Refresh my memory. Wasn't there a TV show called "To Tell the Truth"? A contestant had to decide if the story was true or not true. Well it appears to me that is exactly what is happening in our local government. Let me try and explain. This past Friday - Mr. Pollitt, and our County's Finance Director and a couple of others along with delegations from the other eight Shore counties went to the Legislature in Annapolis to testify against the bill proposing to shift the teacher's pensions down to the counties. Well the presentation spelled out the 'doom and gloom' in county budgets. Revenues were decreasing, the housing market hadn't bottomed out yet, the assessible base was still shrinking, the State was passing more and more operational costs down to the local counties in an attempt to 'bleed' less money. Wicomico is definitely hurting when you hear this presentation.Now back up a month. The place - Wicomico County Council chambers - where the BOE, Finance Director, and County Executive are giving a presentation to our County Council about how good the county was doing financially in that employment was recently up, revenues were increasing, housing market appeared to have bottomed and that there might be light at the end of the tunnel. In other words, they were optimisitc about the county's financial future. Just like the TV show right? And for a bonus - some new repackaged information comes to light two weeks later and makes one of the council members change her decision to give the go-ahead for the new school. Kind of just like the TV show right. The County Council has to decide who is giving truthful information. The only trouble is this game costs the taxpayers millions!
In order for the taxpayers to have a fair chance in this game I sent the presentation to the Board of Public Works so that they too can get in the game and decide the facts of this story. I think I'll even go up to the final hearing in Baltimore just to view the outcome and be there in case they have any questions. If anyone else would like to go with me - please contact me as I'm in the local phone book.
John Palmer
VOICE - President


















