May 10, 2013 The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch Page 43 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR FROM PAGE 42 and put the entire bill on the city credit card. His tone was demeaning towards the mayor and he appeared confident he had the goods on him. The mayor refuted these charges, stating he rarely uses the credit card the city issued him except in rare events such as when he travels on city business. He then said Christ might be referring to a night not at BJ’s, but at Fresco’s in which the Mayor and Council was required to take the final candidates for city manager out to dinner in accordance with the terms of the scouting company that was in charge of the search. Christ was not satisfied with the mayor’s explanation and kept leveling charges against him. Finally, the mayor told Christ “keep throwing it out there hoping something will stick.” Nothing ever materialized from these charges and they call into question Christ’s creditability on other issues because he is constantly getting up before the council, claiming that city is on verge of fiscal collapse. Christ states that his goal is to help the city save money and balance the budget. These are honorable goals to pursue. Who would not be in favor of them? However, almost all of his criticism is directed at Mayor Meehan and the new council majority who he refers to as “The Big Spenders” in his public statements and numerous letters to the editor. If it is the mishandling of city finances that is his great concern, let me point out a number of missteps taken by the former majority on the council. First there is the incident when the former majority decided to change the benefits and pension plan of the police department. At this time, six new police officers were in the process of being hired. The new officers had completed school which the city had paid for. They had completed all of their tests and passed their background checks. These background checks are extremely detailed and expensive. They cost $10,000 for each officer. Keep in mind these six police positions had already been placed in the budget. All that was left was for the City Council to hire them. Instead, the former majority refused to hire them unless they were hired into a new benefit and pension plan. The problem was that there was no new plan. After being in limbo for so long and not knowing their fate, these officers found other jobs and moved out of the area. Roughly six months later after the former majority passed a new benefit and pension plan and then decided to fill these positions and paid for six more background checks. A wise and responsible council would have simply filled these positions and then changed the pension plan and this would not have cost the tax payers $60,000, money that could have been used for a number of better reasons other than trying to force a showdown with FOP. It is curious that Mr. Christ never referred to this clear instance of wasteful spending of tax payer money. When I last spoke before the council in January, I gave high praise to Mayor Meehan and the members of the new majority on the council for the leadership they had shown during the dark times of the previous two years. I spoke about the superb job the mayor had done when he served as city manager, saving the taxpayers $850,000. I mentioned how former Council President Jim Hall showered the mayor with praise for the budget he and the employees prepared. I was in the audience that night when Jim Hall was practically falling over himself as he held up the budget, stating this is the best budget that had ever been presented to him. He stated that in his 26 years on the council he had never seen a better budget than the one the mayor had presented, it was quite a show. What followed is disturbing, because at the 11th hour the former majority decided to reduce the tax rate by one cent. This reduction effectively wiped out the all of the savings in the budget that former Council President Jim Hall praised. It amounted to little more than a $20 savings for each property owner. This move was nothing more than an election ploy to win votes. It failed miserably while squandering all the savings achieved by the mayor and employees who worked on the budget. I watched the Council meeting on television when Council member Mary Knight said that we had all agreed on the budget and at the last minute you want to add another line item to the budget, one that will cost over $860,000. She stated, this money is part of the reserve fund and we are just about to enter hurricane season. What if a storm comes in and does serious damage? The city will be at a severe disadvantage if this money is removed. It was apparent that she was utterly disgusted with this move. A vote was taken and it was along the same 4-3 line so familiar with the dark days of the previous two years. Council member Knight’s warning was prophetic because within about six weeks Super Storm Sandy hit Ocean City hard. Fortunately, we were spared the full force of Sandy; however the storm did substantial damage. Emergency crews had to work overtime for days to repair damage and remove debris. The boardwalk at Chicago Avenue was