I feel it is my duty as a taxpaying citizen to make you aware of the horrible display I witnessed yesterday at the Mayors Round Table. While, in the past, I have supported the Mayor and his Safe Streets Package, I no longer hold that view. I just don’t know what our city has come to. Mayor Ireton spent 25 minutes of the meeting screaming and hollering at Kris Adams that SAPOA lady. He yelled so loud his eyes were bulging and he pointed his finger repeatedly in her face in front of all of 15-20 people at the meeting. Nobody said anything, because I think we were all in shock. The mayor blamed her for all the crime and calls for service that have happened in the city because his package hasn’t been passed yet in the council. He blamed her for a bad property she had nothing to do with. He threatened all of the landlords. He accused her of paying off council members. He told her, he was coming after the landlords with another Safe Street 2 package. The tirade went on and on. Somehow, Mrs. Adams was able to endure that nasty, bitter attack without saying a word. At the end of the meeting she even thanked the administration for honoring a request she had made at a previous meeting. Then she said SAPOA will continue to do things to help the city. I was actually kind of amazed that she would even want to participate in the meeting after what the Mayor did to her.
I don’t care if you like the landlords or not. No one, especially a woman, should every be treated the way Mrs. Adams was treated by Mayor Ireton. For that ugliness, he loses all my support. As far as I am concerned, if Ireton is not going to act like a mayor, he should not be a mayor.
LTE written by Kris Adams maybe? This is not how it happened AT ALL.
ReplyDeleteTell us how it went. I got a call from a friend who was at the meeting and he tells me the same story. So come on and tell us what happened.
ReplyDeleteWhen someone publishes a "Letter to the Editor" their named should be signed to authenicate the subject. Unfortunately, I was not at the meeting but a person who did attend said the same thing as Annon 10;17.
ReplyDeleteIf this is true, shame on all of those who stayed "in shock" for 25 minutes and allowed this to continue without anyone speaking up. You guys are a bunch of wimps.
ReplyDeleteThis event was nothing like the writer described, unless seen through the eyes of SAPOA.
ReplyDeleteIreton was hot, yes, and he said that the days of SAPOA running the city were over and he pointed to
Adams and another landlord (one who does own slum properties) when he said it.
He said all of this inside a space of less than two minutes.
Adams was there as the president of SAPOA - she represents the landlords, good and bad. The agenda of SAPOA is to minimize the effect of government and community on the landlord industry... period. They can say that they're giving back to the community, but it's while they're sucking the life out of it through another orifice.
I think that about half of the people that were there wanted to applaud.
ReplyDeleteThey might have been shocked to hear Ireton put it all so bluntly, but they're probably thinking hard about the reality of the problem in a new light now.
He said that SAPOA paid off council members?
ReplyDeleteWell, he's right! They have, during every election in the past dozen years.
Look at the council election contribution lists for Comegys, Shields, Dunn, Cathcart, Day and see that 90% of their campaign donations came from landlords and "friends" of landlords.
And then look at the mayoral contribution lists for Barrie Tilghman and Gary Comegys. Same donors.
Sounds like SAPOA is finally getting rightly called out on the carpet.
ReplyDeleteI don't get the LTE writer's saying that he or she did support Safe Streets, but doesn't now because of rudeness?
ReplyDeleteSounds like some pretty screwed up priorities and a try to get others to think the same way.
My hat's off to Mayor Ireton for finally calling a spade a spade and telling the world what SAPOA really is and what it's done to our city, and that we're not going to take it any more. And for telling the world what everybody already knows, that Comegys, Shields and Smith are the tools of SAPOA, not the representatives of any residents of the city.
ReplyDeleteThe only people defending SOPOA is a SOPOA member or someone who benefits from their cause. These are the greediest, money grubbing, people robbing, so-called business leaders in Salisbury. Enough said.
