It is fully acknowledged that Question A, a Charter Amendment to eliminate the Executive form of government, has become a heated debate. That is as it should be. Listening to various arguments for and against, I am certain there have been many half-truths, and baseless information used in this public discussion. For the most part, this could be construed as somewhat harmless.
I cannot, however, sit on the sidelines given one specific claim that I’ve found to be entirely false and deliberately misleading. As stated by opponents of Question A, and by the County Executive herself, “A County Council form of government will increase your taxes”. This is simply “fake news” and a very superficial attempt to mislead the public.
Here are the facts.
I don’t recall a single sitting member of the Wicomico County Council ever stating, in private or in public, that they would even consider raising taxes. Furthermore, it has been the County Council who appears to have been a staunch supporter of the Revenue Cap since it was enacted 18 years ago. How those who are against this amendment can twist the truth this badly is beyond comprehension.
What’s even more astounding and ironic, the County Executive, a self-proclaimed conservative, is the one and only elected official who has actually attempted to totally circumvent Wicomico’s Revenue Cap and raise the county property tax rate above the allowable number. This was as recent as this past June, during the 2024 budget season.
The discussion at hand was funding for a new Fruitland Primary School. Instead of utilizing the windfall funds in the county’s reserves for the new school, as the County Council requested, here is how the Executive attempted to “Bust the Revenue Cap” as she characterized it.
In accordance with the Revenue Cap mandate, and due to huge property assessments valuations, the property tax rate was to be LOWERED from .8855 (previous budget year) down to .8468. This would have been a 4.3% reduction in the county’s tax rate. What did our County Executive attempt to do?
She came forth with a tax rate of .8739. A reduction of only 1.3%, to pay for the school. In essence, she was “short-sheeting” the public by 3% in her proposed tax rate cut. Had she had her way, this attempt to totally disregard the Revenue Cap would have prevented the public from its right to benefit from the fully allowed reduction. Yet, in a publicly released statement she still claimed to have ‘lowered your property taxes’. She just didn’t disclose it wasn’t lowered to the full, allowable amount allowed by law. Fortunately, the County Council countered her actions by refusing to limit the full amount of allowable reductions; thereby giving the citizens of Wicomico County the full benefit of a 4.3% reduction in their property tax rate for this fiscal year.
How ironic. The opponents to the Charter amendment, including the Executive herself, claim the Council will increase your taxes, while the facts clearly demonstrate and prove the opposite. She is the only elected official who has blatantly attempted to raise taxes, while misleading the public, since the Executive office was put in place 18 years ago. And this was attempted just this past June of 2024!
To add to the absurdity, after being forced to fund the school through reserves and to restore the revenue cap base, she had the audacity to personally deliver a Certificate of Appreciation to a Fruitland 2nd grade class, explaining how she was so thankful for their letters of support which allowed her (not the County Council) to approve funding for their new school. Then, it was only within a month later, at a second budget session with the Council, that the Executive was quoted in public stating, “I didn’t want that school anyway”. Here you had a blatant attempt to not only mislead the public but to take advantage of the innocent nature of 2nd Graders at the same time!
She sounds more like a democrat.
She spends like it….likes to cozy up to Wes ‘MORE TAXES’ MOORE
Oh she is, believe me.
The county executive form of government has not worked since it was voted in. Look at the history. Culver wanted his way or the highway, much like the current county executive, who will go unnamed.
Bob Culver was making back door deals selling Wicomico County owned junk properties! Realtor Dana Wells was his ( Side piece girlfriend) and she would orchestrate the sales and split the profits with Culver! Totally corrupt! Do not need an Executive Form of Government just for this very reason!
:O
If this is true then Karma struck quickly.
Thankfully, the council serves the checks and balance function to keep the crooked executives from implementing their personal agenda.
Let’s not forget that Ms. Giordano is a member of Salisbury PFLAG. If you don’t know what that is you should look it up. Julie was also instrumental in getting the Pride Flag painted on Division Street near the library. Not only that she had a brush in her hand. Sounds like a Democrat to me!
Do you want to know how two faced your County Executive Julie Giordano is? She mails out two different mailers using her “campaign funds.”
1) Flyer 1 says “Question 1 is a liberal power grab. We must stop it to avoid: *Increased taxes. * Woke policies. *Underfunding of Public Safety. Vote Against Question A.
