Selections from Mayor Jake Day’s 2022 State of the City Address, Part 2
Jake Day • February 28, 2023
Edited by CSES Staff.
As mayor of Salisbury in Wicomico County, Jake Day delivered his 2022 State of the City Address on November 15, 2022. Because the speech is long, our staff has chosen selected sections to be published. On January 18, we looked at the mayor’s thoughts on culture and youth. Today, we look at crime and traffic. Common Sense for the Eastern Shore is grateful to Mayor Day and his staff for generously providing us with the full text of his speech.
2009 (Crime)
- “I’m here to work shoulder-to-shoulder with the men and women of the SPD, to push down crime and the fear of crime, and also get to the root causes of crime in Salisbury.”
- That’s Police Chief Barbara Duncan upon her arrival to Salisbury. We wanted someone who could combat long-running, persistent policing issues in our City and take them head on — with a twist. We wanted someone who valued holistic, community-centric practices that would establish good rapport with our citizens and, more specifically, our youth.
- The Salisbury she came to was not dissimilar from most cities in America. After a long decline in crime from 1994 to the early 2000s, crime had risen back to 1980s levels, reaching a climax in 2009.
- Since that time our police department has reached new heights and has brought our crime rates to new lows. From 2006 to 2016, Salisbury had the fastest declining crime rate of any city in the United States, with a 100% decrease in arson and 63% decrease in burglary. Part 1 crimes decreased almost 50% between 2010 and 2020. And crime continues to go down, as it has every single year since 2017, bucking the national trend of rising crime rates during the pandemic. This is all to say: we’ve reinvented our approach to policing, and we’ve seen a steady decline in crime as a result.
- This is how trust is built and rebuilt. And we readily acknowledge that our officers have perhaps the most difficult job in America: entrusted with deciding life from death, protecting and risking your own life, expected to make all decisions in an instant, and serving under a microscope with the worst examples always caught on camera and shared millions of times over. And we believe to be trusted we must be trustworthy. We were a regional and state leader on a universal body camera program. We’ve had a massive shift in equipment and quality of life improvements for our officers, from new weapons to our take-home vehicle program and on-site fitness center. When the proper resources are prioritized, our citizens reap the benefits — and that is clearer nowhere else than in our youth and community outreach
2018 (Safety - Traffic)
- "Anything is better than what is there now. I'm all for the circle." ~Linda Duyer
- Historically, and across the nation, streets have been planned and designed with the speed and convenience of the driver in mind. High-accident intersections and other problem areas were addressed by increasing signage, and stepping up speed enforcement — but neither of those solutions get to the root of the problem. To put it plainly, our roads have been too wide, and too fast, for too long. What changed our approach was changing our vision. In 2018, the city adopted Vision Zero — a plan that challenges us to reimagine what our infrastructure should look like — and more specifically to accept that deaths on our streets weren’t a given, but the consequence of our own refusal to prioritize the lives of innocent people over our comfort and convenience. Among the problem areas named as overused for cross-town traffic were Carroll Street and Eastern Shore Drive — two of the thoroughfares we have targeted for action under Vision Zero. Work is already underway on Carroll Street, and soon to begin on Eastern Shore Drive, to make these streets safer by reducing speed and volume of traffic, while using the wasted space by providing pedestrian and bike facilities to make them more accessible by means other than automobile. Since Vision Zero’s adoption, injury accidents have fallen 19% and no fatalities have occurred on city streets. What’s more: all categories of accidents have declined, while nationwide, crashes have risen more than 10%.
- Changing these streetscapes, making them more human friendly, also serves to eliminate the perfectly designed “moats,” or avenues of high-speed traffic that serve to isolate parts of the city from each other. In the case of Carroll St., the volume of high-speed traffic and the width of the roadway have served to create something of a non-traversable barrier, keeping residents of the Camden neighborhood and our county’s largest employer, Tidal Health, from being able to access downtown Salisbury on foot, leading to a sense of separation, and an overall decline in the number of folks who see downtown as a leisurely option for shopping and recreation. By narrowing the lanes for automobile traffic (reducing both volume and speed), and connecting our urban greenway with pedestrian and cycle facilities, we’re throwing the door open wide once again, and telling citizens that, yes, this is the heart of YOUR city, and we want you here.
- Much of Carroll Street is being given back to the Riverwalk Park which, since the 1970s has been included in every major revitalization plan as the Urban Greenway. Its goal: to link the city’s east and west sides via a continuous, non-vehicular route.
- Intersecting the Urban Greenway, Salisbury’s rail-trail serves the same purpose from north to south, providing safe access for pedestrians and cyclists through the heart of the city, and connecting the two biggest assets on the city’s north and south sides — Salisbury University and the Naylor Mill Forest. Just last month [in October, 2022], ground was broken on the northernmost section of this rail trail.
- That we have seen such positive results in such a short time speaks to the efficacy of our actions. Nationally, traffic accidents — including those that end in fatality — have been on a steady upward trajectory for years. Yet Salisbury is bucking that trend, with a continued reduction in the number of accidents on our streets. Ultimately, that’s our goal. I’d like to never again have to sit across from the parents of a child who was hit by a car and tell them: We knew what engineering fixes could have stopped this from happening, but we didn’t act. Our diligence in prioritizing life safety over all other values ought not be much of a surprise to you. After all, this city has sought to perfect its delivery of lifesaving services for 150 years.
Jake Day is the new Secretary of Housing & Community Development for the State of Maryland. He served as mayor of Salisbury, Maryland for two terms.
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.
