Middletown United

Gee, a tax increase for Middletown. What a surprise.

2010-10-12T09:51:00.003-04:00

I hope that Middletown residents now realize what their reward is for voting Tom Gallagher, Drew Kreiling and Pat Mallon into office last year. It is no secret that the cops wanted them in and now we know why. According to the Courier Times, "Middletown faces a nearly $2 million deficit in 2011," finance manager Dennis Pemko said. The police department is forecast to cost 12 percent more next year. The annual minimum contribution to the police pension fund could rise to $1.5 million in 2011 from $764,000 in 2010."

At a recent meeting, when asked why this contribution was so high, Pemko said because of the number of officers who have retired on disability pensions. Gallgher, Kreiling and Mallon rushed to approve every one in their first few months in office.

For the last few months, these three along with the cop-in-residence on the Board, George Leonhauser, have been rewarding all their friends with, in some cases, unnecessary contracts, already costing the taxpayers of Middletown thousands of dollars. And now the bill comes in from the police. The cost for the owner of an "average assessed home" next year could be shelling out a whopping $116 more for their tax bill.

Maybe it is time to start laying off some of the cops. As often as one can see them hiding out behind the Department of Public Works building, it should be obvious that a reduction in force is possible without jeopardizing public safety -- that was just a ruse by Gallagher, Kreiling and Mallon to scare voters. Now you can see what the tab is going to be.

Click here to read the full story. If it makes you angry, show up at the next meeting on Monday, October 18 at 7:30 p.m. and let them know about it.

The 14 Characteristics of Fascism

2010-08-06T07:12:00.002-04:00

Political scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt recently wrote an article about fascism ("Fascism Anyone?," Free Inquiry, Spring 2003, page 20). Studying the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile), Dr. Britt found they all had 14 elements in common. He calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism.

The 14 characteristics are:

Powerful and Continuing Nationalism

Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights

Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause

The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

Supremacy of the Military

Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

Rampant Sexism

The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.

Controlled Mass Media

Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

Obsession with National Security

Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

Religion and Government are Intertwined

Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

Corporate Power is Protected

The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

Labor Power is Suppressed

Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed .

Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts

Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.

Obsession with Crime and Punishment

Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

Rampant Cronyism and Corruption

Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

Fraudulent Elections

Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

The Cisco Kid and Pancho

2010-08-05T09:15:00.002-04:00

At the May 17 meeting, an item on the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors consent agenda provided for the purchase of a tractor with mowers for $96,841. Supervisor Robert McMonagle asked that item be removed. When it came up for discussion, Mr. McMonagle suggested that the equipment should be put out for bid. He felt that in these economic times, the Township should not rely on the state bid list. If the equipment were put out to bid, he said, the Township could perhaps save $10,000 or more.

Mr. McMonagle’s motion carried. The approved bid on this past Monday’s agenda was $86,969. Since both Supervisors Chairman Tom Gallagher and Supervisor George Leonhauser had voted against the motion to bid the tractor, Mr. McMonagle decided to reinforce the notion that bidding an item would always save money by reminding them of the discussion in May.

Rather than acknowledging the validity of the cost-saving measure, Mr. Gallagher turned the fiery red we have all come to love and went into defense mode. I think it was only (only?) a $5,000 savings, he said. After being corrected by Acting Township Manager Debbie Lamanna that it was indeed almost a $10,000 savings, he then went on to say he only wanted to get it approved so it would be ready for grass cutting season, forgetting that the representative of the company that was going to supply the tractor said it probably wouldn’t be delivered until after the summer anyway.

How much overtime did we have to pay because we didn’t have that equipment, Mr. Gallagher huffed. When someone said none, he followed up with How was I to know that we would have a summer so hot that the grass wouldn’t grow much. Are you kidding me?

But wait, as the TV commercials often say, there’s more. Now it is time for the ethics-challenged Mr. Leonhauser to jump in and say, with that evil chuckle of his, well after all it was (former) Township Manager Ray Stepnoski who put the item on the agenda.

Perhaps someone should explain to Mr. Leonhauser – very slowly now – that items on the agenda must either be approved or denied by the Board. It is the responsibility of each and every member of the Board to review agenda items before the meetings and then decide if they have merit or should be questioned.

These two are a better comedy act than the Cisco Kid and his jovial sidekick Pancho. (Google the TV series if you are too young to remember.)

After note: In case anyone hasn’t noticed, there are icons at the end of the blogs now that allow one to e-mail the blog to a friend or post it to a Facebook page. Feel free to do either.

The Thugs are in Charge … and Now They Have Their Chief

2010-08-03T09:07:00.001-04:00

The mob took over the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors meeting Monday night and proved once and for all that they now rule in Middletown.

I’m not talking about the full-moon crowd that Supervisors Chairman Tom Gallagher whipped into a fury last year and now forms the base of his support. These are the people who have been attending meetings since the beginning of this year, cheering, shouting people down and generally disrupting the meetings. Unfortunately, they have turned Middletown Township into the laughing stock of Bucks County municipalities.

