Let's start off by asking each and every one of you what you actually KNOW about Jim Ireton and Jake Day's plans for Downtown Salisbury. You see, Jake likes to pull answers that sound good out of his hat. He said, I want it to be a safe, diverse place where people live and work. Hey Jake, No Crap! Man, you really have me impressed already.
So Jake, do tell us, WHY ISN'T IT ALREADY? Can you blame it on the property owners who invested millions of dollars in the first place. Is it THEIR fault? Oh, but you and Jimmy will fix that and do us all a favor for once, right?
The problem is and will always be, the City is run by a school teacher who has been a government employee his entire life. They want to sell off parking lots for 10 cents on a dollar and build 500 subsidized housing units because they feel it will revitalize Downtown, BS! This coming from a group of Idiots who keep hiring Firefighters, yet there's rarely a fire. A group of Idiots who won't INVEST in the Police Department who is completely understaffed and responding to 60,000 calls a year while the Fire Department rarely has more than 12 fire calls a year. Yeah, I want to be enthusiastic and optimistic about Jake Day and Jim Ireton just because they want me to be, not.
Jake wants Downtown to be safe, that's what he's quoted as saying. OK Jake, why don't you look at the calls for service in Downtown. You know what Jake, Downtown has fewer calls than ANY other area in the City. So why are you trying to impress upon the public Downtown isn't safe? Better yet, WHY does the public have the impression Downtown isn't safe, when it is. I can answer part of that Folks.
About a year ago I mentioned the homeless sleeping on the Plaza. We confronted the Mayor and he responded by saying he would be violating their rights if he removed them and the City could get sued. Interesting, I'm sure their lawyers are lining up and can't wait for you to make a move. The City can't even manage this problem, how can you ask us to be enthusiastic and optimistic?
When your Mayor and Council President can't even impress upon the public their creative ideas and how they plan on getting it done, well, I give up right there. I asked early on in this Post, what do you actually KNOW about Jim Ireton and Jake Day's plans for Downtown Salisbury. Can you tell us? Or does it all just sound good that they want it "safe". They don't want to tell you an actual plan because if they did you'd come to learn whatever it is they plan on doing is going to cost YOU millions of dollars. They ran an election on sound bites.
So how do you revitalize Downtown Salisbury. You do so by offering incentives. You do so by marketing great opportunities businesses had no idea we offered. I said it during my campaign. Our taxes are very low here. The County has started to remove the inventory tax and that's a great start. Heck, SU and UMES are buying up almost everything available close to them and it comes off the tax roll. Offer incredible tax incentives in which businesses would love to revitalize a building if they got tax breaks over time. Better that we get something, rather than NOTHING.
Provide better Police presence and you start by hiring more Police Officers investing good money after good money. Encourage more Volunteer Firefighters and less paid Firefighters, this way it doesn't actually cost you money to hire new Police Officers. CLEAN UP DOWNTOWN first and make it BRIGHT. Be PROUD of what you have and when people drive by at night they can see the incredible architecture. Show the tax paying public YOU as a City are serious about investing into Downtown. Think about it Folks, just how many years have we heard Barrie Tilghman and Jim Ireton's BS about revitalizing Downtown! How's it working for you after 16 years?
INSTEAD, the taxpayers have invested, (recently) over $1,000,000.00 in the Salisbury Zoo, which is FREE to anyone who wants to go. The Zoo isn't bringing in any income to the City like Downtown Salisbury does. Your Mayor and Council President are clueless. They don't want to show you any RELIEF in your taxes. They don't want to be challenged, (especially by me) into bringing incentives and businesses to Downtown Salisbury because that's the answer.
To those of you who want to say I'm only bringing the City of Salisbury down, sometimes you have to bring something to its knees and hit rock bottom before you can build it back up again. I'm not just critical, I offer solutions in this article as well. YOU have every right to offer your opinion in comments. However, I have invested 9 years of my life bringing these kinds of things to your attention. YOU need to start participating and take your City back. You have no idea how important your comments are. These people need to know how we feel about these feel good words and lack of action. They need to know you can't take any more tax increases any more. If you can't be at a City Council Meeting, be heard right here and now through comments. If you think for a second it isn't read directly by them your sadly mistaken.
We have people who serve our country every day and unfortunately many of them die for YOUR rights. All you have to do is comment. No one is asking you to sign on a dotted line and risk your life. Agree or disagree, start making a difference right here and now.
