Show Transcript
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You're watching Open Agenda. Here's our
host, Joe White.
>> Welcome to Open Agenda. I'm your host,
Joe White. In the studio with me today
is Dr. Joe Venosa from Salsbury. Thank
you.
>> Thank you.
>> Mr. Jim Atkins from Mardawa.
>> Yeah. Thanks for coming in.
>> Go back to school so I can get a uh get
a title.
>> Well, yeah. I tell you what, uh I I've
been to some of Joe's lectures and
pretty good. So, yeah. Stayed awake.
>> Good old time.
Yeah.
>> So, the Salsbury City Council had their
meeting on Monday, uh, September 9th.
>> They did. They did.
>> And you, we're going to bring in u Kevin
Lindsay later. We're going to talk about
closed primaries and and open primaries
and maybe baseball, too.
>> Yeah. Yeah.
>> Uh, but before we get there, there there
was there was some other business at
this city council meeting. Well,
speaking of closed primaries and closed
things, let's talk about closed sessions
because what happened um yesterday was
very interesting. So, typically the
council goes into closed session, you
know, if they have to before
>> the legislative session and then maybe
they go to a work session. Um, usually
they're ready by 6:00.
>> Okay?
>> Uh, actually sometimes they're ready
about 10 15 minutes prior. The doors
open, the community the community can
come in. Well, they didn't open those
doors until about 6:35.
>> Okay? And there were a lot of and a lot
of people talked literally when the
doors opened and afterward about what
occurred. And by all accounts, by
several accounts, there was a lot of
tensions, a lot of back and forth about
some of the big debates they're having
right now.
>> Well, I thought it was odd, too. There
was only three council members there.
Right.
>> Yes. So, I can't explain council member
Gregory's absence. That's not a new
thing. She
>> She wasn't at the last one, either.
>> Yeah, she's not around much, it seems.
But uh we're what I was told by several
people was that council member Dowy uh
left.
>> Okay.
>> Walked out.
>> He was there was in the close session at
some point. Um allegedly
>> got upset, left.
>> Okay.
>> Um and then uh Vice President Angela
Blake had to chair the uh rest of the
meeting, which is interesting because
with only three sitting members,
although they had a quorum, they
actually couldn't uh vote on the second
reading for several resolutions. Well, I
do what I want to do. I want to bring in
Kevin and I want to talk to him a little
bit and then circle back.
>> Yeah.
>> And talk about some of the business they
actually were able to.
>> Um,
>> we're also going to talk baseball.
>> Do you play baseball over Mardella?
>> Yeah. Yeah.
>> Yeah.
>> Did baseball? Softball. Yeah.
>> So, you know, one of the interesting
things is uh Kevin Lindsay is very
active in the community with youth
sports. Uh, that's something that's very
important to myself as well. uh that are
running a baseball program over over at
Billy Gene Jackson and right in Salsbury
and I want to ask him some more
questions and uh I'd like love to have
you come back on and see see what you
think about what he had to say.
>> Okay, good deal.
>> All right, so stay with us. When we come
back we're going to bring in Kevin
Lindsay talk primaries and baseball.
Stay with us. We'll be right back.
Welcome back to Open Agenda. The city
council just had their meeting this past
Monday. We want to give you some updates
and we want to talk a little baseball
and uh with in the studio with me is Mr.
Kevin Lindseay from Salsbury.
>> How you doing?
>> Dr. Joinosa, thanks for sticking around.
>> Sure.
>> So before we get to baseball, we got to
talk about city politics and there's
this idea that there's going to going to
be a closed primary for the next city uh
elections which are in 2027. you've
posted some information and I want to
find out a little bit more about just
what you're hearing.
>> So, uh, I have a contact that stated
that the city council, which they
ultimately have control over, wants to
change the charter to a primary. So, in
the spirit of things for the Democrats,
it's a good move, right? So, they don't
want what happened with Randy to happen
again.
>> So, they vote got split.
>> The vote got split. So they want to go
in with one Democrat,
>> one Republican.
>> Uh when I reached out to uh Mitchell for
Mayor J Mitchell, I wanted to discuss
with him.
>> Do we want to announce that now? Because
the way we feel is with this information
getting leaked out, it's going to be
like the old switcheroo again. Remember
what happened last election where they
switched Megan and Jack out? I think
that was always in the plan, but they
waited last minute. with this. I'm
pretty sure if city council wants to
change that. It's got to be, you know,
public information and things, but I
think it'll be it'll be last minute and
I and they're going to vote it through.
