Daily Times–Where’s the Beef?

Yesterday Salisbury mayoral candidate Joe Albero issued a press release claiming that the Daily Times was planning an “October surprise” for Sunday’s edition.  It appears that the article ran this morning.  For the informed voter, little new information was published; but begs us to ask the leadership of the paper – Where’s the beef?

DT reporter Cox obviously devoted much time to researching about the two mayoral candidates personal lives.  So what?

Imagine the service the Daily Times could have done for voters and the city it CLAIMS to love if the same amount of time had been dedicated examining Albero’s plan to revitalize the local economy or council candidate Jake Day’s plan for the city.  Sadly, the DT doesn’t want informed voters.  The great unwashed asking too many questions would spoil their narrative.

Albero asks the right question:

Who cares that Jake Day has a heavy foot, or that our three District 1 candidates have met with personal financial misfortune, or that both my opponent and I have had some minor brushes with the legal system? Why does the Daily Times think that these things take precedence over my plan to bring jobs to Salisbury, Jim Ireton’s repeated attempts to raise our taxes, or Jake Day’s plan to use our tax dollars to subsidize residential development in the city?

We may be wrong.  Maybe voters do care more about trivia and less about creating jobs or improving the city.  … At least that’s what the Daily Times hopes.

Voters Learn More from Candidates at Camden Neighbor Forum

Salisbury voters had one more chance to see the candidates for Salisbury mayor and city council at last Thursday’s Camden Neighborhood Association candidate forum.  Last week’s forum was a bit different than previous outings – incumbent councilwoman Debbie Campbell brought her “A” game and mayor Jim Ireton acted like a petulant three year old.

One of the highlights of the CNA  forum was Ireton making a little sign reading “WRONG” and placing it on the table when his opponent was speaking.  It was challenger Joe Albero who looked mayoral, as he fielded questions and continued to emphasize his plan for improving the city’s quality of life by improving the city’s local economy and bringing more high quality jobs to Salisbury.  When not speaking or making signs, Ireton spent much of the evening engaged in a texting conversation with some supporters in the back of the room.
Campbell showed her neighbors some of the old fighting spirit.  In addition to answering questions, she finally called out challenger Jake Day on his plan – Our Vision for Salisbury.  (While no longer available on Day’s website, you can READ IT HERE.)  Campbell gave a laundry list of Day’s proposals, but asked how they would be paid for.  While Day has claimed that he won’t vote to raise taxes, the projects he supports will require spending AND borrowing millions of dollars – which will have to be paid back with …. TAXES.
Tonight voters will have an opportunity to see Salisbury’s mayoral and council candidates for the last time in a debate setting.  The Salisbury Chamber / PACE forum will be at 7PM this evening at Salisbury University Guerrieri Center, Wicomico Room.
G. A. Harrison is a former editor of SBYNews and a regular contributor.  He also writes at the DelMarVa Observer.

Ireton Takes Credit for (Lack of) Rain

No one in the history of local politics can grandstand like Salisbury mayor Jim Ireton.  At a Friday press conference Ireton claimed credit for a “cleaner” Wicomico River.  There’s just one problem – the cause for a marginally cleaner river was last year’s drought.

The report, prepared by Judith Stribling of Wicomico Creekwatchers, cites last year’s lack of rain for improved numbers:

City of Salisbury-led efforts to reduce polluted runoff may have contributed to the reduction, but the biggest cause was almost certainly last year’s drought, said Judith Stribling, a Salisbury University researcher and supervisor of the Creekwatchers program.

Ireton still tried to spin the report, which usually isn’t issued until June, and take credit for a slightly cleaner River:

Dr. Stribling said it right,” Mayor Jim Ireton chimed in. “It’s not just a lack of rain, but it’s also some of the things we’re doing.

That’s NOT what Stribling said.  We should also question whether or not the report’s being issued in the spring also impacted the numbers.  If the readings were not taken at approximately the same time of year, with water temperatures at the same general levels, any conclusions of the report could be invalid.
The report also provided numbers for fecal coliform levels for the first time.  Stribling speculated that coliform levels downstream were the the result of septic tanks.  However, she cited no evidence to back up her speculation versus the possibility that coliform levels downstream were due to a previous spill from the city’s wastewater treatment plant.

