Steve Mensing, Editor
♦ Almost daily the “Downtown Salisbury Only” contingent keeps up their urgent din about how the county commissioners need to be more “cooperative” with Salisbury even though Salisbury has a long history of financially vampiring the county taxpayers. (Forced annexation, drinking from other municipality’s water and sewer funds, getting county taxpayers to fund Salisbury projects etc.) Who can forget Downtown Salisbury Only quest to insert itself as a stakeholder to get over on the county for the school’s Central Office at 329 S. Main? The county commissioners knew the property was too small, without a designated parking lot, possessed 38 feet of soggy infill with the water table running through it, and still has some residual contamination. It was well known that Salisbury’s special interests were pushing 329 S. Main as an attractor for the Empire Hotel investment. (Good luck) The majority of the county commissioners nixed the loan for obvious good reasons.
Here are the typical manipulations utilized by “Downtown Salisbury Only”. Basically these manipulations fall into the following categories:
• Accuse the County Commissioners of being contentious and uncooperative. Salisbury’s special interest groups frequently use the contentious tactic in letters-to-the-editors campaign in the city’s “newsletter”. A close examination of the county commissioner’s record demonstrates they do make concessions and attempt to meet others half way. The county commissioners regularly meet with those holding opposing viewpoints for lengthy discussions. The idea the county commissioners “fight” with the city is claimed to harm the area’s reputation and drive away business. Clearly conflicts occur between prospering municipalities and their prospering counties all across the United States and these conflicts do not chase away business.
• Accuse the county commissioners of “lacking vision”. Seems the county commissioners have pile of successful initiatives, including the purchase of the West End Plaza. (No it won’t run up taxes–it will reduce them in the long run) Salisbury sustains vivid fantasies including the alleged Fibrant debacle turnaround with their 3 Fibrant employees. It appears from their stats Salisbury is in no position to claim being visionary. http://rowanfreepress.com/salisbury-nc-statistics/
• Accuse the county commissioners of being bullies. Commissioners Jim Sides, Craig Pierce, and Mike Caskey are commonly targeted in this strategy. Downtown Salisbury Only employs this name calling tactic in Letters-to the-Editor elsewhere.
• Accuse the County Commissioners of not being transparent in their dealings. The County Commissioners are transparent in the extreme. The county commissioners were cited as exemplary for their transparency by the John Locke Society. Further they answer Freedom of Information Acts, unlike a certain municipal government, and have set aside a transparency page on the Rowan County website.
Here is yet another way Downtown Salisbury Only ploy–sending in political wolves-in-Sheep’s clothes. We have several easily identifiable ones in the upcoming primaries.
Political Wolves-in-Sheep’s Clothing Test. Vetting the Manipulative candidate:
