Campaign 2009 – Salisbury – Page 2

Post-worthy comment #98740

I was thinking about writing a follow-up to President Obama’s speech last night but all that would’ve been was republishing the Maryland GOP’s response along with my thoughts, which mostly echo Jim Pelura’s sentiments anyway. It doesn’t help that the Maryland Democrats don’t see fit to trumpet their President’s accomplishments, or at least attempt to pin blame on Obama’s predecessor for everything that’s gone wrong for the last fifty years. They must know that I would have plenty of fun blowing all those straw men away.

Instead, I happened to moderate comments moments ago and stared at two of them, which for simplicity’s sake I’ll meld into one statement:

So what did you Reddies do to boost the real Rep(ublican) candidate in the Salisbury Mayoral contest — Bob Caldwell (not Della Penna)? Nothing, I presume!

First of all, neither Caldwell nor Mike Della Penna was present at our meeting Monday night. (Both did have literature onsite, as did Jim Ireton. Now that takes a little chutzpah.) I presume that may have been because City Council meets at the same time; however, our meeting ran late enough that either or both could have made an appearance. Of the two, Mike has actually attended more GOP events over the recent past.

But both the Republican Club and the Central Committee have adopted a policy where we don’t support any candidate prior to the primary as a body. Certainly I’m sure both organizations have those who support one or the other, most likely more support Caldwell simply based on name recognition. Furthermore, the election only affects a small number of members – only one of the seven elected to the Central Committee actually lives inside Salisbury, although at least three others work within city limits. Likely this is true among the WCRC membership as well.

But, one may ask, why did we invite Pocomoke City mayor and General Assembly candidate Mike McDermott to our meeting? Well, he’s the first one to declare. We’ll be happy to entertain GOP candidates for the General Assembly as they decide to jump into the race – after all, we have 17 meetings – give or take – until the primary, assuming the state maintains a September 2010 schedule.

Without even knowing whether we’ll have a stake in the race, we’re co-sponsoring a Mayoral forum in Salisbury next month with the Wicomico County Democratic Club. One would like to think that one of the two Democrats contending for the post would be eliminated, although turnout will obviously be key. This is especially true when you consider District 2, where the vast majority of the city’s GOP stalwarts reside, does not have a contested City Council primary.

However, just because neither the Wicomico County Republican Club nor the party’s Central Committee have backed a candidate, my commentor (who went by the nom de plume “Bubba Buster” this time; this person comments regularly under a variety of names) should not assume that there’s no GOP interest in the race. We’re just allowing the party faithful the freedom to back whichever candidate they want. Continue reading “Post-worthy comment #98740”

NAACP City of Salisbury candidate forum (part 2)

Last night I went over the City Council portion of the forum, tonight it’s the Mayoral race.

It’s also worth noting that in the beginning Mary Ashanti of the local NAACP chapter made opening remarks, noting that the organization was still necessary because they had not reached the promised land – Barack Obama’s election was “only the beginning”. Still, they must hold themselves accountable.

Moderator Orville Penn added that he wanted an interactive forum, and to agree or disagree without being disagreeable.

And so the three candidates present to open the affair began by being asked by Penn why they wanted to be mayor. Bob Caldwell was absent at the beginning; I learned later he’d been involved in a minor auto accident en route to the forum so he arrived just before the mayoral portion closed.

Jim Ireton kicked things off by telling those present that Salisbury was in “desperate need of change”, citing multiple issues like crime, the schools, infrastructure, and public safety in saying that our local government was not “protecting those things we hold dear.” He also believed that he had the perspective of being working-class.

Seeing “a need for change”, Mike Della Penna also opined that growth was occurring in the wrong direction and that “we need businesses back here.” He promised change in a similar style (if not specifics) that Barack Obama has brought.

Gary Comegys also jumped on the theme of change, but also asserted he was the most qualified candidate due to his office and service to the city. He believed that he “knows what it takes” to be mayor, and has a “deep love for community.” Furthermore, we needed to “embrace” the business community and the message should be about “us” and not the government – both must work together.

All right, asked moderator Penn, why are you still here if things are so wrong?

Because it was a “great” community, piped up Gary Comegys, who brought up the institutional assets the city has like the Peninsula Regional Medical Center and Salisbury University. Gary was “tired” of hearing about problems and said there was a “lot to be proud of” in Salisbury, and we could “build on (that) pride.”

Mike Della Penna indeed loves Salisbury, but it can be a better community. He stated that you only hear about the neighborhoods at election time and that continuity was needed to help the community.

Jim Ireton cautioned the audience that they should “never mistake negativity for caring.” Some parts of the community still work well together in the manner they did as he was growing up, but “the government isn’t doing anything” in lieu of not doing everything.

It was “easy to articulate and criticize problems” retorted Gary Comegys, who said it was harder to strategize. Some examples of “leadership and vision” he’d exhibited were the police department, the new fire station, and approach to growth. If you don’t celebrate successes we’ll only worry about the next problem, concluded Gary.

At that point, Comegys was questioned about the dismal crime statistics Salisbury endures. Continue reading “NAACP City of Salisbury candidate forum (part 2)”

NAACP City of Salisbury candidate forum (part 1)

In order to make this a little bit better read, I’ve chosen to split this post up into two parts. I’m going to reverse the chronology of the actual event and do the City Council seats first, followed tomorrow by the Mayoral hopefuls.

Tonight’s moderator was Orville Penn, and the setup was a bit unusual for this forum – it was more of a freeform discussion where the order of speaking wasn’t necessarily predetermined, nor was there a timer. Obviously this benefited some candidates more than others.

I would have preferred to have the districts broken up into separate discussions myself; however, Mr. Penn chose to bring the five participants up en masse. As introduction, District One contenders Tim Chaney and Cynthia Polk joined incumbent Shanie Shields at the head table, while both District 2 candidates Muir Boda and incumbent Debbie Campbell also attended. The no-show was District 1 candidate Ralph McIntyre.

The questions began with a very simple one: why should you be elected?

Tim Chaney began by citing some recent life events, which prompted him to make this run in an effort to give back to the community – a community which “needs to move ahead.”

Shanie Shields followed by a wish “to be your servant again” and continue the positive things occurring in the community. We need to work together, she continued, and revealed that this would be her final term if elected.

The microphone was then passed to Cynthia Polk, who told us she loved the community and wanted to do more for it. She wanted to move from the back lines to the front lines and running for Council would allow her to do so.

Another one who loves Salisbury is Muir Boda, who cited his being “just a regular guy” as a way he could “bring a different persepctive” to city government. He and his wife both work in the retail field and to him it was a question of looking from the outside in.

Finally, Debbie Campbell related that she was “inspired to run” in 2005 because the people who ran Salisbury “didn’t hold much stock” in the people who lived here. Campbell also noted her openness and willingness to listen to other points of view.

Continue reading “NAACP City of Salisbury candidate forum (part 1)”

2009 Wicomico County Lincoln Day Dinner

For an off-election year gathering we had a great turnout. That was the unanimous opinion of our Central Committee after we hosted our annual Lincoln Day Dinner at Salisbury University last evening.

Wicomico County GOP Chair Dr. John Bartkovich served as master of ceremonies. He got us finished on time, too.

After Dr. John Bartkovich brought the proceedings to order, we began the program. Dave Goslee Jr. provided the Invocation, I led the Pledge of Allegiance, and we heard brief remarks from the guest of honor.

The man looks pretty good for someone going on 200, don't you think?

Yes, you’ll notice I did not say guest speaker. It’s a pretty mean feat to be 200 and not need reading glasses. Honest Abe mused political on a story called “The Preacher and the Lizard”.

