LLOYD Visits OC 104

UNIVERSAL RECORDING ARTIST LLOYD MADE A STOP IN GEORGETOWN, DELAWARE TO THE WOCQ (OC104/Salisbury/Ocean City, Md.) STUDIOS ON TUESDAY, MARCH 25TH TO PROMOTE HIS NEW SINGLE & ALBUM.

PICTURED FROM L TO R ARE PD DEE-LITE, POOT, SWEEET ALFIE, LLOYD, JESSICA, CROOKIDD, APD/MD BILL BAKER "THE RUMPSHAKER", & CHUBB LOVE.

Housing Market Crash "Quote of the Week"

"What started in subprime is likely to continue cascading into the markets and keep the economy down until 2010, Bottom line for homeowners: An average drop of 25%."

Princeton Economist & New York Times Columnist Paul Krugman

The Daily Times Can't Get It Right

While The Daily Times had a feature article yesterday in the Business Section titled, House sales rise unexpectedly in February, today the Associated Press put out the following statement. Sales of new homes fell in February for the fourth straight month, pushing activity down to a 13-year low as the steep slump in housing continued.

The Daily Times stated sales rose 2.9% in February, yet today's article stated sales dropped 1.8 percent last month. That would be FEBRUARY, wouldn't it?

Oh well, while you're PAYING for their news and information, you're not getting your moneys worth, IMO.

Don't Let Rebates Fool You

Last month I went out and bought a new 2008 Toyota Pickup Truck. I made every attempt to do so right here in the Salisbury area but no one was willing to budge lower than the Factory Rebate, swearing there's no real profit and they're in huge demand.

My Son told me about a friend of his who worked at a dealership, Car Max in Jessup Maryland who would be willing to give me a great deal on one. This Dealership is set up to make a one time offer with a discount and there's no haggling past that price. Considering this was thousands of dollars less than what our area could offer, I made the trip over the Bridge to see if this was for real or not?

When I arrived, we looked over a fantastic selection and I asked, do you have one in black? They did not but they were happy to look at another Dealer close by to see if they had one. The Salesman said he had located one, why don't we go to lunch and he'd have it there at their Dealership in an hour.

By the time we returned from lunch, there it was. It was exactly what we wanted and the price was more than reasonable. On Monday I went to the Delaware Motor Vehicle to pay the taxes and get the tags and to my surprise, they charged taxes on the rebate.

Considering the taxes were only around 3%, who cares. However, when you're purchasing a vehicle and you get a rebate, know they will charge you taxes on that rebate. That was my experience anyway.

Idiot Eludes Wicomico County Sheriff's Deputy

While Deputy Joel Arnold was doing a routine speed trap on Jersey Road he pulled over this vehicle. He walked up to the car and just as soon as he got to the drivers side window, the Idiot took off like a bat out of hell. Racing down Jersey Road he failed to negotiate a turn near Adkins Road, swerved across the road, hit a power line pole and went airborne while landing on the hood of the vehicle. Deputy Arnold stated he had been in excess of 100 mph during the chase.

A Chopper was brought in but the diver was conscious when they extracted him from the vehicle so they took him to PRMC in an Ambulance. They did find a large bag of weed on the scene.

Why the Wicomico Park Deal Smells of a Sweetheart Deal

IF the Wicomico County Council is truly serious about being good fiscal stewards then they can't possibly vote for buying the Davis property for use as a park. I truly hope that our elected officials do take their responsibility seriously.

There are many excellent reasons for putting a new park on the west side of the Salisbury metro core. Those of us that were able to attend Tuesday night's public hearing heard them. Unfortunately for the park proponents, they were unable to present any valid argument for the county putting the park on THAT PARTICULAR PIECE OF LAND. Instead, the proponents would gloss over the "appraisal problem" and go straight to "it's for the children".

Now I don't mean to ridicule the proponents of the park. I'm the first to admit that I have an innate prejudice against such an argument due to eight years of Bill Clinton in the White House. I'm still waiting for Clinton to claim that he stained Monica Lewinsky's dress because it was "for the children".

