Since I was “called out” by Joe Albero (even though he keeps spelling my name wrong – no “ch” there pal!) I suppose I’ll answer the question.
Insofar as civility and running meetings goes, it sounds like she’s somewhat of an improvement over our last City Council president. But the more important side is financial and there she’s been a disappointment.
I’m a recovering pack rat, but I make an exception when it comes to saving stuff like campaign literature. And here is just a sampling of what she campaigned on, in the words of her own handout. This is what I take as her promise to the voters of Salisbury.
“I am Louise Smith. I an asking for your vote in my bid to win a Salisbury City Council Seat. I am running for office because I believe that Salisbury’s elected officials should be more responsive to citizens and more responsible with our tax dollars. During the past four years, our council had presided over the giveaway of millions of our tax dollars to subsidize developers, incurred fines for environmental violations from the Maryland Department of Environment, and has earned a reputation of favoring special interest groups over ordinary citizens.”
As far as being responsive to citizens, I’m curious to know if she (or any other city employees, or city-based politicians) have signed the petition for referendum regarding the city’s property tax hike. To me, that would certainly be responsive to the citizens in allowing them a say over their tax rates. It goes without saying that I’m not impressed with her being responsible with the city’s tax dollars. If the additional tax revenue is necessary, that should be the LAST resort and not the first as it appears to have been.
“The city is halfway through this fiscal year without last year’s audit being completed. Using my experience in audits and contract compliance, I will focus on the important role that a council member plays in passing the city’s budget and determining how tax dollars should be spent.”
Thus far I fail to see that she’s done her homework, or at least has done as much as her cohorts Debbie Campbell and Terry Cohen.
“I am equally concerned about public safety. The upsurge in violent crime has been described in the Daily Times. Non-competitive police salaries and high turn-over rates have been identified as core issues that must be addressed in order to deliver police services at the most efficient and effective level.”
I’ll grant her that she’s made it a priority to give the cops a raise, but she’s not spoken out insofar as I know about the firemen, who endorsed her but are not due a raise under the Tilghman budget. As Bill Reddish noted this morning, there’s five priority items that the city needs to take care of: police, fire, water/sewer, garbage, and streets. I think the problem with the budget is one of ‘well, let’s just take what we spent last year and add 5% to the numbers’ and it truly needs to be stripped to bare bones and rebuilt from scratch. Perhaps that way we won’t get $250,000 errors in the police budget.
“Do you have a sense that the city has lost touch with its citizens? I do. I ask for your vote so that I can work to create an atmosphere of accountability, responsiveness, and confidence that your elected officials are working for you.”
Now I will note that the people who have complained the loudest are obviously the ones who were most dissatisfied with the previous City Council. There are some out there who think Louise Smith is doing a good job under difficult circumstances and some who just plain don’t keep up with the issues anyway.
And I know Louise in passing, as she served prior to me on the Central Committee. In my dealings with her, she’s been pleasant but I certainly wouldn’t call her a good friend of mine. I actually ran into her the other day in the elevator at the GOB since I was there to get a building permit and she obviously doing city business. We just exchanged the usual pleasantries and I got off the elevator at the second floor. In short, I don’t hang out with her; however I did donate some money to her campaign.
So I’m probably more tolerant than most because it’s a four year term and I continue to have faith she’ll learn from her mistakes. The trouble is that she’s not doing well at what she ran her campaign on, based on her blind support for a tax increase and, while I’m not familiar with the procedures behind writing applications for grants, I’ve yet to hear about any we’ve secured (or even applied for) in the time since she’s assumed the position on City Council.
And when you look at the other newcomer to City Council (Terry Cohen) and how she’s done since coming on board, Louise’s work with the budget doesn’t look very good.
Since the names of Louise Smith and Bill Reddish are now entwined in the annals of Salisbury radio history, I’ll take a moment to comment on my appearance this morning. As always I enjoyed it, and I think the main point I managed to get out talked about my feelings toward both the city’s and state’s budget process. (I also got out my comment above about Louise Smith and her prowess at securing grants.)