2) Flyer 2 is just the opposite. This one has pictures of Libera Julie and Dem. Gov. Wes Moore who Democrats claim did not approve his pictures. “County Executive Julie Giordano and Governor Wes Moore. Working together for Wicomico County Families.
On the back it says “Julie Giordano and Governor Wes Moore.” “Our County Executive and Our Governor” “Putting politics aside & coming together for the Eastern Shore” “Vote Against Question A! It’s not about Right & Left it’s about Right & Wrong.”
It’s amazing how she claims she is “coming together for the Eastern Shore??” Yes, that conceited NUT JOB thinks that we pay her to go to Annapolis to “come together for the Eastern Shore.” She actually thinks she is the most important “leader” on the Eastern Shore. She thinks she is better than everyone. She is not. Let’s not forget that she is nothing more than a low level school teacher who spent 17 years in one position and never got promoted to a Vice Principle or Principle. That’s how much leadership experience she has, NONE. For 17 years the real leadership knew that she wasn’t leadership material. Let’s not forget that Julie and her husband filed bankruptcy and lost their house. That is why they are renting a house in Hebron. Let’s not forget that Julie can’t afford to lose this position because it is the most money she has ever made and she gets a brand new luxury SUV to drive in and gets all the gas that she wants so that she can drive back and forth to Annapolis to hob nob with the elected officials and attend parties. She also uses the county credit cards to buy her meals every day. She is spending her campaign funds on this referendum because she does not want to lose that salary that is twice as much as her school teacher salary. Not only that she knows that the Wicomico County Board of Education would never hire her back.
Now back to those post cards. Did you notice how two faced she is. Think the Democrats and Republicans are stupid. I wish Mr. Albero would post pictures of the Democrat post card and the Republican post card. Out of selfish desperation Julie Giordano is pitting Republicans against Democrats in Wicomico County but she lies and says “Putting politics aside & coming together for the Eastern Shore!” That is nothing but a two faced lie and should be enough to Vote For Question A. Get Julie out of Wicomico County politics sooner than later.
Did everyone know that Julie Giordano used the County Car assigned to her to carry her campaign signs to the Wicomico County Civic Center for Early Voting. She also did this while she was on the County dime. She was getting paid to campaign in a county vehicle with county gas. This is a Charter violation and should be reported to the County Council President immediately!!!
A Fact Check on how the Executive Position in Wicomico County “Will Protect the Citizens from Tax Increases”
“From a personal standpoint, I’m not sure I can afford for my taxes to be raised like they were many years ago, before there was an Executive Form of Government and before there was someone who could veto those outlandish decisions made by the county council. So, I fight relentlessly for this position because I so firmly believe in having that voice.” Earl Campbell / Eastern Shore Undercover 10/21/24
So Eastern Shore Undercover is claiming that keeping the Executive Position will protect the Citizens of Wicomico County from Tax Increases.
Well let’s look at what has happened with Taxes since December of 2022 when County Executive Giordano was sworn into office. At the State / County / and Municipal / Local level in Wicomico County.
The State of Maryland:
Maryland Governor Wes Moore was sworn into office in January of 2023. Governor Moore inherited a large surplus from the previous administration. However the State has created large unfunded mandates like the Kirwan BluePrint for Education. So the Governor had to spend money like a drunken sailor almost immediately.
So this surplus “evaporated” in less than a year. In addition the Governor is committing Billions of State tax dollars for “Boondoggle” Windmill projects on the Eastern Shore & The Red Line train system in Baltimore City.
So as a result of these massive spending spree’s by The Governor & his Administration in 2 years has increased Taxes and Fees on Maryland’s Small Businesses and Working Families to the tune of over $400 Million Dollars.
Eastern Shore Undercover as a “News Organization” has never reported these facts. Actually Mr. Campbell has blocked people who have tried to point these things out on Eastern Shore Undercover. The County Executive has also never said these kinds of things to the Citizens of Wicomico County, instead she sings the praises of Governor Moore so much she put him on a mail piece saying how they are working together for families… and she is regularly seen now in the Governor’s suite at Ravens Games.
What family are you fighting for when you hit them with Hundreds of Millions of Dollars of Tax and Fee Increases?….