We also had greetings from afar, as newly-installed National GOP Chair Michael Steele sent along his thanks to us, and expressed the “belief in conservative values is still strong…our cause is just.”

At that point it was time for dinner, and let me tell you SU puts out a nice spread. After an introduction from Jim’s wife and best friend, Marianne, we then heard from our invited guest speaker.

State GOP Chair Dr. Jim Pelura gave us an assessment of the Maryland Republican Party's past, present, and future.

Jim called Michael Steele’s election to National Chairman “exciting”, but cautioned we need to look at where we’ve been. He noted that the GOP had been reliably 40% of the vote in Maryland until 1994, when Ellen Sauerbrey ran a great campaign with a message that was a fine selling point. As we know, that election came down to Baltimore City and it’s funny how those votes Parris Glendening needed magically appeared there, huh?

But, continued Jim, Sauerbrey’s loss “set the party on the path of moderation”, and that “drove a wedge into the state party.”

When Michael Steele took over as the state party Chairman in 2000, he initiated a 10 year plan which energized the base and helped lead to Bob Ehrlich’s win in 2002. It was a “pure Republican message” which won, stated Dr. Pelura.

Unfortunately, Ehrlich’s term was mired in the slots debate and partisan bickering, and as we all know he lost his re-election bid. However, Jim said that he “was not convinced that all was lost” so he decided to step up and run for Chair.

Recounting the dire financial straits our party was in, he assured the gathered that our party was “better off” financially and although there still was some reluctance from corporate donors, the small contributions were at an “all-time high.” The “GOP message can succeed in Maryland” said Jim, and he exhorted our Central Committee and those other party leaders to help spread the message and reach out to the youth.

Pelura also posited some key issues he thought we could win on, including education and immigration, where the perception needs to shift from being anti-immigrant to just anti-illegal immigrant.

The state chair returned to praising Steele’s idea of a 50 state strategy and lamented the past ignorance of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions by the national party. And our agenda needed to come from the grassroots.

Jim took two questions before he concluded. One was on the party’s financial status, and he assured the 60 or so present that the line of credit our party took out in 2007 was still being whittled down and would be paid off “soon.”

I asked Jim what he would consider a successful 2010 election, aside from knocking off Governor O’Malley. A “net gain” in General Assembly seats would be a success, and there were no shortage of Republicans willing to run – an uncontested Democratic seat would be “unacceptable.”

At this point, we selected our Republicans of the Year. Like last year, we had two. Unfortunately, Cynthia Williams, who helped run our county headquarters in 2008, couldn’t be present to receive her award. But we had another special guest to help honor the other recipient.

State Senator and likely 2010 Congressional candidate Andy Harris (right) delivers the Wicomico County Republican of the Year award to co-recipient Mark McIver.

Mark McIver was the other honoree, as he (and his wife Hala) tirelessly spearheaded the local effort for Andy Harris as the campaign co-chairman.

We then heard from a number of local politicans and candidates, beginning with Salisbury mayoral hopeful Michael Della Penna.

Salisbury mayoral candidate Mike Della Penna voiced a simple message in brief remarks.

Mike didn’t mince words; he simply told the room that Salisbury “needs change” and he would deliver it.

An “unannounced candidate” for House of Delegates in 2010, 2006 candidate Michael James came next.

Former (and future?) House of Delegates District 38B candidate Michael James had his turn to speak.

James decried the idea of slots as economics and wanted to work for a more pro-business economic solution.

Andy Harris then returned to the podium and noted that the Republican Party, which to him bringing together last year was “like herding cats”, was now united and its message was clear, particularly on opposing the economic “stimulus” in the House. He also vowed to introduce the Taxpayer Protection Act this coming week, which would require a 3/5 supermajority for tax increases in Maryland. Harris noted he had paid for a Gonzales Poll question regarding the subject and that state voters favored it by a 67-29 margin which cut across party lines.

We also got a report and recognition of other local elected officials present from Delegate Page Elmore.

