Steve Mensing, Editor
♦ In November the citizens of Salisbury will have the opportunity to vote in an all new city council and replace a city council fully associated with:
• Zero transparency. City hall seldom answers public information requests in violation of state statutes. Where is the 2015-2016 budget posted? Salisbury’s lack of transparency is significant
• The cover-up of the “mutual termination” and “platinum parachute” of its former city manager Doug Paris. Remember city council wanted to move on.
• Ridiculous claims of success for the “Fibrant debacle” through hiding salaries and other shell games.
• The city’s high FBI violent and property crime statistics making the Bury among the state’s most dangerous cities (per capita).
• Salisbury’s “pay for play” reputation around the state
• An understaffed and poorly paid police department fielding inexperienced patrolmen. Great news for a city with major crime
• The city’s census showing 25% poverty and lack of spendable income–bad news for pitching economic development
• Salisbury’s proliferation of gangs and gang violence. Two unsolved gang murders several weeks ago
• Substandard city services due to the Fibrant fiasco
• Major epidemic of alcoholism and heroin, meth, and crack abuse in Salisbury impacting crime.
• The city’s over reliance on its water and sewer funds to keep Fibrant afloat
• A crumbling water and sewer system needing many millions to fix and upgrade.
• A lack of public playgrounds, sidewalks, and safety lighting in underserved communities.
• The targeting of “have not” neighborhoods for gentrification and “shrinking” of city services.
• City Hall’s major disconnect with its communities outside of “8 block” and the country club
• A horrific traffic light system coupled with closed streets and the coming “traffic calming” on East Innes. If you don’t think this will harm the big box stores and chain restaurants on East Innes–think again. It will also drive people away from coming to the “Bury”.
• An over focus on Salisbury’s ghostly Downtown to the detriment of other areas
• Younger and more educated persons are leaving town due to the lack of jobs, amenities, and safety
• Inequitable exchanges with the city’s forcibly annexed neighborhoods
• The reality of working class folks, both black and white, pulling up stakes and moving to higher ground elsewhere
• Poorly performing public schools on the state education’s letter grading system.
• The lack of significant chain retail in Salisbury leading residents to drive elsewhere or shop on the internet
• Major illiteracy challenges in the public schools
• Nearly 800 vacant and abandoned houses in Salisbury. Toxic wastelands in many areas of the city
Numerous solutions exist for most of these challenges, but the current city council is missing in action. Continued inaction will keep Salisbury a bottom rung city.
These are the candidates for Salisbury’s city council in no particular order:
Kenny Hardin
William Peoples
Rip Kersey
Todd Paris
Roy Bentley
Tamara Sheffield
Troy Russell
Jeff Watkins
Constance Johnson
Stephen Arthur
Scott Maddox
Karen Alexander
Maggie Blackwell
Brian Miller
Mark Lewis
David Post
