Thoughs From The Publisher’s Desk

Ocean City Council members will decide next week whether to fund a new position within the Ocean City Police Department. Officials heard this week from a number of different law enforcement agencies on the benefits of a crime analyst post, which is strictly charged with identifying and analyzing data to determine trends in crime. It’s too close to call at this point whether the council will support it. A straw vote at this week’s appeared to indicate the council was divided evenly, meaning first-term Councilwoman Mary Knight, who was absent from Tuesday’s meeting, may cast the deciding vote on the future of the position. For what it’s worth, my vote would be against the creation of this position. It seems unnecessary considering the town has funded an expensive program that tracks the type of information this person would analyze. Let’s train someone in-house to interpret the data, which, of course, ebbs and flows with the season.

It’s that time of year once again when the Cops and Courts section becomes more akin to the comics. No better example was last week when an intoxicated man tried to buy a few bottles of Gatorade and a bag of chips with some marijuana. It seems the man only had $1 on him at the time and resorted to trying to pay the convenience store clerk with some dope. The clerk apparently does not toke, rejecting the trade request, resulting in the man running out of the store only to be found a short time later hiding in a dune on the beach of all places. That’s one interesting hiding spot. Another similar, lame-brained incident took place during a drug arrest in the downtown area over Cruisin’ weekend. While cops were looking into the matter further, a conspicuous guy launched a Coors Light can at them from a third-story balcony. The can did not hit the officer, but he was reportedly sprayed with beer. As if that were not bad enough, the suspect was just 19 years old and clearly unconcerned with maintaining a low profile as an underage drinker.

Sister Mary, as she was most affectionately known, passed away last week. She had been hospitalized for congestive heart failure. Sister Mary was in the news last winter after her beloved dog went missing for a spell, only to be found later by Police Chief Bernadette DiPino. Although she may not have realized how lucky she was, Sister Mary got to find out before she passed away exactly how people felt about her during the heart-ache she experienced at that time because the community truly rallied around her in her time of need. The local outpouring of support overwhelmed Sister Mary and it warms the heart to know she got to experience that emotion before she passed.

A number of different letters, most notably from the County Commissioners and the Ocean City Mayor and Council, have reportedly been sent regarding Trimper’s Rides. One letter sent to Gov. Martin O’Malley by Georgetown University professor Allen Brodsky, Sc.D. is published on these pages. Although it was not sent to the appropriate agency, a blog posted on our website this week raised some interesting points, albeit some misplaced anxiety and accusations. The blogger wrote, “… You just wait, if Trimper’s goes under because they can’t afford these assessments, do you think Jolly Roger will be far behind? How about Marty’s Playland? … You elected officials need to think not just about one year or three years down the road, just look at what’s happened in the last 10 or 15 years and project that ahead 10 or 15 years, and ask yourselves, are we really doing what’s best for OC? Trimper’s anchors that part of the Boardwalk and brings in the families who then go on to spend their hard earned money at Thrasher’s, Dolle’s, Marty’s, and all the other Boardwalk places. You put a condo there, and the rest of the Boardwalk is going to topple like dominos in five years.”

About The Author: Steven Green

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The writer has been with The Dispatch in various capacities since 1995, including serving as editor and publisher since 2004. His previous titles were managing editor, staff writer, sports editor, sales account manager and copy editor. Growing up in Salisbury before moving to Berlin, Green graduated from Worcester Preparatory School in 1993 and graduated from Loyola University Baltimore in 1997 with degrees in Communications (journalism concentration) and Political Science.