Wicomico County:
During the 2024 budget for the County the County Executive was very heavily involved in the process of renegotiating the FOP contract with the Sheriff’s Department. She and FOP leaders came up with a deal that would give the Sheriff’s Department a 2.5 % cost of living Increase annually or a COLA. Other Sheriffs departments in the State do have a COLA however they are in the State system called LEOPS, which has guard rails in place that determine what percentage of an increase you will receive based on economic conditions. Wicomico is not in LEOPS so what was created was a large unfunded mandate / liability without the State guardrails in place. Meaning from now till the distant future Wicomico whether it has the money or not will be on the hook for this annual increase of 2.5%, these kinds of unfunded mandates are created in Annapolis all the time by the Democrat legislature, and almost every time it happens tax increases are almost always a certainty, can you say Kirwan BluePrint. While we want to support and fund the police you also want to do it in a way to protect the taxpayers from potential tax increases and this was not done that way by the Executive & her Administration, as one Councilman put it this is “A better deal than what the State has, and there are zero guardrails from protecting the taxpayers from a potential tax increase.” So I fail to see where the Executive position has protected the taxpayers from tax increases, quite the opposite.
It seems she gave away the store to the police, largely because they were her largest donors in 2022. Has Eastern Shore Undercover as a “News Organization” reported on any of this? The answer is zero,
The City of Salisbury / Wicomico County’s Largest Municipality:
In 2023 it came to the surface that the City of Salisbury, which is the financial epicenter of Wicomico County was in dire straits financially, the Previous Mayor and his administration had racked up big spending tabs on the City’s dime without creating revenue to pay for it, especially with the City’s fire department, so the Mayor who took over proposed initially increase property taxes by 10%. The City and its leaders did not increase taxes by 10%, they settled on a 5% increase instead in addition to a 10% increase on water and sewer rates. Did the Executive speak up on a tax increase on the County’s largest municipality the financial epicenter of WIcomico, she did but she did not come out against a tax increase, her quote to WMDT:
“Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano tells 47ABC she would support a cost-per-call program, but tells us she wants to see the council at the negotiating table.
“We need to get this right and so that means getting in a room and telling us what they need as we move forward through this process,” she said.” 05-10-23
She did not say she was against a Tax Increase, and taxes were increased. A tax increase on the County’s largest municipality which pretty much impacts the entire County on taxes. Has Eastern Shore Undercover reported on any of this as a “News Organization” the answer is no. .
So these are the facts to the citizens of Wicomico County on Taxes at the State, County, & Municipal / Local Level.
Taxes have been increased at the State & Municipal / Local Level, and as far as the County it appears Tax Increases are on the horizon.
So my fact check for Eastern Shore Undercover, that keeping the Executive position will protect the citizens in Wicomico from Tax Increases, fails!
I have 2 words for Mr. Campbell / ESU, who claims to be a news reporter. “Google Search” sir it’s a great tool to find sources to write about the news….
Please see sources below that support these points.
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Sources.
1.https://marylandmatters.org/2023/07/16/budget-deficits-loom-in-the-wake-of-the-2023-session/
2.https://wjla.com/news/local/kirwan-education-students-maryland-blueprint-poverty-low-income-cost-prince-georges-baltimore-annapolis-montgomery-16-billion-more-than-expected-new-analysis-shows-wes-moore-lawmakers
3.https://www.wbaltv.com/article/lawsuit-seeks-to-delay-us-wind-turbine-project-ocean-city-coast/62475185
4. https://www.wbaltv.com/article/wes-moore-announce-red-line-light-rail/61446226
5.https://marylandreporter.com/2024/06/09/governor-wes-moore-administration-imposes-338-new-or-increased-taxes-and-fees/
6.https://www.wboc.com/news/wicomico-county-council-rejects-fraternal-order-of-police-collective-bargaining-agreement/article_31c3a9b4-188f-11ef-b450-3390c6e5ce75.html
7.https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/2023/06/12/heres-what-to-expect-from-salisburys-fy24-budget/70305773007/
8. https://www.wmdt.com/2023/05/city-of-salisbury-addresses-proposed-rate-hike-to-help-fund-fire-department/
If anyone wants to see an important fact about this county executive. Just look at the fiscal year 2025 budget. Queen Julie has increased the budget by $47.5 million dollars in that short time in office. Here is the link if you don’t believe me. It even shows the two previous years totals. You do the math.
https://www.wicomicocounty.org/DocumentCenter/View/14198/FY-25-Budget-support—adopted
This is the most important reason why we need to Vote Yes on Question A.