For Immediate Release:

Monday, March 23rd, 3:45 pm

Ireton responds to announcement of Tilghman Press Conference on Wastewater Treatment Plant

--Salisbury--Candidate for Salisbury Mayor, Jim Ireton, today responded to yet another last minute, end of term, press conference by Salisbury Mayor Barrie Parsons Tilghman. Ireton said "It is my hope that someone in the media here in Salisbury will just ask the simple question: The plant cost taxpayers 40 million dollars. Mrs Tilghman, how much more will it cost to get this working?" This news at the Wastewater Treatment Plant comes on the heels of the Environmental Task Force recommending filtration systems for outfall pipes (that Ireton testified in favor of, and Mr. Comegys voted twice in the same night against) and the news that no report is due out from the Mayor's Crime Task Force. "We have 14 days until this kind of governance by drama ends. I encourage our citizens to listen carefully to what Mayor Tilghman has to say about taking full responsibility, you'll notice that we have heard it all before." Ireton added.

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Jim had a live debate with Gary Comegys this morning on WSCL (89.5FM) from 9am to 10am.

If you missed it, have no fear! They posted it to their website at the following link:

Link

Take your time, and listen to the debate! Forward it to all of your friends!

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Swimmable and Fishable in 10 Years: Jim's plan for the Wicomico River

The Wicomico River is the starting point of our city. Salisbury was founded, here by the Wicomico, and grew because of the ships that sailed here and the people who built on its banks.

We stand on the North Prong of the Wicomico River today, where there are successful businesses where are our citizens work, to let the citizens of Salisbury know that there is one candidate for mayor that has committed himself to cleaning up this river and making it the backbone of our revitalization efforts throughout the connected neighborhoods and a downtown that it runs through. This river was the engine of our early economy – and its revitalization is the economic and environmental imperative.

After investigating river cleanup and revitalization projects throughout the country, my vision for the health of the Wicomico brings together the best of many of the efforts already underway here in this community with many of the best ideas used across the nation.

My plan, the Wicomico River Project pledges to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus levels, identifies every outfall pipe, its origin and what comes out of it, establishes a River Code of Ethics and engages the community and school system in the effort to restore this community’s most precious natural resource.

With our victory in the March 3 primary, it is the responsibility of this candidate to be more specific in his vision. That is why we are here on this St. Patrick’s Day...to bring the green back to the Wicomico.

What I will do as Mayor:

As Mayor I will take the fair and equitable parts of the Maryland Priority Places Urban River Project II application submitted by the administration forward including the continued partnership with the Maryland Department of the Environment
As Mayor I will map the bottom of the Wicomico to find out what can be removed in order to restore health
As Mayor I will create within the Wicomico River Project “Wicomico River Keepers” – for business and industry to join us in building and conserving wildlife habitat and find alternatives to past procedures to avoid pollution and find the necessary funding to help make environmental stewardship affordable. “River Keeper Schools” will be created to bring hands on projects to students that will revive our collective community identity as stewards, from a young age, of our river. Students can take projects that meet standards of the Maryland State Assessment and turn them into a reality right here on their river. The great part about these initiatives is that they can be funded by private industry by utilizing the work of great organizations like the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, our University and Community College, and we can promote these programs by creating an online community of donors and supporters revolving around the Wicomico River.
As Mayor I will continue to build strong partnerships with community groups such as the Greater Salisbury Committee, The Nanticoke Watershed Alliance, Creekwatchers, the City Environmental Task Force, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and the Wicomico Environmental Trust, and Salisbury’s neighborhood Associations, the Delmarva Low Impact Tourism Board, and Urban Salisbury
As Mayor I will take the recommendations in Section 4.A.1 of the Environmental Task Force and put filters on our outfall pipes
As Mayor I will establish a date within 10 years that the Wicomico will be fishable and swimmable once again - Thirty years ago, children swam in the waters of the Wicomico, and the lakes and ponds that grow from it.. But now, we can’t even allow our children to eat the fish they catch in the Salisbury City Park. When I say that Help Is On The Way – I mean it, and I mean it for the Wicomico River

The plan of action contained in my Wicomico River Project will become the official policy of my administration. And I will work with every governmental agency, every homeowner and business owner and every land owner possible to make this a reality.
Saving this river – our river - must become a priority. Without it in a healthy city, our industries don’t grow. Without it in a healthy Wicomico, our homes lose value. And without it in a healthy Wicomico, part of what makes this City of Salisbury special begins to die, too.