43 comments:
I made this comment in an earlier Post:
Look, private business is in business to MAKE MONEY. Government is in the business to NOT make money.
To compare the two to be competitive is simply wrong. Are the Liberals trying to change THAT as well?
Spending so many years in Bowie, I saw the majority of people living there hold jobs in Washington, D.C. Bowie was loaded with Levitt homes and in the early 1970's were selling for under $20,000.00. Now those same homes are worth around $400,000.00. Can you say the same for Salisbury?
Nevertheless, I'd say the majority of people I went to school with ended up with government jobs and have now retired with a stable income, great benefits and homes that have INCREASED in value.
When your in that kind of environment, income certainly isn't the highest priority. Can you AFFORD your home with the job you hold, obviously most of the people working for the City can. It doesn't matter if you rent or own. Its about affordability.
To go out and get average incomes from outside the Eastern Shore is ridiculous. Salisbury isn't seeing increases like Bowie, Rockville and other Towns. This is one reason why I screamed so loud when the City was building a $14,000,000.00 Fire Palace. We built a Fire Palace bigger and better than ANY other municipality in the state, yet they rarely see a fire.
If the City Employees aren't satisfied with their income, MOVE. I'm sure with more than 1,000 people per MONTH losing jobs in the County, someone will be more than happy to replace them.
We as citizens/taxpayers have to start taking back our City. I read on the last page of the Metropolitan a message from Council President Jake Day. They asked him multiple questions about revitalizing Downtown Salisbury. What amazed me about this article was the fact that this City Council and Mayor feel the need to take control of property they don't own and make it into what they want, or feel is best for everyone else.
In reality, it's the City's job to MARKET what they already have in a joint effort. Jake is quotes as saying, In what way can the community help in this effort? "The most important thing they can do is be enthusiastic and optimistic cheerleader for our city".
Optimistic about what? 500 new subsidized housing units Downtown on parking lots WE own? There's no DETAILS about their plan, just words and feel good statements. They offer a VISION, a DREAM, none of which has ever worked. And we should be paying these people more because??????? The City's income is going down, way down, NOT UP. You REWARD people like Delaware does. NO TAXES, low property taxes. WHY, because they MARKET the state and do a damn good job in doing so. Delaware has proven it can be done. Maryland has proven they can milk their investors for almost every penny they earn. And if that isn't enough, well, just keep raising taxes because during their term, while the real estate market is as horrible as it is, people can't even afford to leave.
Jim Ireton and Jake Day have absolutely no clue what they're doing. Day is a RINO.
Get some leadership in there that BUILDS the City up WITHOUT taxpayers money. It was the leadership in the current and past that drove businesses out in the first place. Make the proper incentives to drive businesses and investors here and they will flock here just like they do Delaware. Bring in the good paying jobs and once the City EARNS an incredible income, REWARD them all. Until then, the study is a load of CRAP.
Joe..the northeast collector road is the same way! For some unknown reason the county landfill has been trying to build it! What a joke! They have already spent the allowed money for it.and it is no where near complete! Supposed to have a private contractor come in now and finish it up!
You are all wasting your time. The idiots of the Eastern Shore are all entirely too stupid to ever get anything right. I'm getting the hell off this inbred peninsula A.S.A.P.
Everyone knows that Fake Day was bought with special interest groups and has no real world experience on how to run a business and that army record of his is a joke to! The homosexual pansy mayor is clueless about downtown. They can provide free internet and new bike trails or whatever you want to call them. The pansy and Day are just tax and spend liberals . They have no real clear ideas of how downtown should be run. And giving buildings away for half the value like the firehouse.Salisbury will be like Detroit!
You have posted this many times, over the past nine years. Those who agree with your post concerning your belief of Salisbury's problems, have actually done nothing to try and make change.
Wake up readers - do you honestly believe that Ireton or Day or any on the Council will read your remarks and decide to run the city "your way"? Do you think they will read this blog and think, Joe and his readers have great ideas, lets vote to do that?
