Steve Mensing, Editor
♦ In Salisbury’s gradual decline into bottom rung city over the past decade, Salisbury has sadly become known for its crime, its 25% poverty, the city’s public schools grading no higher than Ds and Fs on the state education report card, 11 unsolved murders who Chief Rory Collins can’t name. Where else in the United States does a police chief in a city notorious for crime, moonlight as a security guard? The city’s municipal broadband network Fibrant owes $7.6 million dollars to the water and sewer fund and the 2014-2015 budget audit cites Fibrant as having a $12.6 million negative balance. City council saw fit mislead the public that Fibrant turned the corner and made a profit.
The Big Ticket Issues in the Salisbury, N.C. City Council Race:
• City Hall’s lack of any transparency. Bad government practices and corruption can be hidden where truth doesn’t penetrate and public information requests go unanswered. The Rowan Free Press and others dwelling in the city hold stacks of unanswered public information requests. The city of Salisbury is in violation of state statutes in its attempts to thwart honest government and transparency. This has to end.
• Salisbury’s high FBI violent and property crime statistics make the city among the state’s more dangerous cities (per capita). Denial can’t hide the murders, the break-ins, the armed robberies, and the street beatings anymore. Most of Salisbury’s communities struggle with safety issues. 11 unsolved murders speaks volumes.
• Our police are understaffed and underpaid which means experienced officers get recruited out of our police department. Its said an estimated 75% of the police force left the Salisbury Police for greener pastures and higher pay over the last 5 years. What is left behind are inexperienced officers.
• The city’s municipal broadband network Fibrant owes $7.6 million dollars to the water and sewer fund and the 2014-2015 budget audit cites Fibrant as having a $12.6 million negative balance. Salisbury’s city council saw fit to mislead the public that Fibrant turned the corner and made a profit through hiding salaries and other shell games. Fibrant is a drain on the city’s limited resources and it impacts the city’s ability to provide services. Fibrant was kept on life supports by bleeding the city’s water and sewer funds. Now city hall is running a “10 gig” ruse when Fibrant only sold 3 “one gig” subscriptions to date.
• The city’s U.S. census showing 25% poverty places tremendous stress on the city and county systems. Numerous approaches exist for creating jobs and business even in areas with poverty, high crime, low performing schools, and limited spendable income.
• Working class folks, both black and white, are pulling up stakes and moving out of Salisbury to safer and more livable cities and towns elsewhere. The census shows our educated young are moving away for better jobs, safety, more amenities, and more fulfillment elsewhere.
• The city’s public schools graded no higher than Ds and Fs on the state education report card. The public schools suffer from behavioral problems, safety issues, drugs, all too common illiteracy, and gang activity.
• A major epidemic in Salisbury of alcoholism and heroin, meth, and crack abuse which impacts crime and families in a major way. Examining arrest reports shows that many persons arrested are in possession of narcotics and drug paraphernalia.
• The issue of being strongly bound to the visible “status quo” of old Salisbury real estate and banking families with a history of placing their self-interests, control needs, and greed above the interests of residents and taxpayers living in Salisbury and Rowan County.
• The Downtown with its South Main Badlands, the decrepit Empire Bat-Tel in dire need of bulldozing, and an expanding array of vacant storefronts is an unappetizing picture of blight.
• Salisbury received a downgraded bond status from Moody’s and Fitch bond rating services due to $7.6 million big gulped from the water and sewer funds. Today that bond rating has become even more precarious owing to recent discoveries of a $12.6 million dollar negative balance in the audit of the 2014-15 budget.
• Economic development is limited due to Salisbury’s poverty, lack of spendable income, and FBI crime stats.
• The covert targeting of “have not” neighborhoods for gentrification and “shrinking” of city services.
• Downtown needs to do something different to be a draw. Too many vacancies and too few people means the current formula is not working. The exorbitant municipal taxes add to the burden of attempting to do business.
• City Hall suffers a major disconnect with its communities outside of “8 block” and the country club. Many citizens are angered about city hall’s inattention and a lack of city services to communities outside of “8-block” and the “country club”. A lack of public playgrounds, sidewalks, and safety lighting are well noted in underserved communities such as the West End. Is your community receiving full city services? Adequate police patrol–trash pickup–pothole repair–city property properly maintained?
• Salisbury’s estimated 700 to 800 vacant, neglected, and abandoned houses create major blight throughout much of the city. Although new code enforcement rules are in place, can a city hurting for money actually start implementing code enforcement and clear away some of obsolete structures?
• The city suffers from undeniable gang activity. City Hall is behind the 8-ball with creating recreational facilities and activities for youth. How can the city replace gang culture with something better? There’s nothing better than something to do.
• A dreadful traffic light system coupled with closed streets and the coming “traffic calming” on East Innes. This will surely harm the chain stores and restaurants on East Innes. A congested and slow moving East Innes will also drive people away from coming into Salisbury.
• Ask yourself if cronyism isn’t rampant in city hall and that city council’s friends get curb service? How many of you or your neighbors tasted a city hall vendetta? How about the Spite Hole? Or a median planted in front of your business because you didn’t play ball. Or favoritism shown in zoning?
• The city’s long standing inequitable exchanges with the city’s forcibly annexed neighborhoods is in need of change.
• Unabated toxic areas in many sections of the city create public health concerns.
• A crumbling water and sewer system needing many millions to fix and upgrade.