Right. Here's one here's a few concerns.
Number one, I don't think it's genuine.
I really think um the Democratic party
locally still hasn't addressed what
happened to Jer Michael in his election
with everything from uh leaving him off
the fly um actually uh you know
questioning where he live uh a little
bit of discrimination not a little bit I
don't know if it was on purpose but it
it appeared that way like they didn't
the only African-American candidate they
were just trying to get rid of
>> and it at one point was questioned
whether or not he was a legitimate said
he said stated, you could read it was
not a legitimate candidate.
>> Yes. Wasn't a legitimate candidate. Um
secondly, you know, we barely can get
3,000 people to come out for the regular
marital vote. Now, you're telling me
that we're going to have two votes where
one party decides. And I would imagine
if we can't get 3,000 out for
>> for the general election, I can only
imagine we'll get 200 people deciding
who's going to be the Democratic
candidate or the Republican candidate
for the Mariel race.
>> Well, let's let's back up for just a
second and talk about what is the
current format. And Joe, you've you've
spoken a lot about this. It's it's it's
a it's an open field, right?
>> Yeah. and Michael Langford at city
council also gave a really good analysis
of of the system we have and the
concerns that as you stated you know
could happen. Um you know so as it
stands right now we have a nonpartisan
race in which anybody can run. We don't
have a primary
>> which means you you know John Smith and
Joe Blow can put their names in and they
can run and you don't know anything
about them other than who they are and
what their platform is
>> because they don't run as a Republican
or a Democrat. don't run in any party
and they don't have to get through a
primary. So to your point Kevin is that
one it's truly inclusive and that
everybody has a chance and also and this
is where I come down on it um by
removing the letter from the candidate.
You kind of force people that are that
want to learn more about the issues that
they actually learn about the issues.
Because if you got somebody who's going
to instinctively say, "Oh, they're
Democrat. I ain't voting for them or
they're Republican." you kind of
actually like a you miss the nuance and
and also you do a great disservice to
local politics which still tends to be
on a lot of things despite the rhetoric
from some people it still tends to be
pretty nonpartisan
>> and and and we we try to
>> Yeah. We try to show that. Absolutely.
>> So let's talk about the last election,
the 2023 election.
>> Uh in that race there was three
candidates. Uh Jack Heath was one of
them. Yeah. But then he dropped out
towards the the end and this is what
you're referencing. And Megan Outton was
inserted.
>> Yeah.
>> Uh Randy Taylor was one of the
candidates. Uh and and Jermaich Mitchell
was the other one
>> who declared before everybody.
>> He declared on purpose. We declared in
February of 2023.
>> Okay. And because they're Megan and and
Jamaich would be considered Democrats
and Randy is is is a Republican, they
feel like the Democrats in this area
feel like that vote got split.
>> Yeah.
>> And it's more important for them to get
someone from their party in that may be
the right candidate, but at the same
time, they they did have a lot of
negative uh communication about J.
Michael's candidacy last time, right?
>> Yeah. So, I think what we witnessed on
um
what we witnessed before Megan got
involved, we we sat sat down with Shore
Progressive and
>> um I have all the notes and we did a
one-on-one interview and they they loved
him um before declaring Megan. And then
once Megan got declared, it was just
like Gerald Michael wasn't worthy
anymore,
>> right? and and it just shows like what
the plan always was, right? And I think
history is important. And to Joseph's
point about the Democrats uh and people
just voting for Democrats, voting for
Republican, I remember I want to say it
was 2016 county executive run where Jack
Heath was an independent.
>> Oh, it was 2018. Yeah,
>> 2018 Jack Heath was an independent. Um
it was uh Bob Culver and the rumor was
>> Josh Hamilton was his name.
>> Josh Hamilton.
>> Yeah.
>> They they
>> 20-year-old kid
>> just say, "Hey, run as a Democrat."
Because Bob knew that those votes would
split like like it would if it was just
Bob and Jack.
>> Jack Jack would have won. But bringing
that individual in
>> and I watched I watched the form. It was
it was awful. And and it was just people
voted just for because he had a deviod.
Exactly.
>> You think you think that's a possibility
in the 2026 county elections?
>> No. Okay.
>> Personally, I if if a certain Democrats
run it, I I I don't No. Okay.
>> I don't think so. Um
>> cuz we've heard that rumor.
>> Yeah. I I heard that. I just don't I
mean, we've had we've had Democrats
since then.
