Courtesy of Aberdeen Communities Together:
Dear Concerned Citizen(s),
We want to make you aware of two upcoming opportunities to take ACTion:
Marylanders for Fair Property Taxation
Sunday, Feb. 8, 2-4pm
Bel Air American Legion, N. Hickory Ave.Do you think your property assessment/tax is too high?
Introduction of Glengarry Annexation
Monday, Feb. 9, 6pm
Aberdeen City Council Meeting
(Formerly “The Wetlands” Annexation) Council Chambers, 60 N. Parke St.Didn’t the citizens vote this one down? That was the first one–they’re back with substantially the same properties!!
Don’t think it’s right? Come tell the City Council.
Thank you for your interest in our community,
Aberdeen Communities Together
can I get a list of names and addresses of the ACT members?
Red shirts, blue shirts, how about green shirts this go around.
Aberdeen needs to get behind a hotel tax and bring in 500K plus each year. Aberdeen needs to get a hold on the water and sewer situation. Aberdeen needs to put it’s foot down concerning Ripken Stadium (did anyone catch the Harford County idea on this one),
Regardless if you supported annexation the last time or opposed it……the ship has sailed. There are more pressing issues like a real candidate for mayor and some new faces (with original ideas) sitting on the council.
I think we are going to have too Draft some out sider’s. that may have and interest in getting aberdeen out of a slump.
Unfortunately, the hotel tax is something that has to be done at the State level and the key legislator for that was not treated to well by Hiob or Kupferman and I am sure that went a long way in our not getting the tax. The boys need to learn how to prime the right pump and not poke the bear!!!
Let’s not forget that even though Kupferman is really silent in the entire Ripken Stadium deal, he voted for it!!!!
As for the annexation, there is a city policy based on I believe state law on how to deal with annexations and they have to go through the process and then vote it down. If don’t do things in this fashion then the developers can have recourse.
Let me first say a few things.
1) hotel tax HAS to happen. Aberdeen needs revenue and since the taxpayers don’t want to hand over anymore money, they have to get it somewhere else.
2) the “ACT” folks are some of the rudest people I have EVER met and trust me I have met LOTS of rude people.
That’s all for now 🙂
The hotel tax is quite simple. Aberdeen officials sit down with Hess. Hess calls Jacobs, Jacobs gives her blessing, and the hotel tax is golden. One barrier: God forbid Aberdeen, Havre De Grace, and unincorporated Edgewood/ Joppa see money that the rest of the county doesn’t. Second barrier: Do Aberdeen officials know how to sit down, better yet do they know how to lean? I wonder how many Hess owned properties have multiple violations that go unchecked and unenforced. It’s not all on Hess but that was a major stumbling block in the past.
As for Ripken Stadium, time to book headliner concerts each weekend, throw in more boat, car, home, building, whatever shows and a once a month auction/ craft/ flea market. Fill up the parking lots. Charge the vendors. If Aberdeen ‘owns” the stadium then act like, see that the space is used, and most importantly used for a fee!
BTW, I’m thinking gold shirts with black lettering for the aCT folks this go ’round, keeping it real in honor of the Steelers victory.
RWinger we the people, support you as the next Mayor.
I don’t understand the justification for not having the hotel tax. It does not negatively affect 98% of harford countians, will not slow down business for the hotels (where are they going to stay instead, white marsh?), and can help pay for services that the county is currently providing to the above and beyond, like police.
I’m sure they are going to be able to book rock concerts once the “Promenade” is officially a business park. Good job there Aberdeen government.
Also, now that The Greene Turtle has finally opened, one and a half years behind schedule, the next opening to watch is Patient First. According to their website, they are scheduled to open in the summer. I had a source within the company tell me they have never opened a center behind schedule.
My response was that they have never tried to open one in Aberdeen…
Maybe RWinger can help me out with this one. Aberdeen “owns” the stadium, but, didn’t they basically cede all planning of events and bookings (likewise the lion’s share of the profits) to the Tufton people in the contract?
I agree with Steve. Good luck marrying a business park with a supposed entertainment venue. PPP…
Dell;
I know you didn’t ask me, but, I can’t help myself.
