Aberdeen Communities Together (ACT), the community action group which recently saw all four of its endorsed candidates for mayor and city council elected into office, will celebrate the election victory Friday at the Aberdeen Senior Center.
ACT, which originally organized to stop the Wetlands Golf Course annexation and has been actively involved in Aberdeen politics ever since, endorsed incumbent Mike Bennett for mayor and incumbents Ruth Elliott and Ruth Ann Young and challenger Bruce Garner for city council – each of whom was elected in the city’s Nov. 3 election.
Here is the event invitation sent out this week:
Dear Concerned Citizens:
We are holding our public meeting and local election results celebration this Friday evening, at 7 PM, at the Senior Center, 7 Franklin Street and would love to see you there.
We have invited all of our newly elected officials and hope all will be in attendance.
What’s a celebration without a little cake and stuff too!
Hope to see you there FRIDAY NIGHT at 7 PM!
—
Best Regards,
Chuck Doty
Founding Member
You know, if it hadn’t been for annexations over the years, your wouldn’t have your communities acting together. Think about it, Hillsdale was an annexation, as was Windemere, Twin Oaks, North Gate, East Deen, etc. By excluding Glengarry (the Wetlands Golf Course)you are just hurting the planned growth of this city. The dozen or so members of your little group have every reason to be celebrate, you rallied a whopping 11 per cent of the registered voters and intimidated the majority to stay home. When YOUR elected city council raises our taxes during the next two years and continue to pay Harford County $$millions$$ for water, we will have you to thank. When the researchers and analysts who will be coming to APG to work, they build their homes someplace other that Aberdeen. Some other jurisdiction will reap the tax revenue benefit and will be getting some darn good neighbors, they’ll have you to thank. I think you get my drift. Your logo should be that large flightless bird often pictured with his head in the sand.
Bob Price is the poster child for ACT. An out of town mercenary taking his orders from another outsider, Art Helton. They won and they should celebrate. They will continue to enjoy all the services Aberdeen has to offer without having to pay for them. They have shown that they can manipulate referendums as well as elections with relative ease. They have effectively short circuited the federally mandated BRAC which was the largest in our history and compounded the negative effects by having additional tens of thousands of workers come to our city each day and then leave to shop,reside and pay taxes somewhere else. This is certainly exactly what Aberdeen deserves as demonstrated by how many showed at the polls and their choice of leaders. Way to sell your city out Chuck Doty and how appropriate for you to ask us all…..to eat cake.
And guess what…Mr.Chuck Doty is selling his place and moving out of state very soon. How approriate of him to lead the “royal screwing” of the City of Aberdeen, then get the hell out!
Thanks Chucky…….
I just learned that these Anarchist, Communists and Terrorists will get the final set piece in their agenda. Tonight the Council will go into closed session to discuss “personnel matters.” Wanna bet that’s to oust our very effective Chief Rudy? There’s only one major problem with the set up. Bennett has expressed openly his disdain for Randy. He absolutely has to recuse himself from this personal vendetta. A vote by Helton’s puppet will be unethical and in all probability, illegal. How do you spell lawsuit? Prediction: Bennett, Garner and Elliott to fire him. Landbeck and Young to keep him.
Any word on tonight’s council meeting. Did they go in to a closed session?
