DCWC/WCRC candidate forum – March 18, 2009 (part 2)

Last night I went over the Mayoral portion of the forum; today I look at the City Council races. These seemed to go much more quickly than the Mayoral part did but perhaps that was because of going over the introductions and ground rules.

Once again, the rules were for a two-minute opening statement, two-minute responses to questions written by members of the respective groups (two apiece, for a total of four) and one-minute answers to audience questions (up to two). The closing statements were timed for two minutes.

District 1 contenders Shanie Shields and Cynthia Polk squared off first, with Shields drawing the initial opening statement.

In her brief opening statement, Shanie Shields thanked those who put the event together, spoke about growing up in the area, and stated for everyone to hear that she “love(s) my city” and she was “project-oriented.”

Similarly, Cynthia Polk thanked her supporters and spoke about her “wealth of experience” in civic involvement. I “see the city with my heart” she said, and had a vision for the city and its youth.

The first question asked about putting together a better working environment on City Council.

Cynthia Polk told those gathered that if those on Council couldn’t come together, everyone would lose. But in working with the remainder of the members, she would “respect the rules of engagement.”

Shanie Shields believes in fairness and treating people as she would be treated. She gave the example of fellow City Council member Debbie Campbell, noting that they certainly don’t think alike but can work together while respecting one another’s differing views.

What was the greatest challenge facing the city, and where would the money come from? asked another questioner.

The biggest challenge is our youth, opined Shanie Shields, and key among them was figuring out ways to keep them in school, along with adequate afterschool programming. However, we had to address seniors as well despite the fact her area of the city has “no more middle class.”

Our “greatest problem is jobs,” replied Cynthia Polk, who then talked about looking to groups like the National League of Cities for ideas.

They then used one of the questions I submitted:

Based on previous election results, the winner of your race will garner barely 100 votes while the loser of the District 2 race will likely have several times that number. This is the result of the current districting system where your district represents a small portion of Salisbury while District 2 is much larger. What would you think about a plan to further subdivide the city into five council districts or a combination of district and at-large seats to assure better geographic representation?

The reason I submitted the question (other than the obvious disparity in voting) was that I feel the city would be much better served with more district representation rather than having 4 of the 5 Council members representing one district.

Surprisingly, both candidates agreed with me. Cynthia Polk wanted to change the districts if they don’t work, while Shanie Shields also favored the idea – more importantly, people needed to be encouraged to get out to vote because “voters get things done.” After the event I spoke to Debbie Campbell, and she also thought the idea was worth considering. She also brought up a good point that District 1 voters only have a change to change representation every four years where District 2 voters refresh every two years.

What cooperation would be possible between City Council and Wicomico County Council, a questioner asked.

Shanie Shields “always think(s) people should collaborate. While they may not always agree, there should be some consultation between the two groups.

We need to look closely at the idea, suggested Cynthia Polk, but with two different types of government her concerns were jobs and who would serve in the leadership role.

The final question (there were only five submitted) asked how to make citizens’ voices heard.

Cynthia Polk suggested empowerment workshops, budget counseling, and networking – a term she said she “can’t say enough.”

To begin her term, Shanie Shields had worked with County Councilwoman Sheree Sample-Hughes on a local newsletter, but that didn’t seem to work very well. One regret she’d had with her term in office was not being able to participate in as many forums such as the ones Sample-Hughes regularly hosts around her district because of personal issues, but she “wants to meet with people” if re-elected.

In her closing statement, Shanie Shields termed herself a “visionary” and gave the example of addressing the flooding around Germania Circle, for which grant funding has been acquired and it’s now on the Capital Improvement Plan to be completed. She also spoke about the “neglected” West Side but claimed it’s improved with the help of groups like Habitat for Humanity. In her next term, she wanted to work on getting better community policing for the district.

Cynthia Polk wanted to “build the best public works we can afford” and follow through on ideas such as one she had to combine a “Go Green” initiative and evictions. In essence, by working with community groups and willing recipients, furniture moved out as a part of eviction would be placed in safe storage and not make its way to the landfill.

Overall, I think Shanie Shields proved herself the better candidate in the forum. Unfortunately, Cynthia Polk didn’t seem to get her points across very well, seeming at times to be searching vainly for a thought or the words to express it. She may be much better in a smaller group for networking purposes but an election isn’t a good way to find out otherwise.

At this point we took a short break and transitioned to District 2 hopefuls Debbie Campbell and Muir Boda. Campbell drew the initial opening statement.

