It’s the day before the election. The local Republican candidates are making a last minute “FUD” (Fear-Uncertainty-Doubt) attack on the Democrats on the Board. Unfortunately, instead of an honest debate, they’re resorting to making up stories out of whole cloth about what the Commissioners have said and done.

One of the topics they’re misrepresenting is the Board’s current examination of recycling options for the Township. Frank Noyes, 3rd ward, sent out this message today:

Republicans have made it a key point in their campaigns to attack the current Democratic Board’s efforts to improve the township’s recycling program, using misinformation and ignoring the facts.

The latest attack came in candidate Mike Dougherty’s (1st ward) letter to the editor of the Delaware County Times, published just two days before the election.  Dougherty’s letter repeats some of the same erroneous claims previously made by my Republican opponent Howard Anmuth (3rd ward) and others: that the Board of Commissioners has already decided to implement a township-wide contract for both recycling and trash collection.

That simply is not true.  The Board of Commissioners has stated repeatedly that no decision has been made on which of several recycling plans will be adopted.  In fact, Mike Dougherty was present at the October 18 public meeting on recycling when the Board repeatedly stated that no decision on the recycling plan was imminent and more information gathering was needed.  Yet, in the November 4 Sunday Times, he wrote that “the idea that the current majority would force such a major change on the township [when 4 out of 7 seats are up for election] stinks.”

Mr. Dougherty knows, from attending the October 18 public meeting, that while a single township-wide combined trash and recycling contract is the cheapest option, there are concerns that such a contractor might provide poor service and be unresponsive to complaints.  And he knows that all four democratic Commissioners specifically acknowledged those types of concerns at that meeting.

In the Sunday Times, Dougherty also wrote that the a township-wide trash and recycling contract would hurt condominium owners because they would have to pay for such services even though they have an existing trash contract.  Yet at the October 18 meeting, Dougherty heard the Board specifically state that condominium owners would never have to pay for trash collection services they do not receive, and heard several condominium owners say to the Board, “Thank you. You have answered our questions.”

In the Sunday Times, Dougherty criticized the survey sent out to township residents as invalid because only 11% of the township residents responded, but in the next sentence, cited as authoritative the fact that 89% of survey responses said they were satisfied or somewhat satisfied with their current trash hauler.  Well, Mr. Dougherty, if the entire survey is not valid, doesn’t that make the response to the one question you highlight invalid, too?

The fact is that the Board is considering all the information it has — the survey results, the e-mails and comments from our public meeting, the research collected by the recycling committee, and information collected about the recycling programs in other municipalities around the county — to develop the best possible recycling plan for Nether Providence.  As Board members, we cannot afford to pick and choose what information we decide to hear and what we can ignore.

Given the way Mike Dougherty is misquoting, mis-stating and ignoring facts, I wonder whether he can be trusted to make the right choice on recycling.

Frank Noyes
Commissioner, 3rd Ward

In an effort to share information with all of our volunteers, supporters, candidates, and press contacts, we’re happy to announce that npdems.org will be posting up-to-the-minute results as they’re reported in to us by our ward captains.

As soon as we get a report from a precinct, we’ll be putting it into your hands. So fire up your browser on the night of Tuesday, November 6th. First reports will probably start to come in around 9:00 PM. Keep hitting that reload button!

Good luck to all of our candidates. Every single one of you has made us proud. Tuesday should be a big night for Democrats, and we’ll be proud to be a part of bringing you the news.

PLEASE remember that there is a change in polling locations for the two precincts that have previously voted at the Strath Haven Middle School.

Due to the contruction project at the middle school, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church on Rt. 320 will be the polling site for all 1st ward voters. All 2nd ward voters will vote in the Strath Haven High School cafeteria.

This letter to the editor of the Delaware County Daily Times appeared in the paper last week. Pat Tillson (6th ward) rightly points out how the Democratic majority on the board has turned around Township governance in two short years.

    Since regaining control of the Nether Providence Board of Commissioners two years ago, Democrats have addressed serious problems that had been largely created and then ignored by the previous Republican-controlled Board.  Today, under the Democratic majority Board, the Township is in solid financial shape.  Long-term maintenance of sewers, parks, and other Township needs is being funded without major tax increases and without drawing down the Township’s reserve fund, which Republicans had raided over the years.  Morale among Township staff has largely recovered from the turbulence of 2004-2005.  That’s when Republicans forced out one employee and their actions appeared calculated to drive out others so they could fill those jobs with their political cronies. The effort backfired, but not before we lost several experienced, hardworking, and capable staff members and paid out thousands of taxpayer dollars in a settlement to one of them.

Control of the Board will be decided in the November 6 elections, as four of the seven seats are up for grabs.  If Democrats are able to win, they will retain control and be able to continue their efforts to reign in development, preserve open space, address storm water problems, improve recycling, make personnel decisions on merit, and keep our taxes under control.  On the other hand, if Republicans take back Board control, we’re likely to see a return to the practices of the past:  no-bid contracts awarded to the politically connected; a short-sighted view of government that puts ward politics ahead of at-large community needs; ever more intensive development; and little or no action on other issues that so many of us care about.

If ever there was an election that could change the character of our community, it’s the one that’s just days away.  I urge everyone to go to the polls to vote on November 6, and consider voting Democratic to keep the good government momentum moving forward in Nether Providence.

Sincerely,
Patricia Tillson

Rick Lacey ran for Delaware County Council as a Republican candidate in the May primary. He narrowly missed the November ballot.

But Lacey is a Republican who also knows about the ruthless single-mindedness of the local GOP bosses. Charlie Sexton shamelessly made Lacey’s father’s personal challenges a campaign issue in boosting the party’s own favorites.  Lacey also knows that the Republican’s claims about efficiency and fiscal responsibility aren’t all backed up by fact. (”We haven’t raised taxes in the three years.” “Yeah, but you raised property taxes 17% in the two years before that.”)

Mr. Lacey has asked the 19,000 Republican voters who cast ballots for him in May to throw their support behind Democrat David Landau.

Landau has also picked up the endorsement from the Delaware County Daily Times, as have both of the Democratic candidates for Court of Common Pleas, Frank Daly and Mike Farrell.

In the 2005 local elections, Nether Providence voters turned out in force to send a message: they wanted change from a Republican majority that more concerned with politics than improving the Township.

As a result of that election, a new majority took charge of the Township Board of Commissioners. That majority is delivering on the promises it made to address issues of concern to Township residents. Lin Floyd, Deena Beard, Sallie Anderson, and Frank Noyes tackled problems that had been allowed to develop over the prior years of Republican majority. In less than two years, they have made remarkable progress.

They took action to require responsible development, including:

• Adopting tighter restrictions on flag lot developments and curbing development on steep slopes.
• Increasing the minimum residential lot size for new construction.
• Enacting a height limit for buildings in residential neighborhoods.
• Revising township code to discourage placement of cell towers in residential neighborhoods.

In addition, the Democratic majority of the Board worked on a variety of other important issues:

• They reversed a serious staffing and morale problem by listening to Township employees, and restoring the needed position of Assistant Township Manager.
• The continue to battle the FAA’s plan for increased air traffic in conjunction with county, state, and federal representatives. They also provided testimony in support of a regional airport authority.
• The created a township website on schedule and at no cost to taxpayers.
• The established a volunteer Recycling Task Force to examine our recycling program and suggest ways to bring NPT into compliance with Pennsylvania requirements. The Task Force obtained a state grant to evaluate our current system, surveyed residents to solicit their views and concerns, and presented options for residents to consider. They held a Public Forum in October, inviting an open hearing of the issues involved.
• The enacted a responsible 2007 Township budget that began to address serious infrastructure, maintenance, and staffing issues ignored byt he previous Republican board while controlling taxes.
• They filled long-standing vacancies on Township boards and committees and created several new committees to address needs and concerns in the Township. Never before have so many residents volunteered their talents and energy in such areas as communications, recycling, parks and recreation, safe walkways, historic preservation, energy conservation, and shade tree protection.