Delegate Page Elmore acknowledged many of the local elected officials present.

Elmore asserted that, despite the yelling and screaming that can be heard from their caucus meetings, the Democrats were united so we need to be as well. Republicans simply need to “take care of their core values” and they could succeed.

We got an official announcement from our next speaker.

Pocomoke City Mayor Michael McDermott talked about inheriting a 'lackluster' city and thoughts about our country's direction.

Pocomoke City Mayor Michael McDermott talked about trying to slow down a fast-moving train toward bigger, more intrusive government and stated, “if you keep your hands off the tiller and let the country do what it does best” we can prosper, in reference to a story he told about his grandfather flying a Cessna airplane.

He then clearly stated that he “will be a candidate for District 38B in 2010.” (As a resident of that district, that works for me!)

Finally, we recognized yesterday’s efforts by the Lower Shore Young Republicans.

Dustin Mills (at podium) introduced fellow LSYR's (left to right) Chris Eccleston, Marc Kilmer, Nick Loffer, and Sean Fahey.

The food drive they conducted yesterday netted over 300 pounds of food (with another several hundred upcoming from Food Lion) and over $150 raised for the Christian Shelter here in Salisbury.

Reverend Bill Wilson closed out the proceedings with his Benediction.

All told, this was a successful event and it certainly fired up the troops, particularly by ending on such a good note with the Lower Shore Young Republicans and their news.

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.

Salisbury Council District 2 candidate forum – January 29, 2009

It was a bit of an unusual venue to have a candidate forum, but the two remaining District 2 City Council candidates were slated to speak in front of about a dozen residents at Harbor Pointe, a local assisted living facility. Unfortunately, incumbent Debbie Campbell was unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict; standing in for her was a friend and fellow Camden neighborhood resident, Susan Tilghman.

With that situation, challenger Muir Boda basically had a walkover. But Tilghman did speak briefly on Campbell’s behalf, apologizing to the residents for Debbie’s absence and briefly going over some of issues Debbie wanted to stress.

Tilghman’s expertise on Debbie Campbell came from a history of working with her on neighborhood and city issues, with Susan particularly impressed by Debbie’s expertise in the housing field. She related that Debbie was the president of the Camden Neighborhood Council and that she was “amazed” at Debbie’s efforts to resolving problems by “asking tough questions.”

Susan also added that Debbie was “concerned with (the city’s) financial issues”, including “developer subsidies.” Campbell had also worked hard on the audit, and the city had shown “real progress” on the issue.

But primary among issues for Campbell, Tilghman continued, was crime. Having one of the highest per capita crime rates in the country, Salisbury is looking for help from outside sources, including having a crime task force working with Dover, Delaware – a city of similar size to Salisbury.

Susan concluded that Debbie Campbell would be a “hard worker…tireless” and “dedicated to Salisbury.” Continue reading “Salisbury Council District 2 candidate forum – January 29, 2009”

Caldwell throws Superman hat into Mayoral ring

While I knew about this a few days ago and perhaps it may have been Salisbury’s worst-kept secret, I’m honoring Bob’s request and delaying the official announcement here until this point in time.

Here’s what he wrote, in its entirety:

I am pleased to announce my candidacy for the office of Mayor of Salisbury.

In the past, this City has overcome several major challenges, including two historic fires that threatened the town’s very existence. Salisbury not only survived, but emerged much stronger, and it became a bigger and better town. That success was due to the strength of character of the citizens, and to the quality of leadership.

In recent years, however, things have changed. We have experienced large tax increases and much higher fees and charges (often with no warning) while our infrastructure has deteriorated and become overburdened. City government operates with little public discussion or input, despite the promises of “transparency”. Periodic proclamations of “lower crime” and “sound financial health” are seen as political posturing. To put it plainly – – new leadership is needed.