Nevertheless, opponents of the park provided too many alternatives to putting a park on the sight advocated by County parks chief Gary Mackes. While I didn't agree with all of the proposed alternatives (such as using a small, unobtrusive section of Pemberton Historical Park) these alternatives should be thoroughly explored. Since the vast majority of the park proponents want ball fields, one alternative seemed particularly interesting - a parcel that the county already owns just a few miles up Nanticoke Road.

To make matters worse, no proponent of the park seems to be able to overcome the "appraisal problem". Why should the taxpayers pay $18,000 per acre for property when there is other land nearby available for far less? This isn't speculation. One lady, a Mrs. Black, stood up and stated that her farm is for sale and she has been unable to sell it at $5,000 per acre.

I understand that the Davis property has been subdivided and that it's value should be higher. So what? If land is available nearby, for a far cheaper price, doesn't it make sense to sacrifice a little convenience (location) to save the taxpayers a sizable chunk of change?

IF Mr. Mackes had presented alternative sites to the public. ... IF Mr. Mackes made a semi-objective case for each piece of property. ... IF Mr. Mackes was willing to publicly defend his choice in comparison to the other alternatives, that might make a difference with the public.

Mackes was quite forthcoming one on one. He makes a good argument for several of the problems I have seen with this proposal. Unfortunately, the milk seems to be spoiled. When you have citizens coming to a public hearing and offering to sell their property because of the high price being offered for the Davis property (and gladly admitting that they can't get anywhere near that amount per acre for their property) the perception is that it's a sweetheart deal. When you add in the fact that the Davises are a prominent and well-connected family, the stench meter goes up a few more notches.

In all fairness, I don't know the Davis family. My only contact with any of them has been my opposition to the Hearne annexation, attending a few events at The Fountains, and listening to one member of the family testify at the education impact fee hearing. Mr. Davis was the only developer who testified in favor of the the education impact fee.

Whether any blame for this fiasco is held by the Davis family is now irrelevant. Any elected official who supports this particular land purchase will be tainted. Unfortunately for our seven council members, they will not have the luxury of straddling the fence as our County Executive has done. To support this purchase smacks of a sweetheart deal, whether it is or not. There is simply too much circumstantial evidence for the public not to conclude otherwise.

cross posted at Delmarva Dealings

Technorati Tags: Maryland, Wicomico, politics, Wicomico politics, Gary Mackes

2ND OPEN GOVT. FORUM STIMULATES CITIZEN INIATIVES

Salisbury City Council members Debbie Campbell and Terry Cohen held their second public input meeting Tuesday night on the topic of increasing transparency in city government. After a brief recap of developments from the previous such forum held in February, participants were introduced to citizen-driven initiatives on budget oversight and governmental accountability taking place in other locales.

Following the presentations, attendees were given an opportunity to toss out questions about a wide variety of topics. Then they broke into workgroups where they defined projects of interest. These included collection of public safety data, a spending affordability analysis for short- and long-term planning, and access to line item financial data of the city, to name a few.

“We were pleased to see a number of new faces during this meeting,” Campbell said, noting that some previous participants also came while others who could not attend noted their desire to stay involved. “These citizens are ready to roll up their sleeves and make a positive contribution,” Campbell added.

Further details from the meeting will be forthcoming on their website, HERE within the next day or two. For more information, contact council members Debbie Campbell, 410-860-0893, debbiescampbell@comcast.net, and Terry Cohen, 410-845-0296, Terry@TerryCohen.com.

West Metro Core Park aka Crooked Oak Park

The two land appraisals used in determining the purchase price for the land for the proposed West Metro Core Park are now public. They are available for review in the County Executive’s Office during regular business hours.

James V. Fineran

Wicomico County Public Information Officer
Government Office Building
125 N. Division Street
Salisbury, MD 21801-4940
410-548-1974
410-548-4803 fax
jfineran@wicomicocounty.org

The Numbers Just Don't Jive

Back on Feb. 21, 2008 I wrote an article about another spill at the WWTP. Ironically, two years ago to that exact date I have put together the very first article about my findings at the Salisbury WWTP. GO HERE to see the original article.

Their numbers are all over the place. A 4 minute spill only released 28,000 gallons of crud into the River. A month or so ago it was a 20 minute spill and only 5,000 gallons of crud. Let me assure you Ladies & Gentlemen, I have a phone message describing the spill and let me assure you, it wasn't pleasant. It explains a fountain of sewage shooting into the air and what started out being almost 200,000 gallons all of a sudden dropped to 5,000 gallons. Whoops, we screwed up the numbers, a valve wasn't working properly.