When I grew up we rode our bikes to the small piers behind the Banks Market and crabbed and fished. We swam in Schumaker and Leonard’s Mill. We owe it to the citizens of Salisbury, to those children growing up now without a place to even swim or fish, to save our river. And we must act together to save it, because without a healthy Wicomico River, we can’t have a prosperous City of Salisbury. This effort is a moral, environmental and economic necessity. I ask you to carry this message to businesses and citizens throughout our city, because I’m Jim Ireton, a kid who swam and fished in this river, and Help Is On the Way.

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Jim Ireton for Mayor – jimiretonformayor@gmail.com
February 24, 2009

Ireton tops $7,000 in Contributions

--Salisbury—Candidate for Salisbury Mayor, Jim Ireton, exceeded $7,000 in donations with 110 contributions by overnight February 24, 2009. The average contribution is $64. Ireton filed his contribution disclosure with Brenda Colegrove, City Clerk, yesterday.

"We are thrilled with the support that Salisbury has shown for Jim." said campaign manager Chuck Cook.

Ireton added, "In this economy, for citizens to contribute as they have is humbling. I am very grateful for each and every contribution. I am ecstatic about the support from citizens who are elected officials, those associated with the university, and from friends that I have had in my hometown since I was a young man. So many citizens are hearing our message about reducing crime, making government open and accessible, and cleaning up the Wicomico River. I appreciate their financial support and look forward to serving Salisbury as Mayor. Help is on the way!"

A reminder that polls are open on Primary Day, March 3, 2008, from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Polling places for municipal elections are printed on the back of voter cards, on sample ballots, or can be determined by calling the Wicomico County Board of Elections at 410-548-4830.

 

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February 17th, 2009

Are We Ceding the Darkness to the Criminal Element?

Five times yesterday friends and family said to me, "Be careful if you are out after dark" or "Don't go out after dark unless you have to."

When we are asked to not go out and get our money, not to go get fast food, not to go get ice cream in our own car, with our own money and on our own time, do we give in and let the criminal elements in our community know that we have given up?

Had the past month seen big drug busts, awards won by our city, or the announcements of new task forces, our leaders would have been out in droves. Yet yesterday, Presidents Day, when we celebrate the great leaders of our nation, our city leaders were silent on issues that our community faces.

To the families of victims, to the businesses affected, to the citizens that travel to the same places where crime occurs there were no words to calm, no assurances that safety and order is being restored, no sense that we can get through tough times together.

I salute our officers investigating a month of violence in our community, doing all they can to bring perpetrators to justice. Our elected leaders? They garner a different emotion, because our elected leaders have been silent.

Leading and protecting every part of our community must to be done even when our collective conscience is rattled by violence in our midst. Leaders have to lead when what we as citizens hold as safe and constant, no longer is.

Jim Ireton

February 11, 2009

In today's Daily Times, it was reported that Richard Insley Jr. (owner of multiple rental properties in Salisbury) sent a letter to all of his tenants requesting them to vote for Gary Comegys.

Link to The Story

Jim responds:

"It is not the responsibility of the City government to regulate the relationship between renter/landlord, and be sure, the landlord is the only person who can raise your rent. When crime rates become so high that all citizens - renter, university student, senior citizen, and homeowner - are seeking relief, then the city must step in and use all available tools to curb crime. What this letter represents is a misinformation campaign from the leader of an industry and the chairman of our housing board - that does not accurately reflect my position (that was never solicited by Insley or SAPOA) and continues the brazen practice of dividing renters and homeowners in order to profit from that division.

It is important to know that I have walked high crime areas that university students live in. I have always advocated, in my work in the Neighborhood Congress, and in politics to protect those among us whose situation can be improved. I am not scared of tactics like these, I have seen them for decades.

My campaign will convince renters and homeowners that only when we work together can we begin to address the issues of blight that are raising our crime rates. It is my hope that the rental industry will bring to the table what it is that they CAN do to partner in that effort."

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Feb. 9, 2009

PUBLIC SAFETY: Serious crime requires serious measures, and as mayor, I will be aggressive in getting more police on the street, moving a new vision forward for community policing including substations, creating a community law center to protect citizens and their rights and exploring a metropolitan community police force until we see meaningful reductions in crime.

