Ethics & Benefits for Public Officials

The current situation on the Salisbury City Council with the Health Benefits controversy is an ethics issue. The former Mayor has decided to exclude Health Insurance from the FYE 2010 Budget. Many believe, as we do here at Delmarva Views, that this should have never been offered to City Council Members.

The ethics situation is this: no current City Council member can legally make a motion for a budget amendment adding this to the 2010 budget. No City Council member may second the motion. No City Council member may vote for this to be added into the 2010 budget because these individuals would directly benefit from their vote.

Any legislation that would change the compensation package for City Council members can only take affect until after the current City Council’s terms expire. Turning any type of motion for a budget amendment on this issue, a second to that motion, or vote on this amendment into an ethics violation and could quite possibly be illegal.

It would be a violation of any Council member’s fiduciary responsibility to put other council members in that position. We all remember well when City Councilwoman Debbie Campbell testified against the City of Salisbury last year on a housing appeal. City Solicitor Paul Wilber could not cross-examine her because it placed him in a conflict of interest as her legal representative. She also waived her legislative privilege to testify.

This placed other City Council members in legal jeopardy as well as Mrs. Campbell. A very complicated legal issue could have cost City Taxpayers thousands upon thousands of dollars. As well, Mrs. Campbell could have been personally liable for any lawsuits by her actions because LEGIT would not have covered it.

Mrs. Campbell has a history of causing legal nightmares for the city and she complains about how much we pay Paul Wilber when she causes so many legal issues. The Bethany Lutheran issue was another one. Our investigation uncovered that Debbie Campbell was behind the whole thing pushing for a fine and then she publically commented about the situation. The Church had every right to sue and could have won millions of dollars based on similar court cases and precedents.

Mrs. Campbell’s history is known to many and may even be the reason City Councilwoman Terry Cohen met with Council President Louise Smith and Vice-President Gary Comegys this past week. Mrs. Cohen is smart enough to see through Mrs. Campbell’s shenanigans and a close friend of Mrs. Cohen tells Delmarva Views that she is tired of Albero’s antics as well. She is also weary of Mrs. Cambell’s association with Albero.

It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.