What we saw Monday night was much more serious than that. This mob literally took over the meeting. What was frightening – and yes, as one member of the audience remarked, intimidating – was that a significant number of those comprising this mob were Middletown Township police officers. This was gleefully confirmed by the ethically challenged, former police officer and Supervisor, George Leonhauser.

If you weren’t at the meeting Monday night, you should watch the replays. Meetings are re-broadcast on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 2:00 AM, 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM and Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 7:00 AM and 4:00 PM.

If you were there, keep in mind that many of those shouting and intimidating members of the audience were officers sworn to protect and serve the residents of Middletown Township. Andrew Flager, a resident of Levittown for 53 years, said he, his wife and several neighbors who came to observe the meeting were intimidated by the behavior of these police officers and their supporters – “especially the women,” he said during the meeting. These are the same people who came out in force last November and openly intimidated people at the polls.

And their greatest supporter is our new chief, James Kane. They now have free reign to continue this behavior. It is indeed a sad day for Middletown Township.

Middletown Township's Tea Party

2010-06-09T15:24:00.003-04:00

The tea party mindless automatons were out in force at the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors meeting Monday night to support their hero, Supervisor Chairman Tom Gallagher. I find myself wondering when I attend meetings now whether or not I ended up in some bizarre theater by mistake. It certainly doesn’t resemble what should be the sobering business of discussing what is needed to protect the health, safety and welfare of Middletown Township residents.

Unfortunately, Mr. Gallagher seems unable to carry on a discussion if it doesn’t follow the script given to him by his Tea/Republican Party operatives. Take, for example, when Julie Smith asked Mr. Gallagher why the Board would decide in one of its famous “other business” sessions to appoint, with no discussion, “Divorce Done Right” attorney Tracy Anne Timby as its labor counsel. The faux labor lawyer will be negotiating a new contract with the Policeman’s Benevolent Association this year and the Township needs much more than a divorce lawyer to keep from giving away the keys to the taxpayers’ purse. This is kind of like going to a chiropractor for quadruple bypass surgery. A chiropractor may be great at helping with back pain, but I sure wouldn’t want one carving open my chest.

Did Mr. Gallagher even acknowledge anything Ms. Smith suggested? Of course not. If the questioner isn’t one of his cheering fans, he goes into a catatonic state that is quite scary at times.

Mr. Gallagher should take note. That great movement of government by slogans known as the Tea Party is faltering, as most of these movements with brainless, bullying bigots for leaders inevitably do. According to a Washington Post/ABC News poll released this week, 50 percent of the respondents said they hold an "unfavorable impression" of this conservative, anti-Obama, anti-government movement – an increase from 39 percent in March. Those with a favorable view dropped from 41 to 36 percent, and those folks with no opinion fell from 20 percent to 14 percent. Put this all together, in the words of Columnist David Corn, and it appears that the more Americans see of the Tea Party, the less they like it.

Maybe, Mr. Gallagher, you should start listening to people with reasoned opinions rather than ramming through the dictates of your handlers. You might actually learn something.

Hiding Behind “Other Business”

2010-05-20T09:57:00.003-04:00

Middletown Township publishes on its Web site and provides newspapers with the agendas for upcoming meetings of the Board of Supervisors. That way residents can look over the agenda and, if there is nothing of interest to them, they can stay home and watch American Idol, secure in the knowledge that nothing untoward will take place at the meeting.

This current Board, however, is playing a shell game with the agendas. Look back over the agendas for the meetings since they have taken office and they all look pretty bland, containing mainly items dealing with the day-to-day operation of the Township. Business that might be of interest to a large number of citizens is hidden under the title “Other Business.”

Consider these items that were brought up under “Other Business:”

On February 16, there was a presentation by the fire companies and a subsequent vote to disband the ad hoc committee on emergency services.
On March 1, the job description for the position of police chief was discussed and then a vote was taken to advertise it.
On March 15, votes were taken to approve disability retirements for Officer Rosenstein and Officer McDonough, both of which were controversial.
On March 15, a vote was taken to change the rate for the Zoning Board attorney, the legality of which is suspect.
On April 5, Supervisor H. George Leonhauser posed a number of questions about police hiring requirements to Acting Director of Public Safety Patrick McGinty. There was really no excuse for this not being on the agenda since Mr. Leonhauser requested that Director McGinty attend the April 5 meeting to answer questions.
Also on April 5, without any warning or advance discussion, the Middletown Township Police Chief Selection Committee was formed and all members appointed.
On May 3, there was a 45-minute presentation by the PBA, a presentation filled with misstatements.
And, on May 17, Supervisor Andrew Kreiling nominated a new labor attorney, which, of course, passed muster with this clueless group. This new “labor attorney” is Tracy Anne Timby whose Web site is DivorceDoneRight.com. It is no surprise that negotiations on the new PBA contract begin this year, negotiations that require a tough, experienced labor attorney to reign in on some of the abuses that take place under the current contract.