But astute listeners may have noticed that I alluded just to the budgets in the city of Salisbury, state of Maryland, and federally. I intentionally left out Wicomico County because they are forced to live within means by a revenue cap – instead of a 12 cent rise in property taxes, I’ll enjoy a 6 cent drop because I live a stone’s throw into the county. I know my “partner in crime” this morning, G.A. Harrison, does not like the revenue cap, but from what I understand about the budget situation previously in Wicomico County, it was the only method a frustrated public could lay its hands on to say to the county, enough!
So in essence this referendum drive can be thought of as a group of citizens wishing to put a revenue cap of sorts on the city.
It may be Polyannish of me, but I think that if Louise Smith just comes out and admits that she didn’t do her homework on the budget originally, but comes at it in a second pass with the tenacity of a bulldog and helps to cut out enough to avoid all or most of the tax increase she originally deemed necessary, she could get through this situation with reputation repaired and intact. If not, it’s going to be a long four years.
Thank You Michael Shwartz?
As always I respect your opinion and I believe quite a few others were interested in an update.
Ms. Smith looks better running the meetings than Dunn only because he was an arrogant buffoon. Her “nice girl” style will soon wear thin if she continues to impose absurd limits (3 minutes) on public comment on important matters like the budget. So far she has offered no significant input on anything or even asked any speaker a cogent question. The impression is that she is either uninterested or has already decided every item that comes before the Council.
And what ever became of her interest (and purported skills) in the audit and budget matters?
What a disappointment — or were we conned by Barrie once again? BTW, it looks like the latter is already whispering instructions into Ms. Smith’s ear during the meetings, just like she did with Dunn. Why am I reminded of a quarterback changing the play after the players have left the huddle?
During the original budget discussion Terry Cohen suggested a modest 2 cent hike in the property tax cap to give Bubba the breathing room we all know he needs. With three cents to raise the taxes under the current cap, a 2 cent compromise. Then count the fire station #16 as surplus at the staring bid of $250 K that also adds another penny to the (piggy)pork bank. That comes to 6 cents added to last years budget or an additional or $1.3 million or more in added revenue.
If the mayor wishes to gamble, and not accept a compromise, then she deserves to be left empty handed~!!
It seems as though Louise has the attitude that she knows whats best for her constituency – no matter what they say. If she were a person of her word this tax increase wouldn’t even be an option – at least not until she took the time that any reasonable and prudent person would need to examine the budget thoroughly enough to justify to the people why a tax increase is needed. Perhaps she hasn’t because she knows that no such justification can exist. The council, in its entirety, needs to understand that an issue of this magnitude should ONLY be decided by the will of the people. This, in a Democracy, comes in the form of a vote of the people. The will of the people has been watered down over the years because the representative form of govt. has been contaminated by corruption and greed. I’m not saying everyone in politics is corrupt but a little goes a long way. Because of this, the public has been kept in the dark on important issues in attempts to hide the personal agendas of the corrupt few. This, in turn, breeds mistrust by the citizens. I personally believe that the council members should warmly welcome the idea of the referendum for such an enormous tax increase and put the referendum in place itself so that members of the public don’t view it as an attempt by the council to stifle them.
I really think that sometimes we get disagreeing with someone’s politics confused with not liking them personally. Not the case as you explained so well. You don’t even know her, you just want her to live up to her campaign promises. Easy enough. I wish the entire council would take a good hard look and do what the citizens asked them to do and what they promised us they would do.
Referendums also get people that aren’t regsitered voters, however want a say in the decsion, to get off their butts get registered and vote, control your own destiny~!!
If Louise Smith “admits” she was negligent about the budget and tax increase it will still NOT change the fact that she has aligned herself with Tilghman, Comegys, and Shields. The very of acts of nominating herself and Comegys have irrevocably broken the trust any of us suckers that supported her once had, appointing Comegys to Planning and Zoning only proved that Louise has no honor or any GENUINE concern for the city of Salisbury.
michael,
straight forward and honest assessment. ms smith’s 3 minute time limit was not a hard and fast limit as there were a good number of people there to address the budget and when needed, they were allowed to proceed… no one as i remember was cut short.
i believe ms smith runs a tight meeting and with the exception of having the council inadvertantly approving the budget instead ofthe agenda in the opening vote, i commend her for her professionalism and manner.
the city has a long way to make the budget right by the taxpayers, and as a county resident, will sit back and wonder when the revenue cap will come under fire…
government grows government.
teeman