>> I Yeah, I'm sure all options are on the
table for people that want to get
reelected. I don't know if this is the
same uh situation,
>> but as somebody who was in the room
>> in the time when Megan was inserted, I
could tell you that there were numerous
points, and you got to remember, I mean,
we have to talk about this with regard
to Shore Progress. you know, it's Jared
Shylind's operation
>> and he and Megan are very close
>> and they have a policy in in which, you
know, if you're not sort of
>> towing the line of of their belief and
their policy, you're kind of cast out.
And I got to tell you, you know, and
again, I've I've said this, I'll say it
again. I apologize to you and Jichel for
being in that room and seeing some of
that and not really speaking up. And
there were other people too who ended up
pulling away from the campaign as it
went on, especially after that incident
when he was declared an illegitimate
candidate. But one of the things that I
remember distinctly, people need to
remember this, there was a fundraiser
for Megan
>> uh that the developers threw at Green
Street Housing and Jake Day and Jack
Heath and all the establishment sort of
leaders of the party got up there and
said specifically that J. Michael was
not good for the community. Now, I find
that when you think about what people
do,
>> come to a parks and wreck meeting at the
end of September.
>> That's what I'm saying. Michael, I think
when they mean community, they mean
maybe certain developers.
>> Oh, no doubt.
>> And and that's something to be wary of
as we get into the next election because
they're already trying to figure out
that, you know, plan of action. And I
suspect part of what you're hearing is
the impetus from those folks
>> because what they're concerned about is
that even though Randy and Jichel are
very different in many ways, one's a
Democrat, one's a Republican, I think
they have a very similar approach to the
idea of we shouldn't sell out the city
assets and give everything to a bunch of
downtown developers while we have all
these issues. And as long as that
remains the most likely matchup, I think
they're going to try to rig it in in
some way. I mean, not rig the election,
>> not rig the election, but set the table,
set the table that is uh most um
conducive to their desires. So, if if
they are successful in creating a closed
primary, that would mean that prior to
the 2027
uh open city mayor election, there would
be a primary where only Republicans can
re vote for a Republican candidate and
Democrats can only vote for a Democrat
candidate.
>> What What process would have to happen
between now and then to get that into
place?
>> I I understand it. Maybe you can correct
me if I'm wrong. I I I just think it's a
a a motion from city council to change
the charter. Yeah. And to vote on it.
It's nothing. It's nothing.
>> Does it have to pass four to
or is it two?
>> My understanding is that when it's
proposed and and passed out of council,
it only needs three votes to pass. The
mayor can veto it, which I suspect he
would, but they would have to find an
override. So the real question is would
let's be honest would April Jackson and
Sharon Dashield be the two votes that
would not override that that would help
that would sustain the mayor's veto. I
suspect they would because I think Miss
Jackson has kind of had the same
criticisms that we've brought up about
kind of how um there's an attempt to
sort of circumvent I would say the will
of the people because one of my big
critiques of a close primary apart from
that you get you know maybe the most
extreme partisan people voting is that
as you said Kevin you you dilute you you
you filter a very very narrow group of
people. I mean, not everybody can vote
in the middle of June or July in a
primary when there's very little
information. Um, that that kind of warps
the people that actually are are
running. I mean, we saw that even with
the mayoral I'm sorry, with the uh
governor's election and with all the
other local elections when they bumped
up the primary in 2022. I looked at the
data, 9%
>> Yeah.
>> of the electorate voted in that June
primary. And and the hard thing there,
you know, I'm a Republican and in
Maryland, you almost don't get to have a
hand in selecting the governor because
whoever wins the Democrat primary most
of the time wins. I mean, we I mean, and
>> and yeah, they there's been some, but
what you really want is really a
nonpartisan election. Let's let's let
the best win out.
>> Yeah. So, talking about being the best,
let's talk about how the baseball
program that you're running on
Wednesdays and Saturdays over at Billy
Jean Jackson.
>> Yeah.
>> Is uh could help some kids not just be
their best baseball player, but maybe
learn a little bit more about
themselves.
>> Yeah, it's a cool program. We we we
started in in the spring. We we did it
for about 6 weeks, you know, and it's
the same in the fall. I think the goal
um it what's cool about it is um number
one, you're learning the game of
baseball. Uh, number two, um, is free.
Okay. Right. So,
>> cost is right.
>> Cost is right. And we feed them
afterwards. Okay. Right. So, you you're
dealing you you're getting a group of,
uh, 20 to 25 kids out out from 6:00 to
7:30 on a Wednesday and 9 to 10:30 on a
Saturday. Um, where it's dinner time.