Ya shoulda been there! Before the council meeting, Mayor Bennet and City Manager Miller had one of our new Councilman, Bruce Gardner in the reception area of the city admin office. Couldn’t hear what was being said, but the political arm twisting was quite evident. One can only imagine it was to insure his vote went as the Mayor wanted.At the beginning of the council meeting the Mayor announced they would be going into closed session afterwards to discuss personnel matters. At the first opportunity for open public discussion, LTC Bill Oberholtzer in an allotted two minute salute to Chief Rudy strongly urged the council not to go through with the Mayor’s plan to ax the Chief. Mike Hiob stood before the assembly and directly assaulted the Mayor’s plan. Hiob said that it was no secret to anyone in the room what the Mayor had up his sleeve, (or was it up someplace else, I dunno) To replace Chief Rudy with one of Bennett’s State Trooper buddies, he said it smacked of cronyism. They were about to have a trial without the defendant present or afford him any opportunity to answer any allegations. I was ready with a short analogy with the Oxbow Incident, but it wasn’t necessary as notes were passed during the meeting and the Mayor was clearly not pleased by the end of the session. The council adjourned and did not go into closed session. I guess he didn’t have the majority votes he need to carry out his plan. The stress was readily apparent in Chief Rudy’s facial expression as well. His professional career in the hands of petty politicians. His position is safe at least for another two weeks. It’s ironic that on the City dais he is the only TRUE professional. Hey, you wanna talk about water? I stood up and commented that a Geological survey and study had been completed and was in the hands of the city council. There is an ample water supply under the city, let’s drill for it. I told the Mayor that I just thought it was wrong to give Harford county $$millions## of out tax money for something we should be getting for ourselves. Matt Lapinsky came directly to me after the meeting and wanted to know where I got that information, because he was an amateur geologist and he wasn’t aware of any such report, study or finding. If I had access to a copy, he’s sure like to see it. Seems ironic that in order for me to give him a copy to read, I’d have to go to the Aberdeen City DPW office to get a copy. Guess who works there? I’ve been in council meetings in the last two years where this report was referenced and options discussed for acquiring our own source of water. The City council finds it cost prohibitive to drill for our own wells or piggy back with Havre de Grace or suck water from the bay and desalinate it. If we have five million dollars to give to Harford county for water, we sure as the devil have five million dollars to drill for water. AND..AND if I might add this water directly affects the city’s support for the proving ground and BRAC. That being said, there should be some Obama Bucks out there. Oh, hell, stimulus money…I had hoped to take my shower and get to work, but here goes. Councilwoman Ruth Elliott was the lone descenting vote for accepting some federal stimulis money with a 1% interest fee tacked on my the State of Maryland. She said we should refuse the money because the state should not be in our business to tell us how to spend it or repay it. Now, realizing we live in the Peoples Federal Democratic Republic of Mary-land where everything we touch is taxed, it should be no surprize that the State take a piece of our stimulis pie. As Mayor Bennett said, at 1 % we got off easy and could not possibly pass it up. oooh ooh now I remember, she didn’t know what we HAD to take it now. It was for planned maintenance at the waste water treatment plant. Well, planned maintenance is not an emergency, we can do without maintenance for now! Sure we can Ruth. Then when the system breaks down because it wasn’t maintained the parts for the repairs and the money to buy them with will cost us two or three times more. Now that’s fiscal responsibility if I ever heard it. If you roof is old, but it’s not leaking and the bank is offering roof replacement loans at 1 % instead of 14%, do you replace the roof now, or wait two more years for deterioration to really set in and have a major, major job on your hand..not to mention the urgency because now the roof is leaking and the wood is beginning to rot…In other news, council approved all of the zoning changes on the adjenda. I did learn that there are at least three residential housing projects that have been approved within the city limits that have not even broken ground, I wish I had gotten the name of a lady who apparently had done her homework, because she questioned to need for more residential housing and the annexation of Hiob lane when areas with approved residential building, had,’t even begun. BRAC was mentioned and admittedly these new home will not be ready until 21011 or 2012. Your new BRAC people will be here by then. They aren’t going to want to wait until the last minute to move their families. There was more going on, watch the re-run on Thursday night on Comcast or Verizon. Check your listing for the channels. And tha’s what’s on my mind.
Rudy should go already. You can’t be the chief forever! The big worry is who will replace him.
I hope its not that lazy pos that has been sucking the life out of that place for the past 22 years
Is your only reasoning that he has been here “long enough”? During the 2 years while Fred Simmons was in office the police force, directed by Chief Rudy became one of the best departments in Maryland and was so recognized by the Governor. During the last two years the department has been deteriorating, directed by Chief Rudy. What’s the difference? The MAYOR. Bennett has been outright ineffective in all areas but for public safety he gets a huge F. I guess that when Rudy cited the Heltinator for stealing water from the City, he went onto the fecal matter list. Bennett wouldn’t know public safety from a hole in the wall. He served a minimum on the road and then dashed to a cushy office job where he had to be safe from a run away stapler.
Dave, you of all people know that Simmons ran that department. Rudy was just the driver of the car. Besides, it’s good to Rudy some of the same treatment he gave a few of his officers. Some of those he turned his back on did alot for him and his career.
I agree- Consider this; Rudy certainly had the full support of Simmons who went out the door still shouting,” if you don’t have public safety, you don’t have anything.” You may agrue that he did this to a fault but the crime statistics will show you that support like that creates a working environment where most of the officers were happy enjoying three raises in two years, new cars, and a four on three off work schedule. And a happy officer is a more productive officer.
Now here comes Bennett with an attitude opposite of Simmons with the mind set, “we have public safety, why do we need officers?”. Its easy to take the officers for granted when you have been given the level of public safety the APD provides. Bennett won’t meet with Rudy, won’t support the officers in the field, wants massive budget cuts and wont even provide for a cost of living increase which effectively cuts their wages. So where does that leave the Chief? Bennett openly wants to fire him and has chosen his replacement before he even has the votes. And since this is a test he can’t steal the answers to he was foiled again last night.
