City Council Meeting 9-11-06

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As you know I have been under the weather these past few days and today hasn't been any better then the rest.

However, Jennifer asked me if I'd like to watch the DVD of the Council Meeting Monday night and I agreed.

All I can tell you so far is this. They should be very greatful I wasn't there in person.

Barrie Tilghman was wearing the "only" jacket she seems to own, you know, the old yellow one. I'm just thankful she's wearing a jacket at all, following her track record. Nevertheless Barrie, change your Monday color, OK?

The name calling on the Council's bahalf in e-mails internally and to Citizens was unbelievable! Mike Dunn, you can dish it out but you can't take it? These Citizens weren't calling any of you names! They were reading what you people were calling them!

Nevertheless, it's a sight to see and like I said, I'll do my best to get something out there as you only need to see the first 15 minutes of the DVD anyway for public comment.

Randy Taylor, (neighbor) you are NOT going to like having me as your new neighbor, that's for sure! That had to be the biggest butt kissing contest I have ever seen. I can assure you that Randy Taylor was well prepared by his new butt kissing buddy and new partner in business Barrie Tilghman to state everything he did.

Oh Mike, where are those 100 people that you personally stated supported the project? Jennifer said you missed it by 99 as Randy was the only one out of a hundred. What do they call that new business the Mayor and Randy are putting together, a CDC? (Community Developement Corporation) More to come on that subject........

Once Again, Where's The Zoo Security? Oh, That's Right, It's Friday!

Today's Zoo Pictures

Do You Remember This Photo?

Not that long ago I posted several photos of animals needing to be adopted by the Humane Society. This 9 year old female German Shepherd was a beautiful dog and from what I hear the older dogs don't have much luck with adoption.

Well I have some fantastic news! A friend of mine approached me last night with a gleam in their eyes and I was not prepared to hear what they were about to tell me.

They saw the picture on this Blog Site and went in and adopted this dog right away. She is doing fantastic and has even lost about 40 pounds. The owners couldn't be happier and once again it proves the Blog Sites work!

Between dogs, horses, accountability at the Zoo, we're making a positive difference and I thank all of you for participating. Please don't forget the Humane Society if you're even remotely interested in a pet.

I'm Ahead By This Much

Can you imagine if all the Independent Voters had the chance to vote how different this outcome might be?

B.J. Corbin came out late and still put up an outstanding campaign and there's still a chance the man could win.

Nevertheless, you have to always respect the fact that Alessi is in fact ahead and could possibly pull off a win. If so, think about just how many Republicans will be voting for a Democrat in November.

I attended last nights forum and Alessi was once again a no show while B.J. Corbin showed up in the very least to see how and where everyone stands. I guess Ron feels, who cares, they'll all be listening to me if I win anyway.

A Daily Times Reporter Is Way Out Of Line!

Monique Lewis was recently visiting the Salisbury Zoo when she came upon a friend of mine who was there taking pictures with one of his new cameras.

The next thing he knew, Monique walked right up to him and said, are you taking those pictures for the Blog Sites?

The Times must be awefully scared about how and what we're doing because our hits on site meter tell us quite a few hits a day come from Gannett Publications. Stick that one in your hat Greg Bassett!

Leave the Visitors alone.

PAC 14 Update

PAC 14 will not rebroadcast until Monday at 6:00 p.m. & Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.

An Important Message From Veterinarian Dr. Jimmy Tragle

I took the day off to go to Snow Hill for the purpose of testifying in yet another animal cruelty case. These are often frustrating as the defendants all seem to know how to play the system in hopes the witnesses will tire of taking time off to go to court only to have to reschedule because they've not obtained legal representation yet, want a jury trial, etc. In the past it has not been unusual to have to take at least three days off and spend them sitting in court all day waiting for my turn on the stand only to have the trial put off.

