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Wednesday, December 21, 2011

The Death Of Wicomico County And Its Employees

Things just keep getting worse Folks. Allow me to preach for a minute before I get to this devastating news.

Salisbury News continues to bring you REAL NEWS, while the local MSM simply cover events and feed you information fed to them from whatever representative/department they are covering.

Yeah, you have certain anchor people that have been here for a long time but the MSM holds firm in stating they cannot, do not and or are not willing to offer any opinion.

The problem that comes from such alleged REPORTING is the fact that WBOC, WMDT and the Daily Times have come and go reporters who are NOT educated as to what is truly going on and that's exactly what the special interests want. They do NOT know what questions to ask because they have no clue what's going on.

Along comes Joe Albero who has been around for seven years who knows the ins and outs of local politics, who has a major platform to spread the real news and truth, it's no wonder they don't want me around. It's no wonder they are afraid to let us into Press Conferences.

You see Folks, Salisbury News has also come to learn today that Wicomico County's Pension Fund is SEVERELY underfunded by millions of dollars. Oh, is this NEW to you? Well, it shouldn't be! You see, it has been underfunded in the millions for three years now. $2,859,675.00 to be exact. Oh, and guess what. It's about to go into the 4th year because THERE IS NO MONEY!

So while your County Executive is playing with funny money, while your County Executive wants to pressure the Council into signing off on letters of intent for Bennett Middle School, know that your County Executive is pulling off what he had the reputation of doing while in Fruitland before ever becoming County Executive.

Last year the Council became aware that the Pension Fund was running short, so they agreed to place more than a million dollars into that fund. Hmmmmmm, why is it that it was only funded 8%?

FOUR YEARS in the RED!!!!!! Furloughs!!!!! NO COLA INCREASES!!!!! NO SALARY INCREASES!!!!! Yet they want to pass Collective Bargaining for the WCSO? They want to borrow over $40,000,000.00 for Bennett Middle School? They want to borrow $35,000,000.00 for Parkside?

Get your own damn house in order Rick Pollitt before you go shoving this kind of crap down our throats. As the Post below this one clearly proves, the health of the State AND the County does NOT look good. The numbers do NOT lie. STOP spending taxpayer money and acting like its in the best interest of every one involved.

IF Salisbury News was not here, NONE of you would be aware of what's going on. Taxpayers should be outraged that the County Executive has played with these funds. It's no wonder he wants TWO days in advance from Council Members about a request to speak to Department Heads. Does this sound familiar people?????

Just what kind of condition will Rick Pollitt leave the next County Executive in, because he most certainly knows he'll NEVER get elected into this position again, especially after this Post. Heck, he already knew it after the last election when he almost lost to someone who should have never been considered.

It sure makes me wonder, should I really consider running for County Executive when this guy is going to leave the position in an almost impossible financial rebound condition?

Here is link to Wicomico's Budget where the information is posted:
http://www.wicomicocounty.org/departments/finance_budget/FY%202010%20Adopted%20Budget.pdf

Go to page 11 of the budget and you will see listed
'Funded Retire/Pension - $2,859,675 - Amended Budget - $205,980

They used the retirement benefit fund to help balance the Wicomico's budget.

Also note the next item:
FUNDED OPEB - (Other Post Employment Benefits) - the entire fund was not funded at all - vanished

Most people are not aware as to what has been going on in this specific area of the budget.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

pollitt is really screwing us! he needs to crawl back under that rock he came from! and everyone that supported him and endorsed him (including this blog) need to follow him under that rock! it just blows my mind!

Anonymous said...

Joe keep on them they are glutinous like our government

lmclain said...

This is NOT just happening here in Wicomico County. This kind of reckless spending is going on EVERYWHERE at every level. Ther next couple of years is going to be very hard. BIG cuts in programs. BIG increases in taxes, fines, fees, and surcharges. We, as a country, have been letting politiicans run us into trillions of dollars in debt. The reckoning for that debt is coming quickly, as they are, very very quickly, running out of "tricks" to hide this massive bomb from us. And it IS a bomb.

Anonymous said...

FYI, Pollitt isn't alone several County Councils knew about this.

Anonymous said...

Ed Heatwole, an engineer for the Public Works department recently "retired". So he is now collecting his funds from the County. But the best part is, he has entered back into the private work force and is working for AWB Engineers. And the worst part is, the County is grooming Joseph Arthur to take his place. Joseph has no licensing for engineering. I am concerned for the public safety of the residents of Wicomico County and the lawsuits which could ensue.

Anonymous said...

Not to mention all the money the county is spending on that complex at Walston Switch Road!
What was so wrong with that building that all this money has to be poured into like it is!
Now they've got a huge amount of excavating going on over there too!
For what!? Who approved all of this? Show us the numbers of what's being and has been spent since the purchase of this building! Waste, waste, and more waste!

