Selections from Mayor Jake Day’s 2022 State of the City Address
Jake Day • January 17, 2023
Edited by CSES Staff
Jake Day, mayor of Salisbury in Wicomico County, delivered his 2022 State of the City Address on November 15, 2022. As it’s rather long, Common Sense for the Eastern Shore cannot publish the entire speech, but our staff has chosen sections to be published on January 18 and February 1. The speech is organized around a series of dates corresponding to events that mark a particular issue. Starting from that date, Mayor Day brings us up to the present, focusing on changes and progress in that area. Common Sense would like to express our gratitude to Mayor Day and his office staff for generously providing us with the full text of his speech.
1990 (Culture — Zoo/ABCD)
- “That’s our big goal for 1990, getting the pavilion built. It will provide a permanent facility for outdoor performances in the warm weather.”
- That’s Davina Grace Hill, Director of the Salisbury Arts Council, speaking to the Daily Times about what then seemed to be a project on the brink of becoming a reality. In 1989, the Chamber proposed the construction of an entertainment facility on the site of Riverwalk Park, where the Riverwalk Amphitheater is located today.
- By bringing the National Folk Festival to Salisbury, we were able to successfully lobby for funding from Gov. Hogan that helped get us across the finish line. Quality of life, high quality public spaces, the arts, parks - these things that make a place lovable are things that have been seen as secondary concerns – or, at very least, ideas that seemed great until it came time to fund them. Today, though, the way we view the arts and entertainment, recreational opportunities, cultural enrichment has changed.
- And our prioritization of the arts will soon and for years to come manifest as the Maryland Folk Festival. The Festival has been the catalyst for our rapid revitalization, with $67 million in direct economic impact, and some 400,000 visitors attending over the four years that we served as host city. We have been given a tremendous gift, and it’s incumbent upon us to do everything we can to keep the excitement and momentum up, and that’s precisely what we’re doing.
- Anyone who has volunteered in Salisbury knows, it takes a small army to plan, schedule, coordinate, and execute the events we’ve come to expect. But if we truly want to be the cultural capital of the Eastern Shore, we can’t only depend upon community organizations to do the lifting. That’s why, this year, we stood up the City of Salisbury’s Arts, Business, and Culture Department. This team is tasked with identifying unique entertainment opportunities, developing and implementing a rigorous marketing campaign for events, and providing technical and production support, for all of our tourist attractions.
- Our most beloved such attraction, the Salisbury Zoo, remains at the center of our efforts to serve up unique regional amenities. Construction is soon to be completed on the long-overdue new administrative building; and we have welcomed new sloths, new red wolves, baby wallabies, and 2 new Andean bear cubs this year. Coming soon is a new pavilion that can be rented for outdoor events and weddings.
- We ought not forget the joy that these amenities provide. Look no further than what a splash of paint can do for a building or a neighborhood. And I don’t mean to make light of the effort that art requires, but it’s a wonder that more murals weren’t always a part of our history. Today, though, you can find 20 painted electric transformers, 10 murals, and 4 sculpture projects throughout the city center. Just a few weeks ago we cut the ribbon on our area’s largest mural on the recently-exposed side of the Evolution Craft Brewery and the basketball court mural on Waterside Park. Prioritizing the arts, cultural enrichment, and recreational opportunities pays off, and the proof is in the pudding.
2015 (Youth)
- “We resolutely believe this proposed [curfew] ordinance does not address the root causes of juvenile crimes, and thus will not solve the problem.”
- That was Theo Williams of the Salisbury-Wicomico Youth Civics Council, speaking to 2015’s proposed youth curfew, which applied to children 16 and younger.
- As you likely remember, the curfew wasn’t approved, and as weeks and months passed without any thoughtful efforts to combat them, juvenile crimes persisted throughout the city. We knew that that root cause was still our target, so we set out to find an actual solution — one that we could maintain and support with people-first programs and concrete goals. We determined neighborhoods where juvenile arrests were rising. We looked into what set these neighborhoods apart, and it became glaringly obvious: other safe options simply weren’t there for kids. These neighborhoods had no youth programming, no facilities, little to no community outreach. The system failed them, setting them up on a path with one clear end point. We had to offer our youth a safe space, the freedom to choose a new path. So, we got to work.