If I were Rudy I would slap a monster big Unfair Working Conditions law suit on Bennett and also sue him personally for defamation. Not only has he made an unfit working environment for the Chief he has by his slanderous words made it more difficult for him to seek employment elsewhere.
That suit would go on for years and the legal fees would unbalance any budget.
The stats are up and if morale is down the blame goes to the Mayor. The Mayor should stop dressing like an extra on the Goodfellows set and leave the law enforcement to Chief Rudy.
Can you imagine. the Mayor picking a replacement for Chief Rudy. A defunct Mayor. with A defunct police chief.
Granted, but was Rudy like under Doug Wilson? Hint: Just like he is now (a scared little puppy). Rudy never was anything other than a politician. He was never a police chief. He left many officers out to hang for the hinchmen over bs complaints. He even tried to get rid of THE MOST productive officer in the department (until Simmons told Rudy to leave him alone). Rudy has repeatedly turned his back on his officers and it has nothing to do with Bennett being the mayor. Rudy cares about Rudy and no body else. I would dare anyone to take an honest poll of the department. It would really open some eyes. Oh, I know! How about one of them old fasion MANAGEMENT STUDIES like Ruth Elliott did? Although it was mis-guided, an awful lot of truth came out of it.
I’m really sorry that you bought in to that line of BS about Fred running the department. Randy ran it and Fred gave him the backing and encouragement he needed in order to get out there and do the tough job. The officers also knew how far to go to clean up a bunch of the cockroaches and did it. Under Wilson he knew, just like now, that the Mayor would toss him under the bus in a heartbeat.
Dave, you don’t really mean that do you? You personally went to bat for an officer that Rudy was going to crucify over something he never did.
Let’s face it, Rudy was hired by Dacey because Rudy could be controlled. The same reason why Simmons kept him. And everyone remembers Simmons telling Rudy exactly what to do and how to do it.
I agree;
WE are conducting a 2 way dialogue in a public forum. Give me a call and we can discuss this and probably several more. I’m buying at the diner anytime on Friday. In the mean time have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Define “forever”. If someone is hired to do a job and they do it well as Chief Rudy has done, why fire him because you have a friend on another department who is about to retire and needs a job? When Chief Rudy retires in two years, his job should be advertised as any other vacancy. His replacement should not be hand picked beforehand. That’s what Mayor Bennett is trying to do and his personal selection was made public last night, Not the best way to run a City Administration. There are four or five conspiritors in the APD. That’s about 11 % of the employees. 11% is also about how many Aberdeen voters came out for Bennett. Seems ironic. The other 91% of the department think the Chief is doing well. That’s as far as the analogy goes.
George,
I think you would be surprised if you took a poll among the officers and found out that about 90% do not care for Rudy!! What has he done?
Crime is down across the nation, he has done nothing that I can see . On the other hand the Worker Bees have done their Jobs and if you check I see little guidance from Rudy. He lives in Cecil County, drives a Dept car, has never been Called out, Told his Officers in June It was not his Job to Get them Pay raises!! Do a survey and see what the worker Bees really think. Who Ran the Dept before? Fred Simmons, Not Rudy. he needs to Go!!
Just so you know george martin, Rudy was a State Trooper. I think that maybe it’s time that someone that came up in the APD actually run the APD, not another retired trooper. Shouldn’t the Chief of Police actually live in the community he is in charge of keeping safe, or hell even the same county? The APD lack basic resources that other, smaller, poorer departments have and it’s a direct result of the Chief being a politician instead of a police officer. The department couldn’t afford tazers, or MDTs and are on the verge of furlough days, but the chief deemed it a good idea to go drop money on new uniforms, collar brass and badges??? ones that look nearly identical to what the dept. already had. It’s the Cheifs job to support the Mayor and vice versa. im not supporting Mike Bennett but you can’t expect him to allow rudy to go on after his lack of support and behind the scenes bad mouthing, especially if he thinks he has someone that can do it better with less resources and headaches. Its juvenile, but welcome to politics.
The way I see it is that the biggest problem in this whole thing is the replacement that Bennett has in mind. The man is an outright racist and has been investigated as such. Just ask some troopers that have been around and they will back that up as well. Rudy isn’t the issue and neither is how or when he should go. At least the officers know what to expect out of Rudy whereas if he gets let go who knows what they will get.
oh and totally off topic but what is up with “rotating council presidents”?????????????????