Salisbury's election season is fast approaching and there will soon be a handful of forums and debates, all designed to inform and educate voters on their choices when electing their next mayor. I look forward to the campaign season.
Clearly, as we move forward, I'm hopeful the citizens of Salisbury will take a good look at my record -- and that of all four candidates. On close examination, I think you'll see my time as a twice-elected City Council member and current council vice president will show a solid record of accomplishment.
In my five years on the council, I've helped lead this city forward by securing a cleaner Wicomico River through the construction of the city's upgraded wastewater treatment plant; pushing for higher salaries for the men and women of the Salisbury Police Department; and getting the long-awaited new Salisbury Fire Department headquarters built to provide a safer environment for our firefighters and EMTs.
As mayor, I look forward to leading the city as together we tackle the challenges ahead.
I want you to know that I will continue to strive to make this city the best place it can be. I've lived in this city for 30 years. I've never abandoned it and I've never moved away to pursue other interests. This is my home. This is your home. Together, we can make great things happen. I invite you to visit my Web site,
, and examine my record and my vision for this city.
Gary A. Comegys
Comegys is the Salisbury City Council vice president and a candidate for mayor. -- Editor

I'm writing to discuss why I am running for the office of mayor of Salisbury and asking city voters to support me in the upcoming election. My specific goals for restoring Salisbury are discussed on my Web site --
http://www.electbobcaldwell.com/ -- so I will mention them but briefly.
A primary reason for my candidacy is to reverse a disturbing trend in the city's government that has made it notorious. Some officials have used character assassination of opposition and secrecy in administration to govern. If that style of leadership is not removed by its roots, the result will be inevitable and tragic.
Sir Edmund Burke warned us: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
In short, the system can't cure itself. Thus, my goals for the next four years are:
Budgetary discipline is essential.
Crime must really be reduced.
City government must become open to all.
Everyone must be heard and respected.
The City Council must be an independent body.
I have a strong belief in the viability of Salisbury and a great respect for its citizens. If enough good men (and women) do something, we can restore the city, both its public image and our quality of life.
I do not suggest that campaigns can't be hard-fought. Good ideas often emerge from rough-and-tumble debate. There is nothing wrong with strong disagreement and/or aggressive presentation of an idea. It is the American way to speak forcefully, but honorably, in support of your point of view.
All citizens are urged to be involved and even challenge the candidates. Ask questions. Demand answers. Then support the candidate who most closely represents your views. And vote in both the elections -- March 3 is the primary election and April 7, the general.
Bob Caldwell is a candidate for mayor of Salisbury.
A Commenter went on to say.........."Gary's "accomplishments" also include so, so many things that the list is long, long, long. Too bad (for the taxpayers) that most of them were accomplishments that benefited few and lined the pockets of even fewer.
Pushed to purchase the land the new firehouse sits on for over $600,000 when it was sold by longtime owners a month before to FOBs protected under an LLC for $175,000, for a net FOB profit of $425,000 (get a kickback for that one, Gary, or will that come later?).
Voted (and continues to vote) to spend, spend, spend on unnecessary fire equipment and fire equipment accessories (the most expensive light bars available, no more safe than ones half or less the cost, just "cooler and shinier", a shiny new ladder truck in black paint, costing $1.2 million dollars, when an identical model with less than 1000 miles on it, still at the factory, would have cost $800,000.
Voted to spend over $10 million borrowed dollars (eventually costing over $30 million after the interest is paid) on a firehouse the likes of which are not seen in an affluent city of five times the population of Salisbury, when a very accommodating, attractive and completely safe structure, according to reputable professional firehouse design sources, could have been built for far less than $5 million.
Voted for the Old Mall TIF, costing the citizens over $52 million in principal and interest and over $22 million in lost tax revenue over the next thirty years. (That's over $74 million, folks). Yes, Gary, the Old Mall is gone, but if the owners had been held to the condemnation order from the City (which you could have supported), so too would it have been, but at no cost to the taxpayers. Voted for the TIF even after dozens testified in council, some of them city planning professionals, that the TIF for this project was a bad fit and an even worse investment. Both have proved to be true and the taxpayers run the risk of losing millions.
Voted to substantially increase the hourly rate of the city attorney, who last year billed the City for more than $350,000, a great deal of which was to write legislation as dictated by the mayor, defend in court that legislation when it was contested and found faulty by the courts, then rewrite the legislation to actually make it comply with the law. And remember, that every Xerox copy made by a secretary, every fax sent by an office boy, every two minute phone call billed at the "hour or part thereof", every moment the city attorney sits at a council meeting or work session is billed at the attorney's hourly rate, which is now close to what many people in the City make in a week. And this doesn't count the time the city attorney bills for when he's just thinking about a city issue.
Responsible for pushing the opening the Main Street drawbridge after its return from repair in Baltimore, but BEFORE all the safety mechanisms were installed, against the advice of contractors and bridge maintenance officials (for weeks on end, the drawbridge could have failed, been irreparably damaged, and lives and property put in jeopardy, but Comegys weighed putting the public at risk against pleasing the mayor and the mayor won out.)
Voted again and again to create the ridiculous mess on Isabella Street to please a few of Barrie's close personal friends, one of which was her campaign manager.
Vigorously supported and voted to allow the building of the "luxury" condominiums on the banks of the Wicomico River, despite great public outcry and sage advice based on traffic, environmental, zoning and other issues not to proceed. The only completed building (forty units) has a bare handful of occupants, although, through refundable deposits of perhaps $1000 from friends of the owner of the building let him say that over fifty percent of the building is sold. The other three buildings are either barely begun and have gone into receivership or have been cancelled.
Voted each and every time with Mike Dunn when he was president of the Council, NEVER ONCE even questioning what the vote was about.
Voted for each and every time for each and every issue put forth by the mayor, regardless of cost, public comment, public outcry. The one time in memory that he didn't was to make a big to-do and propose to drop the mayor's request from a 17% tax increase to a 13% increase. This without actually reading the budget request from cover to cover, as some responsible Council members did.
Voted for a double digit tax increase just after being reelected, despite his promises of better fiscal responsibility.
Supported the suppression of public information access to select members of Council. This after campaigning with the promise of government transparency.
Voted to destroy historical records and documents dating back to the beginning of the Tilghman administration. This after campaigning with the promise of government transparency.
Voted for a pension for fire volunteers, he being one of the first to reap the rewards, despite the fact that his "28 years of firefighting service" amounted to scarcely ever actually participating in a fire call or putting on turnout gear.
Defied a court order to pay child support of $120 per week for his one child after divorce from his first wife, while working at a job paying well over $50,000 per year. Found guilty of contempt of court and forced to pay arrears.
Filed for bankruptcy while a sitting member of the Council. Bought a new house in an upscale neighborhood, and a shiny new big pickup truck.
Continues to brag in public that he "attended" Salisbury State College, which, strictly speaking, is true, but neglects to mention that he dropped out after the first semester, never to return.
These are just the obvious ones. Can you think of more?"