The stadium and all of its debt load, etc belongs to Aberdeen. The City bought the original Long farm and then an additional piece of land in order to create the entire parcel. The stadium was built on one part, the Ripken academy on another, the Marriott hotels on another, and the other sold to the now defunct corporation that developed the area around White Marsh. All of the deals, contracts, etc were handled, in house, by the City. To say that the three individuals responsible were inept, would be quite kind. The Tufton group and the Nottingham people brought professional, qualified individuals and discovered that we had sent Tweedle Dumb, Tweedle Dumber, and Tweedle Dumbest to hammer out the deal. As a result the City got screwed royally. That is not the fault of the Tufton, Ripken or Nottingham people. They are business people who struck the best deal possible for their stakeholders. The inept three then spent the follow on years trying to cover up the nonsense that had occured, while basking in the limelight of the glorious new stadium and the “soon to be” Avenue. In 2005, after all three were long gone the City had to pay a substantial amount of money to peel open the very cleverly constructed mess. In early 2006 we opened the package for the public to see and everybody with any sense new we were in a cesspool and covered with cess.
With respect to the Nottingham portion; Nottingham subdivided their piece and sold the parcel across Long Drive in order to build condominiums/apartments, in total violation of the original intent of the City to have the area be totally commercial. I don’t know the numbers but am under the impression that the selling price for the residential parcel was about the same as what they paid fro the entire deal. End result, they have no carrying costs and no incentive to move forward.
Now back to your original question; The City did, in fact, cede the booking responsibility to the Tufton Group. I can not comment on the rightness of the deed, but do know that some professional help was needed to handle the bookings, etc. Tufton seems to know what they are doing but once again have the interests of their stakeholders at heart and not the poor taxpayers of Aberdeen.
One last thought; The City now owns this entire thing, warts, bumps and all. The contracts are binding legal documents and we don’t get any do overs. The City can not sell the project. The City can not get out of any of its obligations. If I were the folks at Tufton or the son of Nottingham, I would have absolutely no incentive to do anything other than maximize profits.
Long answer that may well lead to more questions than clarity but I am truly dismayed at lack of understanding by lots of people who want to “help.”
“we were in a cesspool and covered with cess.”
Thanks, Dave. That puts it succinctly enough.
So, the long and short of it remains that the city continues to shoulder all of the liabilty, while the Tufton and Nottingham people consistantly and unfailingly run at a profit.
Since the city owns the whole kit and kaboodle, why not put a wrecking ball right in the center of that gleaming facade and turn the whole thing into a shopping mall? So long, Ironbirds, thanks for all the fish?
VET: Thanks for the nod but I’m not on the Helton Christmas list. Of course my ideas to trim fat, hold people responsible for their actions regarding jobs that they are hired for, and little added “outsider” user fees might not sit well with the same old same old that has become the Aberdeen way. We had a full time mayor and people apparently didn’t like the fact that he was always around. Of course Bennett wants to swing it into a full time gig IF he gets the hefty pay raise and 4 year term. I guess that means that Rogers Street will remain clear for winters to come.
DAVE & DELL: I may be wrong but I believe that the stadium and the parking lot are two different entities. In that event, sorry folks $2 parking per game. Sorry Mr. Ripken, your water and sewer just tripled……..OR……….leave it up to David Craig, he has a “plan” for the stadium and a Bel Air parking garage and found a 10 or 15 year old law that basically puts the county in the catbird seat. It probably would apply to Aberdeen, but you need to have the right people in the right city government jobs for things to run properly and that goes full swing back to what VET brought up!
RWinger we will just have to make it a point to stop at the johnson family pharmacy. ( coffee shop section) & see if mr Helton is in there sipping some Brew. a long with Mr johnson. ( Steve)
And see what would be required to get you on the Christmas list. I’am afraid Rick Denu has found greener pastures. and left this ” mess” to somebody else.
Dave, Del, Vet and RW: You all seem to have a better than average understanding of the Stadium situation. Here is an example of brown nose (as opposed to hard nose negotiation) that went on when the original contracts were let: The land that is leased under a local 7-11 in this city leases for around $7000 a month. The land under the Marriott at Ripken Stadium pays $2500 a month to Aberdeen. As Dave said, the Ripken folks brought their best and brightest to the table and the City of Aberdeen brought a couple of star struck baseball fans who couldn’t give enough away fast enough.