On November 6th, Nether Providence voters again have a chance to make a difference!

Four seats on the Board of Commissioners are up for grabs. Democrats must win at least two of these seats to retain control of the Board. If we are successful, we will be in a position to keep local government open and forward-looking. If the Republicans regain control, then we are likely to return to the days of no-bid contracts, cronyism, and undue influence from the County machine.

Democrats are also mounting a serious challenge for County Council for the first time in decades. Nether Providence’s own David Landau is running for one of three open Council seats, along with Ann O’Keefe and John Innelli. They can win!

The Nether Providence Democratic committee also supports a bi-partisan roster of School Director candidates whose focus is on responsibly managed, high-quality education. Incumbent Magisterial District Judge Stephanie Klein won both the Democratic and Republican primaries and will continue her respected service on the bench.

These candidates all need your support. This is an important eleciton. Your vote counts, but only if you cast it.

PA Delco Watch, a Democratic blog covering this year’s big County Council race, has a post with the video and highlights from the final Delaware County Council candidates’ debate from last week. (Video is courtesy the Delco Times.)

The Republican candidates for County Council have been trying to counter David Landau’s “Campaign Against the Courthouse” by alleging that Landau improperly obtained legal work in Nether Providence in the 1990’s. In case you missed it, former Commissioner and Board President Sara Petrosky had a letter in yesterday’s Daily Times flatly countering those claims.

Here are a few highlights from Sara’s letter:

The courthouse political machine repeatedly attacks David Landau for his role in the Nether Providence Township. As usual they have the facts wrong. [...] Under my direction, the board requested proposals for various professional services such as solicitors and engineers. We interviewed candidates, both Republican and Democrat, and had a competitive process for choosing the candidates.

David was not part of the hiring process and neither he nor his firm was selected for these jobs.

Sara later explains how David came to represent the Township in a legal matter:

The township board later hired David to defend the township against a Republican developer who tried to block the preservation of open space. That was also the result of a competitive process.

David spent countless hours, many of them without pay, to help us achieve our goal. The insurance carrier covered the fees, other than the deductible. Through David’s work, the township won the case at trial and on appeal, and now there are two parcels of open space and a Field of Dreams in Nether Providence.

We residents of the Township are the beneficiaries of the actions taken by that previous Democratic board. Thanks to the Sara’s leadership and David’s fine work, Nether Providence remains a lovely community with green spaces permanently reserved for recreation and enjoyment.

File this under non-partisan news, but there are two important events in the Township this week to put on our calendars.

On Thursday, Oct. 18th, there will be an open forum at the Board of Commissioners’ meeting. The topic of the conversation will be review and public comment on the report by the Recycling Task Force. The meeting will start at 7:00 PM at the Township building.

Then don’t forget that on Saturday, October 20th, Nether Providence will be holding its second annual 5K Run for our First Responders. After a great first year event, Nether Providence is once again hosting a 5K run starting and finishing at the Nether Providence Elementary School and Garden City Fire House in Wallingford PA. Net proceeds benefit the Township’s Community Enhancement Fund for the First Responders. Registration will open at 8:00 am. Race starts at 9:00. For more information and online registration, visit Run the Day.

Four of Nether Providence’s seven wards will be selecting their commissioners this November (1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th). We’re excited about the slate of Democrats who are running. The voters will have a chance to size up our municipal candidates on October 3rd, when the League of Women Voters will moderate a candidates’ forum.

Aside from brief opening and closing statements, the questions will come from the audience.

Where: Nether Providence Township Building, 214 Sykes Lane
When: October 3, 2007, 7:30 PM