City, Firefighters' Union Quibble Over Pink T-shirts
The city claims the union needs to obtain a solicitors license to sell its breast cancer awareness T-shirts.
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The Annapolis firefighters union disagrees with the city that it needs to purchase a solicitors license in order to sell its breast cancer awareness T-shirts at the Taylor Avenue station.
The city clerk sent the union a letter Friday stating that its members were illegally selling the $12 pink T-shirts.
A solicitors license is required for people seeking donations to ensure activities are not detrimental to the public health, safety and/or welfare, according to Annapolis City Code.
"They are wrong," said Lt. Carroll Springs, president of the Annapolis Professional Firefighters. "We are not out soliciting on the streets. We've sold union shirts in the past without buying a license."
The license costs $35, but Mayor Josh Cohen has offered to waive the fee for the union.
"It's unfornate that the mayor agrees with the city," Spriggs said. "We are not going to let the mayor stop us, or anyone else in city government,"
This is the second hiccup the union has faced with its Susan G. Komen fundraiser. On Sept. 28, more than $1,000 was stolen from the fire house at 620 Taylor Ave. where the shirts are being sold. Police charged Rodney Keith Wilson, 52, in connection with the theft, but officers only recovered $22.
Mike
11:04 am on Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Oh, sweet irony. (Of course, if an ordinary CITIZEN did this, the city would land on him with four feet.)
Let's see, our weaseling mayor (who just reneged on his stupid but promised photo-op hop in Spa Creek over the mishandled City Market) is irked by the fire union's lack of respect shown by not getting a stupid city permit that's a classic case of intrusive government to begin with. The union tells the mayor to spit in his hat, and the mayor caves.
All over the ability to to sell those wonderful pink shirts for the fraudulent "for the cure" Komen foundation that misleadlingly sells itself as collecting private charity to fund breast cancer research (a laudible enterprise) but instead is largely a lobbying organization that spends a small fraction of the money funding breast cancer research and a whole bunch on attempting to FORCE people to hand over ever more of their money under threat of government guns. What an ugly mess.
But still, telling the mayor to pound sand stands out as something worthwhile...kudos there.