Archive for the 'Salisbury' Category
It has been a while since we heard about Prince George’s Senator Ulysses Currie (D-Dist. 25) who is currently under a federal microscope considering between his elected office and his off-session job with Shoppers Food Warehouse, specifically whether he was hired for his influence on some of the company’s projects. Remember, he did not disclose his position with the company on ethics forms. The Baltimore Sun’s blog says that Currie used his campaign account to pay his legal bills from Miles Stockbridge to the tune of nearly $42,000.
If the name Miles Stockbridge sounds familiar, that was the law firm of choice for former Salisbury Mayor Barrie P. Tilghman and soon to be former Salisbury police chief Allan Webster when they took on Salisbury News Publisher and Maryland Politics Today Eastern Shore Correspondent Joe Albero. Webster’s case was settled in 2008 with no money changing hands. Tilghman’s lawsuit against Albero was scoreboard in favor of Albero (read: she lost). Both sued for the non-normal amount of $9,999.00.
As far as Webster goes, the soon to be former part is due to him announcing his retiring effective this June. WMAR-TV (Channe l 2) says that a feud with current Mayor Jim Ireton had nothing to do with his decision. Last month, WBOC-TV (Channel 16) reported that Ireton asked for the chief’s resignation following several armed robberies and shootings in the city. Guess what the chief said. With Webster announcing his retirement, he withdrew his lawsuit against the city following receiving the first reprimands of his career; while at the same time, Ireton withdrew the four repreimands against the chief (hhhhmmmmmm….)
Over on the shore, Salisbury has a new Mayor…
Jim Ireton outright thumped current City Council Vice President Gary Comegys taking 58 percent of the vote. Comegys was a heavy favorite…of the current mayor Barrie Tilghman, who heavily favored him.
No surprises in the race for the council seat in District 2 as Debbie Campbell is re-elected with 65 percent of the vote, which is a strong mandate in my opinion. The surprise is Shanie Shields losing in a squeaker by nearly four thenths of a percent to challenger Cynthia Polk.
Absentee ballots according to MarylandPT Lower Shore Correspondent Joe Albero of Salisbury News has Polk leading overall by one vote as of earlier today.
In the Salisbury City Council race for District 1, Eugenie “Shanie” Shields barley has a one percent lead over Cynthia Polk 35 to 34 percent, leaving Tim Cheney out and Ralph McIntyre way out.
However, Joe Albero reporting that Cheney’s fight might not be over. He has sent a letter to Salisbury City Clerk Brenda Cosgrove, calling for an investigation into the management company of an apartment complex which endorsed two of the candidates in the election, one of which is Comegys.
MarylandPT Eastern Shore Correspondent Joe Albero from Salisbury News says that it will be former Salisbury City Councilman Jim Ireton facing Council Vice President Gary Comegys in the general election to replace long time Mayor Barrie P. Tilghman. By the way, guess who the Mayor is endorsing, and it ain’t Ireton.
Ireton commanded the primary, capturing 41 percent of the vote. Comegys is a distant second with 27 percent of the vote. Bob Caldwell was just shy of sending Comegys home for the winter with 25 percent followed by Michael Della Penna.
Maryland Politics Today Lower Shore Correspondent Joe Albero from Salisbury News is gracing this site for the first time in 2009. We will hear from him regualrly for a little while as Salisbury will be electing a Mayor and two council seats this year.
Incumbent Debbie Campbell (Dist. 2) has made her intentions known in November that she would run for re-election to the council. Joe says that Tim Cheney announced his candidacy for the district one seat in hopes of replacing incumbent Eugenie P. (Shanie) Shields. If Shields name sounds familiar in this form, that is because she is the first dishonoree to grace The E-List. Cheney has been a Salisbury resident since his family moved there 40 years ago when he was young. He would go on to help start the President’s Neighborhood Association where he currently serves as treasurer. His key issues are crime reduction, improving neighborhoods that are struggling, housing problems and overall better spending.
Joe also tells us that Mayor Barrie Parsons Tilghman will have some competition if she decides to run for re-election. Bob Caldwell announced his candidacy as the city’s executive. The last time we heard from the former city councilman, he was leading the petition charge against a city tax increase that was defeated on a technicality in 2007.
The tax increase has made Tilghman very unpopular around town, especially in the blogosphere (and I mean beyond Joe’s blog.) Many people have been counting down the days for if and when Tilghman leaves office. If she indeed decides not to run for re-election, will she send a similar blast to Albero, much like Mike Dunn did when he decided not to run for re-election in 2007.