Like I said yesterday though. There's no way 5,000 gallons or even 20,000 gallons would make it all the way from the Plant area all the way over to the River. Not unless it flows through a pipe directly into the River. Wouldn't it be nice to live in a community whenever the Mayor made a statement everyone would just say, wow, that's a shame. Instead, Salisbury is loaded with BS excuses and once they see the public outcry, the following day they create all new numbers on everything they do.

Then again, who's counting?

Crooked Oak Comments

Last night at the Civic Center many people showed up to voice their opinions about the proposed "park" on Crooked Oak Ln. Although there were about 50 - 60 people, I had hoped that more would attend. The important thing was that people showed up to take part in the democratic process. A great deal of information was shared ranging from property value to soil composition.

Rick Pollitt was not present and thats fine. This was not a question and answer forum and Ricks job was get the matter before the legislative body. It was the Councils responsibility to hear the comments from the public so that they can use the input to represent the will of the people when they vote on this matter.

Now - down to brass tacks. I did not count the number of people for or against "a" park but I believe it was about 50/50. BUT that's not the end of the story. Many of the people who spoke in support of "a" park were not supportive of either a park at that location OR a park which costs more than what is fair.

Those who spoke in favor of a park at that location regardless of the cost seemed to me to be driven by what they perceived to be good for "the children" of Wicomico County. They didn't offer much rebuttle to the claims that the infrastructure couldn't support the park or that the costs to improve the infrastructure would be incredibly high at a time when we are, by some estimates, suffering from a 10 million dollar backlog of road repairs we cannot afford to make. Neither did they rebut, with any substance , the claims that the appraisals were extremely suspect. They seemed to be of the mindset, by and large, that we need a park for the children regardless of the cost or impact.

Those who spoke in opposition to the purchase of the land at that location for a park seemed to have taken the time to either gather facts or engage in thought relating to the impact this park would have. I was part of this group. Let me say that I went to this meeting with an open mind AND the opinion that we don't need another park. When I left, I was of the opinion that we do need another park....but that we should use land we already have.

As I mentioned in my earlier post prior to last nights meeting, I had been in contact with John Cannon and Rick Pollitt in attempts to get some questions answered as well as to get copies of the appraisals for review. I was unable to get them in time for the meeting so I contacted an appraiser and a real estate agent. I was told by this appraiser that a fair market value of this property (with which he was familiar) was approx. $1,250,000.00. The real estate agent conducted a market analysis of the property in question which resulted in a price of approx. $1,185,000.00. I trust the aforementioned sources without question and have ALWAYS found them to be on the money. The two appraisals completed at the direction of the County Exec. are now avail. for review. I got an e-mail from Rick Pollitt yesterday at about 1:00 p.m. I intend to get copies of these appraisals and have my appraiser render his opinion. The fact is I want to know for sure if the cost for this land is as ridiculously high as it seems. I believe that the appraisals are way way too high. When I gave my opinion last night I expressed that this land deal stinks. I explained that I wasn't accusing anyone of wrongdoing but that in light of recent events there is a feeling that the county is crooked and that this deal wreaks of impropriety. If Rick Pollitt and this Council want to rebuild the trust of their citizens in their government, they MUST avoid deals like this at all costs.

In support of the figures I presented last night, many people stood to state that they also belived the cost per acre ($18,000.00) was way too high. One couple currently have a 200 acre farm with 4 wells for sale in Hebron, which is not too far from the property in question. This property has been listed for sale for two years. It is listed at $6000.00 per acre and they have been told that the price per acre is about $1400.00 per acre too high! This may be a viable alternative.

Another gentleman stood to advise that he has a couple of parcels which, I think, total 70 acres right on Rt. 50 in Hebron with access to major roads that would appear to be able to handle the increase in traffic without the disruption of local rural neighborhoods.