The smoke that the Ripken folks spread was as thick as a michael Phelps bong hit and that was this: No one part of the development was ever designed to be cash flow positive. When the whole complex was completed to include The Avenue shopping mall with a mega theater, codominiums, Pres Homes and Eagles Rest. Sadly, only the loss leaders which happen to be the entire Ripken Complex, Cal Senior’s Yard and the hotel were ever built.
Now the Ship called Aberdeen decided to install a rudder that only works a few hours a week, lost direction, ran out of water, was beached on an island in the middle of a recession with no hope of a life line from the state or county or any surplus wind in her sails for a generation to come.
Gilligan did better.
Al Thong; Thanks for the reminder of the sweet heart deal on the Marriott. I had forgotten about that one. To misquote the right and very reverend Jesse Jackson; a mind is a terrible thing to lose.
The parking lot and stadium are two separate but equal entities as RWinger points out. The problem is that the contract with Tufton or which ever of the LLCs up there prohibit the City from charging for parking without the written consent of the gorup the rents it. That is just one more example of an inept lawyer a stupid CPA and a power hungry civil servant.
It should also be noted that Ripken Stadium and Cal Sr’s Yard use potable drinking water to irrigate the fields. Why not make them purchase pool water or dig a well and use the good water for some project in town that will pay taxes like the Patient First.
Dave- I’m pretty sure it’s Tufton who put the kybosh on the parking fees at the lot.
Don’t want to scare off the paying customers y’know…
Dell;
Sure it was the Ripken people. The thing is that the City willingly gave away the entire farm, no pun intended. We took a lot of time thinking, threatening and meeting to try to undo some of the mess. Bottom line – what business person gives away anything without some return on investment?
When the toll booth is installed on Long Drive I suppose the groups might want to sit down at the table again………We’ll just see about a parking charge now won’t we Tufton?
Not to nit-pick, but, a friend over at the AVFD says that they respond to two or three false alarms at the stadium each month. Is Tufton getting charged for these, I think 5K per alarm is fair………..or do we sit back down at the table.
I love going to an Ironbirds game, it’s fun, and it’s a great venue to watch a game. Being a realist I can’t help but wonder what will happen if the team moves or folds and Aberdeen is left with their own Roman ruins sans gladiator pits.
Ahhhhhhhhhh, the Wilson/ Dacy years.
And when issues came up this year what exactly did Bennett and Company do?
They asked Art.
Dave- What about an amusement tax placed on top of the ticket price?
Or, was that right negotiated away as well?
No, the City does get an A&A tax on every sold seat. There are some rather strange, (in my mind only) methods of computing the “sold seats”, but the City does get the tax and it also gets a piece of any events that are held there. The parking lot, and events on it are also a bit of a problem. The final layer of asphalt was never applied and the City never had the funds to do it. The parking lot will not last much longer if the second layer is not applied. As a result care has to be taken about what events can be held on the parking lot.
Did anybody read in the Record today about the Mayor and Council getting large pay raises and four year terms? They must be smoking some really bad dope over there. If we had four year terms we’d still have Simmons and Yensan. I guess it doesn’t matter for the useless drones but if somebody pisses off the good old boys we can’t get them out.
we need a 4 year term FULL TIME mayor. However, I am totally 100% opposed to the current “pay” that the councilmembers get. They get somewhere around $7500. If the city is in soooo much financial trouble lets try cutting that first. My reasons are this. 1) Almost if not all of the current council members either have full time jobs or pensions for income. 2) The job of councilperson was not forced upon them. They chose it. 3) I actually think that if they did get a “pay cut” alot of people would think twice about running, therefore showing who really wants to help our city vs. those who think its a “comfortable” second source of income.
If we did cut their amounts, we could then fund a full time mayor (which Bennett may or not even do for those who hate him out there) and the city could actually get something accomplished…maybe.
Also, why are we wasting money on throwing a 100 person volunteer dinner at the new Aberdeen Green Turtle, when they could either do something on a MUCH smaller scale or, perhaps, just nix that whole thing all together this year as they have done for other city acknowledgement dinners.
Daddy Rabbit you contradict yourself. “good old boys we can’t get them out” but then you mention “we’d still have Simmons and Yensan”. I sure wish Yensan and Simmons were still in office and this term reinforces my wishes. These two brought the problems we are having now to our attentions while they were in office and these two were our only chance of getting things done. Funny how they were meet with such opposition and now we complain about how do we resolve the problems that are now in the city’s lap. Tisk tisk tisk.