How many of you have addressed the Council/Mayor with your displeasure - how many of you viewers/voters have bothered to attend Council meetings - when WAS the last time you attended a Council meeting - how many of SBYNews readers/voters REALLY care? It appears none. Nine years of complaints with no success in change. If you and your readers are serious, you need to look for other ways to get the officials attention. If I lived in city limits I would be making phone calls. writing letters and APPEARING IN PERSON, with others who support my thoughts for change for the better . That way Salisbury leaders would know me and my beliefs of problems in the city. This would lead to discussions and maybe better understanding of what would be better for Salisbury, or for what reason a change in some areas could not be done.
A blog is the posters opinions but without follow up with officials, change will not happen. Joe, your viewers on here apparently do not actually care or they would be doing more than than trashing to blow off steam or trying to rile the natives.
9:19-Ever wonder why the chemtrails left by jet planes linger in the sky much longer than they used to? Remember when they used to dissipate almost immediately? Those heavily laden chemtrails have been formulated to handle the problem of which you speak,except on a national level vs just this "inbred peninsula".
9:19....please take the rest of the implants with ya. Asap. Thanks!
Joe, everyone I know voted for you. They took that election from you. There should have been an investigation. Maybe you can sue the election board.
10:17
Yes since the non "implants" like Ireton, Day, Hoppes, Shannie and Barrie did and are doing such a bang up job!
What this city needs is a PROVEN business LEADER like Joe Albero to be it's business development DIRECTOR.
500 subsidized units Downtown Smallsbery? Wow, that's something to be excited about, NOT. So, Jake Day, is this the best you can do? Maybe it's time to pull your head out of Jimbo's Rear End and.start doing some.thinking on your own. I can see, Why you wouldn't want to bother to rock the boat. That may require to grow some guts and balls.
Joe maybe you can offer to work as a consultant for them.
500 subsidized units downtown is suicide. Want to see downtown turn into a business ghost town..Start putting up the housing. These housing projects will turn into just that "projects". Wow, that will really attract businesses. Well, maybe a couple of pawn shops & check cashing places.
anonymous 10:08, oh, believe me, a LOT has changed in my/our favor over the past 9 years.
Let me see, Barrie Tilghman, GONE. John Jacobs, GONE, JR, GONE, many of the Zoo Staff, GONE. Webster, GONE. I could go on and on. Perhaps you are forgetting the DT's had over 200 employees, now they have a dozen or so, GONE.
I'll not waste my time going over the many pieces of legislation changed because of what we educated the public on.
No Sir, you'll not ever get anyone to believe I've wasted any of my time doing what I do.
This is worse than those sweetheart deals called a "TIF" that Barrie and Bubba gave developers at the old "Salisbury Mall" and "Aydelotte Farm" back in the day. At least the City was supposed to get paid back -- but that has not happened.
Here it's a subsidy with no repayment attached.
New city motto for the 'bury --
We're the Detroit of the Shore!
Smallsbery - Motown of the Delmarva Peninsula
Wow, 500 subsidized units down town. This may be a good opportunity to open up a shop renting bullet proof vests to shoppers.
"He said, I want it to be a safe, diverse place where people live and work."
"Diverse?" As soon as someone starts using clichés it's a clue they are clueless and lack any kind of forethought, foresight, originality and are not innovators.
I'm surprised he didn't learn this in Urban Planning 101.
And take the bridges down so they can't escape to normal civilization.
I hear Jim Ireton will not be a third grad school teacher next year. Word on the street is he got a promotion from Dr. Freddy.
Suggestion. Please fully reopen the closed portion of Main Street to vehicles and parking. That part of Main Sreet is really stagnant and with many vacancies. Move the landscape, monuments and planters to the closed street near the Beaver Dam Bridge in City Park. If closing a main street was so successful why didn't Berlin, Lewes, Rehoboth, Easton, etc. do the same thing? The downtown in all of those towns are more vibrant than Salisbury.
Jake has no interests but his own political aspirations. This is pure Agenda 21....research it people. This is just the first step . I remember Baltimore blowing up section 8 housing in prime downtown areas near the water in the late 90's. bass ackwards smallsbury.
Joe you are correct saying Barry etc are gone and perhaps you are responsible for a few leaving BUT what has been gained? Nothing. Everyone has been replaced by worse than who was there. What changes to make Salisbury better have been accomplished? None I can see.
3:39-This is because he is a product of brainwashing from Oxford, which incidentally is only considered prestigious to Americans and those Europeans who lack in intellect.
Informed persons know the only prerequisite to being accepted is left leaning and the probability to be persuaded by leftist propaganda.
