After eight years of ever deepening disappointment during Rick Pollock's tenure as the County Executive, the first week of December, 2014, was like a breath of fresh air on a hot, muggy day, beginning with swearing-in ceremony of Bob Culver at Wor-Wic Community College on December 2. Both he and governor-elect Larry Hogan offered plain spoken but pointed comments about the need to reverse the Democrat party's policies that have reduced Maryland and Wicomico County to a low level. Indeed, Messrs. Culver and Hogan could have done a duet to the song "There'll be some changes made".
Although we won't see formal action by Mr. Hogan until sometime next year, Bob Culver followed through as soon as he took office by terminating Pollitt's policy (possibly illegal) of allowing County employees to have a paid holiday on their birthday and restricting the personal use of County vehicles. Several hours after the ceremony, he removed from Pollitt's projects proposed for additional County bonding debt both the next phase of the westside connector roadway and the initial funding to replace the West Salisbury School. And he was present and spoke at the Council's meeting to explain why he took that action. When's the last time Rick Pollitt did anything similar?
At the Council meeting, playing to PAC14 audience and the mainstream media, a small but vocal group that wants the new school as soon as possible made various misrepresentations about the matter and criticized Mr. Culver’s action at the Council meeting. But rather than argue with them - rational discussion was out of the question given their attitude - he issued a detailed and cogent statement reciting the actual facts and reiterating his reasoning.
Plainly put, Wicomico County now has a competent, conservative businessman, rather than a liberal career politician and government employee, as a leader who does what he regards as the right thing for the County as a whole, not what will promote his personal career. So, too does the State of Maryland. It has been a long time coming and is truly a breath of fresh air.
Hopefully these events of last week are a harbinger of things to come in Wicomico County. The sooner, the better!
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Great post. I agree. I'm sure like Hogan, Culver is finding things are much worse than we all knew.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see what's next. The dead weight and those who cannot adapt to change need to go. There are too many good people who are looking for work and would work hard if given the chance.
No paid holiday on my birthday? Let's see how low my moral can go and how unproductive I can be. Controlling waste is great, but what a JERK!
ReplyDelete(For the record I work in the private sector)
So the West Side Collector is road to nowhere!! Thanks Pollitt!
ReplyDeleteEveryone can have a paid birthday off - it's called a vacation day.
ReplyDeleteHey it's Christmas and your children want expensive toys, eating out for dinner and riding in a new car to get there. Mom wants new leather boots to wear and dad wants a new name brand suite to wear. We want to decorate the house with a million lights. Maybe after Christmas we want to go to Disney.
ReplyDeleteIf you can't afford all this do you put it on your credit card and put yourself in debt??
Just like the county we can't afford all the wants. Something has to give.
We elected Mr Culver to do a job to the best of his ability. Hopefully we can work WITH his instead of putting down everything.
Just think of the children in your classroom who can not celebrate their birthdays either.
Look on the bright side of life.
Just because it was an old county policy to give employees their birthday off, doesn't mean these employees demanded it. Why is everyone who comments here making all county employees and their superiors seem like selfish, money-hungry, deadbeats. There are a lot of hard working employees in Wicomico County who not only contribute to the good of our county government, but our entire community as well.
ReplyDeleteMr. Culver:
ReplyDeleteBest of luck and you will need it with those RINO's on the Council.
4:54 Rick Pollitt was a lazy, absentee leader. Hardly ever in the office and when he was there he arrived well after other employees. Ask any one of us who work in the building. More and more people knew that as time went by. That is part of why he lost the election. He was even too lazy to run a campaign. Unfortunately, lots of people think that because Pollitt was lazy, the rest of us are. I am glad that Culver is a hard worker. He is here when we all get to work, so he is starting before us. It is truly a new day in the county and I believe under Culver county employees will be more respected by the public. Leaders lead by example. Pollitt didn't set a very good example.
ReplyDeleteWho is Rick Pollock's?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteMr. Culver:
Best of luck and you will need it with those RINO's on the Council.
December 8, 2014 at 5:01 PM
RINO's?? Name names please because certainly there are 7 RINO's on the county council.