- I’ve learned that sometimes, building community means just that: quite literally constructing community. We started renovations on Newton Street Community Center in 2018, opening in summer 2021 to open arms — we offered after-school activities, 3D printing, homework help, cooking classes, music studio space, and lots more. Every room in Newton is bursting with potential — the potential for a new art project, a new experience, a new conversation or a new friend. We encouraged expression and fostered relationships with neighborhood families, and gave our youth a reliable, safe place to find their path. We’re doing the same thing at Truitt Street Community Center, too, where we broke ground on the second building just one week ago. And these aren’t the only assets we have built for our kids in recent years. The Salisbury Skatepark is currently in the midst of its third and final phase, and construction will be complete in the coming weeks. These spaces and more have become crown jewels in our City, exceeding expectations and effecting real and honest change in the young lives.
- Proud as I am of these facilities, we can’t let four walls define the extent of our services. This can be as simple as setting up a table on a corner for a Pop-Up Bus Stop or bringing out the grill to a Neighborhood Walk. Newtown, Prince Street, Doverdale, Smith Street, North Camden — you name it, and we’ve probably been there. We’ve knocked on doors all across the city, ate a burger and a snowcone with a new friend, shared a laugh and a smile.
In the next edition, Common Sense for the Eastern Shore will look at what the city of Salisbury has done in dealing with traffic safety and crime under the Mayor’s guidance.
Jake Day is the 28th mayor of Salisbury, Md. Born and raised here, he was first elected to City Council at the age of 30 and unanimously elected president. Recently, Mayor Day was selected for the 2022 Just City Mayor’s Fellowship, facilitated by the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Before becoming mayor, he spent his career revitalizing downtowns and making them more vibrant, livable places. Day was recently appointed to be Secretary of Housing and Community Development by Governor-elect Wes Moore.
Common Sense for the Eastern Shore
Megan Outten, a lifelong Wicomico County resident and former Salisbury City Councilwoman, officially announced her candidacy recently for Wicomico County Council, District 7. At 33, Outten brings the energy of a new generation combined with a proven record of public service and results-driven leadership. “I’m running because Wicomico deserves better,” Outten said. “Too often, our communities are expected to do more with less. We’re facing underfunded schools, limited economic opportunities, and years of neglected infrastructure. I believe Wicomico deserves leadership that listens, plans ahead, and delivers real, measurable results.” A Record of Action and A Vision for the Future On Salisbury’s City Council, Outten earned a reputation for her proactive, hands-on approach — working directly with residents to close infrastructure gaps, support first responders, and ensure everyday voices were heard. Now she’s bringing that same focus to the County Council, with priorities centered on affordability, public safety, and stronger, more resilient communities. Key Priorities for District 7: Fully fund public schools so every child has the opportunity to succeed. Fix aging infrastructure and county services through proactive investment. Keep Wicomico affordable with smarter planning and pathways to homeownership. Support first responders and safer neighborhoods through better tools, training, and prevention. Expand resources for seniors, youth, and underserved communities. Outten’s platform is rooted in real data and shaped by direct community engagement. With Wicomico now the fastest-growing school system on Maryland’s Eastern Shore — and 85% of students relying on extra resources — she points to the county’s lagging investment as a key area for action. “Strong schools lead to strong jobs, thriving industries, and healthier communities,” Outten said. “Our schools and infrastructure are at a tipping point. We need leadership that stops reacting after things break — and starts investing before they do.” A Commitment to Home and Service Born and raised in Wicomico, Megan Outten sees this campaign as a continuation of her lifelong service to her community. Her vision reflects what she’s hearing from neighbors across the county: a demand for fairness, opportunity, and accountability in local government. “Wicomico is my home; it’s where I grew up, built my life, and where I want to raise my family,” Outten said. “Our county is full of potential. We just need leaders who will listen, work hard, and get things done. That’s what I’ve always done, and that’s exactly what I’ll continue to do on the County Council.” Outten will be meeting with residents across District 7 in the months ahead and unveiling more details of her platform. For more information or to get involved, contact info@meganoutten.com
Way back in 1935, the Supreme Court determined that independent agencies like the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) do not violate the Constitution’s separation of powers. Humphrey’s Executor v. United States (1935). Congress provided that the CPSC, like the NLRB and MSPB, would operate as an independent agency — a multi-member, bipartisan commission whose members serve staggered terms and could be removed only “for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office but for no other cause.” Rejecting a claim that the removal restriction interferes with the “executive power,” the Humphrey’s Court held that Congress has the authority to “forbid their [members’] removal except for cause” when creating such “quasi-legislative or quasi-judicial” bodies. As a result, these agencies have operated as independent agencies for many decades under many different presidencies. Shortly after assuming office in his second term, Donald