The purpose of the Pocomoke Tattler is to provide an open and public forum for the disenfranchised citizens of

Pocomoke City. 

People have asked; what do you mean by disenfranchised?

 

The City of Pocomoke City is host and home to the longest sitting city manager in US History at 33-years and counting.

 

O.K. so what does that really mean?

 

In the 1970’s the city of Pocomoke went from a Mayoral form of government to a city manager form of government where a CEO or Chief Executive Officer, with the title of City Manager is hired to run the day to day business of the city.

 

The average term of a city manager is 4 to 7 years because the office is that of a political appointee and that if one is in such a position over 10-years there is a lot of power than can be accumulated and abused.

 

The City Manager experiment in

Pocomoke City had no teeth or manner to regulate the city manager once in office, leading to the situation we have today. 

One Man Rule for 33-years with zero accountability to the citizens.

 

The city manager is supposed to report to the city council but the city council has been made up of career politicians who have personally benefited from the lack of accountability in

Pocomoke City. 

Does anyone wonder why there are so many vacant lots in downtown Pocomoke where historic buildings once stood? 

It’s because the City Manager decided to tear them down, using a “building inspector” who is not qualified to perform an inspection for a bank loan in the State of

Maryland.  

Once the buildings were torn down, the land was seized by the city for non-payment of the demolition charges. Forget the fact that

Pocomoke City does not send out bills for the demolition charges giving the rightful owner the opportunity to pay for the demolition because they want the land. 

The land is then sold in private back room deals to councilmen, city employees, their families or to LLC’s whom nobody knows the true ownership of.

 

Three square city blocks of prime downtown waterfront property that had been seized from private owners in this manner was sold to an unknown group at the peak of the real estate bubble for $750,000.00. The land was worth $3 to $5 million at the time the city sold it in a private back room deal. The “build out” value of the town house project is estimated to be $40 to $50 million dollars. The members or share holders of the business who purchased this land have never been identified.

 

Why did a sitting city councilman sell a 40’ x 70’ lot in the middle of the three square blocks for a reported $250,000.00??? Forty feet by seventy feet for a quarter million dollars when he voted to sell three square blocks of city owned property for $750,000.00 to an unnamed group that he could be a part owner in??? 

Does anyone smell a rat in this back room real estate deal of city owned property that had been illegally seized from private property owners?

 

That action alone should explain why there are no real businesses located in downtown

Pocomoke City. 

 

Pocomoke City does not require disclosure by city employees or elected officials that they own any interest in any company doing business with the city. 

That means the city manager, whom is in charge of all purchasing decisions can steer millions of dollars in city contracts to companies he or his family has ownership in and make a huge profit, without telling the citizens.

 

That same lack of accountability goes towards elected officials meaning the Mayor and members of the City Council.

 

The elected officials of

Pocomoke City could be awarding themselves contracts and not telling anybody, because they don’t have to. 

DISCOVERY

CENTER 

The DelMarVa Discovery center has had close to $8 million dollars of public taxpayer money poured into it since its inception.

 

The project was spearheaded by an ousted City Councilman whom is reported to have been paid hundreds of thousands of dollars personally for his “supervision” of the project.

 

The

Discovery Center does not stand a chance of ever becoming economically viable or ever making a dollar profit. 

What would $8 million dollars spread around to 100 small businesses downtown have done to the local economy?

 

The problem? 

The City Manager sits of the board of directors for every single business, project or group that receives grant money from the State or Federal government.

 

All applications from State or Federal grant money must originate in the City Managers office so he alone picks and chooses whom and what projects get funding.

 

EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS TO REHAB AN OLD CAR DEALERSHIP INTO A MUSEUM THAT WILL NEVER MAKE A DIME GARNERED BY A POLITICAL CRONY. 

 

ELECTION FRAUD 

Voter fraud has reined king to elect councilmen in

Pocomoke City. The first printed issue of the Pocomoke Tattler sparked a Worcester County Grand Jury Investigation into Councilman Honiss Cane’s practices. 

We have observed Councilman Honiss Cane drive people to the voting place, hold up a voter registration list and say “no remember your name is, and you live at…”

 

Has anyone reading this ever needed to be reminded of your name and address on Election Day by a person who drove you to vote?

 

To ask for identification we have been told is racial profiling, so the poll workers go on the word of people walking in stating who they are.

 

The voter registration lists have not been updated in decades and there are some unregulated rental properties with 12-people registered as voters who do not live there.

 

This is totally outrageous but it goes on in each and every municipal election. Anyone wonder why the municipal elections are not held at the same time as the general elections? So they can rig the voting.

 

The list of crimes from

Pocomoke City Hall against the people is very long, yet nothing will change until the City Manager is removed from office. 

The purpose of the Pocomoke Tattler is to expose the open corruption at City Hall so the people can take back the city. Once the city belongs to the people then the Tattler will become a source of community news and information.