Anonymous said...

You are spot on with this one. The reporters here come and go frequently. This seems to be a training spot for most. Keep them on their toes Joe.

Anonymous said...

You would never have heard of this information if it were not for SBYnews.

Particularly - The Daily Times, WBOC, WMDT, or any others of the MSM would try and gloss over these key issues and even go so far as to try and surpress the local events.

And I will tell you something else - if SBYnews gets sued one more time by a special interest in an attempt to abridging the freedom of speech and/or infringing on the freedom of the press - I can guarantee you that the person or entity filing the frivilous lawsuit will now suffer and incur the wrath of yet another prominent citizen here in Wicomico County - ME!

The suffocation of local information by the MSM has got to cease in Wicomico County. The people of this County deserve a transparent government.

Anonymous said...

you have to LIVE in Wicomico County to run for EXEC.

JoeAlbero said...

anonymous 2:38, 300 W. Main Street IS in the County. I own it flat out. I have a personal residence there and can change my place of residence ANY time I want. I have plenty of time to change my residence. I also own other properties in Wicomico County I can relocate to. I only have to show residency there for 6 months out of the year too. Any more questions?

Anonymous said...

According to Treasury Secretary Geithner - he is ready, willing, and able to release QE3.

And so I predict that there will sonn be a QE3 release - very soon.

Anonymous said...

Reply to 12:56 Posting

You are correct - this is happening all over the Country. Some municipalities have already filed for bankruptcy protection.
The City of Salisbury is even worse shape with the WWTP. I look for Salisbury to have to join the list of defunct cities very soon.

Anonymous said...

why not let the new speed cameras pay for the sheriffs collective bargaining instead of the taxpayer!!! there pay is way more up the scale than most other county employees with alot of fringes to go with it. i know sometimes they might put there life in harms way but 95% of the time its not that bad of a job

Anonymous said...

No sooner than Piolott got in office ---he gave 3 of his "cronnies" pay raises. One should have know from that just what we were in for----We should Never have had a County Ex position anyway----It is not needed!!

Anonymous said...

6:48 let's just say that I agree with you on 95% of the time (which I don't). That means that the 5% that you talk about is the time that they may not go home at all and someone from the Dept may have to make that dreadful knock on their Spouse's door OR 5% of the time they go home after saving your life. Or the 5% of the time they go home after having a gun pulled on them and luckily survived an attempt on their life. Or gave CPR to a baby, Child or your loved one during that 5% of the time. Or pulled a week long shift in the woods searching for an abducted child during Christmas.

Oh by the way, the Speed Cameras are not County property. They are owned and operated by the City.

And what fringe benefits are you speaking of? And "up scale" pay? You have no idea what you're speaking of....

Anonymous said...

Why did you include that WCSO is trying to get collective bargaining. That process is not going to cost anything. Collective Bargaining allows the workers to collective bargain, doesnt say cost more money, raise taxes and all the other crap people are saying to scare the uneducated public about collective bargaining. In a para-military organization (law enforcement) you CAN NOT go to the boss and ask things to be changed, you have a chain of command. Did you ever do the experiment where you tell one person and then they tell one person and so on, the message gets really screwed up. Collective Bargaining allows the workers to go straight to the boss and say this is what needs to be changed, needs to tweeked, needs to omitted. Stop pushing people to believe this is going to cost people money. This process does not. This is not a union of yesterday, it is the process of today.

So, if Collective Bargaining group suggests that each WCSO employee get a million dollar new car. It goes to the Executive and he says you are crazy. If both sides wont budge a third party comes in and says you ARE crazy, No. Ok, so lets say they have dirt on the Excutive and he is pressured into agreeing with the million dollar cars, after him it goes to the council and then the council says, Nope not funding the cars. So in the worst case situation it is not going to and will not rape the county.

Ask then Mayor Mathias about it. After OCPD got it, he stated if he knew what tyoe of things they were going to ask for he would have given it to them years ago, he was so impressed by the process he wanted the fire fighters to have the protection and gave it to them also.

Ree Colison said...

Joe, has the County Council amended the qualifications to run as County Executive? I can't find it on line but it use to be you had to be a resident of the county for at least 5 years. Also when was it changed that a person only had to live in the county 6 months out of a year in order to be elected as county executive? I believe the County Council is pulling some shady deals if they are changing code without taxpayers knowledge. I will be e-mailing Gail this morning concerning the changes the Council has made. Maybe you could do a story on the County Council's underhanded ways of gaining power.

JoeAlbero said...

Ree, if those are the rules, then so be it. As I stated earlier, what's the point in even running if there's no return.