Ridgely's election is in April but it's time to start talking about it now. Currently, Ridgely is dealing with extraordinary problems. Add to this the international financial problems that will soon be coming to town and we're going to need extraordinary leadership. Fortunately, we already have a tried and tested candidate willing to step up to the plate. Dale Mumford has announced that he will register on Monday to run for the commissioner seat being vacated by Chuck Hunter.
Dale Mumford was our commissioner from 1997 - 2003. Working together with commissioners Jare Wallace and Lou Hayes, our gem of a town entered an unparalleled renaissance. The farsighted leadership of that time saved and restored the Ridgely House, built the skate board park, enacted ordinances which promoted the renovation of homes on Central Ave., brought two new banks and the Ridgely Technology Park to town. Less glamorous but equally important he dealt with the long failing waste water treatment lagoon, repairing the crumbling 1912 terracotta sewer system and entered into a program with matching state grants to rebuild our side walks.
Dale was also a town manager for several north Caroline County towns. He retired recently, both honored and loved by the people he had served. Dale Mumford knows town management inside and out. With Dale, we will have a Ridgely government that is truly a "government by and for the people".
11 comments:
Yes, Mr. Mumford possesses the qualities that Ridgely desperately needs -- there is much work to be done and Mr. Mumford is the man to lead the way! Vote for this change!!
Sure hope he can help the town.
Dale is a man who has already made a difference in Ridgely. There is no one else in town with the knowledge and experience to lead the town. Right now for our town you might call him the "essential man".
How did Ridgely get in such a sorry state as it now is? Inquiring minds want to know.......
I personally am thrilled Dale is going to run for Commissioner. If we have any hope of getting out of this mess, we need someone like him.
To "Anonymous" at 8:57:
The town spent more than it had (obviously). The commissioners did pass balanced budgets but they weren't adhered to. The administration also counted on the fees from planned development that isn't happening. Also, the town has been saddled with the costs of development past that hasn't even begun to pay for itself. We are now in a dangerous cycle which illustrates the dangers of trying to make a budget based on development. I have written many posts on how we got to the point we are at. Go back and read my post on March 2, 2008 "The Smoke And Mirrors Budget".
This sums up the situation then which is even worse now.
"...balanced budgets weren't adhered to"--factoid: State law REQUIRES a balanced budget. Didn't anyone research the Town Manager's prior track record in places he 'managed' prior to landing in Ridgely? And BTW, where does that dude live now?
Inquiring minds want to know...
You mentioned "The town has been saddled with the costs of development past that hasn't even begun to pay for itself". What past development you referring to?
Anonymous 7:
For all I know he stayed in the Ridgely House last night. If ALL the commissioners had stuck to their guns on making the TM move here as he repeatedly said he would, other problems could have been avoided. You can't expect a hired hand who isn't a stakeholder in the community to share our concerns. He certainly isn't going to share our fiscal pain.
Anonymous #8: The answer is all of them. We are still paying for the failed Greenridge pump station and last night the failing Lister estates vortex grinders were added to the list. Of course we have to take care of our neighbors. They didn't install these failing systems. However, the developer bond should NOT have been returned so quickly and the town would have had leverage on a whole host of problems from street paving to vortex grinders. Now all we have is mounting debt.
We need to slow down and consider what we are doing with development. No one wants to hear the questions about new proposed development because the administration is so desperate to have it approved. No one wants to hear questions about who is going to pay for the streets into the "new" Ridgely Park -- our taxpayers?? And, forget questions about good design. It's time to put the people who live here first again!
I blame the two Commissioners who seem to give the Town Manager free reign....I believe he couldn't have gotten us into this mess if they hadn't allowed it. If they have not stopped him or made him accountable, they are just as guilty. Burying their heads in the sand will accomplish nothing. Commissioner Kathy Smith speaks up, but her hands are tied without support from the other two.
It's time for them and the staff to realize they could go down with him, or worse yet, they may end up taking the heat and the Town Manager walks away smelling like a rose. Trust me, from what we've seen, he will walk away and the rest will take the heat.
Anonymous 2/11: It's a tragedy. This is why the town manager should actually live here and be a stakeholder in our town. Then, walking away because of a new job, being fired, or retiring, isn't so simple. The failure of a majority of the commissioners to uphold the pre-employment promise to move here has set into motion a sequence of events whereby the commissioners lost control. Remember, they passed balanced budgets which weren't adhered to. Now, all of us are going to pay a price. The employees already have through layoffs. The only ray of hope is the excellent choice for Dale Mumford as commissioner this year. He knows the job and will certainly be hands on. He's a real bridgebuilding problem solver. We are lucky that he is willing to take on this burden.
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