There seems to be a palpable tension in the air as you cross into Allegany County, traversing the cut in Sidling Hill and rolling into Cumberland. The mood becomes just a tad gloomy with an edge of anger and resentment, and you wonder if there is some malady affecting the citizens of western Maryland.
As befitting the role of my day job, your Appalachian Independent investigative reporter recently ventured to Willowbrook Rd. and Allegany College to feel the pulse of the people who had gathered to meet with local Maryland State legislators in order to express their opinions on a variety of issues, including the prime topic of the Sheriff's Department, County Commissioners, and transfer of the county road patrol.
The room was overflowing with concerned citizens, and unless I was completely oblivious, nary a soul was present who professed an allegiance with the County Commissioners, that trio of elected officials who have been been castigated time and again as betraying the trust of the voters who put them in office.
The Frostburg State University Foundation Inc. recently launched the public phase of its comprehensive $15 million campaign, Staking Our Claim: The Campaign for Frostburg. Designed to support the mission of Frostburg State University, this fund-raising effort comes at a critical time in the history of the institution and of Western Maryland. Nearly $8.5 million has already been committed as of the end of 2008. Â
"The Raging Controversy of the Allegany County Road Patrol:
Part 4:Â The Stottlemyer Report"
As the citizens of Allegany County have been told on so many occasions, the primary reason for the transfer of the road patrol from the Sheriff's Department to the Bureau of Police, under the Department of Homeland Security and Public Safety, was due to the issue of uncontrolled overtime and the resulting budget deficit.
Â
Not mentioned in the same repeated fashion, but certainly as important due to its contention of boondoggling, are phrases that have been circulated in various news reports, including by yours truly in the Appalachian Independent.  The source of these charges is a letter by the Commissioners published in the CumberlandTimes-News, wherein it was claimed that the Sheriff was responsible for "fiscal mismanagement, lack of managerial supervision, and overtime reporting irregularities."
The Raging Controversy of The Allegany County Road Patrol, Part 3
Â
Â
The roaring flames seem to have subsided for now, but there is still plenty of smoke smoldering below the surface in regard to the contentions between the Allegany County Commissioners and Sheriff Goad over the county road patrol.
Today in this updated report from your diligent investigative reporter for the Appalachian Independent, you can read about the opinions on both sides of the aisle, as well as comments based on an independent inquiry.
The Raging Controversy of the Allegany County Road Patrol,
Part 2.
Â
A truism says that there are always two sides to any story, and Dear Readers, this most assuredly is the case when it comes to the heated disagreement between the Allegany County Commissioners and the Sheriff of Allegany County. They have been embroiled in fiery battle over the transfer of the road patrol from the Sheriff's Department to the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security and Public Safety (under the command of Mr. Gary Moore, who answers, in the chain of command, to the Commissioners).
News