I don't know Gary Mackes. I didn't even know what he looked like until last night. Admittedly, I've never had a high opinion of him due to the fact that I believe he has been instrumental in creating a situation where OUR high school students have to go to another county to have their prom (This is a battle which I will most assuredly fight at another time). Despite this fact, if the statements made relating to the ten year search for property for a park on the west side of Wicomico county are true, then Mr. Mackes has failed to do enough to actively seek real estate that would fit the bill in a manner which would make the best use of taxpayers money. Plain and simple.

I have heard from Rick Pollitt that this is not county tax money. That it comes from real estate transfer taxes. This money still belongs to the tax payers. This tax was put in place by our elected officials pursuant to an act of legislation. Legislation could be enacted to re-route this money to the general fund to ease the tax burden on the citizens of this state.

Folks, we are on the brink of $4.00 per gallon gas prices. We have seniors on fixed incomes who must make decisions on what they can cut from their food budget in order to heat their homes. We have families with children who are cutting things from their budget to be able to afford the gas to get back and forth from work. People are being laid off due to a "slump" in our economy which may prove to rival that of the early '80's. In spite of this our state is reaching into the pockets if its citizens to fund a self-imposed 1.4 billion dollar budget deficit, yet they manage to fund projects like "Open Spaces" which permits millions of dollars to be spent by individual counties on land aquisition, then say it's not tax money.

I am asking our local officials to make a stand. Don't spend this money. Send a message to our state legislators that we need to stop this frivolous spending and ease the burden on it's citizens. We cannot justify squandering tax payers money on a local level then demand fiscal restraint at a state and federal level. It has to start right here.

Did Bill McCain Violate Wicomico County Ethics Rules?

It's a rare occasion when I am able to attend a Wicomico County Council meeting. Although I try to watch the meetings on PAC-14, I was unable to watch the March 18, 2008 council meeting. Therefore, it was with great interest that I read a charge made by local blogger Bill Duvall that Wicomico Councilman Bill McCain (D - At-Large) had behaved unethically by performing an appraisal on property that a developer wanted an easement on.

A few days later, Duvall reaffirmed his charge, claiming that he had rechecked the issue. I've deliberately shied away from this issue because I had not been able to view the meeting. Well, I finally got a chance to view the meeting yesterday. Unfortunately, Duvall misstated what occurred.

Here's a synopsis:

- A request for a utility easement was made for the Iott / CrossRoads business park development. McCain immediately stated that he had to recuse himself because he had a business relationship with the developers.

- Councilman Joe Holloway questioned whether or not McCain's actions were ethical.

- No one objected sending the matter to the County Ethics Commission.

Now Holloway was absolutely correct in questioning the matter and questioning McCain's behavior. McCain was not totally clean in the way he handled this. When he told the Council that he would recuse himself, that was it. He should have never entered the discussion over this matter, which he did. In addition, McCain stated that he was recusing himself because of a "business relationship". Now this certainly wasn't a lie, but some people would take McCain's explanation as being less than honest since he had actually done an appraisal on the piece of property in question so that the developers could use it in asking for their easement.

However, Duvall wants to infer something far more nefarious:

The Council was asked to approve the conveyance of the easement in consideration of the payment of a sum to the county determined by an appraisal. Buried deep in the paperwork submitted to the Council was the identity of the appraiser.

Who was it, you ask? Oh no, it can't be Billy Mac, can it? But he never disclosed to the Council or the public that he was double dipping and playing both sides of the deal.

McCain recused himself right from the start. Granted, he should have immediately disclosed that he had performed the appraisal for this particular piece of property; but he certainly didn't deny the fact.

Hopefully we will hear from the Ethics Commission in the near future. I hope that they draw the correct conclusion and that McCain takes their ruling to heart. However, to paraphrase Joe Holloway - I don't think that McCain's appraisal was wrong, I just think that the whole think doesn't look right.

Holloway is correct. While there is no doubt that McCain's job will be the source of countless conflicts during his tenure on council, as long as they are properly disclosed and McCain recuses himself there shouldn't be a problem.

cross posted at Delmarva Dealings

Technorati Tags: Maryland, Wicomico, politics, Wicomico politics, Joe Holloway, Bill McCain, ethics, Bill Duvall, blogging

Cell phones - New Law

According to a proposed new law that would go into effect Oct 1, 2008 you will no longer be able to use a cell phone while driving unless you have a 'hands free' adapter. I went to Circuit City and they wanted $50 for a headset with a microphone for my cell phone. Having a friend in the cell phone business, I talked with him and was able to come up with an alternative, working through Office Depot.

