Kenny Hardin, Salisbury City Councilman
♦ I was not in favor of the resolution to honor former Chief Rory Collins. I was the lone vote against the resolution and stand firm in my opposition. My decision to speak up was not meant to embarrass Collins or take away from the moment. I ran a campaign on candidness, honesty, and transparency. So, I spoke out not for me, but for those across the City who are hurting, continue to live in fear and have shared with me their pain, fears and concerns about crime and safety during his leadership.
While I appreciate former Chief Collins’ long service, I don’t believe in honoring and celebrating longevity alone. Before I celebrate, I look at the entire body of work as well as the lasting impact that length of service and body of work has left.
With that in mind, I could not support this public honor and recognition. I looked at the trail of fractured relationships he left in the wake, a polarized city behind his leadership, his inability to name the total number of unsolved murders, his inability to name at least one of the murder victims when prompted, inaction in resolving the murders, his apathy towards the Black community in an email exchange with a Salisbury Post reporter where he stated he was REALLY tired of trying with the West End, failed initiatives like the substation, my son being harassed by Officers, continual and escalating gun violence, increasing prevalence of gang activity, increasing drug activity and a department that bears visible scars of poor leadership.
So, I see little to honor or recognize. It is additionally disappointing that after he chose to retire, it is being reported on local news outlets he will still have a financial and physical presence within the Department. This is all a slap in the face and a dishonor to many in our private and business communities that I talked with daily from the beginning of my campaign last April up to as recently as two weeks ago.
Instead of honoring him for a mediocre job not well done, we should quietly thank him for his service longevity, move forward with new leadership, and focus on building broken relationships to start the healing.