destroyed and the downtown and Inlet areas suffered heavy flooding. How much better off financially, would the city be if the former majority heeded the wise advice of Council member Knight? Tony Christ never mentions these facts in his pursuit of financial mismanagement. The conduct of Mr. Christ is troubling. He has shown he will level unsubstantiated charges against public officials in an attempt to smear them right before an election, as in the case of Meehan. He says his motive for be- Between The Lines By Publisher/Editor Steve Green If the “beach” continues to reveal itself in the Inlet on the south side of the Ocean City jetty, safety has to be a concern. The Army Corps of Engineers was surprised to learn from this newspaper the sand had accumulated in the same spot and to the same degree as it had last November. Word was Mother Nature had corrected the problem last year and the sand had flowed back into the Inlet over time. However, at some point over the last week or so, the sand built back up against the jetty rocks and reports started coming in the beach had returned. On Wednesday, a local surfer even ventured into the Inlet to ride a small wave that was breaking on the beach. A photo of that feat from Nick Denny can be seen on our Facebook page. If this beach is still around in a few weeks, Ocean City will have a major problem on its hands. The fact is visitors are going to walk out on that beach as I did late last year to grab some keepsake photographs. One of our photographers even snapped a photo of a couple reading under an umbrella on “south beach,” as some have begun calling it. Another problem is the beach will be too tempting for fishermen looking to get their lines out into the Inlet to grab a prized striper, for example. Indeed, it could cause problems. While it’s incredibly special to see, particularly considering most locals can never recall it happening previously, here’s to hoping the Army Corps is right with its belief natural progresses will remove the sand in time as it did late last year. Otherwise, the Ocean City Beach Patrol, the Ocean City Police Department and the U.S. Coast Guard could have their hands full this summer. It has been an interesting few months for the Ocean City Public Works Department, which took a hit in March when Deputy Director Dick Malone suddenly resigned his position. Public Works is arguably the most active city department in the summer months. Most don’t realize all that it does because most of its responsibilities are not as high profile as other departments, but the Public Works crews are busy all day and night during the peak summer months, collecting garbage, cleaning the streets and beach and maintaining the transportation system, among other responsibilities. That’s why Malone’s abrupt departure over the winter had worried some city officials. Prior to leaving, Malone was one of Public Works Director Hal Adkins’ most tenured leaders who carried a heavy load. Most recently, Malone, who at one time was the town’s recycling coordinator, had a notable role in the town’s decision to abandon its recycling program in 2010 in favor of outsourcing all its garbage to a waste-to-energy program in Pennsylvania. Malone was the point person on the move for the media and became the chief defender of the controversial decision at that time. According to Adkins, Malone was clear with his decision to resign in March. Adkins said the move came as a surprise to him, but one he felt was best for the city and Malone in the long run. “He stood at my counter and resigned, and my personal opinion is out of frustration for dealing with local government. I don’t think it had anything to do with the new council or the old council,” said Adkins. “I consider Dick a friend and still do, and I wished him the best. There were times when it seemed the job was getting to him, and I believe he and his health will be better off in the long term.” After Malone’s departure, Adkins drafted an internal advertisement that resulted in four applicants. At the end of the process, John Van Fossen, who has been with the city since 1970 and worked under Malone, became Adkins’ other deputy under Chief Deputy of Public Works Jim Parsons. “I am a true believer in succession planning and have been focused on it for years. It’s like depth on a baseball team, and I have a lot of depth in public works, and I do it on purpose. The Mayor and Council approved the promotion of John to that position,” Adkins said. “Things are moving forward now. Dick’s departure sent me into a bit of a tailspin from a workload standpoint, but I am coming out of it now and we are ready for the summer.” coming publicly active is the financial security of the city. Yet he refuses to acknowledge those who have done an excellent job with the budget, ones that had produced huge savings and warned against costly mistakes. He will not level any criticism against certain council members who are responsible for serious damage to the financial security of Ocean City, because he personally favors them. In his quest for financial accountability perhaps one day he will see the light and recognize the “big wasters” on the council. Greg De Marco Ocean City