SAPOA's Candidates Show Flexibility

In 2009, candidate Jim Ireton RAILED against the city's landlords (see videos HERE and HERE). Yet, after a few (primarily unsuccessful) attempts at shutting down illegal boardinghouses, MAYOR Jim Ireton hasn't done much to fulfill his campaign promises when it comes to dealing with the city's rental industry.  Fast forward to 2013.  Jim Ireton signs are pretty prevalent on rental properties.

Travel around Salisbury.  You'll see lots of Jake Day signs.  A few are in homeowners' yards.  Some have been placed in public right-of-ways (is that legal?).  A few more have been placed at local businesses (some with the owner's permissions, others without).  The majority of Day signs appear to be on properties where there are no registered voters.

58

It's little wonder that Jake Day appears to share overwhelming support from SAPOA.  In his recently released policy manifesto, Day calls for allowing landlords to self-regulate:

Where the rental industry identifies bad actors within its ranks, the City and the rental industry should first utilize peer-to-peer mentorship to guide them toward best practices.

It's pretty amazing.  Day wants to strip Wicomico landowners of their property rights, but doesn't want one of the city's largest businesses to face regulation.  Day claims that he'll "partner" with mayor Jim Ireton if elected.  Little wonder when both candidates show such "flexibility".

Salisbury's Most Expensive Billboard

A week ago, some office space at the corner of North Division and West Main Streets lay vacant with a few Albero for Mayor signs in the window.

 

Last Friday a Salisbury businessman offered to pay twice the regular rent (over $1,000 per month) for a two month lease.  Is the Plaza going to host a new business?  Hardly.  When asked why he wanted the property, the replay was simple and straight forward, "There's an election!".  Now Jim Ireton and Jake Day campaigns are the beneficiaries of Salisbury's most expensive bill board:

Imagine it; supporters of Jim Ireton and Jake Day are so desperate that they are willing to pay almost any price to promote the campaigns of their chosen candidates. 

A Tale of Two Stories - Part III

Accuracy of Reporting
Doesn't Equate to Fairness

Sunday we examined Jeremy Cox's front page piece on Salisbury mayoral candidate (and SBYNews publisher) Joe Albero.  Yesterday we looked at its companion piece on incumbent mayor Jim Ireton and his penchant for control.  As we noted in Part I, Cox's Albero piece was accurate but lacked fairness.  We admit that fairness is, at best, a highly subjective concept.  We also admit that IF a reader looks at both articles (Albero HERE, Ireton HERE) IN THEIR ENTIRETY he or she would not believe that the Daily Times had hacked Albero to ribbons while publishing a puff piece on Ireton.  However, it is the middle ground, where you examine tone and what was left out that is a subject for concern.  We also live in the real world and know that not all readers examine an article in its entirety or read critically.

Mirror Images

Look at the titles of the two articles:

ALBERO: Candidate haunted by past blog posts

vs.

Ireton: Incumbent says he speaks for city

Look at the leads for both articles:

From birther conspiracies to local blurbs attributed to the likes of “men in trench coat-like jackets,” Salisbury News has distinguished itself as a safe haven for mainstream-eschewing news and viewpoints.

vs.

Serving as the unofficial spokesman and public face of the municipality is one of the most important, if unwritten, functions of the mayor in any city. Think Rudy Giuliani in New York City or Cory Booker in Newark, N.J.

What's YOUR impression?  My view is that it appears you are about to be reading something negative about Albero and the Ireton article is positive.  In reality, both pieces are negative.  They just happen to be mirror images.  The Albero article starts off with a negative tone while the Ireton piece starts off positively.

Just as I argued that there are a few suspect facts and a glaring omission in the Albero piece, there are even more glaring omissions in the Ireton piece.  Nowhere is there any mention of Ireton's repeated attempts to influence media coverage (remember the DT sending reporter Sarah Lake to take part in a private political strategy session) and his refusing to allow the city council access to staff is barely glossed over.  Let's not forget that the reason the council changed the charter to put the city attorney under the council was because Ireton prohibited the city attorney from meeting with the council.