Trump began to fire, without cause, the Democratic members of several of these agencies. The lower courts determined to reinstate the discharged members pending the ultimate outcome of the litigation, relying on Humphrey’s , resulting in yet another emergency appeal to the Supreme Court by the administration. In the first such case, a majority of the Court allowed President Trump to discharge the Democratic members of the NLRB and the MSPB while the litigation over the legality of the discharges continued. Trump v. Wilcox (May 22, 2025). The majority claimed that they do not now decide whether Humphrey’s should be overruled because “that question is better left for resolution after full briefing and argument.” However, hinting that these agency members have “considerable” executive power and suggesting that “the Government” faces greater “risk of harm” from an order allowing a removed officer to continue exercising the executive power than a wrongfully removed officer faces from being unable to perform her statutory duty,” the majority gave the President the green light to proceed. Justice Kagan, joined by Justices Sotomayor and Jackson, dissented, asserting that Humphrey’s remains good law until overturned and forecloses both the President’s firings and the Court’s decision to award emergency relief.” Our emergency docket, while fit for some things, should not be used to “overrule or revise existing law.” Moreover, the dissenters contend that the majority’s effort to explain their decision “hardly rises to the occasion.” Maybe by saying that the Commissioners exercise “considerable” executive power, the majority is suggesting that Humphrey’s is no longer good law but if that is what the majority means, then it has foretold a “massive change” in the law and done so on the emergency docket, “with little time, scant briefing, and no argument.” And, the “greater risk of harm” in fact is that Congress provided for these discharged members to serve their full terms, protected from a President’s desire to substitute his political allies. More recently, in the latest shadow docket ruling in the administration’s favor, the same majority of the Court again permitted President Trump to fire, without cause, the Democratic members of another independent agency, this time the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Trump v. Boyle (July 23, 2025). The same three justices dissented, once more objecting to the use of the Court’s emergency docket to destroy the independence of an independent agency as established by Congress. The CPSC, like the NLRB and MSPB, was designed to operate as “a classic independent agency.” In Congress’s view, that structure would better enable the CPSC to achieve its mission — ensuring the safety of consumer products, from toys to appliances — than would a single-party agency under the full control of a single President. “By allowing the President to remove Commissioners for no reason other than their party affiliation, the majority has negated Congress’s choice of agency bipartisanship and independence.” The dissenters also assert that the majority’s sole professed basis for the more recent order in Boyle was its prior order in Wilcox . But in their opinion, Wilcox itself was minimally explained. So, the dissenters claim, the majority rejects the design of Congress for a whole class of agencies by “layering nothing on nothing.” “Next time, though, the majority will have two (if still under-reasoned) orders to cite. Truly, this is ‘turtles all the way down.’” Rapanos v. United States (2006). * ***** *In Rapanos , in a footnote to his plurality opinion, former Supreme Court Justice Scalia explained that this allusion is to a classic story told in different forms and attributed to various authors. His favorite version: An Eastern guru affirms that the earth is supported on the back of a tiger. When asked what supports the tiger, he says it stands upon an elephant; and when asked what supports the elephant, he says it is a giant turtle. When asked, finally, what supports the giant turtle, he is briefly taken aback, but quickly replies "Ah, after that it is turtles all the way down." John Christie was for many years a senior partner in a large Washington, D.C. law firm. He specialized in anti-trust litigation and developed a keen interest in the U.S. Supreme Court about which he lectures and writes.
Marylanders will not forget this vote.
More than 30,000 of our neighbors in Maryland’s first congressional district will lose their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid because of provisions in the GOP’s heartless tax cut and spending bill passed last week.
Right now, Congress is working on a fast-track bill that would make historic cuts to basic needs programs in order to finance another round of tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations.
The House Agriculture Committee recently voted, along party lines, to advance legislation that would cut as much as $300 million from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program, helping more than 41 million people in the U.S. pay for food. With potential cuts this large, it helps to know who benefits from this program in Maryland, and who would lose this assistance. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities compiled data on SNAP beneficiaries by congressional district, cited below, and produced the Maryland state datasheet , shown below. In Maryland, in 2023-24, 1 in 9 people lived in a household with SNAP benefits. In Maryland’s First Congressional District, in 2023-24: Almost 34,000 households used SNAP benefits. Of those households, 43% had at least one senior (over age 60). 29% of SNAP recipients were people of color. 15% were Black, non-Hispanic, higher than 11.8% nationally. 6% were Hispanic (19.4% nationally). There were 24,700 total veterans (ages 18-64). Of those, 2,200 lived in households that used SNAP benefits (9%). The CBPP SNAP datasheet for Maryland is below. See data from all the states and download factsheets here.