We have yet to get through Free Vote 2008, which is a little over a day and a half out, and we are getting a preview of what is happening in Free Vote 2009 for the Salisbury election.
There will be two council seats up for grabs in Salisbury, Campbell is one and Councilwoman Shanie Shields is the other. No word on if Shields is running for re-election. Campbell launched her re-election campaign on Friday. Her website is www.campbell4council.net.
Also up for grabs, Mayor Barrie Tilghman’s office. Tilghman has been mayor since 1997 and as of late has been the focal point of criticism, especially in the Eastern Shore blogosphere.
The case involving Salisbury News Editor and MarylandPT Lower Shore Insider Joe Albero and Salisbury Police Chief Allan Webster has been resolved with no money changing hands.
That means Webster v. Albero will not be decided as scheduled at the Worcester County Courthouse in Snow Hill.
Now here is what I think, Webster did not have a leg to stand on because he is a public official and as such, he is up to public scrutiny. Also, a judge ruled that while Albero was not protected under Maryland’s press shield law because he does not draw a salary from his site. However, Albero is afforded the right to protect his sources making Webster’s case a little bit harder to prove.
Let’s refer to this as a settlement where both sides can claim victory if nothing else to keep up a face in public. I believe however that Albero won, and I am not saying that because I know him and we contribute information to each other’s site. I am saying this base on common sense and the press. I would love for Governor Martin O’Malley to sue Chip Franklin for criticisms made. Stuff like this does not happen in big markets.
Tonight the institution of a new feature that I hope will last for a while, people who I think should be highlighted as saying or doing something stupid. I can’t really call it “World’s Worst” because Keith Olbermann already has a lock on it. I cannot officially call it “Candidate’s for Mensa” because the self-parody would be more irony. So I am simply going to call it “The E List.”
Our inaugural inductee is Salisbury City Council Eugenie “Shanie” Shields.
In shades of Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson, who said that rape is not a crime, Shields at today’s City Council work session speaking about some of the latest murders in Salisbury she said, “That was unfortunate but basically those three murders, those people knew who they were after. It wasn’t like they were just randomly shooting people on the street.”
When my fellow contributor from Salisbury News and Red Maryland G.A. Harrison mentioned it, I thought he was kidding. Then I came across the audio which was posted on Salisbury News earlier today.
All I have to say is WELL DONE MA’AM. AT LEAST YOU DIDN’T SAY IT OVER A MAJOR BROADCAST OUTLET LIKE JOHNSON DID WHEN HE SHOWED HIS LEGAL MIND! The sad part is Johnson was Prince George’s County States Attorney before getting elected. So answer me this, just because they were allegedly targeted, does that mean that the families of the victims are any less deserving of our prayers and support during their time of grief. Oh, and when did you become a detective? Are you sure they were targeted?
Salisbury Councilwoman Eugenie “Shanie” Shields, the worst of Maryland tonight!
The Salisbury City Council, on a technicality, did not approve an additional $28,000 for the city attorney. I say technicality because the vote required a super majority, not the 3-2 standard issue vote (with Councilwomen Debbie Campbell and Terry Cohen as the two dissenting votes.)
Cohen told The Daily Times that she thinks that the city can do better, looking forward to seeing the city bidding for legal services or consider bringing the city attorney in-house.
My fellow Contributor to Salisbury News G.A. Harrison says that the residents of Salisbury were saved by the supermajority provision.
Residents in the City of Salisbury could be facing a rate hike in their water and sewage bills.
Mayor Barrie Tilghman tells the Daily Times did not request a double digit increase last year because the residents were already going to face a double digit tax increase of 12 percent….
There is just one problem with the quote in which my colleague, Red Maryland and Salisbury News contributor G.A. Harrison caught. The tax increase was in fact 17 percent. A fact that is further proven by searching the archives of this site.
The Daily Times reporter Laura D’Alessandro first stated that if Tilghman lied, it was her responsibility…and then later said that she was new to her job when further pressed by Harrison.
The Daily Times is reporting today that the City of Salisbury is looking to spend about 12 percent on debt service in next year’s budget.
Of the debt which has reached $71.1 million, Mayor Barrie Parsons Tilghman said that the city has made significant stress and called the city’s debt is justifiable. She adds that the city’s debt capacity is strained due to the wastewater treatment plant upgrade along with other projects.
MarylandPT Eastern Shore Insider Joe Albero from Salisbury News is reporting that Salisbury City Council Vice President Gary Comegys has formed a group to kick of his campaign for Mayor of the city known as the Crossroads of Delmarva.
Joe is also saying that he is being informed that current Mayor Barrie Parsons Tilghman is not planning on running for re-election.
More to follow as events warrant.
