Thank you Stephanie and Billie at the Pocomoke Tattler for the welcome and introduction of Seeking Sunshine! I would not have thought to start an effort to have citizen debate about how our town governance could be improved if there had not been a Pocomoke Tattler.
I also want to encourage comments about the good things about, in and around Pocomoke. What is being done well that we can build on?
I think it will be important to remember that democracy, by its very nature, can be a messy and, at times, a confrontational process. We all have different perspectives so at times we will disagree. And that is okay. This is one of the beauties of democracy.
At this time comments to this blog can be made anonymously without having to register. The comments are being moderated, however. I noticed some comments on other sites are made to attack other posts without any constructive content. The one type of comment that most annoys me is "if you don't like it here, why don't you move." If I am critical of something, that does not equate to I don't like it. Making this comment to a critic of Pocomoke's government is very much like the little boy that owns the ball saying he is going to leave and take the ball if the game isn't played by the rules he wants. Its not fair play and not at all conducive to team work and maximizing citizen input.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Let's get started. . . . .
The development of this blog is the direct result of observing the events surrounding the most recent election in Pocomoke on April 7, 2009.
But that is not when my desire to see positive changes in Pocomoke began. It began in 1993 when I starting working in City Hall. Working there was not a pleasant experience, to say the least. In looking back at that two year period, I realize I learned some very valuable things. You can learn as much, if not more, from negative situations as you can in positive ones. One big lesson was what poor management looks like.
For example, take a look at the TITLE VII Registration, Nominations, and Elections section of the Pocomoke City Charter on the website http://www.cityofpocomoke.com.
Now take a look the Berlin, Maryland website http://www.townofberlinmd.com/5Elections.html#Elections. Take note of the sections on prohibited practices and absentee ballots. Similar sections do not exist in Pocomoke City's code.
So to start the discussion, I ask the following questions:
How should Title VII of the Pocomoke City code be improved?
What procedures need to be in place to prevent abuse of absentee ballots?
Please feel free to offer other municipal code examples for consideration.
But that is not when my desire to see positive changes in Pocomoke began. It began in 1993 when I starting working in City Hall. Working there was not a pleasant experience, to say the least. In looking back at that two year period, I realize I learned some very valuable things. You can learn as much, if not more, from negative situations as you can in positive ones. One big lesson was what poor management looks like.
For example, take a look at the TITLE VII Registration, Nominations, and Elections section of the Pocomoke City Charter on the website http://www.cityofpocomoke.com.
Now take a look the Berlin, Maryland website http://www.townofberlinmd.com/5Elections.html#Elections. Take note of the sections on prohibited practices and absentee ballots. Similar sections do not exist in Pocomoke City's code.
So to start the discussion, I ask the following questions:
How should Title VII of the Pocomoke City code be improved?
What procedures need to be in place to prevent abuse of absentee ballots?
Please feel free to offer other municipal code examples for consideration.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Welcome to Pocomoke City
Pocomoke City, Maryland is actually a small town with a population of slightly more than 4,000. It is located in the lower part of Worcester County Maryland. Politically Pocomoke seems stuck in the mode of Boss Tweed in the 1860s. Pocomoke governance is a district based, patronage driven form of local government. A small group of officials seem bound and determined to control Pocomoke politics and persist in power. This clearly meets the definition of a political machine in which an authoritative boss or small group are in control.
My hope with this blog is to enable open, honest, thoughtful discussion of what it takes to have open, transparent, accountable local government, both in general and specifically with regard to Pocomoke City. Together lets explore municipal best practices and discuss what would be benefical changes so all Pocomoke citizens that desire to can have a voice.
My hope with this blog is to enable open, honest, thoughtful discussion of what it takes to have open, transparent, accountable local government, both in general and specifically with regard to Pocomoke City. Together lets explore municipal best practices and discuss what would be benefical changes so all Pocomoke citizens that desire to can have a voice.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