And now we face another significant challenge. This time, it is not caused by fire or other natural disasters but by a severely damaged economy. The city will have less tax revenue, increased demands for service, and a probable reduction in cash flow from funds other than real estate taxes. It will take the combined efforts of Salisbury’s excellent employees, a dedicated City Council, and a strong leader to guide the city through very troubled waters.

I am prepared to be that leader. My background and my history make me uniquely qualified to assume the position of Mayor. I have been actively involved in many volunteer projects benefiting the community. I have been a member of City Council, and served as its president. During my time on Council, we addressed significant issues, including election reform and city agency realignment, and we created and passed Salisbury’s first rental property registration ordinance. In both elected and volunteer capacity, I have been able to bring people together. “Together” is the only way we will survive and thrive in the coming economic storm.

The leadership of an organization determines the tone of an organization. Under my leadership, the City of Salisbury will once again have an open government, marked by a return to civility on all levels.

If the citizens of Salisbury grant me the privilege to serve as their Mayor, they can be assured that I will work hard, and I will work smart. I am prepared for the challenges, and am confident that by confronting issues with Rational Thought, Experience, and Common Sense, I will effectively lead Salisbury for the next four years.

For Questions Contact:

Robert M. (Bob) Caldwell
1014 Evergreen Ave
Salisbury MD 21801
410-251-2799 (Cell)

(Emphasis in original.)

The Superman reference in my title is to a hat he often wears in public – certainly it allows me to pick him out in a crowd. As a cancer survivor, Bob does have that qualification for wearing the hat and perhaps he’s just the Clark Kent the city needs – arguably he’s the most politically experienced candidate running in the race.

With this announcement, the field for the city’s chief executive grows to four and now includes Caldwell along with current City Council Vice-President Gary Comegys, auto salesman Mike Della Penna, and onetime City Councilman and current member of the Wicomico County Democratic Central Committee Jim Ireton, who to date has had the most visible campaign.

Ireton is also the Chairman of the moribund Wicomico Neighborhood Congress, which oddly enough is planning a meeting on January 27th. Prior to that, the last scheduled meeting of the WNC was last August but that gathering was postponed indefinitely. According to my records, the last WNC meeting was April 29, 2008 – admittedly I may not be on their insider mailing list but I’ve kept their previous e-mails and attended the previous large-scale gatherings (last April, January, November 2007, and the September 2007 organizational meeting.) My guess is that there’s another WNC meeting scheduled shortly before the city elections.

While there’s still a week until the filing deadline and candidates have been known to wait until the last minute to get involved, it appears the mayoral field may be set. With the open seat caused by current Mayor Barrie Parsons Tilghman deciding not to seek another term, 2009 could mark the most exciting city election in decades.

Some scary stuff well past Halloween

Today I debut a new category which deals with the upcoming city of Salisbury elections. With my reach expanding into the Red County: Wicomico site that places emphasis on local issues along with state and national concerns, I can come back into the local realm for items to feed that site as well as inform the folks here. That’s not the scary part, though – for the frightening content you need to keep reading and follow along.

I think that everyone running for Mayor and City Council in Salisbury needs to read this report put out in October by the Center for Immigration Studies. While it sort of languished on the bottom of my “blog ideas” folder, the reason it remained in the stack and wasn’t deleted earlier was because I foresaw a day where I thought it was worth putting on my site, and as we approach municipal elections in a city that indeed has a gang problem and a large immigrant community it seems to me this research is extremely important to peruse.

This is the press release CIS put out at the time, which gave some of the conclusions of study authors Jessica M. Vaughan and Jon D. Feere.

A new Center for Immigration Studies Backgrounder finds that immigration law enforcement has been highly effective in fighting gang activity around the country. Local law enforcement agencies that shun involvement with immigration law enforcement are missing an opportunity to protect their communities, according to the authors. Since 2005, ICE has arrested more than 8,000 immigrant gangsters from more than 700 different gangs under an initiative known as Operation Community Shield.

