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Big news out of the city council in Salisbury tonight is that the council soundly rejected the proposal by City Council President to limit the information provided to council members directly by city agencies.

This is a huge win for the citizens of Salisbury.

Council Prez Louise Smith had proposed that all info now had to flow through City Clerk Brenda Colegrove.  The move was a direct jab at council members Debbie Campbell and Terry Cohen.  Campbell and Cohen have been leading an effort to infuse more openness and accountability into city policymaking, and apparently the Mayor and her agency heads were chafing at the oversight.

Council Prez Smith has been little more than a lapdog for Mayor Tilghman since her election this spring, calling into question the independence of the council.  But this move was a little too much-- even for Council Vice President Gary Comegys (another ally of the Mayor).

It's a good thing. The people's representatives have a right -- nay, a duty -- to have access to any and all information they need to do their job.  If their is information that falls within the scope of "privileged" information, Maryland has laws to handle this.

Kudos to those members who voted down this proposal.