ENVIRONMENT:  My plan, the Wicomico River Project, reduces unfiltered runoff and levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, and rallies the community to improve a natural resource, an asset that should be the center of downtown economic revitalization efforts.

BUDGET:  To provide transparent fiscal responsibility, I’ll put our tax dollars to work on priorities that promote quality of life, jobs, and commerce, with a reduction of taxpayer debt, audits done on time and the city checkbook open for all taxpayers to see.

NEIGHBORHOODS:  To reverse decline and protect neighborhood interests over special interests, I’ll initiate review of all city housing codes, revision where needed and real enforcement, coupled with an Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) to stop the drain on existing neighborhoods by new development, and create a tenant/landlord board.

INFRASTRUCTURE:  I’ll work with our council to protect our schools, police and fire/EMS with an Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) for new development and make long neglected city areas a priority in the budget.

MAIN CAMPAIGN ISSUE:  Crime, and its related problems of neglected urban core neighborhoods, job loss and decaying infrastructure, will continue to be priority number one, and as mayor I will work tirelessly with a new vision until our citizens once again feel safe in their homes, on their streets and in their workplaces.
Help is On The Way!

Authority: Jim Ireton for Mayor, M.W. Elliott, Treasurer

Jim Ireton for Mayor: jimiretonformayor@gmail.com 410-916-0694

--Salisbury—-

Salisbury Mayoral candidate Jim Ireton will speak at and about the Wicomico River on Saturday January 17, 2009 at 10:00 AM. Ireton will be at the base of Waverly Drive (on the Market Street side) . to discuss the new 72 inch outfall pipe being installed to drain, unfiltered, hundreds of acres of Salisbury into the Wicomico River. Ireton, who supported plans to alleviate drainage problems for Camden Neighborhood residents, but not the dumping of unfiltered runoff into the Wicomico River said,

"The moral imperative that is the clean-up of the Wicomico River begins with my plan, The Wicomico River Project. This construction negates any claim to environmentalism by either the current city administration or Gary Comegys."

Ireton will also discuss the dangerous levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the Wicomico, the continued threat of overflow sewage, and the plans to construct another 72 inch outfall pipe in Newtown, one that will run unfiltered runoff into the North Prong of the Wicomico River.

"Help Is On the Way"

For Immediate Release:

Jim Ireton – 410-749-5712 (H)

Ireton to Announce Mayoral Run

“Help Is On The Way” Tour Begins

Salisbury

—Neighborhood activist Jim Ireton will declare his candidacy for Mayor of Salisbury on Saturday, November 15, 2008 at 1:30 PM at Chef Fred’s in Salisbury.  Citing the need to unite and rally citizens to the causes of cleaning up the Wicomico River, dedicating the resources to reducing crime that plagues the city, making neighborhoods safe for homeowners and renters to live, and returning a sense of fiscal responsibility to a debt ridden city budget, Ireton says that “Only a renewed sense of energy and change in perspective can turn Salisbury around.”

Ireton was born in Salisbury in 1970, graduated with a Bachelors degree from Salisbury University in 1992 and holds a Masters Degree from the College of Notre Dame.  A longtime community activist, Ireton was the first resident to purchase a home through Salisbury Neighborhood Housing Services – doing so at the age of 24.  Ireton, 38, currently serves as the Chairman of the Wicomico Neighborhood Congress, Treasurer for the Johnson’s Lake Neighborhood Association, Board Member for the Wicomico County Education Association, Board Member for Pemberton Hall, Secretary of the Democratic Central Committee of Wicomico County, and President of the Democratic Club.

“I do not run to embrace the status quo.  The issues that Salisbury faces today are ones that are having a debilitating effect on the Wicomico River, on families raising kids, students going to college, on citizens looking for meaningful jobs, on the ever increasing elderly population, and on the skyrocketing costs of water and sewer service.  I will not run without specific plans to address the issues we face.   

 "I believe that the greatest service is public service.  Since high school I have devoted my time to education and advocating for schoolchildren, the safety of neighborhoods in our community, and open, efficient, and responsive government.  

