This morning Adam Roop met with a group of people expressing his personal background/history in Salisbury as well as his interest in entertaining a possible run for Mayor of Salisbury in 2013. He was joined by Family and Friends who enjoyed a fantastic breakfast beforehand at the Black Diamond.
Adam opened up with a very detailed speech in which he focused on topics like Crime, Downtown, Housing, Cleanliness of the City, Macro vs. Micro projects, more revenue generating activities for the City and details of how he would possible tackle each area. More importantly he wanted to open the floor up to questions and personal concerns by those attending.
Adam isn't just talking, he's acting upon his disappointments and even embarrassment in some cases as to the current Mayor and Council. Adam discussed his interest in an open container law for specific Downtown areas and even closing down the Plaza during certain hours. He wants to see a better working relationship between the Council and Landlords and mentioned the City should focus more on repeat offenders who fail to keep their properties compliant.
All in all he delivered what I thought was a well thought out speech with details that quite frankly surprised me for a 28 year old man. Adam Roop admits he's made mistakes in the past both in business and personal. However, he's learned from those mistakes and rather than giving up like many have already, he's faced those difficulties in extremely difficult times and today is enjoying the rewards from sticking with it and moving forward.
This young man is wise beyond his years and quite frankly I feel should be given the chance to get into this next Mayoral race in 2013. He's not feeding citizens a line of crap like Ireton did by stating the river will be clean in 10 years, so much so you'll be able to swim in it again. It's those "feel good" lines that help people get elected but they're always complete BS. IF Ireton knew what he was talking about, if Ireton knew about how much the Zoo pollutes the river, yet the stats were NEVER taken from that part of the river because previous politicians COVERED IT UP until I exposed it, Ireton would know exactly why the swimming stopped at the City Park many years ago. It isn't just the WWTP polluting the river, the Zoo is doing its fair share as well.
He's not just talking, he's backing up what he started. He wants a future here, like so many others. Some Bloggers and haters on Facebook have given Adam a pretty hard time already. Yet NONE of those anonymous people are willing to stick their necks out to make a difference and Adam is doing just that.
So love him or hate him, he's made the first step to let Jim Ireton and all of the citizens of Salisbury know, if you'll have him, he wants to run and make a difference once and for all. If you're looking for a candidate that wants to feed you lines about things you know can't be done, (like clean the river in 10 years) Adam is not your man. However, if you want a new Mayor that will do his very best to bring proven successful business experience to the table with real ideas and results, Adam IS your man.
You've had how many people now tell you they can do it, they can create "Dream Teams" or create civility between council members, how's it working for you Folks? As someone who has been around this local arena for many years now, I believe you should in fact open your arms and start listening to what Adam Roop has to say. The guy is onto something, he's sticking his neck out and while some nay sayers will always say anything opposite of what Joe Albero says/suggests, I'm suggesting you ignore those people who give nothing back to the community and support Adam Roop.
As I stated this morning, I am not endorsing Adam Roop for Mayor of Salisbury. I am supporting Adam Roop's choice to run for Mayor, as should all of you. When all the candidates are on board we will then make our endorsements towards the candidate we feel can in fact make a difference for Salisbury. One thing is for sure, it will NOT be Jim Ireton, John Robinson or Mike Dunn.
