Friday, June 17, 2011

Oh No He Din'nt.

Well Delmarva, today we are blogging from our rooftops where we have been dancing for quite some time. The mysterious spell that Debbie and Terry have had over Mayor Jim Ireton for the last two years has finally been lifted- the people of Salisbury are free! Well, almost free, there is still work to be done...as we speak Jim is suiting up in preparation for battle- don't forget your cup, Jim.

Now, The Other SBY News has been saying that Deb, Tim, and Terry are evil for months; if their plan to rid the city of its less fortunate members by kicking them out of house and home (via the Neighborhood Legislative Package whose use of municipal codes dates back to the 1960s and beyond- can we say hello segregation??) wasn't enough, their most recent plot to starve out Salisbury's poor people by cutting the "Hardship Funds" (money set aside to make sure poor people have water) in conjunction with raising water and sewer rates by 18% while simultaneously refusing to dip into the 5 million dollar surplus in water and sewer to help the city shoulder those costs, ought to be irrefutable proof.

But there's more. Debbie, Terry, and Tim (in addition to their efforts to legislate/ starve out our low-income communities) have categorically refused for years, to support anything that would help those at risk neighborhoods improve. In the past two weeks alone they have refused a state grant to help minority youths, stopped progress on Linens of the week, and halted forward movement on the Bricks project. The latter two items are so dear to the Mayors heart that just like King Arthur before him, Jim took to the streets yesterday with Merlin in tow (that would be Shanie) and before the eyes of his people pulled out a much needed political ex-caliber- the race card.

Like all magical weapons, the race card only works in very special circumstances- you've got to be able to prove that racism is actually effecting someone's political priorities, or it won't operate correctly. So, is racism a factor in Council's decision making process? We think its safe to say that racism not a part of Shanie or Laura's agenda as they were both present at yesterdays rally (with Shanie preparing to lead a march and Laura applauding her for it) but as for the other three....insert non-committal nod while staring at the floor here.

Regardless of what the motives were for Council's policies, the fact is that they were bad ones. Maybe Tim, Terry, and Deb aren't racists at all, maybe they are all just...very partial to their own neighborhood...either way, their decisions have still sucked. The reality is that they aren't representing all of Salisbury- they are representing the parts they feel like representing, and that's not okay. Albero and G.A. can make excuses for this group til they are blue in the face, but public servants should not be explaining to the majority of their constituents what delicate mixture of variables led to the people being ignored- ever. Muir Boda's astute observation that Council held a public hearing on the budget in the same hour that they held a vote on it, is extremely indicative that Council is not only not listening to us, they don't care what we have to say.

The battle lines have been drawn, Delmarva. This is your money, your vote (well for about 4,000 of you it's your vote), and if you are ready, it's your time. Will you settle for the logic of the 1960's that's been the status quo for the last twenty years or will you help move our city into the future? It's up to you. Either way, Salisbury's bout to get rowdy.

Help lead the charge! Contact Councilwomen Campbell and Cohen, and Councilmen Spies to let them know your thoughts on how they are running the city...into the ground.


Terry E. Cohen
Council President
536 Druid Hill Avenue
Salisbury, MD 21801
Home: 410-845-0296
Email: Terry@TerryCohen.com

Deborah S. Campbell
Councilwoman
809 Camden Ave
Salisbury, MD 21801
Home: 410-860-0893
Email: debbiescampbell@comcast.net

Tim Spies
Councilman
414 Virginia Avenue
Salisbury, MD 21801
Email: tspies@cavtel.net

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tim Spies' 443-760-6162 (if he'll answer)

A.Adams said...

Thanks!