Thoughts From the Publisher's Desk

The Ocean City Mayor and Council deserves recognition this week for approving City Manager Dennis Dare's plan to freeze all employee salaries for the next fiscal year. This is precisely what we called for in an editorial last week, and that's worth pointing out to blow our own horn. It's noteworthy because there are times when governments will do exactly the opposite of what a newspaper suggests on the opinion page to prove a point. It's happened around these parts, in fact, and it was great to see Ocean City officials had no problem instituting a salary freeze, even though we suggested it last week. It was made clear this freeze was in the works for weeks, but it was great to see it came to fruition. The County Commissioners would be wise to do the same thing and sooner is better than later. As Council President Joe Mitrecic said this week, 'we wanted to let our employees know as soon as possible and make that decision today, rather than at the 11^th hour of the budget process.' Mitrecic went on to say, 'Our town employees work on their own personal budgets and when we make decisions like this, it affects them directly. I don't think that it's fair to them to cut COLA's and freeze salaries if we don't cut everything that we possibly can.' Hopefully, the county will see it the same way.

A look at Ocean City's 'Top 100 Gross Earners' for 2008 reveals some interesting numbers. These are just gross earnings and do not include other compensation such as health insurance. Some of these employees have been with the town for decades, while a few are recent hires. Here's a look at the top 20 wages paid by the city:

City Manager: $170,814

Public Works Director: $150,025

Police Chief: $141,742

City Engineer: $141,129

Finance Director: $141,127

Tourism Director: $138,180

Planning and Community Development Director: $138,124

Recreation Director: $138,124

Emergency Services Director: $134,987

Police Captain: $124,971

Police Captain: $124,971

Fire Deputy Chief: $124,721

Police Captain: $123,710

Police Captain: $119,998

IT Director: $116,936

Public Works-Street Maintenance Super: $116,735

Public Works-Construction Super: $116,730

Solid Waste Super: $115,593

Human Resources Director: $115,151

Service Center Director: $113,939

It was interesting this week to learn what an expensive project the U.S. Census has become for this country. According to a U.S. Census Bureau report, it cost approximately $4.5 billion to count the 281 million citizens in this country in 2000. That comes out to $15.99 per person. That's startling to me, especially when you consider it cost just a $1.22 per person in 1970; 71 cents in 1960; 23 cents in 1920; 8 cents in 1870; and a penny in 1790. Although it's just a rough projection at this point, the 2010 effort is reportedly going to count 310 million Americans, meaning it will likely cost approximately $6 billion or upwards of $20 per person. Something seems awry here. This is a complicated process because there are a lot of people who do not want to exist on paper for a variety of reasons, but there has to be a more cost-effective way. I apologize for not having any suggestions, but those folks who specialize in counting heads should be ordered to streamline and search for a cheaper way.

It's impressive how much local representation there is once again in the Restaurant Association of Maryland's annual Stars of the Industry Awards Gala. Nominated this year are some familiar names and some new entries. Nominated were Leighton Moore, Seacrets, Restaurateur of the Year; Marlin Moon Grille, Favorite Restaurant; Fager's Island, Favorite Bar and Tavern; the Greene Turtle Sports Bar and Grille, Favorite Bar and Tavern; and Liquid Assets, Favorite Wine and Beverage Program. Congratulations to all the nominees. You can vote online at www.marylandrestaurants.com for all those nominated with the exception of Moore's category, which is determined through an association membership vote.