch for MD Planning. The information they and McCain used was from the 2003 flawed report sanctioned by the Harry Hughes Agro Ecology Center. The landowners have had to fight this issue from behind because of the misrepresentation of the environmentalists, the government and yes the elected officials. Thank goodness John Cannon finally did what was right yesterday. Now we move on and find the right way of preserving farmland and land in general with some kind of compensation.
12:10
Integrity? Bill McCain can't even spell integrity!
3:27
Bill McCain is one of the smartest business men in this town. This man is the American Dream, working class family, went to school, started his own business from the ground up etc. He knows what it takes to make it and he's trying to help all of us.
Bill McCain has a bad attitude.
Bill McCain is a party hack! He championed this socialist bill knowing all along it infringed upon the property rights of the owners. And Cannon made the right decision but for the wrong reasons. The people and Sbynews took him to task for his initial support of this bill and Sbynews provided a motive for his actions. I guess when he runs for election he can say "I was for the bill before I was against it".
One organization that has escaped the criticism is the Greater Salisbury Committee. The "boys" there listened to King Burnett and Bill McCain and wrote the ugliest letter about the landowners/farmers. They are suppose to be businessmen and they chose to follow those two idiot greenies and throw the businesses that this was going to have effect to the dogs. At least the Chamber of Commerce were smart enough to not take a stand against the landowner/farmers/businesses. Shame on the members of the Greater Salisbury Committee.
GSC is an elitist organization. They should never have taken a stand against business people. Of that's right, they don't recognize farmers as businessman. In their minds, they are better than farmers. Well, GSC, how does it feel to be aligned with the losers? You have lost any respect you ever had in this community. Keep following the likes of Burnett and McCain and see where you are 2 years from now.
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