ReplyDeleteANONYMOUS 11:42, Not true at all. The Mayor has been WRONG since day one. He should have accepted the meeting with SAPOPA and he refused. They went so far as to ask to meet for mediation and he refused. MANY of the charges the Mayor has challenged them with are inaccurate. Salisbury News will share BOTH sides of this matter, unlike the rest of the Press. Mayor Ireton's vindictive behavior toward SAPOA is simply childish and immature.
ReplyDeleteI have met with SAPOA on several occasions and there IS another side to the story. Mind you, I don't agree with everything they have stated but at least we agree to disagree. Try it some time Mayor Ireton, they didn't bite and it didn't hurt me one bit.
At the recent “Mayor’s Round Table” meeting 11/16/10, Jim I-rottin called out individuals at the table. If hollering out “yes I mean you!” isn’t personal enough, Jim clarified his intent with a strong finger pointing in the same way a master points at a “bad dog”. Jim wanted there to be no misunderstanding that he is the “master” and we are his dogs! Alternatively, in this case, he must think of Mrs. Adams as his bitch. Along with sternly waving his finger at Mrs. Adams, Jim declared that he “wont back down from this fight!” Jim, I am pretty sure dog fighting is illegal! I guess when the police work for you its easy to abuse the power. It is too bad Jim does not have a Veterinarian on staff. When he treats people like dogs, sure enough, he’s gunna get bit! He will have to lick his own wounds; he would probably enjoy that considering where he is likely to get injured. The image of finger waving does not show up through the computer key pad, but the finger Jim would be seeing from me is not understood by dogs – only by an arrogant a-hole. Mayor I-rottin be reminded, the “Mayor’s Round Table” was started by someone else long before you came along. Despite your announcement, it is not “your meeting”, you have borrowed it! Try not to leave a stain on it. Signed by a dog gone pissed off man.
ReplyDelete1. I am sure Ms. Adams thought, "never wrestle with a pig in the mud . . ."
ReplyDelete2. Recall/impeach Ireton.
Joe I have seen Ireton in action. He most certainly IS a hot tempered little B****. He went into an SPD roll call right after the council refused to confirm Ernie Leatherbury and told the officers "I didn't get my choice for Chief of Police, and you don't get yours" What a spiteful crybaby he is. He has nothing good in his heart for the City of Salisbury, only contempt for individuals and certain groups. What a terrible choice we've made. Just like Obama.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteLTE written by Kris Adams maybe? This is not how it happened AT ALL.
10:17 AM
I was thinking the same exact thing....
The problem with the whole situation is that Mayor Loserton is not a professional individual. There is a way to have a discussion and there is a way to act like a butt hole. Why not try to have a healthy debate to try to resolve the issue instead of acting like a bully or a 2 year old. Mrs. Adams clearly was there to try to begin to resolve the issues. Once he started to act like that, I applaud her for not responding. The only thing it would have done was make him act worse. Mayor Loserton start acting like an adult. Your little temper tantrum accomplished nothing. In fact it only continued to prove what a loser you are. I can't wait until the next election when you butt will be gone. In the meantime, Mayor Loserton pull your head out of your butt and start acting like a professional. Your little performance got you no where.
ReplyDeleteAnd the rentals in good neighborhoods in the county are getting way out of hand. crime is way up. our neighborhood had 3 houses broke into last week. a very upper income neighborhood, which now has rentals. slum lords in the county.
ReplyDeletethe county council needs to address this.
The sheriffs department is a joke and of no help at all.
He went into an SPD roll call right after the council refused to confirm Ernie Leatherbury and told the officers "I didn't get my choice for Chief of Police, and you don't get yours"
ReplyDelete*****************
I do not know the Mayor but had I been an officer at that roll call you can be assured that if he so much as spit on the sidewalk he would be arrested Let the chips fall where they may. If all the negative things said about him are true, he should be kicked out of office. Down here in Florida, it may not be utopia but Salisbury politics have been soooo disgusting over the last 10 years or so, I am glad that I am here. (and probably there are some up there that are glad that I am down here lol) jackkcharl@aol.com