Laurel’s 4th of July Celebration Could Happen in 2010

The Laurel Chamber of Commerce officially notified the town that it will no longer sponsor the annual 4th of July celebration. Many of us are disappointed. In a Laurel Star article, Mayor John Shwed stated:

…the Chamber’s decision to cease sponsorship of the 4th of July event is something that everyone must consider “long and hard.” He said that recently the Chamber also ceased sponsorship of the annual “Citizen of the Year,” and the town took over that project. “I think our public needs to think about this long and hard because if there is no 4th of July event, Laurel will have no annual celebration,” he said. “Seaford has ‘River Fest’ and Bridgeville has ‘Apple-Scrapple.’ I think there needs to be some soul searching to consider either rejuvenating this event or choosing something else.”

Mayor Shwed told me this morning that there will be a meeting in January to discuss organizing this year’s 4th of July celebration. There isn’t a firm date set, but it will be announced shortly. Please consider attending the meeting as well as volunteering to make this event happen in 2010.

School District Consolidation: Some Thoughts

I’d like to cover some of my thoughts regarding the discussion of school consolidation.

Let’s look at the money. The possibility of saving $45,469,422 is slim to none. There’s a number of things that should be considered.

We will need to pay a hefty salary to a superintendent for the large districts like we would have. Of course, you could pay less and scare away talented leaders. In addition, the school board members would probably demand or need a salary for their services. After all, we pay our county council members, so why not county-wide school board members?

The new consolidated district will need a new centralized building to house all those district offices. To do this, a building will be leased until one is built. That is more cash going out. The moving and merging of services and data will cost us. Guaranteed, that operation won’t be small change.

I am certain that the current administrators targeted for the chopping block will do what they can to make themselves valuable enough to keep. I’m not saying that this behavior is bad, after all wouldn’t you do what you could to keep your job, especially in this tough job market? If any are retained, that eats into the supposed savings.

Who is to say that the positions eliminated won’t be recreated in the new district? The same amount of work needs to be done with a significant drop in staff to do it. I would say that reduction won’t last long at all. It will be said that we need more help to meet the demands of such a large district. Certainly those positions will be paid either out of state money or local money.

Simply put, I think the numbers presented are inflated. If the changes were to happen as described, any savings would not happen overnight. It would take a couple of years. The likelihood of the county-wide conversion will take money to happen, which may eat up the supposed savings that we need now, not years out.

On a local level, there are several negative effects of a merger. Districts with a smaller school tax burden will suddenly and sharply see their annual tax bill go up. Those taxes will need to be in line with the other districts to whom they will be joined. This will be needed to cover the local portion of the teacher and other staff salaries, which will go up to make them uniform across the district.

The Laurel School District (my district) will be going to referendum in February to raise funds for new buildings. Do you think a county-centered district will give a rat’s behind about a referendum just to pay for Laurel’s buildings? I’m not optimistic.

Let’s cover some other less dollar-oriented issues. School board members stand a greater chance of being disconnected from those they should be representing. In my district, one board member lives right around the corner from me. The rest don’t live that far away. The likelihood of seeing one of them at the grocery store, convenience store, or a local restaurant is very high and does happen. That will evaporate with a county-wide district.

Currently school boards are elected without declaring their party affiliation. You can kiss that goodbye with consolidation. Do you think politics is involved in school boards now? You ain’t seen nothing yet!

How about the election of superintendents? That might not be out of the picture.

What seems odd to me is the support of a radical reduction of government from liberals. It’s out of character. These would be the same that would decry similar action in a private company, pointing out for criticism the loss of jobs and the increase of the workload for those that remain. I think the consolidation of power into a small group of left-leaning leaders is in fact the ultimate aim.

Don’t get me wrong. Any way we can cut fat from a budget needs to be examined. That is welcomed. What is being proposed financially is just smoke and mirrors. In the end, there will be no change at all or it may mean a more expense school system. That would mean higher local taxes, eventually becoming a greater state tax burden, and a severe loss of local control of the education of the children of Delaware.

(crossposted on DelawarePolitics.net)

Black Friday Shopping

My wife and I were hard core shoppers today. Oh yeah. We were at the Good Samaritan Thrift Shop about an hour and a half after they opened. Yeah, we’re tough like that.

They’ve got the Christmas stuff out:

Laurel Police Department Replenishes Money Stolen From Delmar Library

Last week a bank containing money for one of the Delmar Library’s programs was stolen from the front counter at the library. On Monday the money was replaced. From the Laurel Police Department:

On November 23,2009 The Laurel Police Department using funds collected during the Annual Ride for Kidsake donated $300.00 to the Delmar Library. The donation was given to help replace the money that was stolen from the Delmar Libraries “Teddy Bear Picnic” fund.

Left to right Chief Michael “Jamie” Wilson, Youth Services Librarian Pam Schell and Capt. Ricky Richardson

Good will takes care of a nasty deed.

Good Samaritan at Laurel Food Lion

After reading Frank Calio’s Blog, I was very disappointed to hear that the Good Samaritan would not be allowed to ring the bell at the doors of Food Lion, standing firm behind a company policy. Well it looks like Food Lion management blinked.

I was very glad to see this man by the door around noon today. I dropped a donation in the kettle, and he let me grab a picture. The gentlemen informed me that Food Lion management allowed them to set up today and one more day in December. Well, two days is better than nothing.

It is still shameful on the part of Food Lion. By blocking a well-known community organization that supports people in the same community that Food Lion serves, it doesn’t show the chain grocery store cares much about the community. It certainly adds to the noise I’ve been hearing since French’s closed: we need another local grocery store. I couldn’t agree more.

Take time to stop by Food Lion and drop a donation in the kettle for the Good Samaritan.

Per Capita In Laurel

Chris Slavens’ comments on a previous post reminded me of a long forgotten post draft. So, without further ado…

The thriving metropolis of Laurel, Delaware has been said to have more traffic lights per capita than any town in Delaware. There are seven traffic lights in Laurel proper and close to the town limits. I have joked around and suggested that Laurel has some other things that could be added to the list.

First, there are 4 liquor stores in Laurel proper and close to the town limits. It was 5 but right now Laurel Liquors is closed and has a homemade “for lease” sign in front of the place.

Second, there are 4 restaurants that feature pizza as part of their menu. If Bargain Bill’s sells pizza again we’ll be at 5 again.

Have I missed anything?

Sussex County Asks For Storm Damage Reports

Here is a press release from the county:

Sussex County emergency managers are asking property owners and residents affected by last week’s powerful coastal storm to report any damage to homes, businesses, cars or other property so officials can gain a clear picture of the extent of destruction wrought by the worst nor’easter to hit the region in at least a decade.

Beginning at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 16, members of the public who experienced any storm-related damage to their properties should call the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center at (302) 856-7366.

Property owners and residents should be prepared to speak in detail about the type of damage suffered, what caused it, the location, and whether they have insurance. Damage must be as a result of the storm between Wednesday, Nov. 11, and Sunday, Nov. 15.

“Now that the storm has passed and people are making their way outside or back to their properties, we need to get an assessment of the amount of damage out there,” EOC Director Joseph L. Thomas said. “There is definitely flooding damage, particularly along the Inland Bays and the Atlantic coast, and as the days wear on, I’m sure we’re going to see the reports pour in as people begin the hard task of cleaning up.”

The Sussex County EOC also reminds residents and property owners with photographs of flooding or other storm damage to share those pictures with officials. Visit www.sussexcountyde.gov/stormphotos to upload storm images.