I am forever grateful to this community for all of the opportunities it has given me.  From being Baby New Year in the Salisbury Times in 1973, winning my first tennis tournament, at age 9, on the City Park Tennis Courts, to buying the first house through SNHS's revitalization efforts, to leading the Wicomico Neighborhood Congress, I have been blessed by a community that has always seen my potential.  I am honored to work every day in order to improve the quality of life in my hometown.  I believe we live in one of the greatest communities and that we should protect our quality of life in every way possible.  I want Salisbury to know that help is on the way."

The “Help Is On The Way” Tour begins Saturday, November 15, 2008 at 1:30 PM at Chef Fred’s, 1801 North Salisbury Boulevard, Salisbury.  The public is invited to attend.

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Statement on City Wastewater Treatment Plant Panel

     During each of the last 10 years, each spill at the plant was explained away by saying that this would not happen any more with the advent of the NEW Wastewater Treatment Plant.  Every spill was met with 'I take full responsibility' from the city administration.'  Generating a goal and a scope of work is too little too late. - Jim Ireton 10/20/08 ....and the DAILY TIMES AGREES! 

Daily Times Article

MAYOR ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF SALISBURY

WASTEWATER ACTION TEAM

Salisbury Mayor Barrie P. Tilghman is pleased to announce the formation of the Salisbury Wastewater Action Team (S.W.A.T.). This move is the result of a recommendation by the Wicomico Environmental Trust, based on concerns following the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) spills in June. This team brings a broad group of individuals and interests to the table to meet over the next sixty to ninety days. The objective of their work will be a report with tangible and quantifiable recommendations for implementation as soon as feasible.

The members of the S.W.A.T. are:

1. Dr. Michael Lewis – Salisbury University
2. Anthony Stockus – University of Maryland Eastern Shore
3. James Parsons – Ocean City Department of Public Works
4. Erin McAfee Dobbins – Resident
5. Mary Phipps-Dickerson – Resident

Peter Bozick, Jr., Executive Vice President of George, Miles & Buhr, LLC, has agreed to chair this group. All meetings of the group will be open to the public, and staff support will be provided by the Salisbury Department of Public Works. The first meeting of the group will be on Tuesday October 28th, at 4:00 P.M., in Room 306 of the Government Office Building, 125 N. Division Street.

The charges to the group include reviewing the sewer spills of the past three years to find out how they occurred, whether they could have been avoided, and how they could have been avoided; finding out how the Salisbury WWTP compares with similar operations; and recommending constructive suggestions to resolve the issues. Once the group convenes, they will generate a statement of purpose and scope of work.

'This is a great example of cooperation between the community and the City government to deal with challenges and enhance the effective and efficient delivery of services to our citizens,' said Mayor Tilghman. The S.W.A.T. is the latest in a series of Process Action Teams which the City has successfully utilized since 2002 to address specific issues and challenges facing Salisbury. The City has experienced success with this approach, and has seen the implementation of most of the recommendations of the different teams.

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Ireton to Discuss New Crime Task Force Thursday

For Release

September 25, 2008

 

--Salisbury—Neighborhood activist and Wicomico Neighborhood Congress Chairman Jim Ireton will address the creation of the new Salisbury Crime Task Force Thursday September 25, 2008 at 4:40 PM.  On September 23, 2008 the city administration announced the creation of a new crime task force.  While Ireton believes that citizen involvement and the job city police officers do is imperative to fighting crime, he will discuss trends in Type 1 Crime in the city, show the timeline of events that have led to the failure of city hall to address Salisbury’s crime problem over the past decade,  and urge specific  action be taken immediately to begin to reduce crime numbers in our most at-risk neighborhoods.

Ireton will speak at 4:30 PM at 110 W. Church Street in Salisbury, in the Old City Hall Building downtown.  A power point presentation will accompany his remarks, and a question and answer session will follow.

For information please call

443-783-6174

or

410-916-0694

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Statement to The Daily Times Regarding Running for Mayor in 2009

The citizens of our city are struggling with crime, skyrocketing water and sewer rates, higher property tax bills, and mounting municipal debt. Offering new and creative solutions, that unite our community - to protect our river, our neighborhoods, and our tax dollars...is my plan during the 2009 mayoral election. Before that, though, I will continue to focus on helping run the Wicomico Neighborhood Congress, continuing to be a part of helping make my own neighborhood a safe and terrific place to live, and organizing voters for the November 4th national election.  

Link to article

2007 Nanticoke Watershed Alliance - Wicomico Creekwatchers Water Quality Monitoring Report:

PDF report