These kits are compatible with any mobile phone and one size fits all. I paid him $0.08 each because he bought in quantity. Then we tried it with Motorola, Sprint, Verizon and Nokia units and they worked perfectly.

A photo is attached so scroll down & take a look and let me know if you want one.

Municipal Hotel/Motel Tax Bill Moving

After the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee voted unfavorably on the Municipal Hotel/Motel Tax bill (SB 131/HB 178), the bill was reconsidered by the Committee and voted out with amendments to restrict the imposition of the tax to only those counties without a hotel tax that dedicates more than 50% of the monies to tourism and those counties that don't already have a hotel tax. As a result of these amendments, only municipalities in Montgomery and Somerset Counties would be
eligible to impose the hotel/motel tax. The House bill has not been voted on in the Ways & Means Committee as yet. Last year, the House passed a similar bill without the restrictions added in the Senate. Assuming the House again passes the bill as introduced, both would go to a conference committee to address the components that differ, including the provisions added in the Senate, some of which are constitutionally questionable.

[source: MML's e-bulletin -- March 24, 2008]

The Salisbury WWTP Had ANOTHER Spill!

Barrie Tilghman has figured out the perfect way to resolve releasing critical information without having to actually be accountable.

Last night Public Works Director Jim Caldwell announced yet ANOTHER sewage spill at the Salisbury WWTP. This was done in the beginning of the meeting while Public Comment isn't allowed till the end of the meeting, hours later.

I want to explain something to ALL of you, including Debbie Campbell and Terry Cohen. I am one of the very few people that know the WWTP like the back of my hand and I'd like to explain something to ALL of you.

Where they are doing this construction, IMO, it is impossible to them to have a spill of 4 minutes, 10 minutes or whatever bullsh!t they want to give you and it find its way all the way to the River. I'll repeat, it's impossible for that to happen.

So I'm telling you, there are pipes heading to that River in which when and if they have a spill, I'd say they know what's about to happen and they discharge overflow into those pipes and they knowingly leak into the River.

IMO, this is not accidental. The photo above shows you just how far away the main part of the Plant is from the River and a 4 minute spill isn't going to go there. It's time for some NEW accountability and get them to explain how this is so possible.

I'll add, along the way to the river the are old sludge pits along the way. ANY overflow should hit those pits before they hit the River and that too isn't happening. The photo just above is one of those abandoned pits that is between the actual Plant and the River. If they had a spill, one would believe that spill would make its way into one of these pits. As a matter of fact, if I worked for the MDE, I'd make damn sure that's where everything actually went so there was some real accountability towards just how large the spill actually was.

Let's see if this raises any attention from the MDE and IF they're willing to consider such a plan? It sure it's a lot better to have it where you could recycle it and not ever and up in the River again. Then again, this makes too much sense and probably cost next to nothing to actually make happen. Remember, this pit has nothing in it and is still there today. No additional land is necessary and again, this is where everything should head anyway, before getting to the River. What say you now Mayor I Have No Accountability Tilghman?

Park Should Be Voted Down

Tonight Wicomico citizens have an opportunity to stand up and let their elected officials know that purchasing land for another park on the west side of Wicomico County is yet one more example of throwing tax dollars down the drain. I realize that there are people who sincerely want a new park. If I actually thought that this was the aim I probably wouldn't oppose it. Unfortunately, there is no evidence that purchasing this land will accomplish anything more than lining the pockets of a few citizens while reducing the assessable tax base of this county.

Let's look at the facts. Wicomico County already owns a sizable tract of land on the west side of the Wicomico River (the Pirate's Wharf property) that was designated for a park. Nothing has been accomplished on building a park on that property to date. There are serious questions as to whether the taxpayers would be paying too much for the Crooked Oak Lane property currently under discussion. If the county goes through with the purchase, then the county's tax base will be reduced. If the property is actually worth over $2 million, then that should lower county revenues by $1 million - $2 million per year. It's my understanding that the property is not assessed at anything near the $2+ million that the county wants to pay. If not, why not?

