The Associated Press wire relayed a short item on Friday about how outgoing Mayor Barrie Parsons Tilghman (D-Salisbury, Md.) recently slammed bloggers as the greatest threat to her fair Eastern Shore city.
Via the Maryland Daily Record:
SALISBURY — In her final State of the City address, Salisbury Mayor Barrie Parsons Tilghman warned residents of what she sees as a great danger to the city: malicious bloggers.
Tilghman said in her address Thursday that over the last five years, the presence of a small group of suspicious, mean-spirited people focused on the negative has grown, endangering the city's vitality.
Tilghman says some people are avoiding serving their city because it's not worth chancing the scorn of bloggers. But Tilghman says they need to stand up for the city.
Tilghman's final day in office is April 19, but she says she plans to remain active in the city. She says she plans to give a less formal farewell address before leaving office.
As you can see, Tilghman's Democratic Party affiliation is curiously missing from the story, even though her party affiliation is no mystery to mainstream journalists such as Andy Green of the Baltimore Sun, who took note of her retirement in a December 15, 2008 blog post:
Story Continues Below Ad ↓The Daily Times of Salisbury reports that the city's mayor, Barrie P. Tilghman, will retire this spring after 12 years on the job. The Democrat is the town's first woman mayor and, according to a nice appreciation of her in the Daily Times, one tough lady.
I only met her a few times on trips out to the Shore, but she struck me as focused and very much in charge. Any intel on her (or scuttlebut on why she's hanging it up now) from folks on the other side of the bridge would be much appreciated.
Maryland political blogger P. Kenneth Burns picked up on the story in a March 16 post to his MarylandPolitics.us Web site, where he argued Tilghman's gripe about bloggers isn't surprising, given her record of chafing at political scrutiny from citizens and journalists:
It should also be pointed out that this is not the first time that Tilghman has gone after the bloggers. In the past, she has called a press conference to direct attention to the blogs she says were unfairly attacking her. She has also participated in dirty tricks during an election. The last municipal election in 2007, she invited the candidates for city council for a community forum she hosted. Which is all well in good, but it was with her three picks.
In addition to that, she has gone through great lengths to control the media, forbidding anyone in city government from speaking to WICO Radio host Bill Reddish, after Reddish gave the good old fashion grilling to City Council President Louise Smith. The station had to give her a show in order to have city coverage.
Believe me, it is not the scorn of bloggers that city workers are afraid of. It was the scorn of Barrie if they violated her gag order and let the truth out.
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters
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Comments Policy
Suspicious, mean-spirited
March 16, 2009 - 13:26 ET by SickofLibsSuspicious, mean-spirited people = anybody without an Obama 08 bumper sticker on their car or truck.
"...what she sees as a
March 16, 2009 - 14:28 ET by celator"...what she sees as a great danger to the city: malicious bloggers..."
The bloggers must have caught the city politicians doing something naughty, and wrote about it. The nerve!
The Government cannot give to anybody anything which the government does not first take from somebody else. Dr. Adrian Rogers
The good mayor
March 16, 2009 - 15:44 ET by zoro7957.........seems to be sensitive towards critisism directed her way. What's the difference between blogging and writing a letter to the local newspaper expressing one's opinions?, the editor(s) decide if your words are printed or not. And the dems howled the Bush admin. were trampling on the rights of Americans. Give me A break!
Salisbury MD?
March 16, 2009 - 16:35 ET by P.J. GladnickSalisbury MD? That is where your humble correspondent entered this world although we actually lived in Ocean City. Da-Da used to dig up clams on the beach and mix in chowder with my baby milk. WAAAAH!!! Baby PJ needs another hit!
Fear the Bloggers!
March 16, 2009 - 17:39 ET by someloudthunderI heard the bloggers come into your house at night and wreck up the place.
How can this woman be serious? Bloggers are just people with websites.
"Bloggers Biggest Danger to
March 16, 2009 - 21:09 ET by Jer"Bloggers Biggest Danger to City"...
The Mayor may have said it some time, some place, but not here--not according to this article.
Jer
This is the environment
March 17, 2009 - 00:27 ET by RR GOPThis is the environment that they on the Left have created...perhaps starting with President Nixon and perhaps sooner.
Who woulda thunk that the internet would become some such a potent technology for Conservatives? They assumed that it would be the sole realm of like-minded Liberals and Marxists. That's why they are spending much brain power trying to figure out how to control it.
Even with their guy winning and the morons they support running Congress, they're still nasty and vindictive on the web and the media.
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 61% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory (yep...approval for Congress now at 39%...do you believe that!?).