Sandi you are on point with your comments but I would respectfully like to add mine and a few observations as well. First of all the pay; believe it or not a couple of the council members and certainly the Mayor absolutely take the position for the money. I say position because for those three it is always posture over substance. Hiob is the only one that would risk a single vote to get the job done and he cares nothing for the money. Council President Hiob studies the issues and makes his decisions the best he can even if the beneficiary of that decision is some one who may not have voted for him. Then you have the longest serving member, Kupferman who has made it through all of his terms repeating the mantra; if I don’t do anything I can’t do anything wrong. Probably the only politician in recent years that made fewer decisions than Kathleen Kennedy Townsend.
Now the much discussed volunteer dinner. In no way is it a celebration of the thousand points of light associated with selfless public service. It is more like a hybrid on steriods of the Ruthless doctrine which loosely stated says that you should always pave your friends and neighbors potholes regardless of the availability of asphalt. The real volunteers like Caroline Curry do the deeds to make a difference not to be fed with money that you volunteered in order to save.
Actually Tired, I was really thinking about the worst 2 years in Aberdeen’s history. The two year reign of queen Ruth of Absurdistan caused the charter committee to set the terms at 2 years. She wasted enormous amounts of money and time during that two years and destroyed the integrity of the workforce as well. When anyone mentions 4 year terms I think of her.
Actually it ws the good old boys who hated Yensan and Simmons. They were not beholden to anyone and made decisions based on facts and what was right for the City. That runs contrary to all the folks who think they know and work from the smoke filled back rooms. I have had long talks with Fred, both while in office and since, and understand what really happenend.
SPEAKING OF WASTING MONEY IN ABERDEEN, SIMMIONS SPEND MOST OF HIS TIME TRYING TO BE A POLICE OFFICER, INSTEAD OF A MAYOR, WE WASTED HOW MUCH PAYING CHIEF RUDY 100,000$ TO DO NUTHING BUT DRIVE THE MAYOR AROUND AND LET HIM RUN THE POLICE DEPT. COULD HAVE SAVED ALOT OF MONEY WITH ONLY ONE MAYOR/POLICE CHIEF!!
Has Bennett:
Fixed water and sewer problem: NO
Renegotiated Ripken Stadium deal: NO
Lowered property tax: YES (But raised sewer fees)
Wasted money on new furniture at City Hall: YES
Empowered the City Manager to hire the most qualified heads: NO or YES, either way it has not been done
Made sure the Helton’s Corner was taken care of: YES
If it wasn’t for cable tv, would most citizens recognize: NO
Fred may have been riding around forcing the police chief to be a police chief and not allow crime problems to fester, he may have been sitting down to school lunches with kids, he may have been recognizing the churches in east Aberdeen, he may have been an abrasive, know it all, media hound, BUT he got results and he worked full time and did not keep one red cent of the mayor’s salary, he donated it right back to the community.
This isn’t about Fred bashing or Fred praising, this is about Aberdeen elected officials doing the jobs we voted them in for and getting results. The Fred bashers like to bring up him playing cop, well you may not have any police force if the city goes deeper in the red. You may as well count out most public works services and look for sky rocketing tax increases and user fees because the the citizens of Aberdeen are going to be paying for the inactions of the current administration for years to come and not seeing the current level of service. I’m sure the Sheriff Bane can assign another car or two to handle Aberdeen (of course when you call 911 your police may be coming from Edgewood), I’m sure David Craig will see that your street gets plowed if there is more than 8 inches of snow. I’m sure property values will drop and slum lords will make some cash.
The city elections aren’t a popularity contest, people better start taking them serious. Sorry Ron, your time is up, Ruth Ann you need to actually contribute, Ruthenator it isn’t about you and your friends pot holes getting filled. As for Mr. Mayor, instead of worrying about raises and term limits how about getting some problems solved and actually earning the tax payer fund based salary that you collect.
It looks like we’re tilling old ground here. We’re back to S Fred again for hell’s sake. Who is out there with a clear eye to the future? Dave has stated here that the city is in a real bind because of some agreements that they can’t get out of.
That being the case, the real focus should be on new solutions to the old problems.
