Allison Kepley, Salisbury, NC
♦ Kudos to Rowan Underground for the story in the RFP: “Mark Lewis, Downtown Salisbury Inc. Chair, Sounds the Alarm about Disturbing Demographic Trends in Rowan County”:
The letter was quite illustrative of the “Downtown Salisbury only” mode of operation leaving the rest of Salisbury and the county to beg for scraps. For years now Salisbury has swilled off its neighbors to offset the city’s mismanagement and in the end left both Salisbury and its neighbors paupers. Who can forget forced annexation and other gimmicks to pry fruit loose from the county’s money tree.
It is not difficult to envision “Downtown Salisbury Only” quest for “unity” wherein they are charged with control over their humble vassal municipalities in the county and seek a bailout. They dined on their neighbors SKU funds already.
Can anyone suggest anything worse than leaving “Downtown Salisbury Only” at the helm? With “Downtown Salisbury Only” in charge:
• 28% soaring poverty.
• The Fibrant debacle with their 70 Plus million dollar debt and only 3 employees.
• Gangs carved up and marked off their turf downtown, driving families out of our schools, and making our streets and schools unsafe.
• City services missing in action. Dangerously understaffed police and fire departments. In season city services can neither cope with snow removal or trim its weed and grass overgrown city properties.
• Out of control FBI crime statistics in the area of violent and property crime.
• “Disturbing Demographic Trends” wherein urban flight left Salisbury far poorer than any of its neighboring municipalities.
• Its city schools are academic non performers with horrible composite scores on the state education READY Report.
• The city is coming up with fabulous moves like “traffic calming” on already slow moving and congested East Innes and moving the Farmer’s Market to the cop lot where it will go sight unseen.
• The downtown area is a awash with vacancies, abandoned buildings, and failing businesses.
• The city “stakeholders” desperately tried to unload 329 S. Main on the county.
• A “Downtown Salisbury Only” controlled school board offered to sue the county taxpayers.
“Downtown Salisbury Only” tries to maintain its control even in the midst of meltdown. The larger question is: Why would anyone even listen to their cackling death rattle call for “unity”?
Is it any wonder why more people are packing their bags and looking for a way out? Economic growth and jobs are elsewhere thanks to “Downtown Salisbury Only”.
Undeniable and unimpeachable reality:
http://rowanfreepress.com/salisbury-nc-statistics/