To add insult to injury, the Daily Times describes the property as "another WinterPlace-like park for residents". Have any of you visited WinterPlace Park recently? County parks chief Gary Mackes can't seem to find the money in his budget to provide for upkeep of WinterPlace. Where do you think that he will find the funds to build and then maintain another park.

I've been told by county officials that WinterPlace is going to be fixed up. Fine. When Mackes has shown that he can take care of the properties already under his stewardship, then (and only then) should the County Council begin discussion of feeding Mr. Mackes' growing bureaucracy.

Wicomico County Councilman Joe Holloway is right. There have been serious questions raised about the objectivity of the appraisals on this property. There appears to be a strong case that the county wishes to purchase the land at an inflated price.

In addition, most of the people pushing for this purchase love to point out that this isn't costing the county taxpayer a nickel. According to these people, wasting state tax dollars is somehow OK. I disagree. We all ultimately pay the bill for such folly. Wicomico County is not in the "land banking" business. If they are going to acquire land for parks, then there should already be a plan in place develop and maintain that park. In a county with a revenue cap we can hardly afford to take property off of the tax rolls to lie fallow until the county government figures out how to fund the construction and maintenance of a new park.

In a county that has a reported road repair backlog of over $10 million, our elected officials need to figure out how to address pressing infrastructure needs before they begin banking land and talking about building parks that the county government clearly can't afford.

cross posted at Delmarva Dealings

Technorati Tags: Maryland, Wicomico, politics, Wicomico politics, fiscal policy, parks, Gary Mackes, Joe Holloway

The Paul Wilber Welfare Fund

Each year hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars go into the pocket of Salisbury City Attorney Paul Wilber. Last night, Mayor Barrie Tilghman's "council leadership" added tens of thousands to the budget for Mr. Wilber's pocket.

Where does all that money go? The taxpayers will never know.

Why? It seems that every document that comes from Mr. Wilber's office is stamped "Privileged and Confidential". Whenever a member of the public wants to find out about one of Wilber's opinions they are denied. Whenever Coucilwomen Campbell or Cohen want to discuss it, they are denied.

At Monday's meeting Debbie Campbell made an excellent point that the public should know how their money is being spent. Now remember, we're not talking about items that are protected by the open meetings law. Taxpayers aren't allowed to find out how a large percentage of city legal expenditures are being spent.

Instead, Barrie Tilghman simply pays out a great deal of tax money into the "Paul Wilber Welfare Fund".

cross posted at Delmarva Dealings

Technorati Tags: Maryland, Salisbury, politics, Salisbury politics, fiscal policy, taxation, Barrie Tilghman, Debbie Campbell, Terry Cohen

It's Time To Bring Out Some Truth!

While information was coming in last week about a gentleman named Mathew Scott Lawson allegedly making terroristic threats to SU, it was a complete crock of sh!t and Wicomico County is actually in some pretty deep trouble about the incident.

Warden Devanin sent in a psychiatrist to evaluate an Lawson who allegedly stated he was delusional and paranoid. Lawson was sent over to the Dover Psychiatric Ward for several days and was found to be perfectly normal!

Mr. Lawson was placed on leave with pay but has yet to return to his position. There were NO WEAPONS found at his home and even while Lawson offered up his computer for them to review, NOTHING was found in it as well and they have yet to return his property.

What happened was, Lawson was chatting with a co-worker, Officer Kressin when they were talking about gun control. Lawson said the laws were all screwed up and they started talking about other Universities and the shootings that had happened there. Lawson then mentioned in light of everything that has happened elsewhere how easy it would probably be to do the same thing at SU.

It turns out Lawson and Kressin had been very close friends up until recently and they had a falling out but still worked together. Kressin was the Officer that allegedly wrote up a report on Lawson referencing this matter and the next thing everyone knew it was blown way out of proportion.

I'm told Antinelli will be representing Lawson in a suit against the County and you know what, I can't say as I blame him. Someone took a regular guy and turned him into a mad man in everyone else's minds and scared the living crap out of the SU Students.

Was Officer Kressin doing what was in the best interest of the Students? Time will tell and I'm sure a Judge will have his ears filled with all sorts of "others sides" to this story.