Less Than Perfect Reporting OR Excessive Editorial Influence?

You don't need to lie or even misreport facts to be biased.  The two previous posts provide ample evidence that tone and choosing what facts to OMIT can change an objectively neutral article into one that is PERCEIVED as positive or negative.

I know that Cox did a fair amount of research for these two articles.  Therefore I have to ask - were these omissions, and the tone of each article deliberate on the part of Mr. Cox or was it the result of heavy handed work by his editor(s)?   Four years ago, a DT reporter took the unusual step of demanding that their byline be removed if editors continued to change the tone of certain articles written during the last mayoral election.  While all of the editors involved no longer work for either Gannett or the Daily Times, we know that the precedent does exist.

We can only hope that coverage of city politics and government will improve during this election.  Mr. Cox is doing a far better job than his two immediate predecessors.  Yet, I think the voters of Salisbury deserve more over the coming weeks.

Part I

Part II

G. A. Harrison is a former editor of Salisbury News and a guest contributor.  He also writes at the DelMarVa Observer.

M&T Faces Challenges After Bumpy Transition

The signs in front of the branches still say Wilmington Trust. But not for long.

On Friday, temporary covers will be pulled off, revealing the M&T Bank logo for the first time. After 108 years in business, Wilmington Trust's history as a retail powerhouse in Delaware will end.

For a state that tends to revere its local institutions, it will be another wistful moment, much like the takeover of Happy Harry's by Walgreens. For thousands of customers, it will mean the end of a long relationship, and the beginning of one that carries some uncertainty.

And for rival banks, it will be an opportunity to capitalize on any discontent that may arise.

READ MORE …

Is Crime Reduction Part of Trend?

Violent crime in Salisbury and the Lower Eastern Shore was down significantly last year.  This follows a statewide reduction.  Police officials cite many possible reasons for the reduction, including better information.

READ MORE …

Goodbye Summer, Hello New Taxes?

The legislature's special legislative session in October is supposed to be limited and quick. The to-do list includes approving a new congressional district map for the state, and not much else.

But with Maryland facing a projected $1 billion shortfall, budget debates in Washington putting future federal contributions in question and Wall Street rating agencies re-evaluating the state's creditworthiness, Annapolis leaders could add taxes to the agenda.

Asked about the possibility of an October revenue debate, Gov. Martin O'Malley signaled a degree of openness to the idea.

"We give all sorts of thoughts to all sorts of things," he told reporters this week. "It is very, very fluid."

READ MORE …

Great Debate: Sen. Obama Vs. President Obama

Would Senator Barack Obama disagree with the actions and statements of President Barack Obama? That question gets a closer look in the video ‘The Great Debate’.

Among the issues touched on is President Obama’s current decision to have the Attorney General’s office on the Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA).

“I told you I was against the Defense – the so called - Defense Of Marriage Act. I’ve long supported efforts to pass a repeal through Congress,” President Obama said in June of 2011.

READ MORE …

Is Nebraska’s Cash Balance Pension a Model?

Nebraska takes an approach to managing its public pension system that is unusual among the states. It does not offer its employees and legislators a traditional fixed-benefit pension or a health care plan when they retire.   

Instead, Nebraska state employees hired since 2003 join what public pension analysts call a “cash balance” retirement plan, which includes features of both a traditional defined benefit pension and a 401(k)-style system. The hybrid plan is getting new attention from other states searching for alternatives to the decades-old defined benefit system whose cost is rising as Baby Boomers retire and pension portfolios recover from record losses during the Great Recession.   

Kansas, Maryland, Montana and Pennsylvania lawmakers took a look this year at proposals shifting from traditional pensions to cash balance plans. Though none was approved, interest in cash balance systems continues because lawmakers looking to slash public pension costs are discovering that their preferred alternative — changing from a traditional defined benefit to a 401(k)-style plan — is initially too expensive or faces strong opposition from politically powerful labor unions.

READ MORE …

Federal Budget Cuts Could Devastate Maryland Economy

Maryland’s economy would suffer disproportionately from the likely downsizing of the federal government in coming years, perhaps losing 150,000 jobs if the 22% reduction in spending recommended by the president’s budget commission were implemented, a new report says.

