Another Meltdown at the GOB

Maybe there’s something in the air.  Perhaps the county needs to have the water pipes checked.  Whatever it is, there seems to be a strange malady attacking some of our public officials.
Last Tuesday, Wicomico County Board of Education members Michelle Wright and Ron Willey had a mild meltdown in the council chambers of the Salisbury / Wicomico County Government Office Building (GOB).  Last night, Salisbury Mayor Jim Ireton had his own meltdown in the hall, just a few feet from the council chambers.  I sincerely hope that this isn’t catching.

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Arriving late to Monday evening’s Salisbury City Council meeting, I was flabbergasted as the elevator door opened on the third floor.  Standing before me was Ireton, a reporter from the Daily Times, and a third person that I did not recognize.  Ireton was spouting four letter words in reference to Salisbury councilwoman Debbie Campbell.
Discretion can be the better part of valor; so I simply headed down the hall.

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Heading towards the council chambers, I recognized an acquaintance standing there with someone else.  I stopped to say hello and exchange a little info along with the pleasantries.
A few minutes later, Ireton came striding down the hall and made the following statement to my acquaintance:

You had better watch your back!  What just happened in there is going to happen to you.  Mark my words!  This is what happens when a bunch of Tea Party fanatics get their hooks into someone like Debbie Campbell!  Because of her minority children will …. (I didn’t get the last part, but it was definitely “for the children).

Then Ireton stormed off.

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To what is our distinguished mayor referring to?  What caused him to have a complete hissy in the halls of city government?
On last night’s agenda was Resolution 2057 – to accept funds awarded through a grant from the Governor’s Office Crime Control and Prevention for the Disproportionate Minority Contact Coordinator.
It seems that Ireton had bullied council president Terry Cohen into putting it on the agenda without the requisite work session.  However, Campbell, Cohen, and councilman Tim Spies decided to take it off the agenda at the beginning of the meeting.
Yes, this was a grant.  However, we all know that there is no such thing as “free money”.  Several pages of the award document were missing, including the section that would have detailed what exactly the city would be on the hook for.
In addition to this, the program is supposed to be county wide.  Why is the city taking on a program that extends beyond its borders?
Campbell, Cohen, and Spies were correct in holding this over.  I’m sorry that Jim was embarrassed.  I’m truly sorry that he lost his cool.  While I genuinely wish him to succeed as mayor, he needs to start by getting a grip on his emotions.  If this little matter sends him into orbit, I worry what would happen in a real emergency.

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For purposes of disclosure, I want to make a couple of things clear.  First Jim is a friend.  My wife and kids adore him; and we all sincerely wish him all of the success in the world.
It is also not my practice to write about private conversations.  As I once told a former member of the Salisbury City Council, “You can admit to molesting a goat in your backyard and it’s between you and me.  However, anything you say in public, no matter how stupid, is fair game.”  When that councilman left office, he knew that I had kept my word (and NO, he did not molest any livestock).
Last night I exited the elevator into a loud tirade with two other people standing there.  Then, Ireton came down the hall to where I was standing and had another fit with two other people present.
Part of me actually feels bad writing about this.  The rest of me knows that self control is a virtue that Jim needs to learn.