So Shreve is dedicating his dozen brain cells to getting refunds for campaign contributions for those with buyer’s remorse who donated to Bud Otis. While it is a shame that they didn’t recognize that he wasn’t going to be a partisan hack, it really isn’t a crisis. It’s a good thing. We recommend visiting the link up top to Billy Shreve’s public page so that you can tell him how little sense he is making right now. Or on any given day.
Mileah Kromer, a political science professor at Goucher College, said campaign refunds are typically initiated by candidates who receive illegal donations or money from unsavory donors. Refunds are also typically made or requested during the election cycle, Kromer said. “This is not the common practice,” Kromer said. “You don’t hear about this every day.” Kromer said she knew of no legal obligation Otis had to return donations. (FNP, June 7, 2016)
Particularly astonishing in light of Shreve’s “campaign for a refund” is to read in the paper today that Shrelauter’s BFFs at the hybrid tree-farm-wedding-venue are getting sued for a whole slew of stuff related to the fact that they took money for weddings and now can’t have the weddings because they simply refused to even apply for the necessary temporary permits. But nope, they still aren’t giving the deposit money back. Maybe our two most chivalrous and concerned county level representatives could stop telling illegal operating businesses to do whattheheckever they want, consequences be damned. How about telling these business owners to give back the money they owe these couples? Is this the utopia they envision when they “make doing business easier,” folks? Aren’t most of us more often on the customer end of a transaction, and expecting that we will not be taken advantage of with encouragement from our public officials? All Shrelauter cares about is playing childish games. Furthermore, at the last meeting, Tony Chmelik was more than happy to create a situation where Kirby could get online and spin that Jan was trying to get more money via Tony’s proposed amendment, and then accuse M.C. of playing partisan politics. We’ve been passing around a book amongst the Yokel writers. Based upon our studies, it sounds like we are dealing with some particular cases. We’ll let you decide.
We’ve finally figured it out readers! We are living in an alternative reality than Shrelauter and, on occasion, Tony. It’s the only way this all makes any sense.
First let’s thank Baby Fitzwater for allowing his/her mommy to be in attendance during this very important meeting. Without her there…shiver…we don’t even want to think what would have happened.
Tony starts off the meeting trying to get the 6th item pulled off the agenda and wants to have clarification over what is a budget transfer and what is a supplemental appropriation.
On a side note-Kirby is saying yes instead of aye now. He used to say aye, but now he’s adopted Billy’s idiotic manner of using yes. Isn’t he such a brave rebel?
After Billy predictably votes against approving past meeting minutes, we are off on a discussion on bond offerings. There will be two bond series, A and B. A will pay for government projects such as schools, roads and other improvements. B is a refinance on the note that was taken out three years ago to pay for Montevue/Citizens nursing home. And hey, we think we’ve found Billy’s Pavlovian response. Because holy hell, he won’t let it go. He has to be told by two separate people that this is to simply refinance a note that needs to be paid off, but he wants to know everything about the nursing homes right this very second. Tony gets confused about debt financing debt, which is not what this is. And it’s never easy for our county employees is it?
Now, brace yourself because it’s time to vote on the budget and capital improvement projects. Tony is right out of the gate with his: I’m very sorry but I cannot vote on this budget. Next it’s time for Kirby.
To say the least!
Well Yokels, we knew we wouldn’t get out of this one unscathed. It is ridiculous to Kirby that the council only cut out $210,000 from this budget. It should have been more! And did you know the county council members are just cookie cutters to the County Executive’s budget (drink!)? Of course, and let’s not forget that Kirby believes they are giving the impression that they are handling this with the savoir-faire of drunken sailors, as well.
You didn’t think he was going to let this time go without pointing out that Jessica and Jerry vote on their salaries did you?
Jerry is the star of this evening.
It’s so very hard, we feel for you Mr. Donald.
Jerry sees this as a teachable moment. Too bad his students are Billy and Kirby. He reminds them if they actually met with department heads and sat down with the County Executive then maybe, just maybe, they would have seen more of what they wanted in the budget. After all, the time for negotiation is before the budget is written. Jerry pointed out that Kirby wanted to pull $1 million from the education budget.* To which Kirby sarcastically replies, “The children will suffer.” He then points out that the former BOCC actually raised taxes which elicits a bait and switch comment from Kirby. Jerry then has to point out that Kirby does not know what bait and switch means (kinda like Billy doesn’t understand what a wedding crasher is). There are some more words exchanged which made your Yokel ladies wonder if there will be a fist fight later on.
Jessica adds that she will not cut the budget just for the sake of cutting. The community and department heads said they wanted to see these things in the budget, and that is what is happening. You hear that Shrelauter?! Pay better attention next year! You don’t get to pretend you did something just because you attempt to cut a million things out of the budget after the fact! Bud ends this portion of the meeting with: “We’ve had a good discussion, well we’ve had a discussion. Let’s vote” Passes 4-3.