The report commissioned by business group Blueprint Maryland and done by Anirban Basu’s Sage Policy Group paints a bleak picture of state economy that “has come to rely heavily upon the federal government as a source of economic vitality.”

“The state has arguably taken prosperity for granted,” said the report. “The business climate has become unappealing, which has translated into outmigration from Maryland to other states of both people and businesses.”

“The business climate is associated with high taxes, high energy costs, high land costs, collective bargaining, health insurance mandates and a poor reputation,” the report said. If the federal government downsizes, “Maryland will need to attract significant private sector investment to offset the loss in economic activity.”

But that will be difficult because “Maryland is not properly positioned to take advantage of its array of economic developments amenities, including its scientific and technical talent, its highly competitive public school system, intermodal transportation network, phenomenal spending power, and high quality of life.”

These should make the state appealing, “but conducting business here has become far more difficult than it should be.”

READ MORE …

Baltimore County Schools Cut Teachers, Adds to Bureaucracy

At a time when Baltimore County schools are cutting nearly 200 teaching positions, the system has added three dozen new employees to the business side of its operations at salaries that total $1.9 million.

An analysis of data supplied by the school system shows that it could have saved as many as 42 teaching positions and kept class sizes lower if it had frozen hiring for non-school-based jobs in January, when it was clear that spending reductions would be necessary.

Instead, the school system hired administrators, curriculum supervisors, technology experts, grounds workers, accountants and others, amounting to $1.9 million in annual salaries. Of the 35 people added, $1.2 million was spent to hire 11 employees who make more than $80,000 apiece, including a deputy superintendent, Renee Foose, whose salary is $219,000, according to data released last week.

READ MORE …

It seems that Wicomico County Public Schools aren’t the only ones who prefer growing the bureaucracy over teaching the kids. – Ed.

Mixed Verdict for Privatization

The elected officials of Sandy Springs, Ga., convened for their first-ever government meeting a minute after midnight in the rented office space that would become their city hall.

They had no tax revenue. No employees. Not even desks and chairs to call their own.

What they had on Dec. 1, 2005, was a handshake deal with an international management company to rent a ready-made city government. The following minutes -- and months -- showed that was enough.

"At that meeting, we had a fully operational city," said Oliver Porter, the white-haired Georgian who suggested the bold outsourcing plan and led the charge to carry it out in Sandy Springs.

More than five years after Sandy Springs incorporated, officials are still operating with a skeleton staff and a mammoth contract, gaining notoriety as the city that successfully outsourced almost everything. And Porter now says Frederick County should think about following suit.

In the report that Frederick County officials hired Porter to write, the consultant relied on his experience launching Sandy Springs and four other Georgia cities to predict commissioners could save hundreds of millions in tax dollars by letting private industry handle services now provided by more than 520 government employees.

READ MORE …

Maryland Poised to Become Cultural Ground Zero in 2012

Maryland is poised to become ground zero for cultural issues next year, with a voter referendum set to determine tuition rates for illegal immigrants and another potentially on the way to decide whether same-sex couples can marry in the state.

With the announcement that Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley will sponsor a same-sex marriage bill next year, opponents are already gearing up for a voter challenge to what nearly became law this year.

"I believe it has a good chance of passing," acknowledged Del. Pat McDonough, R-Baltimore County, a vocal opponent of same-sex matrimony. "If if does pass, it'll definitely end up in a voter referendum. Conservatives and religious people against gay marriage are going to show up to vote en masse."

Such a push would mirror a successful campaign by opponents of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants, who gathered more than 100,000 signatures against the controversial legislation -- more than double the total needed to land the issue on the ballot in 2012.

However, some say it would be unwise to view the tuition debate as a precursor to efforts to block gay marriage, assuming it is approved by the General Assembly next year.

READ MORE …

Maryland Redistricting Has Element of Racial Friction

Few states’ delegations in the House of Representatives pack the political punch of little blue Maryland. Among its eight members is a Democratic juggernaut: the House minority whip and ranking members of the powerful budget, intelligence and oversight committees.

