Chances are if you have been to the Performing Arts Center in Ocean City you have experienced the poor sound system. It’s inexcusable and boggles the mind. The good news is the town is going to address it soon.
Ocean City Councilmember Mary Knight hit the nail on the proverbial head during this week’s meeting.
“Last year at the MML [Maryland Municipal League] opening speech, the sound kept going in and out,” she said. “We’re sitting in this beautiful facility and I’m hearing people say ‘did they low ball the sound system?’ That’s how people think and you only get one shot at it.”
That’s it. There is this gorgeous, $8 million facility that is so impressive aesthetically but completely unequipped for sound. What’s done is done and at least there is now a plan in place to address this embarrassment.
It’s debatable whether Berlin Mayor and Council members should be getting pay raises in the first place, but what’s clear to me is the increases passed this week were too drastic. These increases should have been phased in over a few years.
Since they were not, the 200-percent increase for the mayor’s position from $5,000 to $15,000 and the 250-percent increase for council members, from $2,000 to $7,000 should give residents some heartburn.
The town did its best to make sure the citizens were not impacted negatively. Ultimately, it’s a small line item in the town’s $19.4 million budget. It’s actually not so much about the money but the approach the town took to institute these raises. A single-year increase was not the way to go.
It’s also interesting to note the town provides a $30,000 life insurance benefit and health insurance with elected officials given the option of whether to purchase family health insurance coverage. That’s an extremely generous perk that should not go unnoticed.
Serving as a public official isn’t about getting compensated fairly or commiserate with others from like-sized towns. It’s been 25 years since elected official pay has been changed, and the times are different now. There’s more of a commitment needed from elected officials today than there was then and an increase in wage could be justified as a result, but there was no reason to address the situation in one swoop.
State’s Attorney Beau Oglesby gets it. So does Worcester County Sheriff Reggie Mason and Ocean City Police Chief Ross Buzzuro. Aggression and lots of it is needed against the war on opioids.
The results of an eight-month investigation called “Operation Street Sweeper” were announced this week, resulting in 61 arrests or arrest warrants for drug dealers and users. It was welcome news and likely just scratching the surface of what needs to be done on the drug front.
There were many strong comments about commitment that came with the press release announcing the results of this worthwhile initiative. One day after the results of this probe were disclosed, it was learned a drug dealer had been convicted of manslaughter and now faces 20 years in jail after he was found to be the individual who provided the heroin to a man who later overdosed. Hammering the dealers who provide this poison to the maximum extent of the law is a sound approach that I think is worthy of community praise. A story posted online about this conviction seems to indicate the State’s Attorney’s position is supported.
“This verdict sends a clear and unmistakable message to drug dealers. If you choose to profit from the misery and suffering of others, we will find you, and should the unthinkable tragedy of a fatal overdose occur because of your sale, expect a knock on your door with an arrest warrant for manslaughter,” he said. “What makes these cases successful is that there is no adult in this community or in this state or anywhere in this country that isn’t aware of the dangers of heroin,” he said. “The national slogan is ‘heroin kills.’ For someone to distribute heroin to another person, knowing they are going to use it, and claim they are not aware of the dangers hold no credibility with me or a 12-person jury.”
Government typically does not act in a swift fashion, and it will be interesting to see how quickly FEMA responds to pressure from U.S. Senators to right a wrong.
It’s only been two weeks since the Ocean City Mayor and Council learned a flood insurance map error is going to cost hundreds of property owners thousands of dollars in Ocean City. State Senator Jim Mathias got involved last week, urging the state’s senators in Washington, D.C. to enter the situation. They did just that this week and responded well.
“This section was mapped incorrectly and does not follow the line established by the Corps. As a result, these property owners now unfairly face exorbitant high flood insurance costs,” a letter from Senator Barbara Mikulski read. “We understand that FEMA staff has already directed Ocean City to pursue a Letter of Map Revision. Fixing this mistake should not be the town’s burden. We urge FEMA to fix this and immediately apply the already-established boundaries being used by the Corps in determining the VE zone boundary.”