Dave-can the city RAISE the A&A without seeking the approval of the Gods on Mount Tufton?
User fees, so-called “sin taxes” and the like are all fair game as far as I’m concerned.
How ’bout this? Set a baseline level for water and sewer based on average taxpayer use. Set a second tier for commercial uses above a certain gallon-per threshold. Water the infield today? That’ll be $500.00.
Six thousand people take a squeege in yer stand-ups today? That’ll be $1000.00.
Sell a widget, a gidget, or a gadget in the Hangar? Widget tax, Gidget tax, Gadget tax…
Hotel Tax- Ho(t)-ell yeah!
It’s a pass through tax that has no effect on 99.9% of the taxpayers in Aberdeen.
There has to be a way to flip this port-a-potty on it’s roof with the Tufton people inside.
It always works in the movies. Didn’t anyone see The Sting? Trading Places? Gung-Ho? Cutthroat Island?
Denu for You in 2009!
Wow Thor-09 has put his or her finger right onto the pulse of everything that’s wrong in the entire world, and done it in all caps as well. “Simmions” didn’t try to be police officer and The Chief didn’t do “nuthing”. A few really nutty folk wanted to make an issue of it. The fact is that for 8 or more years, the elected officials let three section of our City deteriorate into and open air drug market. There is no way in Hell that a situation like that can be tolerated and Fred saw a need to get out there and lead by example. If you think that’s all he was doing, and/or that the chief was just his driver, you’re nuttier than the rest of the kooks.
I have grown really weary reading and hearing these insane accusations and for one am proud to have been working with an administration that did the right thing for the right reason all the time. As pointed out earlier, Mike Hiob is the only one there now who does the same.
Hey Dave I gave s fred a Hard time. met him on the job a time or two looking for trouble. I have to give him credit. he was takeing out the ”trash” when I last saw him he was Hell bent in to some wood’s. looking for some rogue’s.
dave- one question. What would happen if Fred would have gotten hurt or even killed? Who would have taken crap for that? Also, lets not forget that he had a call number and used the police radios of which there is some questions as to the legality of his usage of both.
Anyways, Ive said before and will say again. I think that there are too many people currently in council that are just doing political favors. That is something we can all agree on I believe.
Sandi said “Also, why are we wasting money on throwing a 100 person volunteer dinner at the new Aberdeen Green Turtle, when …”
Is that the thanks that existing restaurants get for conducting business for years in Aberdeen – a brand new place gets a 100 person dinner? I hope the Greene Turtle cut them one heck of a deal for bypassing the established locals.
Sandi;
We can agree on lots of things. If Fred had gotten hurt or killed while out there it wouldn’t make any difference. He was a big boy and like me hate the nanny state nonsense. When any of us rode with the police we knew what we were doing. that’s the reason Ron and Ruth never rode. Too few people are willing to stand up and be counted, and that is ridiculous. Our police, your guy included, are to be commended for sticking it out there every single day. Fred’s and my philosophy was that we had to know exactly what our people were doing if we were expected to make decisions that affected them and their families. Fred had the time and desire to do the job every day and part of it was to go out into the neighborhoods. He started out doing it alone, and on the advice of the Chief and Captain, took an officer with him. He did have a radio. So what? He had a carry permit too. So what?
I can only repeat:
Has Bennett:
Fixed water and sewer problem: NO
Renegotiated Ripken Stadium deal: NO
Lowered property tax: YES (But raised sewer fees)
Wasted money on new furniture at City Hall: YES
Empowered the City Manager to hire the most qualified heads: NO or YES, either way it has not been done
Made sure the Helton’s Corner was taken care of: YES
If it wasn’t for cable tv, would most citizens recognize: NO
You just might see this again in a couple of months!!
Sandi, here is where the legend and the fact about Simmons and his interaction with the police department are vastly different. I lived on the east side of Aberdeen for some time and go to church on Edmund at the foot of Washington Street. Lets be honest for a second; why shouldn’t anyone be able to walk any street in Aberdeen at any time? The fact is however that a couple years ago certain streets were not safe to walk on or even allow your children to play outside on. These are the streets that Simmons walked every day and in no more or no less danger than the residents of those areas faced trying to live their lives. Unfortuneately, he was called a cowboy because the folks that wrote and talked about him would have been afraid to walk Washington Street or parts of the East Side. A little over a year after he took office on a snowy winter day he burned down three drug houses on Washington Street while my church choir sang in the back ground. Out of those ashes came a couple of things that continue to impact the area. First of all three new owner occupied houses were built by Habitat and they even named them…Faith….Hope…and Love. And probably more importantly the message to slum lords and drug dealers was clear and now Washington Street is as safe as any street in town. And I still believe that the Mayor has no more right to personal safety than a single mom on Swan, or Holly, or Washington or any of the section eight projects of the east side.