Um, they're probably hungry afterwards,
but also they have the opportunity to
learn the game. And and what I tell the
kids is like, look, you're not going to
learn. You're not going to be a
superstar just from three hours a week
with me. Trust me, I don't know enough
about the game, but there are certain
certain fundamentals about the game that
we can teach. If you are interested in
playing the game uh in at full time, you
can go in feeling more comfortable when
little league starts, right? How to
field the ground ball, how to run the
bases, the basic um techniques of
swinging a bat. Um, and then you get to
listen to me yell um at you and
>> which is great at 9:00 on a Saturday.
>> They love it, man. They're just like, I
want to go home. Um,
>> well, feed me first, right?
>> Feed me first, right? So, but it's a
cool program and I don't want to just
it's just not baseball. I think they
have like basketball, lacrosse, they did
a football program in in the uh spring
out there together. So I think it's it's
um what the way times are now, the
economy is, anything you can do to
provide a service that parents don't
have to, you know, uh rob Peter to pay
Paul to make sure their son or daughter
is happy.
>> It's just it's just a positive.
>> It's hard enough just for the time
commitment. I I don't think that that
gets enough credit anymore.
>> Um
>> because people are working more and
more. I'm a I'm a little league coach.
I've I've been coaching sports for a
long time. Joe Joe coaches over in the
Challenger League in Wakamaku County.
>> The the time it takes to just commit as
a parent to to have the kids, especially
if you have more than one.
>> Yeah, no doubt. No doubt.
>> One of the cool things I think is with
this being at Billy Jean Jackson,
there's a lot of folks who could even
ride their bike to get there. And I
think that was the the the premises of
having it there and actually, you know,
introducing a different population,
typically kids that look like me
>> to the game because it's even percentage
wise Major League Baseball now than when
Jackie Robinson was playing. I was just
going to say I was I was I was I just
want to say I I'm I'm very grateful that
you're keeping baseball alive. But it is
ironic that actually you know among
Africanamean communities interest in
baseball seems to at least proportion
been going down. And again the the stats
in the leagues not just the major
leagues kind of show it.
>> Well and I'm going to tell you in in the
rural parts of the county it's not it's
not growing either. uh coaching when we
get to the spring and I'm talking 11 and
12 year olds
20 years ago you're not still teaching
the kids the rules of the game
>> uh they don't you don't ride down a road
and see kids just playing baseball in
their backyard anymore
>> but when you go to coach and and you're
having to actually teach the kids the
rules at that point instead of the
skills
>> then it's hard it's much harder I I
can't applaud you all enough for getting
out there
>> fun
>> and and doing it uh the the summer
basketball program. Uh probably finish
strong, I would have say.
>> Yeah. Yeah. And and Joe Michael talks
about that all the time like the the
work he puts in and um it's just it's
just a dedication that I don't you know
when you mention like he's not good for
the community, man. I I I tell you what,
I will I will take that guy over anybody
like for all the work you know before
what people don't realize I remember
meeting Joe Michael. He he was meeting
with getting uh Lieutenant Governor uh
Rutherford, you know, getting in awards
from him before anybody really started
talking about it. So, the work that he
does, man, out there, especially with
basketball and just the other work, um
it's it's just it's pretty cool.
>> It it's easy to talk about it. Joe Joe
gets out there and coaches. I I see it
with some of the volunteers we have with
the the the program I help run. uh
getting anybody out there who's willing
to be boots on the ground.
>> Yeah, boots on the ground. I think it's
hard and and you got to understand the
>> to your point, athletics in in in
general has the landscape has sh changed
because of AAOU, travel ball,
>> um travel soccer, my son does it, you
know, it's just different.
>> And
>> ultimately, you know, me and my
neighbor, uh Kevin Slade, we joke around
like, you know, you think this guy's
going to make the team. He looks at me,
he said, "If you can write that check,
>> he's going to be on the team." And it
gets away from the fundamentals of
teaching.
>> Yeah.
>> And we had a conversation about that not
too long ago, cuz every now and then I,
you know, go up to the Henry Parker
Field Complex, you know, just play with
my son on the fields. And, you know,
it's weird cuz I come from sort of the
urban version of what you guys are
talking about with the rural area. Like,
kids always would play baseball in a
neighborhood growing up. Just an organic
thing. And and I part of me really
resents
>> the formalization, the travel ball.
There's a lot of classism involved. You
said it's like afford a what happened to
just being a game.
>> Exactly. I agree. I agree.
