Thoughts on the local political scene

I thought today would be a good day to place a post like this. Chances are I’m not going to have a boatload of readers today as most people are out and about plus have something other than politics on their mind.

(For the record, I’m rooting for the Steelers solely because Ben Roethlisberger went to my alma mater, Miami University. I do admire the way Troy Polamalu plays as well. Aside from that, I’m in it for the commercials and hopefully a good game.)

But my true intention was to discuss the local political scene. As is often the case, our little city is divided into all-but-armed camps which seemingly coalesce around which bloggers are behind them.

For example, let’s take the District 2 Council race. The last time this particular seat was contested, I voted for Debbie Campbell. This time around I don’t have a vote because I bought a house probably a Tiger Woods drive outside the city limits. I know Debbie from seeing her around the city at various events and I’ve also now met Muir Boda and had the opportunity to speak with him at some length. In my opinion, either would be a good choice; in fact they really don’t disagree a lot on issues as Boda noted.

But the arguments over issues seem to have been subordinated to a war over which blogs support who. The same also goes for the race for Mayor, with candidates complaining about unfair media treatment and being smeared and maligned for little to no reason.

Of the four hopefuls, I’ve had the opportunity to meet and talk to three of them over the time I’ve been here and there’s nothing that would outwardly disqualify any of them in my eyes. Obviously there are a number of my cohorts on the blogosphere who feel differently owing to age-old grudges, personality conflicts, and the like. In District 1, I only know peripherally one of the players so right now I have no opinion aside from the fact that just a few hundred votes will be required to win, which is truly sad. As I recall the last race only garnered slightly over 200 votes total.

What should decide these races? Well, personality does have a place but it’s not the make-or-break item. Any group of those trying to accomplish a task is going to have its angels and scoundrels.

The important issues to me are crime and fiscal responsibility. Even though I don’t live in Salisbury, it’s a population center and those tend to attract criminals like moths to a flame. I think there’s a good idea going with the crime task force studying Dover, Delaware (a similar sized city with a much lower crime rate) but there are other measures which can also be taken – some costly and some not so much. One contention is whether Salisbury Police Chief Allen Webster works with the Sheriff’s Department well; obviously his fate may rest on who wins the Mayoral race. And what of the police substations or local Block Watch programs?

The costly measures to combat crime take up another whole piece of the pie. While the federal government seems to be ramping up its spending to a breakneck pace, the state is being much more cautious because it has to balance its budget by statute. However, I believe that each candidate should keep in mind that it’s all our tax money regardless of whether it comes directly from a city taxpayer, from Annapolis, or from inside the Beltway. And the deviousness of superior governmental authorities has no end – hire someone using federal or state grant money and you’re beholden to Fedzilla or Annapolis to keep that position filled unless you can come up with the coin in your budget once the grant money runs out.

Obviously there are some projects that the city cannot handle alone; unfortunately a number of those are forced upon Salisbury from without because of state or federal regulations. The wastewater treatment plant comes to mind. No one’s in favor of dirty water, but how much extra cost was brought on by unnecessary or redundant provisions?

Many talk about eliminating a culture of corruption in politics, but few talk about creating a culture of thrift. In theory, each year’s budget should take a hard look at what needs to be accomplished, what would be considered a wish list, and how much needs to be set aside for unexpected situations. For example, standard practice in the building industry is a 10% contingency allowance for changes and unforeseen field conditions. Running a city like Salisbury is different; still, there does need to be some sort of rainy day fund for the city and I’m not sure that’s always taken into account. It would actually be prudent in my view to budget in a manner assuming zero help from the federal and state governments.

The voters of Salisbury need to take their candidates to task over the direction the city needs to proceed. I fear that the issues are being lost in the shuffle and personalities of those not even in the running are taking center stage.

Author: Michael

It's me from my laptop computer. View all posts by Michael