Second Safe-Streets Anti-Crime Legislation Public Dialogue

Second Safe-Streets Anti-Crime Legislation Public Dialogue

to Air on PAC14 Friday and Saturday

Thanks to involved citizens, a taping of the second public dialogue on the 2010 Safe Streets Neighborhood Legislative package, held at First Station 16 Headquarters on Cypress Street October 12, will air on cable channel PAC14 this Saturday, October 16 at 2:20 p.m. and Tuesday, October 19 at 7:56 p.m.  Additional dates for the 3-hour 4-minute meeting will soon be scheduled and will be found on the PAC14 programming schedule at http://www.pac14.org/.

The meeting was hosted by Council Members Debbie Campbell and Terry Cohen, who were joined by the city clerk, select department heads and Director of Gang Intelligence for the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, Mark Bowen.  As with the first such meeting to gather public input about the proposals, the house was full and spilled into the lobby.  Although a show of hands indicated what Cohen referred to as “a nice mix” of homeowners, tenants and landlords, the majority of speakers had ties to the rental industry.

“With few exceptions, both meetings produced a respectful give and take,” Campbell noted.  “We received many constructive comments between the two meetings that could lead to improvements in the legislation.”

Cohen started the meeting with a slide show that outlined the “bigger picture” of the Safe Streets initiative, what tasks it had already set in motion, and how the package proposed by Mayor Jim Ireton was only one portion under the Safe Streets “umbrella.  Cohen had said at the outset that she did not envision the legislation remaining unchanged, but to date, Council President Smith has refused to place it on a work session agenda for the council to discuss, as it does other legislation.

Campbell and Cohen said they would put the audio recording of this second public dialogue on the website they share, http://www.onyoursidesby.blogspot.com/ next week, but that it is also available on CD from city clerk’s office, 410-548-3140, for $5, which covers the office’s cost of production.  Sometime next week, the slideshow will also be on that website, as well as the City’s website, http://www.ci.salisbury.md.us/.  The legislation proposals can be viewed on both websites as well.

Both council members expressed thanks to the public for their attendance; to the mayor, the administration and the city clerk for their availability at and support of the meetings, and to PAC14 for their assistance in making video recordings of the meeting available to the public.