>> Well, thanks for coming in and talking
to us about elections and and also
baseball, too. Any time to to do do
that.
>> Could you give a reminder about when the
baseball? Um
>> Yeah. Well, it's Wednesday, Saturday,
and we run all the way through October
11th. And I you I believe you can still
sign up. So, just bring your kid out
there uh maybe a little bit before 600.
get them signed up and we'll get them
going.
>> Billy Jean Jackson.
>> Billy Jean both Wednesday and Saturday.
>> Wednesday and Saturday. Yeah. Okay.
Yeah. Thank you.
>> Well, thanks for coming.
>> Thanks for having me.
>> We'll be right back.
>> Welcome back to Open Agenda. Thanks for
rejoining us, Mr. Jim Atkins.
>> Yes.
>> Dr. Joe, thanks for sticking around.
>> Always.
>> So, what do you think about the baseball
program?
>> It it's it's good. It's good. These
these kids need something to do to get
them outside away from videos and
everything else and to have people who
are really interested in them and can
teach them the fundamentals so then they
can make the decision whether or not
it's something they want to continue to
do as they get older.
>> Yeah. You know, baseball, I think, can
teach you a lot of life lessons.
>> Yes. It's a team game. You've got to
you've got to play as a team. Yeah. And
uh it it's it's great to see that he's
coming to meet the kids where they're at
versus asking them to go to travel as
they say.
>> I think the I'm sorry, but the
accessibility of what they're doing, I
think it's phenomenal.
>> Yeah. And I'm sure the parents really
appreciate that because that's who it
falls on to get them to practice, the
parents. Yeah.
>> Yeah.
>> So accessibility, talking about
primaries and close primaries, Joe, you
know,
>> good segue.
>> Well, you you got to work with what you
got, right?
>> Teamwork.
>> Teamwork. So the, you know, the idea
with closed primaries, and I found this
interesting as I've gotten to know a lot
about the city council politics, city
mayor politics from you the last couple
years,
>> uh, the the the open the open openness
of the election
>> allowed the most people to participate
without titles. Yeah. Is that accurate?
>> Yeah. As good as I think it is to keep
the current system we have and actually
improve upon it, even in this
environment, the city has struggled to
get people to participate in the
electoral process. I believe our last
election for mayor, I believe the voter
turnout rate was, I think 16.9%.
>> Yeah.
>> I mean, so as Kevin had said, um about
3,000 people in a city of more than
30,000 showed up. So, if you're going to
create a closed primary system, as I
said, you're not just going to get the
more extreme candidates or maybe the
candidates that are backed by the party
people with the money, but you're just
going to get fewer people to participate
in the process.
>> So, what what creates the lack of
participation? Is it the time of year
that the election is in? Is it that it
is a staggered election? because say
they certainly would have more
participation if the city elections were
held the same time the county elections
were. When people are out voting,
they're going to vote for everything at
one time. So, what is the
>> That's a great question, Jim. I I think
there's a few things. One is the fact
that we live in a city in Salsbury where
76% of the population are renters. That
often means you have more transient
people. You know, I I can remember when
I was in grad school in Athens, Ohio,
and my wife and I were renting as poor
grad students. We didn't follow local
city politics as much cuz we were
involved in our own lives. So, I think
that's an element of it. Um, you know,
there's a lot of people in poverty.
Typically, people that are in poverty
that are struggling to make ends meet
are not going to get into the minutia of
city life even though they get most
affected by it. This kind of one of the
great tragedies of this whole system
that we're in.
>> Yeah. And they're going to see it with
the water bill when it goes up. they're
going to see it.
>> Yeah. And then the third thing I think
is that just a lot of people have become
turned off by politics in general. Uh I
think voting trends across the country
and across the state, certainly the
county mirror that. And when you have
candidates who also just don't um who
don't speak to people, who don't excite
them. I mean, I think it's interesting
that even though we had a very low
turnout election last time for mayor, J.
Michael Mitchell got a pretty sizable
chunk of the population of people who
did not typically vote
>> by being known in the community by by
meeting them where they're at
>> and by doing a kind of grassroots
campaign. And again, even that even
though it didn't bring in a lot of
people, you could see that um candidates
matter, their message matters, and
ultimately like do they do things that
local people respond to?
>> Michael Langford talked about it.
project base versus what
>> projects. Yeah, I think that's and I
guess he's so great and so articulate
when he kind of frames it and I love
that concept of
>> if I'm running for office, these are the
projects I want to work on.
>> Forget my job or my party or or anything
else. This is what I'm intending to do.
