Todd Paris, Staff Writer and Salisbury Attorney
♦ Salisbury: Secret Fibrant Meeting Monday May 15th
On Monday, May 15, 2017, yet another secret meeting between City Council and Salisbury City Hall’s advisory committee on Fibrant will meet once again at 1 Water Street at 5:00 p.m. to continue to decide to do something about Fibrant, the 2.4 million dollar per year loss that serves as a 40 ton anchor around our taxpayer’s collective necks. Taxpayers and media are barred from this meeting again under a confabulated definition if “economic development.” What happens at that meeting is simply none of our business and on two past occasions they took to putting potted plants in front of the doors and pasting paper up so that media can not even have a glimpse of their PowerPoint presentations. Councilman Post already was quoted as saying this level of secrecy was not necessary and Hardin probably would agree.
So there you apparently have Karen Alexander, Maggie Blackwell and Brian Miller and their particular definition of transparency while Salisbury’s cabal business pawns meet in secret to “solve” the worst financial crisis in Salisbury history since the Union Army burned the joint. Of course, what’s being discussed or planned is none of the public’s business.
Like in the 80’s, when political scientists were forced to read the Soviet government’s paper “Pravda” (Truth) and try to read between the lines, look at pictures, and draw conclusions about what was going on–today we are left to divine the truth by other means.
Salisbury City Council Meeting Tuesday May 16th
The next day on Tuesday, May 16, 2017 Salisbury City Council will have their normal City Council in front of pesky taxpayers and citizens. Remember, those pesky folks who wish to speak, must first sign up for comment at the media table before 6:00 p.m. The agenda is already published and attached for your review.
There on the consent agenda is a motion to approve a “sole source” (no bid) purchase from CCI Systems in the amount of $131,115.76 equipment and software upgrades for Fibrant. Consent agendas are usually set by staff and mayor for items expected to have no debate. There will be a motion to approve the consent agenda and if approved, all items move to vote without any discussion and no reason to reveal the how or why to our taxpaying serfs in the audience. One council member may move to take it off the consent agenda for discussion; however it’s questionable whether Kenney Hardin, under constant attack from within and without, will feel the effort worth his while.
What is my analysis here of “The City of Smoke and Mirrors?” A six figure contract should never be on the consent agenda. Spending that large a sum of our tax money should be explained and discussed. This is not transparent at all. Moreover, City Manager Bailey, Mayor Alexander, Maggie Blackwell, and Brian Miller, have shown their Fibrant cards. There is no way they would spend that kind of money on Fibrant if they had any legitimate offer to purchase it.
This sort of thing is little different than last month’s stunt to have public meetings on crime and then release bogus “crime reduction” figures to make city council look competent in an election year. Anyone, besides me, who thinks having 19 officers missing and not out arresting or taking crime reports, might actually create a false reduction in reported crime by 11%?
Karen Alexander, Brian Miller, and Maggie Blackwell need to be voted out for their lack of transparency and inability or unwillingness to actually fix Salisbury’s problems.