The eight also stand out as collectively far more white than the Maryland they have come to represent, the 2010 Census showed. Just a quarter of the state’s representatives are African American even though minorities, most of them blacks, now make up nearly half of the state’s population.

As Maryland’s redistricting process begins, African Americans in and out of state government are increasingly split over whether their top priority should be to push to redraw lines to ensure better representation for blacks or to protect Maryland’s white incumbents because of the coveted positions of power they have attained on Capitol Hill.

Maryland’s legislative black caucus has endorsed a strategy to protect incumbents’ districts while “preserving and strengthening” the two that are represented by African Americans. A grass-roots group in Prince George’s County, backed by the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, says that’s not good enough.

READ MORE …

GO HERE to see an excellent graphic of the potential impact of redistricting on Maryland’s incumbent members of Congress.

A Little Pork Here, A Little Pork There …

The following was submitted by a reader.  This is a list of cuts proposed by those mean, heartless Republicans:

• Corporation for Public Broadcasting Subsidy. $445 million annual savings.
• Save America 's Treasures Program. $25 million annual savings.
• International Fund for Ireland . $17 million annual savings.
• Legal Services Corporation. $420 million annual savings.
• National Endowment for the Arts. $167.5 million annual savings.
• National Endowment for the Humanities. $167.5 million annual savings.
• Hope VI Program.. $250 million annual savings.
• Amtrak Subsidies. $1.565 billion annual savings.
• Eliminate duplicative education programs. H.R. 2274 (in last Congress), authored by Rep. McKeon, eliminates 68 at a savings of $1.3 billion annually.
• U.S. Trade Development Agency. $55 million annual savings.
• Woodrow Wilson Center Subsidy. $20 million annual savings.
• Cut in half funding for congressional printing and binding. $47 million annual savings.
• John C. Stennis Center Subsidy. $430,000 annual savings.
• Community Development Fund. $4.5 billion annual savings.
• Heritage Area Grants and Statutory Aid. $24 million annual savings.
• Cut Federal Travel Budget in Half. $7.5 billion annual savings.
• Trim Federal Vehicle Budget by 20%. $600 million annual savings.
• Essential Air Service. $150 million annual savings.
• Technology Innovation Program. $70 million annual savings.
• Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program. $125 million annual savings.
• Department of Energy Grants to States for
• Weatherization. $530 million annual savings.
• Beach Replenishment. $95 million annual savings.
• New Starts Transit. $2 billion annual savings.
• Exchange Programs for Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Their Historical Trading Partners in Massachusetts . $9 million annual savings. What the hell is this anyway…?
• Intercity and High Speed Rail Grants. $2.5 billion annual savings.
• Title X Family Planning. $318 million annual savings.
• Appalachian Regional Commission. $76 million annual savings.
• Economic Development Administration. $293 million annual savings.
• Programs under the National and Community Services Act. $1.15 billion annual savings.
• Applied Research at Department of Energy. $1.27 billion annual savings.
• FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership. $200 million annual savings.
• Energy Star Program. $52 million annual savings.
• Economic Assistance to Egypt . $250 million annually.
• U.S. Agency for International Development. $1.39 billion annual savings.
• General Assistance to District of Columbia . $210 million annual savings.
• Subsidy for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. $150 million annual savings.
• Presidential Campaign Fund. $775 million savings over ten years.
• No funding for federal office space acquisition. $864 million annual savings.
• End prohibitions on competitive sourcing of government services. Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act. More than $1 billion annually.
• IRS Direct Deposit: Require the IRS to deposit fees for services it offers (such as processing payment plans for taxpayers) to the Treasury, instead of allowing payments to remain as part of its budget. $1.8 billion savings over ten years.
• Require collection of unpaid taxes by federal employees. $1 billion total savings.          (WHAT THE .…!This  shouldn't be even necessary to list if the IRS is doing their job, right?)
• Prohibit taxpayer funded union activities by federal employees. $1.2 billion savings over ten years.
• Sell excess federal properties the government does not make use of. $15 billion total savings.
• Eliminate Mohair Subsidies. $1 million annual savings.
• Eliminate taxpayer subsidies to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.$12.5 million annual savings.
• Eliminate Market Access Program. $200 million annual savings.
• USDA Sugar Program. $14 million annual savings.
• Subsidy to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).$93 million annual savings.
• Eliminate the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program. $56.2 million annual savings.
• Eliminate fund for Obamacare administrative costs. $900 million savings.
• Ready to Learn TV Program. $27 million savings.
• Eliminate death gratuity for Members of Congress.
• HUD Ph.D. Program.
• Deficit Reduction Check-Off Act
   
  TOTAL SAVINGS: $2.5 Trillion over Ten Years

Now this doesn’t get us out of the red; but it’s a great place to start!

