Monday night’s Salisbury council meeting on PAC14 was unbelievable! They got into this debate about snow removal and fining people who had not cleared their walks a week after the big snows. A week! (I cleared mine when I was supposed to.) It’s in the newspaper this morning too.
When Debbie Campbell asked the code compliance lady how the city would get the taxpayers’ money back from those people or businesses that didn’t shovel walks and the city had to, Gary Comegys basically said “Let’s not enforce our laws.”
That’s my money! I cleared my walk. Why should I have to pay to clear somebody else’s? Oh, I forgot, this is the guy who gave my money away to his developer buddies and helped his slumlord buddies never get enforced about anything. Now our once pretty city is a hell hole of crime and looks like the slums of Baltimore!
Comegys went into a tirade about how awful a job the city did on the snow removal. I agree there were problems but it sounded more like what he meant to say was “I’m still mad you didn’t elect me mayor!”
I felt so sorry for the lady from the code compliance office. They responded to complaints. As Terry Cohen pointed out people would have been real mad if the code people had not responded to the complaints. I got so mad I actually said to the lady though the TV “damned if you do and damned if you don’t!”
Shanie Shields wants to know who got fined. Why? So she can cut her friends a deal?
Louise Smith said it wasn’t fair because snow plows would push snow back onto what was cleared. Shouldn’t she be complaining to State Highway or Public Works about that? If someone throws a bag of garbage in my yard, do I just leave it there? No! Oh, that’s right, if I lived in Church Street, Louise Smith would come clean it up for me!
Louise Smith got even worse. When Terry Cohen tried to set the record straight about Debbie Campbell and PAC14, Smith basically said, “Let’s not set the record straight.” I don’t know what Cohen was going to say but I guess it was that Debbie Campbell didn’t miss all the meetings the PAC14 Club, I mean board, said she did. The Club, I mean board, doesn’t want anyone responsible about money on there. I like watching PAC14 for meetings but I think something odd has been going on with that group.
So much for “government in the sunshine” that Smith promised. The only thing transparent about Louise Smith is her lack of transparency! Isn't she the one who was signing contracts in secret or something?
Oh and here’s another “Let’s not”! Try “let’s not protect the taxpayer!” During the part where they change or give contracts, they were doing something to a filter at the wastewater treatment plant that will cost more money (of course!) Terry Cohen asked if they had anything in the contract in case the filter gets damaged by the people working on it. The public works guy said “no and we never had a problem before.” He looked at Cohen like she was nuts. Why doesn’t the city put things like that in their contracts? It’s crazy not too! I had work done on a house once and one of the workers broke a window. The company had to replace it. Just because something hasn’t happened before doesn’t mean it can’t happen. If that guy does our contracts he should be fired.
What’s wrong with this city is a bunch of people saying “let’s not do what we’re supposed to do.” I will help any smart person get elected next year. Joe, is Terry Cohen running again? I will help her if she does! If we just had some more people who have a brain and use it like her and Debbie Campbell, I think I would faint at the idea that this city could actually get somewhere good instead of the constant score of “Stupid, 3. Smart, 2.”
Thanks for letting me vent, Joe. I can’t travel to DC and Annapolis. Maybe it’s time we get back to minding the disaster in our own back yard.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
8 comments:
The point to make here is that the Daily Slime is trumpeting this as really significant news to make Ireton look bad and boost Comegys' public image. I'm not Ireton's biggest fan by far, but the City's response was at least "good" under the extraordinary circumstances. To compare city streets to County & state roads is asinine.
The issue over the sidewalk fines is too complex for simple analysis and does not warrant public debate.
And tell me why people on this blog dont understand why our country is in the shape it is.
People like these running our country, county and cities.
Please folks , we are going broke when city official are trying to get money out of tax payers for shoveling snow or not shoveling snow during the worst winter i have ever saw.
These people are a joke.
I shoveled snow and a city plow comes by and throws snow back on and im going to pay them.
---------them.
Things that people need to consider about the snow removal.
1. When your street is plowed there is no way to keep it from re-blocking your drive. It stinks, but it's going to happen.
2. We almost never get this amount of snow. Few people plowing in Salisbury have ever had to plow this amount of snow under those whiteout conditions. Given their general lack of experience they did an admirable job.
3. Since we don't get this level of snow on a normal basis we do not budget for it. I heard a woman recently say "when I lived in CHICAGO they did such a good job we wouldn't have noticed a snow storm like this". HELLO Chicago!?!? How many millions of dollars do you think they get for plows, equipment, manpower and overtime budgeted for an average year? We cannot budget for huge snow storms like this on a yearly basis because it would be a huge waste of resources. In situations like this we are asking public works to do a lot with a little.
4. The people driving the snow plow are the same low wage, haven't had a raise in 4 years guys/girls many people in the city think "don't do anything". you know except pick up your trash, provide you water, process your waste, etc... The police and fire companies get most of the attention and money- try to put out a fire without water. Ask the police departments of Haiti and New Orleans what happens when government services break down.
First let me say I am an owner of property on Rt 13 and as we got notice at 3 in the afternoon we had to have our sidewalks cleared off by midnight or else the city would do it and bill us. I have no problem with enforcing the law but you have to understand the state kept plowing it up on us every time we would attempt to clear it off, then along comes the city with their tractors and clears the intersections and make a pile 5 foot tall on our side walk and they expect us to shovel through this pile of ice thats like rock. I got mine done, but the point is. if they want us to clean the snow off why can't they put it somewhere besides on our corner where we have to cut an opening 4 feet wide to walk through. I honestly think this was an extreme case of too much snow, inexperience on the cities part, and over zealous employees that did not know what to do. I guess we are all lucky spring is commin and the city fathers know what to do with weeds. FINE THEM. Oh well not sure which is better.
Pac 14....the county and city should stop funding it. Debbie Campbell should not of been removed from that board. L.Smith, shame on you. Here are appointed people on the board coming to elected officials elected by the citizens and you, Ms. Smith,
have allowed them to dictate who they want to serve on the board with them.
thank you 11:35 for havin' sense and blah, blah, blah to the rest of it.
s.
In Colorado, they plow it to the center of the road to prevent head on collisions and keep pedestrian access open on the roadside. Just a thought...
I think the guys did a stellar job dealing with 3 feet of snow when we usually only get 3 inches.
Comegys knows full well that little old ladies were not the ones fined. They were, by and large, RENTAL PROPERTY OWNERS. If their tennants refused to do the job, then THEY should collect from them AFTER the city is paid. And I saw the "paid" removal in progress in the Church Street area. These sidewalks were impassable due to snow that fell, not which was pushed onto them. Come on Comegys, your wealthy property owning buddies can afford it.
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