Europeans aristocrats, the upper class and the elites would not ever dream of sending a child there. It's something akin to a cult.
Comment at 11:54 reads more like a swath of destruction rather than positive transformation. Maybe soon you can add the SFD to the list.
Let's take a really close examination of the results of the last election.
Joe Albero campaigned on - ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. I can assure you that had Joe been elected Mayor - the flight out of Salisbury-Wicomico Airport would have been occupied by his team of advocates. The plan was on - to not only promote Salisbury but also Wicomico.
Now lets fast forward -
Wicomico lost a record number of jobs:
June - 1699
May - 936
April - 1073
March - 972
February - 1167
Come on folks - where is your sanity. Don't you realize that this is UNSUSTAINABLE! A community cannot grow without job generation. Why do you think Salisbury's crime is so Rhampant. And that's not to mention how the personal local income taxes are the maximum allowed by state law. Take-a-look at your Real Estate Taxes - see anything happening. They have blown the bubble on that to - raising it the maximum allowed by the revenue cap. While Sussex County Delaware issued a refund of about $45 per resident - what does Wicomico do - raise not only your taxes, but doubles you flush tax, raises your dump fees, raises virtually every fee imaginable included the kitchen sink, well permits.
It ain't going to change folks unless you get rid of the scoundrels. And we have a lot to get rid of IMHO.
To 8:14 - Don't forget about going to the bond market to borrow money to build the BMS. They just approved another 12+ million more at the last county council meeting. Looks like another Detroit in the making to me.
Beezer - the economic team you allude to would have a hard time flying south because the airline that provided that route - Allegiant - even abandoned Salisbury/Wicomico. Funny thing is I just heard that Allegiant was rated as the nation's most profitable airline IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY - and if they couldn't make it here, it would be hard to imagine anything making it here.
Check it out about Allegiant being rated No.1 in the Country!!!
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/airlines/allegiant-air-most-profitable-airline-in-the-country/1045506
To 8:43 Posting
Allegiant probably was monitoring the local job lose stats and decided to cut their losses while they can.
No growth + job loss = economic disaster
Promotion to what? He is teaching in Pittsville this Fall.
No doubt you are correct 8:14 but comments on a blog ain't gonna bring change or get rid of scoundrels. We have read on here for years that we got to get rid of the scoundrels but it ain't happened. IMO the scoundrels just get worsier. How do we get non scoundrels in office. Is there a workable plan? If not when will there be one?
jakie can go eff
Joe- your building looks like shit.
You overpaid for that pile of asbestos and lead filled crap.
You will loose it too!
anonymous 8:15, I seem to have struck a nerve.
I think most would agree, I have the nicest building in all of Downtown Salisbury, or at least one of the nicest.
My building was completely torn apart and demolished inside in 1984. It has upgraded, (to code) wiring, all new drywall and Code & Compliance has been through my building at least three times fully impressed with the upgrades and condition.
Knock it as much as you like, YOU have never been inside.
I love how you say I'm going to lose it too. Funny, the building was paid for with cash. There is no mortgage, only yearly taxes, all of which are paid.
The only thing I might agree with was what I paid for the building. Now that is quite interesting. You see, I sold a shell building in Pittsville for over $400,000.00. It too had to be completely torn apart inside and rebuilt. I paid over $400,000.00 for 300 W. Main Street, yet it was a finished and remodeled building. It goes to show YOU that Salisbury Real Estate has been DESTROYED by this Mayor and the former Mayor. If a building in Pittsville can be worth more than a building in Salisbury, (three times the size of the Pittsville building) something is seriously wrong.
On a side not you see who just put up exterior cameras downtown on his building?
anonymous 8:38, that's great. The more cameras we have Downtown the better.
looks like he is telling a fish story with his arms spread apart like that
Comments on a blog start conversations and get people thinking about things they might not otherwise consider. I would like to know who paid for the ad in Metropolitan (the front page is a paid ad space as are the "stories"?
Joe, do you really think your tried-and-failed strategy of crapping all over literally everything the city's elected officials do is going to get you elected in 2015? Let's not pretend you aren't going to run again.
This news is bias crap.
Jacob Day's job is to bring UN Agenda 21 to the Eastern Shore. Read about it and then see what he does for a living. Then compare it to his revitalization plans. It's all the same thing.
There is no such place as "a safe diverse place where people live and work" except in the mythical Utopia.
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