The Backgrounder,’Taking Back the Streets: ICE and Local Law Enforcement Target Immigrant Gangs,’ by Jessica M. Vaughan and Jon D. Feere, was funded by the Department of Justice and describes the unique public safety problems posed by immigrant gangs. The authors present previously unpublished statistics on gang arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), describe how immigration law enforcement authorities are used to combat gang activity, and offer policy recommendations to improve federal-local cooperation, and without damaging relations with immigrant communities.

(snip)

Among the findings:

Transnational immigrant gangs have been spreading rapidly and sprouting in suburban and rural areas where communities are not always equipped to deal with them.

A very large share of immigrant gang members are illegal aliens and removable aliens. Federal sources estimate that 60 to 90 percent of the members of MS-13, the most notorious immigrant gang, are illegal aliens. In one jurisdiction studied, Northern Virginia, 30 to 40 percent of the gang task force case load were removable aliens.

MS-13 activity was found in 48 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

The immigrant gangsters arrested were a significant menace to the public. About 80 percent had committed serious crimes in addition to their immigration violations and 40 percent were violent criminals.

The ICE offices logging the largest number of immigrant gang arrests were Atlanta, San Francisco, and Dallas. Some cities with significant gang problems, such as Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Houston, had few arrests. These cities had sanctuary, or “don’t ask, don’t tell,” immigration policies in place over the time period studied.

While many of the immigrant gangs targeted were neighborhood operations, others were ethnic-based, such as Armenian Power, Kurdish Pride, or Oriental Killer Boys. But nearly half of the aliens arrested over the period studied were affiliated with MS-13 and Surenos-13, two of the largest and most notorious transnational gangs with largely immigrant membership.

Nearly 60 percent of immigrant gangsters arrested by ICE were Mexican citizens, 17 percent were Salvadoran, and 5 percent were Honduran. In all, 53 different countries were represented.

Immigrant gang members rarely make a living as gangsters. They typaically work by day in construction, auto repair, farming, landscaping and other low-skill occupations, often using false documents. Some gangs are involved in the production and sale of false documents.

The research found no “chilling effect” on the reporting of crime as a result of local law enforcement partnerships with ICE. Instead of spreading this misconception, immigrant advocacy groups should help reinforce the message that crime victims and witnesses are not targets of immigration law enforcement.

All gang task forces should include either an ICE agent or local officers with formal immigration law training, such as 287(g). Programs aimed solely at removing incarcerated aliens, while helpful, are not as effective in addressing gang activity as investigative programs.

While immigration law enforcement is a federal responsibility, ICE cannot do the job effectively without assistance from state and local law enforcement, particularly when it comes to immigrant gangs.

Both Vaughan and Feere work for the CIS, Vaughan as Director of Policy Studies and Feere as Legal Policy Analyst. The CIS also has a video introduction for the report, pay particular attention from about the 6:30 mark on (it’s a little over 8 minutes long):

Aside from the odd and slightly distracting camera angles used at times, the video serves to reinforce the conclusions in the report.

I was quite tempted to bolden a few of the CIS statements above, but instead I think it’s most noteworthy to point out the lack of arrests (read: free pass to operate) in so-called “sanctuary” cities. The other point which jumped out at me regarded the “worker by day, gang member by night” trend the research showed.

Much of the reason Salisbury is plagued by the crime problem it has is the available cash on the streets. Because many immigrants, particularly illegal ones, don’t use banks because they don’t have a Social Security number to open an account, they immediately cash their paychecks at a retail outlet like Wal-Mart (who cashes checks for a small fee) and return after shopping with a large sum of cash, easy prey for robbery. Or they may later need extra cash to pay a bill and without a savings account they turn to a loan shark who is likely part of a gang. Welcome to the crime problem as drug dealers and prostitution also flourish in areas where cash is easily had.

As we approach the elections in March and April, a legitimate question to ask the hopefuls is how they’ll deal with safety on the streets of Salisbury, so this report should be studied carefully.