Who Do YOU Think Is Throwing Out Demands?

Last night, Gary Comegys was putting words into Debbie & Terry's mouths like there's no tomorrow. However, one that truly got my attention was the word DEMANDS. Gary kept claiming Debbie & Terry were demanding things last night and I couldn't help but think to myself, what an Idiot!

The reason there is a Council is so that NO ONE can DEMAND anything! I could see if it was one person verses the other. However, you cannot demand anything when you have 5 people making a final decision.

Nevertheless, look at the photo above and you tell me who was demanding whom? Gary went right back to the old Mike Dunn days waving his hands and trying to look like the alpha dog of the pack.

IMO, that meeting was a complete joke and I'll touch on that later. In the mean time, Comegys was not only out of line, Louise Smith failed to equally balance her Code of Conduct by allowing Gary to go on and on about Terry & Debbie, yet Terry & Debbie were shut down every time they tried to defend their positions.

Even as I write this I can't help but think of just how childish this is. I was thinking to myself earlier this morning, NOTHING has changed. It's all about control by the Mayor and I'd like ALL of you to think back for many years now, ever since this Mayor was elected.

When you go back to the Rachel Polk / Von Sigers days or even the Mike Dunn / Lynn Cathcarts days, there's still the fights. NOTHING has settled down. Why is this? Why can you go to Ocean City with a larger Council of 7 people and they carry themselves professionally and with respect. When you go to the County Council Meetings, again, it's very respectful and professional.

You put that woman Barrie Tilghman in the mix and look what the end results are. Oh, I know, it's all Debbie & Terry's fault! No Ladies & Gentlemen, get your heads out of your rear ends and recognize the problem is Barrie Tilghman and the fact that this Blog has opened every one's eyes to reality by exposing their crooked politics.

This is why Barrie Tilghman is suing me. Same goes with the Chief of Police. When Rachel Polk challenged the Chief, he sued her too. There's no code of ethics in Salisbury. These are two jackass bullies who must control everyone or shut you down, period.

All that being said, the next time there's an election, I'm telling you, you must vote this woman out of Office, IF she's stupid enough to ever attempt to run again. I personally believe that she/they now realize just how powerful this Blog has become and her chances of getting any real votes are so far fetched it isn't funny.

There were NO demands put forth by Debbie or Terry last night and IMO they tried arranging everything humanly possible to separate each item to vote on them independently and no one would budge on it. I also believe the Mayor purposely put the Pond issue on this part of the agenda because she wanted it to fail. The City doesn't want to pony up the money for this and she knew it was going to fail. She's no dummy, I'll give her that.

Which Photo Do You Believe Barrie Would Use

Above are two photographs of Barrie Tilghman. One looks like it came out of a College Yearbook and the other is reality.

Barrie used the first photo for the LGIT site. Could you imagine if she were single and trying out for on line dating, the surprise one might get when they came to town and saw the real thing? Sheeeeeeeit!

That's false advertisement! It's certainly NOT Legit!

The Daily Times Plays Hide & Go Seek

While Greg Latshaw was in fact at last nights Council Meeting, I saw nothing in today's paper about the meeting referencing the budget amendment?

This brings up a certain problem. The Daily Times has a new deadline in which they cannot reach in a heated Council Meeting/Debate. Greg stayed as late as he could last night but missed 100% of the actual fireworks because of the deadline.

The question is, did the Council put it on the agenda as the last item because they knew they'd get shot down and it wouldn't be decided until after the deadline to go to the press? What I find most curious is, there was other information from that meeting, yet they printed nothing in the actual print version of the paper.

So here's what "I" see as an upcoming problem. Will the Council attempt to move the meeting up to 5:00, instead of the normal 6:00 PM? I guess we're going to see just how powerful the Daily Times is in this community because they're now fighting other battles demanding they get information a day ahead of time so they can compete with 47 & 16 News.

All in all there should have been something in today's paper about the earlier portion of last nights meeting and there wasn't. There's always tomorrow. ROTFLMAO!

The photo above clearly shows Greg Latshaw sitting there when Paul Wilber got up in front of the Council for the beefiest part of the entire meeting. He got up and walked out, without listening to any of the controversial debate on the budget amendment. So why didn't the rest of the meeting go to press?