I’m sure the folks over in Ocean City won’t agree with the beach replenishment.  I doubt cane farmers in Florida would agree that the sugar subsidy is wasteful (although it’s one of the worst examples).  And therein lies the problem.  Every one of these programs (believe it or not) has a constituency.

We need to do something; that’s for sure.  As I said, these examples seem like an awful good place to start!

Thanks to DP for the heads up! – Ed.

Obama At His Most Sanctimonious, Arrogant

Late Friday afternoon, President Barack Obama went to the White House press room after House Speaker John Boehner reportedly walked away from the debt-ceiling negotiation.

He had some very stern words about Boehner and the Republicans in the House. But Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer wasn’t impressed with Obama’s anger.

During Friday’s “Special Report” on the Fox News Channel, Krauthammer said this was Obama at his worst.

“This is Obama at his most sanctimonious, demagogic, self-righteous and arrogant,” Krauthammer said. “And given the baseline, it wasn’t a pretty sight. Look, he started out by summoning the leaders of Congress – summoning on them at 11:00, who does he think he is? In the American system, the executive and Congress are coequal … The way he demanded their appearance in the Oval Office I thought was disgraceful,” Krauthammer said

READ MORE …

“Too Big To Fail” Law Seen As Too Weak to Work

A year after the enactment of a sweeping Wall Street reform law, evidence is growing that it failed in its main mission of ending taxpayer bailouts of global banks considered “too big to fail.”

Despite an outright ban on bailouts written into the legislation, Wall Street investors and credit agencies remain skeptical that the government will not step in again to prevent any downfall of major banks such as Bank of America, Citigroup or JP Morgan. Those financial goliaths have only grown in size and power, making it more certain that they would bring down much of the financial system with them.

The most concrete sign that the banks still enjoy an implicit guarantee from the government is that none of the top banks has been downgraded since the legislation was enacted, even though their high credit ratings for years have been based on the expectation that the government would prevent any catastrophic failure of the bank that would harm the bank’s creditors.

Standard & Poor’s Corp. last week pointedly disputed the often-stated claim on Capitol Hill that the legislation had put an end to “too big to fail” and the era of federal bailouts.

READ MORE …

Another Town to Give Up Lord’s Prayer

Tradition continues to fall here on DelMarVa. One more symptom of the cultural decline of our great nation. It appears that Rock Hall will be joining Salisbury and Sussex County in jettisoning the Lord’s Prayer from its council meetings:

Thursday night, Mayor Bob Willis announced as the meeting started that the recitation might be the last: "We need to give this a good hard look, see what our options are, and where we want to go with this, with opening up the town meeting with the Lord's Prayer."

Town resident Gren Whitman contacted Willis by letter June 10, asking the council to pick an alternative to the Lord's Prayer, which he said is specifically denominational.

If prayers at government meetings endorse one religious group, they are unconstitutional.

At the beginning of the meeting, Whitman joined everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance, and sat down during the prayer.

There is a big difference between Rock Hall, Sussex County and Salisbury. In Rock Hall’s case, Whitman was man enough to stand up and object. In Sussex County they were threatened with a lawsuit. In Salisbury, our city council, sans councilwomen Debbie Campbell and Shanie Shields, thought that somebody MIGHT be offended.

Sussex should have waited UNTIL a law suit was actually filed. Salisbury should have not done anything. While we commend Mr. Whitman for his gumption, Rock Hall should also stand firm; at least until (or IF) a lawsuit is filed.

For all of you naysayers out there – I can’t wait until the Pledge of Allegiance goes as well. One more tradition gone. One more step down the ladder of cultural decline.