Describing her term on City Council as “inspiring”, “rewarding”, and an “absolute pleasure to serve”, Debbie Campbell noted that she had been “your voice on City Council” by “treating your hard-earned money like hard-earned money.” She added that her actions may have been criticized but her diligence has “always been on her behalf.”

Muir Boda chose to spend his opening statement on a brief biography of himself, but also expressed that he loves and cares deeply about Salisbury. He wanted to emphasize youth in his service, as he works with many of them as part of his church duties.

The first question concerned the oversight role of City Council.

While the job of City Council was oversight, Muir Boda cautioned against micromanagement. One example was the question of a line-item vs. program budget where the program budget gives more flexibility to department heads as opposed to a line-item one.

Debbie Campbell equated oversight with financial management but also stressed that timely audits were also necessary to make “forward-thinking decisions.”

My second question was as follows:

The incumbent Council member has a history of being a fiscal watchdog but also a history of being on the short end of key 3 to 2 votes. Since both candidates are portraying themselves as fiscal conservatives, the trick for either winner will be to convince a third Council member to advocate for city taxpayers in fighting waste and overspending. What steps will you take to convince your fellow Council members ro be better stewards of taxpayer money?

Debbie Campbell defaults to a “no” vote if she doesn’t have the information she needs to make a decision. But she gave an example of adding 2 police officers to a grant request, bumping the funding from 6 officers to 8 officers 0n a 3-2 vote where she was on the winning side.

We need to be open-minded and work with others, said Muir Boda, but also stated that Debbie Campbell had been on the short end of 112 3-2 votes in her four-year term.

Now, not all of the 112 were “key” votes in my estimation but I think my question proved a point. While I’m pleased Debbie could give me a good example to answer my question, I’m also wary of taking this funding to hire new officers unless a backup plan is in place to continue paying them once the federal grant runs out – grants aren’t open-ended but the need for additional officers may be.

On the question of revising Council rules for securing information, both candidates were in agreement.

Muir Boda simply stated that, for the most part, City Council members and the general public should have access to the same information. If a member of the public could drop by to speak to a department head, it shouldn’t be an issue for a City Council member to do so.

This issue was “part of my rub” with City Council, contended Debbie Campbell, and she supported easier access in part because she’s had to fill out FOIA requests for information given to other members.

Both candidates were also in favor of enforcing zoning laws and the applicable building codes in cases where single-family homes were being converted to four- or five-unit apartment buildings, which apparently is going on within Salisbury.

Another access question regarded televising work sessions on PAC-14 in addition to the City Council meetings already televised.

Debbie Campbell supported both the idea of televising the work sessions and placing them at a more convenient time for the public to attend.

Muir Boda echoed Debbie’s support for both proposals but cautioned that it “may not be the prettiest thing to watch.”

In their closing statements, both candidates made their pitch for votes.

Muir Boda encouraged people to vote and wanted them to bring their friends as well. Voters need to take ownership of the city and regretted that the forum questions didn’t speak to the crime issue – again Boda restated that the “citizens have to decide to take their city back” from the criminal element. In conclusion, Salisbury was a “wonderful” city but could be much better.

Terming it a “joy” to serve, Debbie Campbell would “embrace the opportunity” to be re-elected. She brought up her status as a “nationally known expert” on housing revitalization and finance, and encouraged voters to be “helpmates” in improving the city.

Truthfully I’d love to have both on City Council, but only one can win this time around. Being the underdog, I’m not sure Muir Boda did a great deal to chip away at the advantage Debbie Campbell has aside from noting the large number of 3-2 votes Debbie’s been on the losing end of. It would be interesting to see what happens to the City Council if the seats of both Shields and Comegys were turned over because of this election and how the District 2 winner would work with a Council which is turned over by 50 percent.

It’s going to be a subplot that goes on beyond April 7th.

Author: Michael

It's me from my laptop computer.

4 thoughts on “DCWC/WCRC candidate forum – March 18, 2009 (part 2)”

  1. Boda is BS artist — if he thinks Campbell should have voted “yes” rather than “no” in any specific instance, he should have said what and why. I guess he just wants “yes men” on the Council to rubber stamp things for the mayor, who he wants to be Comegys. We need them in office like a hole in the head.

  2. Boda is the classic wolf in sheep’s clothing, what with his spiel about the church, mission work, etc. The focus should be the problems of Salisbury, not those of Peru or Timbucktoo. His absurd attack on Debbie Campbell’s voting record is disgraceful.

    Mr. Boda should be stopped in his tracks this time, for once and for all — and not enouraged to run again in 2 years (even against Bubba).

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