Tax rate stays at $1.06. All except two appointments pass with 7-0, Shreve being the only hold out on two. He probably blocked them on Twitter like he did to us as well. Animal control bequest goes off without a hitch and then we have our historical designation hearing on Glenellen Farm. We had a very nice presentation about the history of this property and Lady Thompson’s school that once existed there. This will be voted on at the next meeting. Public comment is one guy that Kirby gave a sheet to read from and then it’s time for council member comments.
Shade Trees and Evergreens is the popular theme this evening.
Kirby starts off the talk with how the county has ruined these poor people’s lives. But hey he’s also not saying that people should go out and do whatever they want. Then again if they’ve gotten away with it for 10 years, then it’s fine. Since they weren’t caught, it gives them immunity, right? But even though they were in the wrong the county shouldn’t bring the hammer down on them. The county is a train wreck. A train wreck he says! Making businesses follow the rules is running them out of the county.
Billy is so very sorry about the tax increase, folks! And the county is targeting the wedding venues. That’s right! Targeting them. Since the fire marshal has not produced any papers for Billy, Jan is a liar. And we just have to wait for the rest of this to come out!
Tony also insinuates that Jan is lying about the fire marshal. His solution? Let the venue operate until the end of the year, don’t let them use the bathrooms, and then close them down and fine the Dickens out of them!
M.C. is the first voice of reason on this subject. She wants to know if her fellow council members are really advocating for businesses to not follow the proper procedures. After all, this particular business had been warned and did nothing to correct the situation. And she is getting calls from legitimate businesses who are upset that the three amigos are advocating for a business that is run by people who thought they were above the law. She hopes that there aren’t two separate set of laws in this county.
Bud finishes off this discussion by informing us that he saw some evidence that they haven’t even had their gas lines inspected. So we are talking about a possible explosion here folks.
Hindsight is always 20/20.
Bud says it doesn’t matter if nothing has happened in the past, that doesn’t excuse them. And if anything were to happen in the future shame on them all! Why can’t they see this? What is the matter with these three? Leave your diagnosis in the comments!
Frederick County politics strikes again.
* This is a correction. The county council did not take $1 million from the education budget as was previously noted. Jerry was pointing out to Kirby that his budget took $1 million dollars away from the schools. Your lady Yokels apologize for any confusion.
You didn’t think there wouldn’t be a new nugget of nonsense from the asshat faction today, did you? That would be positively unthinkable. Remember when we said Cindy Rose should keep her crazy tucked in? Guess what. You, too, you two. What fresh hell have they delivered unto us, on a public platform, for today’s point and laugh session?
There’s some childhood saying about rubber and glue that used to seem kind of silly, but now maybe it looks like 8 year olds have a point. We are sure it is not CE Garner who is the one experiencing the confusion.
And we would like to give a big Tip o’ the Hat to Dan Patrell for his forthright delivery of a small dose of reality. One or two of us may have laughed so hard that we fell off the couch when we read this:
Well done, good sir. Thank you.
Also, guess who has chimed in. So glad he moved on with his life. He has the strangest ways of reinventing himself.
Catch a clue, loser.
How does what he said make any sense? “The rules should be fair to all.” How is it fair to have one business who follows all the rules and one that does not, but has two council members bending backwards on their behalf? Stop being awful!
In point of fact, zoning laws are so your neighbors have some sort of say in what you are doing with the property next door to theirs, since it also affects their property value. Maybe Lady Yokels don’t want The Best Little Whorehouse sprouting up overnight on the property next-door, built of cow dung bricks and lighted with kerosene, regardless of your personal tastes. Just shut up already.
Your Yokel former brides read this story in the FNP this morning. It’s about Shrelauters BFFs at the tree farm/illicit wedding business. Even though the county has tried to be sensitive to the engaged couples, their families, and their friends, who may have planned to come attend a wedding, the business has yet to apply for the temporary permits they could be granted in order to keep the scheduled weddings. Is this over a philosophical disagreement of some kind?
Time keeps on ticking ticking ticking…into the future. So it’s looking less and less like they are going to get their act together. This is really pretty outrageous, and why Shrelauter decided to pick a fight to defend this particular “upstanding” business is an ongoing enigma. Looking like basic dimwits, per usual. Also, probably all this attention is not really doing their dopey BFFs any favors in the marketing department.
It’s all that matters.
The Shrubbery Farm Wedding of Your Dreams’ event coordinators aren’t answering the phone for the FNP reporter, so we won’t bother calling for comment. Aside: we’re joking. You know that right? We don’t call for comments, which is why you still have to subscribe to a local newspaper if you want to have an unsnarkified and objective account of what is happening in Frederick County politics. We will always bend over backwards at any opportunity to reignite a conversation with the main idea being what a public embarrassment Billy Shreve and Kirby Delauter are. Apparently they are determined to make sure we can say something about it. Every. Single. Day.
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