Don’t Nancy Pelosi Us
Editor:
Some months ago, I wrote a letter in the Ocean City papers warning that I did not think it was prudent for the Mayor and Council of Ocean City to go on a hiring spree. Subsequently they unanimously voted not only to hire 34 additional full-time employees they hired Mr. Perlozzo, a new paid position in tourism as well as hiring a staff for him.
I pointed out that the council had gone on a similar hiring spree right at the top of the last bull market in 2005 and 2006, although not as large, and that that had resulted in six consecutive years of tax increases to pay for it, from 2009-2015. My advice was ignored and here we go again.
Worse than that the anointed County Commissioner, Mr. Mitrecic, who has never had an opponent, along with the hypocritical Ocean City Councilman John Gehrig started pushing a sports complex, telling us we were against our children if we didn’t vote for it. Or worse, Mr. Gehrig said, “Our taxes would go up” if we didn’t vote for the complex. Mr. Gehrig is a hypocrite because when you ask him if he has any personal debt, he says he doesn’t believe in debt and has none for his family, however he obviously believes it’s okay to increase debt with our money whether it comes out of local taxes or taxes from another taxpayer’s jurisdiction.
After a public petition, the sports complex has become the last item on our November ballot. With no clarity regarding what it costs, the ballot asks county residents the following: The purpose of this question is to determine whether the County Commissioners may finance a portion of the costs of designing and constructing a Worcester County Sports Complex by issuing a bond — for or against.
The proposed bond issue is for $11,198,830 but what will the cost be? I recently bought a loaf of bread for $5.99 and was shocked. Nancy Pelosi says, “you have to vote for the bill to see what is in it.” Commissioners please don’t Nancy Pelosi us. We deserve better. We are your taxpayers and voters, show some respect please.
Mr. Richard Addis did a lot of work on costs in an attempt to try to figure out what the commissioners’ proposed Sports Complex would cost The commissioners were never specific. If you’re not specific, no need to get bids either. He determined that DE Turf, a sports complex in Frederica, Del., cost over $27,000,000 in 2016 dollars. Adding 45% for inflation would bring the cost to $39,150,000 and don’t forget the Harrison property at $7,150,000. For a total of $46,300,000. Not counting Mr. Gehrig’s structure. Gehrig has talked about building a structure “two football fields” big estimated to cost another $25,000,000 bringing the total to over $70,000,000, and Mr. Mitrecic has talked about constructing seven or eight athletic fields. Incidentally DE Turf’s land cost was only $1.
Mr. Virgil Shockley. who is very familiar with the Harrison property. believes that at this location the costs with sewer, water, roads could run $50,000,000 without Gehrig’s structure.
The expenses go far beyond the bond of $11,198,830 we are asked to vote on. The Commissioners are not disclosing the costs of a sports complex nor are they disclosing what it will be composed of.
Should the county taxpayers take on the business risk without even knowing the cost while clearly benefiting West OC hotels and eateries? Is it the job of public tax dollars to take on business risk independent of whatever jurisdiction the taxes are plucked from?
Of equal importance the Harrison land contract signed by Mitrecic at $7,150,000 not only violated the estimated county “land cost $2,385,451” it also appears to have violated the County Code, which states all expenditures over $25,000 require a vote by a majority of the commissioners in writing. Two commissioners, Chip Bertino and Ted Elder, could recall no such vote! Without a specific resolution or bill in writing authorizing the Harrison land purchase what authority did Mitrecic have to sign a contract with the Harrisons on April 6, 13 days before the public hearing?
Mr. Roscoe Leslie, it is not your job to accommodate commissioners, you serve the public sir. Shame on you. Allowing Mitrecic to enter into a significantly large land contract when county code requires a written vote is a violation of County Code, even if there is an out clause.
Commissioners, we deserve better, don’t expect us to vote on an $11,198,830 bond to spend on a sports complex when you don’t know what it will cost, and have no specific plan telling what it will be composed of. Commissioners don’t Nancy Pelosi us,
I would like to thank Virgil Shockley and Richard Addis for doing the hard work of trying to evaluate the costs of this project.
Tony Christ
Falls Church, Va. and Ocean City
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Irrational Race Claim
Editor:
Shame on you, Rodger Rudolph, for injecting race into the Gavin Knupp tragedy. Your claim that if a black family owned the vehicle involved, they would be “in jail fast” is flimsy, groundless and irrational.
It’s an insult to the Knupp family and all others lobbying to seek closure. These growing bogus “Cry Wolf” race allegations are quickly becoming old and doing nothing but divide us all.
Rodger, if you are truly so indoctrinated as to believe race and not wealth and social status has stalled this investigation, you need to have a chat with O.J. Simpson or Bill Cosby. You can find them on the golf course.
Phillip Guggenheim
Ocean City