Al- my problem isnt with fred walking the streets. I absolutely think that he has the same right as anyone else. My problem is that there were times where the legality of what he did while “walking around” is in question.
I am glad that Washington St. along with many other streets in town are now safer. Trust me. It took alot of hard work from so many people and did not happen because of any one situation.
Sandi- I hadn’t heard that about Simmons. You must be in law enforcement or the legal field. All I know is that if you come to my church and speak to my Bishop, Bishop Barnes or Pastor Nate next door at Aberdeen Bible you may hear that the ex mayor is somewhat of a hero in our neighborhood after years of our congregation coming to town meetings begging for help to rid our streets of drugs and drug related crimes. Also, and this may not mean anything, but I have not seen a cop or any politician walking Washington, Dorsey, Holly, Swan, or the projects since Simmons was voted out.
But I don’t totally disagree with you. Simmons was easy to dislike.
Sandi: Pouring over previous and current budgets, I would like to ask a semi-personal question. Did the member of your family at the Aberdeen Police Department get raises during the Simmons administration as opposed to the Bennett administration? I do see a recent COLA raise, but I’m talking about sizeable percentage raises.
Did a little bit of research for you concerning mayors and police. Your big city mayors have a police squad that protects them, usually called executive protection. These mayors (and family members) are assigned a radio ID number just like a police car ID number, and there have been mayors and ranking cabinet members in this state that have used the police radio to call for help, to call out a suspicious activity, and even to misuse the radio (child played with it). There is no FCC regulation or state law that forbids an elected official or appointed department head from having an emergency services radio or using it, whether it be plain language or 10 talk.
S fred’s tactic’s were certainly in question. apparently supported by the chief. as too the street’s being any safer. I suppose that depend’s on what hour your walking the street.
I don’t think there was any doubt. his tactic’s were vigilante. he deserve’s some credit for closeing down some crack houses.and at least trying to reduce the crime. the police department’s hand’s are ”tied” when it comes to fred’s tactic’s
R- I know where you are going with the raise issue. Yes, Fred threw money our way and Bennett is not. Although, considering the current financial issues our city is in, I can almost understand. Not that I would mind a raise. This is a well fought out issue among not just APD but other municipalities.
As for the mayor radio usage. I will only say this. We are not a big city therefore he really didnt *need* personal protection 24/7. Using the radio isnt the issue, it was the reasons and ways he used it that are shady.
(By the way, I own a personal legal scanner(got it at radio shack) and regularly listen to several departments in the area and am not getting my facts from other personnel. Just for the record.)
I personally don’t care what the tactics used were. I know you couldn’t buy any drugs in this town towards the end of the Simmons term. I know the streets were cleaner than they are now or have ever been. I know that I didn’t have to look at the junkies waiting around at the train station for their next hit. Aberdeen is back to the old days. At any given time of day, if you look closely while getting gas at the Exxon (those of you that dare to stop there for business), you can watch the crack heads scramble from under the railroad pilings.
Its disgusting. Wish we had the “cowboys” still in office.
Sandi- I didnt know that you had a police officer in the family. Be sure to thank him for me as I have always been supportive of law enforcement. Its a tough job with little public appreciation.
RWinger- I read a couple summers ago that during an unescorted walk two Crips assualted Simmons with a baseball bat near the Boys and Girls Club. A carry permit and a radio seemed to trumph a baseball bat and the two were arrested, one convicted, without harm to the Mayor.
Vietnam Vet- First let me thank you for your service to our country. I’m curiuos though about vigilante tactics. Obviously you witnessed these tactics and I would be interested in hearing about them. I only ever saw him walking in a suit and talking to residents or speaking in my church.
