Do you recall how the County Executive tried to bust the revenue cap, but upon hearing the public outcry gleefully proclaimed that it was a “bait and switch” (her words) and then somehow miraculously managed to fully fund the County budget? On the new episode of OPEN AGENDA (S2 E28) we explore the Executive's disturbing methods of governing, and the behind-the-scenes forces that are enabling her. When truth is a moving target, facts are being obstructed and transparency doesn't exist, voters should be concerned.
The landfill “crisis” is one of many examples. The Administration has dramatically changed its story as to the remaining useful life of the existing landfill cells. Were the data collected by the County and volumetric calculations wrong or are we, once again, being mislead? Is the landfill “crisis” real, or is it a political ploy for the Executive to don her magic cape and swoop in to save the day? The answer remains to be seen, but here's what we do know. The Executive was at least 18-months late in implementing a preexisting plan left to her by the previous administration for design/construction of the next landfill cell (Cell #7), which may result in closing the landfill. We know that over just a few weeks, the construction drawings for Cell #7 have been presented as being 75% complete, then 90% complete and most recently just 60% complete. We know that the Executive recently promised to participate in a mid-July work session with the County Council to find solutions, but neither she nor her Director or Deputy Director of Administration bothered to show up. Going on a tour of the White House that day (not County business) was apparently more important. We know that the Council and citizens were not informed of the landfill “crisis” until months after the Administration identified it. Why are we being kept in the dark? We know that the current Engineering Manager and a highly paid consultant (the former Director of Administration) were responsible for managing the landfill until recently, but they failed to implement the Cell #7 design/construction plan or keep the landfill in compliance with state law. Nonetheless, they remain employed at taxpayer expense. Is this attributable to their political loyalty to the Executive? We know that there are wide disparities in the estimates of the amount of out-of-county trash coming into the landfill. We know that the Administration has provided zero evidence to support their repeated claim that the Landfill Permit and state law prohibit out-of-county trash, yet they have been allowing it throughout the Executive's term. We know that the Greater Salisbury Committee has supported almost every misstep made by the Executive, and the local mainstream media has failed to do any investigative reporting whatsoever (they only repeat the Executive's rhetoric). Are we being manipulated by the big-money forces in the county and news agencies that simply look the other way for political or financial gain? We know that the Executive's recent press release regarding the landfill “crisis” is not posted on the County's official website, but was first posted on the monetized Facebook page of a notorious blogger, to whom she previously awarded a contract along with an illegal encrypted police radio, in exchange for shamelessly biased coverage. If the blogger or the Executive don't like you, then you are blocked and denied access to the information. And now she is accusing Open Agenda of conveying misinformation, despite the fact that the news we present is supported by irrefutable video evidence from Council meetings and the Executive's own press conferences. It seems the Executive finds nothing more fearsome than provable facts being revealed. We are presently awaiting the Executive's decision as to whether or not she will incrementally close the landfill to commercial haulers beginning August 1—a plan that does nothing to reduce the volume of incoming trash. We'll be paying close attention. Tune in and be informed.