Yesterday was the second time I went to court on this case, and actually probably the fifth time I'd been to court for the same defendant. I testified against him five years ago in a case that was remarkably similar and had to go in at least three times back then. In the original case he and his girlfriend left 3 dogs, a couple of ferrets and a cat in the house they were renting after having a dispute with the ownerof the house. They came in over a period of time to leave food in the house, but never cleaned up after the animals or let them outside. That original location was awful and I am glad I only got to look at the photographs rather than enter the place for the first hand experience. The animals were in poor condition but most of them recovered nicely. If I remember correctly one of the dogs had to be put down because it had been in the house with no human contact since it was a puppy and wasn't very receptive to interacting with people. I don't recall the exact outcome of that trial, but both defendants (in two separate trials - ho hum, more time off from work) were ordered to not have animals in their possession for a period of two years. I believe there were fines involved and as well as suspended jail terms.

Fast forward to last March and bring in a new landlord victim as well as a few more animals. The house was in pretty much the same state as the other one. It all came to light when a neighbor called the owner/landlord and complained that they could smell urine from the street. The landlord went to the property and knocked on the door only to be greeted by barking dogs. No tenants answered. She left a note asking them to contact her and they didn't. On a subsequent visit no one would respond at the front door, but as she was leaving the man came from behind the house to tell her "there wasn't anything she could do to them."

Her next step was to initiate eviction procedures as well as file complaints with theWorcester County Animal Control. The animals were collected and two were laterbrought to my office where I examined them. One was a really nice dog that had a really bad problem with its skin as well as being a bit underweight. The other was a long haired cat that weighed about half what is should have, was covered with fleas, and had diarrhea all matted in the hair around its rear end.

What I learned in court yesterday was they'd pretty much done the same with these as far as feeding and cleaning. That is to say, a 50 lb bag of dog food (no cat food forthe cat) was ripped open and the animals were left to pick out of it on their own.Water was only available from a toilet. There was feces and urine all over the house on the bed, on a couch, down in the central AC vents, all over the floor. The house originally had horse hair plaster in it and all that had to be ripped out as the smell was pretty well locked into it. Unlike the first home where they'd left the animals alone THEY WERE LIVING IN THIS MESS!

His girlfriend has not been served as she hasn't been found yet. He on the other hand has been living with his parents. I'm not certain of his age but there's a bit of snow on the roof if you get what I mean. His defense was the animals were his girlfriend's pets, not his and that he'd moved out at the end of February. The landlord's first time to the house was March 8. He was there around March 10. Not that it makes any difference as the house obviously had been accumulating filth for a long, long time.

For his troubles he was found guilty of two counts of animal neglect. Before sentencing he informed the judge that he was living with his parents as they needed his care (scary) and that he was always having to drive them places as they were dependent upon him for transportation. The judge was not impressed and sentenced him to 90 days for each count to be served consecutively. He'll undoubtedly be let out in 4 months for good behavior if he doesn't screw up in jail. However, this is the harshest sentence I've ever seen delivered for animal neglect on any case I've been in as an expert witness. He wasn't excluded from pet ownership for any time period though, and I'd have liked that to have been part of the sentence. I think perhaps that was down to a lack of discussion between myself, animal control, and the DA.

What I found amusing was that his parents left together (he wasn't allowed to leave) and were walking a few yards ahead of the animal control officer, the home owner, and myself. They got into their car and drove off just fine. I felt sorry for them as they looked like nice folks. I am certain their son's behavior was quite troubling to them. All things considered, I'm satisfied with the outcome. It was a pleasure working with the judge and prosecution. I am looking forward to testifying again once his girlfriend has been located.

PRMC

In all fairness to PRMC, I received numerous calls and e-mail messages challenging the status of PRMC's Trauma Level. Some years ago it used to be a level 2 but for the most part has been a level 3 for quite some time. They are still a level 3 and they are in fact receiving trauma patients as normal. The information I had received was incorrect and needed to be corrected.

Guess What I Found?

Ladies and Gentlemen,












Today I present to you something the Mayor and most of this Council never dreamed of. What if I were to tell you I have a perfectly clear DVD copy of the Pac 14 meeting last Monday night?

That's right, I have it and it's NOT edited and it's clear enough for Pac 14 to use, if they'd like? Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to get a call? If I don't I'm going to make several copies for those of you that were as unfortunate as me not making the meeting. Oh, we'll also copy the edited edition and contact a lawyer soon after.

What did I tell you about Karma Barrie?

South Loses Big. Roberts Loses Even Bigger

It is rumored that Chris South had more signs on properties than he got in total votes?

It is also rumored that Robin Roberts borrowed some $35,000.00 for his own personal campaign, got dunked in the dunking machine several times and while doing so broke a finger by catching his ring on another piece of metal in the tank.

OUCH!

Stuck Again!

Yesterday there was at least a 1/2 hour delay because of the Draw Bridge in Downtown Salisbury.

People were trying to take the back roads after being frustrated for so long and that too created problems.

This happened at 12:00 noon where anyone heading to lunch lost their entire lunch 1/2 hour or hour sitting and watching the metal on a Draw Bridge. Yahoo!

The Pac 14 Scam

PAC 14 is not doing the rebroadcast of the Monday City Council meeting asposted on its schedule. We were told they have "technical problems" not sure when it will be rebroadcast or when the problems will be fixed.

If you're interested you can call PAC 14 @ (410-677-5014) and ask that it be rebroadcast as soon as problems are fixed and a note on the screen when it can be viewed? Otherwise, who knows if they will put it on so people cansee Barrie and Mike in action.....

Real Estate Ethics Violation!

David Moore did NOT flip this property. The Rinnier Group have "illegally" placed this sign on the building as well as others to advertise they are the agents who sold the building.

However, there are VERY strict rules referencing signs and the reality of it is, they did NOT list the property, therefore they cannot post such said signs.

They are trying to claim sine they represented their client in the purchase of the building, they are the selling agents. Nice try fellas but you're breaking the law, you have no permits for these signs and they must come down immediately. If not, I'll contact the Real Estate Ethics Committee and have them handle it.

No Fly Zone

I saw this plane flying over the WWTP yesterday. Has the Mayor actually created a No Fly Zone over the Plant?

Other Winners Last Night

Forgive me for posting these photos so late, Blogger wasn't cooperating with me last night and after two days of barely any sleep I needed some rest.

It has been an honor working with "all" of the Candidates in "all" of the races. My dear old friend Jim Mathias has moved one step cloer to his dream and goal and the Albero Family is very proud of him.

These photos were taken somewhere around 1:00 a.m. in Salisbury.

Just A Few Highlights From Mikes Camp Tonight.

Old Mall Development Plans Blocked

Friday’s Times headline article, “Old mall development plans blocked,” gave Salisbury residents yet another taste of what our mayor and some city council members think about those city residents who are, indeed, patriots.

Government must consistently act openly and within the law, and provide the people with the complete truth behind its actions. It is necessary and correct that those living in a democratic society continually question government, especially when faults in government may exist. Those who question those faults protect the interests of the people and make government work to its fullest potential. This nation, our United States, was founded upon the questioning of government, and the Constitution created to guarantee and promote that precious ability. The visionaries who created it, some of our original patriots, saw that unfettered government was dangerous government.

The Times’ article omitted an important paragraph from the ruling document of Circuit Court Judge W. Newton Jackson, a quote that amplified his decision: “It is simply incompatible with democratic government, or indeed, even with fair government, to have the meaning of the law determined by what the lawgiver meant, rather than by what the lawgiver promulgated. (A. Scalia, A Matter of Interpretation, Princeton University Press, 1997)”

Government behaving the way that Salisbury’s does, repeatedly expecting its citizens to turn a blind eye to misdeeds and half truths is more than just disappointing; it is arrogant, irresponsible and dangerous. Our city council and mayor must follow the letter of the law in every aspect of their official actions. Failing to do so, then lambasting those who invest their time, intelligence, experience and financial resources to monitor them, their failures are only compounded, and foolishly so. This is certainly not the first time in recent memory that those council members and our mayor have laid blame upon others to deflect public opinion, rather than, with civility and humility, admit error and graciously move on to putting Salisbury’s house in order.

The concerned citizens who launched the Mall suit, Linda Kent, Dave Suiter, Terry Cohen, Kate Manizade and their many supporters deserve a standing ovation, not censure, for doing their patriotic duty to ensure that the people are heard and insisting that our government behaves appropriately and in a manner that benefits us all.

Today's Wildlife Photos

Little Big Man and Ghost were having a field day playing in the pond and running around the pasture.

There Are NO Excuses Not To Vote!

Even this patient was dragging intravenous and oxygen just to get to the polls!

What's your excuse 82%?