A “300%” Lie Verses a “$10,000.00” Truth

by Delegate Mike McDermott

Debunking lies in any campaign is important. While I have offered the voters a complete web site (LiberalJim.com) where each vote or action is documented and linked to original sources, Jim Mathias and his controllers in Annapolis do not hold fast to ethical behavior.

This week, the Mathias camp put out a mailer that makes false claims regarding the salary compensation for the Mayor and Council of Pocomoke City years ago..

In 2007 a compensation study was performed and recommendations were made to the Pocomoke City Council  as to the salary levels for the offices of Mayor and Council Members. It was recommended that the compensation be adjusted as follows:

Mayor from $2500 to $7500;

Council Member from $2000 to $6000.

It had been years since any adjustments were made and none of the proposed increases would take place until after the next municipal election. The next election for Mayor would not take place for another two years.

Claiming a “300%” increase is false and reflects poor math skills...but liberals do not usually do well in such fact based subject matter. The actual increase was 200%.

The Mayor of Pocomoke City does not possess a vote...not even to break a tie. Therefore, it would have been impossible for me to “vote myself” a salary increase. Only the City Council Members can make that decision. At the time, their decision was unanimous.

However, since Mathias brought the matter up, you may find it interesting how we both handled a much more relevant bill in this year’s session regarding salary compensation for members of the General Assembly.

i sponsored HJ-9 along with many of my colleagues. The bill would have stopped a $10,000.00 salary increase for legislators which will take effect next year. It was never allowed to receive a vote by the democrats.

Jim Mathias, on the other hand, did not support SJ-9 which was the Senate version of the bill that would have stopped his salary from increasing $10,000.00 were he to be re-elected.

Mathias makes much of a salary increase i could not vote for, but when he had a chance to actually take a stand against his own salary increase, he was nowhere to be found. In typical liberal fashion it is, “Do as I say and not as I do”.