SALISBURY, Md. - Tensions at Salisbury's Government Office Building have spilled into the public eye following a heated City Council meeting Monday night, prompting open letters from Mayor Randy Taylor and Council President April Jackson calling attention to the conduct of city leaders.
The disagreement unfolded during the Oct. 12 meeting, when Councilwoman Debbie Blake raised concerns about transparency, communication and the cost of the long-awaited West Side Community Center project.
Blake questioned how much additional funding would be needed to bring the facility up to code and whether potential environmental issues at the property could increase costs.
"We need to know the money so we can budget for the money. We need to know these things," Blake said during the meeting.
Taylor interrupted Blake during her remarks, telling her, "We haven't gotten to that yet."
The exchange escalated as Blake continued questioning the administration's handling of the project and other city matters.
On Wednesday, Taylor released an open letter criticizing Blake's comments, calling them "uninformed" and "unnecessarily confrontational."
In an interview with WBOC, Taylor said he was frustrated that Blake raised her concerns during the public meeting rather than bringing them directly to his administration beforehand.
"I've never seen an email from her. I've never heard of any concerns from her. All of a sudden, she starts doing this at the council meeting, and I took exception to it," Taylor said.
The disagreement extended beyond the community center.
During Monday's meeting, council members also expressed frustration about communication between the administration and City Council, with concerns that information discussed in meetings with council leadership was not consistently reaching all five members.
Taylor defended the administration's communication efforts, pointing to meetings held every other week with council leadership.
"So to the extent that information isn't trickling down to the council from council, which is really kind of their job, then I don't know, I don't, it's the first I've heard of that," Taylor said.
Council President April Jackson also weighed in, releasing an open letter Tuesday expressing disappointment with the conduct displayed during the meeting.
"The citizens of Salisbury did not elect us to fight among ourselves. They elected us to fight FOR THEM!" Jackson wrote.
Jackson called for greater professionalism, integrity and accountability among elected officials and city administrators, although her letter did not identify any specific individual.
Despite the disagreements, Taylor said he remains focused on moving city projects forward.
"I think we can work together. But at the end of the day, you need to be respectful even if you disagree. And that's what we need," Taylor said.
WBOC reached out to City Council for an interview, but did not receive a response.
As for the West Side Community Center, Taylor said the city hopes to fund the design phase within the next three to four months before moving toward procurement and construction.
He previously projected the facility could be occupied sometime in 2027, but acknowledged Wednesday that the timeline may be optimistic.
"Maybe I'm being a bit optimistic that we could, but we've made record time on a lot of other stuff," Taylor said.
The mayor said the projected opening remains subject to change.