>> Are you on board or not?
>> I want to talk I want to touch on
something else you brought up with with
Kevin and you just talked about it
earlier on the extremes. you know, in
this area now, we have we have the
Democratic party,
>> but we also have Shore Progress.
>> We have the Republican party, but we
also have the Demar Conservative
movement.
>> Is it is it fair to say that those two
groups are the far left and the far
right of the parties that they're
supposed to represent or is it a
different version altogether?
>> You know, I think it's a little bit of
both. Okay. I I think on on at face
value they represent or I think and I
think they would say they represent the
base of their parties. Um
on the other hand they're also plugged
into the establishment forces
that people beyond just the fringe
support. meaning um you know SH Progress
and the Delm Marva Conservative Movement
can can both sort of say that they're
like grassroots organizations that speak
for the real voter of their you know
group but they're actually and here's
the big secret they're they're backed by
the same people
>> the developers the real estate folk
>> people in Annapolis
>> people in Annapolis I mean like this is
>> this is as establishment as it gets
unfortunately and you know you can have
all the rhetoric and all the candidates
you want who say otherwise But we could
find out the campaign finance reports
pretty easy. And frankly,
don't take my word for it. Look at their
economic policies. You tell me. I would
love to know what is the difference
between a candidate backed by Shore of
Progress and a candidate backed by Delm
Mara Conservative Movement. If you could
show me substantial economic
differences,
>> I think they probably change their tie.
>> They might. Well, yeah, maybe.
>> Well, you know, that's probably one of
the uh one of the driving forces. I
mean, when you look around the country,
and Maryland is no different, except
they don't recognize independence in
primaries, but you you've got a lot of
people going to the independent party.
>> It's the fastest growing segment of the
voter base.
>> Exactly. Because that they're tired of
the extreme on the left and they're
tired of extreme on the right. They want
a nice balanced approach and and and
you're seeing that with independent
people. Maybe instead of going to closed
primaries for the mayoral elections,
maybe we should be going to open
primaries for the state election.
>> Not only that, and I've brought this up
before, um if the city is going to
change anything and and make it more
dynamic and interesting, I'm a big I'm a
big supporter of rank choice voting. You
know, if I've got top two, yeah, like if
you've got several candidates and you do
think, well, he's great and she's also
great
>> and I just don't want to go all the way
in. I think I mean and a lot of states
whether they're left or right leaning
have done it. Alaska has rank choice
voting now. I believe Vermont has it.
>> I'm sorry, Maine.
>> New York.
>> New York City. New York City has it.
Cities
municipalities have begun to do it and
they have done it for a while. It's
interesting that a city like Salsbury,
which kind of claims it's sort of
forward thinking, doesn't do that.
>> Well, we're trying to go try to regress
into something else.
>> Yeah, that's the irony. you're actually
kind of going back into something that I
think we all could sort of agree
regardless of your party like doesn't
really make much sense for the
community.
>> Well, thank you both. Appreciate you
being here.
>> Yeah.
>> Thanks for watching this episode of Open
Agenda. We'll be back later this week
with another new episode.
>> I can clean that up for you.
>> I was going to say that was the one
This first installment of OPEN AGENDA for the second week of September is now available (S2 E42). We kick off this episode by pondering why only three Salisbury City Councilpersons attended the open session meeting this past week. Council president, D'Shawn Doughty, attended the closed work session but left before the open session began, apparently upset for reasons unknown. Why is there so much apparent dysfunction within the City Council and how is it impacting the functioning of City government?
We move on to discuss possible changes to city elections in Salisbury with community leader Kevin Lindsay. City elections are presently non-partisan, but conversion to a partisan system with primaries is now under consideration, which raises many questions. Will this limit the choices for mayor and city council? Will it further empower “establishment” candidates and the more extreme factions on both ends of the political spectrum? Will the voices of Independent voters (the fastest growing segment of voters) be diminished since they cannot vote in primaries, thus leaving us under the control of political partisans?
Mr. Lindsay also informs us about a fantastic youth baseball program being held at Billy Gene Jackson, Sr. Park. This program teaches kids the fundamentals of America's favorite pastime and is offered at no cost. Free meals are even provided at the end of each session! Besides being a heck of a lot of fun, this program helps kids to develop skills, learn teamwork and build character, thus setting them on positive paths for their futures.
Keep an eye out for another episode at the end of the week focusing on some disturbing actions by certain County officials that infringe on the ability of citizens to petition their government for the redress of grievances. Tune in and be informed.
