Destructive Pursuit of Power and Control

I have been asked by several people why Supervisor Kathy Heuer decided not to run for the Board this time. Her reasons highlight why good people who would like nothing better than to server their community shy away from running for public office. What the Republican Party did to her is nothing short of despicable. What follows is her explanation of why she didn’t run – in her own words:

I was appointed to the Middletown Board of Supervisors in April, 2008. Since that time, I have learned a great deal about local government and the operation of the township. I am proud of the work I am doing and the decisions I have made on behalf of all of the residents of Middletown. Public service at this level has been, for the most part, very rewarding.

Unfortunately, not all of it has been rewarding. There are individuals at work in Middletown Township with no real interest in serving the public. Their sole intent seems to be the disruption and destruction of township government in order to gain more power. After weathering three frivolous (and ultimately, failed) lawsuits launched by the Middletown Republican Party and its attorney, Michael Fitzpatrick, I had looked forward to continuing in the job of Township Supervisor; after all, the "evil-doers" had been exposed, albeit, at a cost to the people of nearly $100,000.

I have spent a lifetime of public service in my career as a teacher modeling how children should be empathic towards others.  To witness adults with the attitude of "the end justifies the means" and never mind the whole truth is both a foreign and distasteful concept to me. Their exploitation of a number of emotionally charged issues over the past several months was the final disgrace that sealed my decision not to seek reelection. Those events made it clear that these people will go to any lengths to further their pursuit of power and control. I would never, in my worst nightmare, have imagined so complete an absence of honesty, integrity, or even common decency. I have chosen not to engage them in a campaign for public office, because that is an arena in which they have already revealed their agenda of gaining power at all costs.

Despite all of them, I will continue, for the next nine months, to serve the people of Middletown to the best of my ability. I am confident that, come November, the people will see a clear choice between moving Middletown forward to the benefit of all residents, or being mired in the negative attack politics that seems so typical of the Republican political machine in Middletown Township.