That area has been a problem, ever since the ”Monster” was built. I wonder who’s responsible? the city or amtrak. the odd’s of getting mugged are very good after dark.
these up standing aberdeen citizen’s are loitering. and mingling with the people who wait on the local bus.
Hey Al S fred was out and about. in north deen swan meadow’s area etc. he most certainly dressed the gentelman. should we say he was minding his own business.
When it came to his attention, some rogue’s were carrying furniture into the wood’s. he took off like greased lighting. to see just what they were doing. as far as I know. they were faster than he was. and got away.
I have gave S fred a hard time since the advent of the Dagger. but regardless he was getting the job done as far as reduceing crime….
He simply needed to be less obvious. he most certainly would receive my blessing along with the young men and women in the P.D. that supported him.
may be we should say. citizen’s arrest in action.
Sandi: I’ve been in Aberdeen for over 30 years. We were a township at best. Some years back we became a city (thanks Ruth) and the problems of city government followed. Aberdeen lacked (and still does) a financial reserve. When we became a “city” the government was set up in a manner that there was a mayor and council but the true power was through the office of the city manager. This worked for a little while but the Wilson years hurt the city and things, including law enforcement became stagnant. Fred Simmons reversed what had been set up, basically by making the office of the mayor (just like in “big cities”) the power position, dedicating his full service time. That method worked as compared to what had been same old same old. Aberdeen needed the maverick approach. Fred was nothing more than a Curtis Sliwa or the neighborhood block captain however, he used his position to force the issues.
Fred Simmons was a civilian, not trained law enforcement. Newsflash, all police officers were civilians at one time. Double newsflash, the security guards and shoplift folks at the big box stores are civilians. The homeowner that confronts the thug loitering on the corner of his property is nothing more than a civilian, the victim that responds to the court commissioner and seeks criminal charges against another party is nothing more than a civilian. I don’t call for vigilante tactics and fully support local law enforcement (with the right leadership), but I certainly do believe in the empowerment of the private citizen and salute the private that is willing to protect their rights.
As I stated previously, this isn’t about Fred Simmons, this is about the survival of Aberdeen. The entity may just go belly up. Sure we’ll keep our homes, but the “city” and the services will disappear. If we want to keep on the Fred history, Fred was aiming the city in the right direction. Clean streets a’la anti-crime gives a more attractive perception and is attracts growth with new businesses, housing, and occupied existing housing. This is the base that fuels the city. The adjustments to infrastructure must follow. Fred wasn’t in office long enough to see this through and Bennett hasn’t done squat.
My problem with the Simmons administration was that Fred wasn’t beating Jacobs door down demanding a hotel tax. My problem with the Bennett administration is the same. My problem with Nancy Jacobs, who I consider a friend and have supported, is policitical favoritism and not doing right by the citizens that put her in office. Nancy has lost my support, she knows what is right, and what is needed, but is playing by a different agenda and it is harmful.
Sandi, as far is Fred is concerned, did the end justify the means?
Sandi I liked that manuver. several department’s monitored by a scanner from radio shack. that would be correct, because police call’s were blocked from the citizen’s. to help prevent the druggies from scattering to the four wind’s.
if they monitored a call about there illegal actions.
vet- police calls were blocked from citizens? I know that recently most (if not all) police depts. went to digital signals which made the old scanners not able to pick up calls which is maybe what you are speaking of, but I know lots of people that own personal scanners and police calls are heard through them, I can pick up MSP’s calls if I want along with all fire and EMS as well. It is a pretty hefty investment as the new digital scanners are not cheap but I think it is worth it 100% and have had one for a long time.
I dont really want to make this a Fred vs. the City thing because its not. I said my peace about him and thats it. I would really just like to have people leading the city that actually care about the citizens and are willing to be honest and do things the correct way.
Hate to say this, ” Rumor has it The Clarion offered to do the event for free” also, I have seen things in Aberdeen that makes no sense what so ever, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr.Simmons on several times, Yes he may have been brash in what he was doing, but at least he was doing something, and now there has been some hold ups in stores where the police took forever to get to them, no police reports taken, or the person ID’d if indeed there were the person, who tried to do the crime, So it is a sad day in Aberdeen ! So what is the answer to this problem, what if someone had been hurt? Then what we do about that one. next time it maybe not so lucky in the end.
Winger, well spoken, and i am starting a Al thong fan club.
sorry, “an” Al Thong fan club