Middletown Township residents should attend the next meeting and demand the Board of Supervisors stop hiding substantive issues behind the cloak of “Other Business.”

Disingenuous Rage

2010-05-04T14:05:00.005-04:00

I don’t know about you, but I never was able to figure out which thimble covered the pea as Middletown Police Officer Steven Forman shuffled and re-shuffled the “facts” during his 40-minute rant at Monday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.

But make no mistake: Officer Forman’s disingenuous rage was clearly designed to intimidate anyone with the temerity to question the culture of entitlement that exists among some members of the Middletown Township Police Department. Their contract is up for re-negotiation this year and this is Officer Forman’s first salvo to obfuscate facts that may make Middletown residents question whether we can continue to afford the demands of Officer Forman and his small band of sycophants.

New Board of Supervisor members should familiarize themselves with the Garipoli Report. Last year, the Township entered into an agreement with the Pennsylvania Governor’s Center for Local Government Services to conduct a management review of the Middletown Township Police Department.

The peer-to-peer consultant for the project was Richard F. Garipoli, who is a 33-year veteran of municipal law enforcement in Pennsylvania with a long list of credentials. At the time, he was the Lancaster Police Chief. In one of our meetings, Mr. Garipoli commented on what he called “the generosity of the current contract.” He added he wouldn’t want his officers to get a look at that because his community couldn’t afford it.

More to the point of Officer Forman’s behavior Monday evening, in his official report Mr. Garipoli noted because of the “ugly” lack of respect being accorded PSD McGinty, the “supervisors of the Middletown Township Police Department need to reinstitute this culture back to the officers. Officers should be respectful at all times.”

That ugly lack of respect is indicative of real problems in the Police Department. I would venture to say that in most departments many of Officer Forman’s public rants would fall into the category of conduct unbecoming a police officer. Hopefully the new chief chosen by the Board will enforce some discipline.

We are fortunate, however, in that rmore than half of the Middletown Township Police Department is comprised of proud officers who are embarrassed by Forman, who is only in the position of PBA contract negotiator because he was elected to a job nobody wanted at a meeting that only about a third of the membership attended.

Of course one of the difficulties of gaining control of the department is the fact that Supervisor George Leonhauser is a virtual lobbyist for the Police Department – in direct and continual violation of a State Ethics Commission ruling of March 10, 2008. Because of the fact that Leonhauser has two sons on the force, the Ethics Commission ruled that in any matter that could affect his son’s financial interests, he would be required to not only abstain from voting but he is also prohibited from “using his authority of office, such as discussing, conferring with others or lobbying for a particular result.”

You can make your own judgment on how many times he has violated this part of the ruling. There is no question as to the Ethics Commission’s ruling pertaining to the PBA contract, which was finally ratified by the Board of Supervisors last year:

“Pursuant to Section 1103(a) of the Ethics Act, Leonhauser would have a conflict of interest in voting as to the execution of the finalized” PBA contract. Not only did he vote for its passage, he is also an official signatory to the contract.

This is how little regard Mr. Leonhauser has for the law he is obliged to uphold. It is an attitude that permeates down through Officer Forman and those other members of his posse. If you would like to file a complaint against Mr. Leonhauser, go to the Ethics Commission Web site, and follow the instructions in the box titled “File a Complaint.”

A Culture of Entitlement Redux

2010-04-21T09:06:00.003-04:00

It is obvious from the shock some people expressed at Monday’s meeting of the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors that not enough of our residents are paying attention.

Paying attention to what, you ask? The culture of entitlement that became entrenched in the Middletown Township Police Department during the 25-year career of the last chief of police.

“Shocking” item no. 1: Twenty-one of the past 23 retirees have gone out on disability retirements. As I explained in a previous blog, retirement pensions and permanent disability pensions are addressed in the PBA contract. If an officer has served enough time to retire, he or she will receive a pension equal to 55 percent of wages earned, averaged over the last three years of service.

If, on the other hand, an officer is retired on permanent disability, this pension goes up to 75 percent of the three-year average, which the retiree receives for life – tax free. A prime example of this is Supervisor George Leonhauser, who receives about $80,000 a year on a disability pension – and has for the past 16 years. The disability-pensioner is free to secure other employment; Leonhauser, for example, has a full-time position with the Bucks County Tech School. He also receives a $4,000 per year stipend for being on the board of supervisors.

The last two disability retirements discussed at Monday’s meeting were for two officers, ages 38 and 40, who had torn rotator cuffs. Rotator-cuff surgery has become quite common place and allows a person to attain full function and rotation of the affected shoulder. However, these officers are allowed to refuse surgery – so you and I will be paying them 75 percent of the last three-year average of their salary, tax-free for the rest of their lives, which could be for 40 years or more.

“Shocking” item no. 2: The contract requires anyone who retires on a disability pension to undergo an annual physical from an independent physician chosen by the Township. This way if a disability has been corrected – say, for example, a person with a torn rotator cuff has it repaired – the retiree can be ordered back to work or forfeit his or her pension.

To date, confirmed at Monday’s meeting, none have undergone this annual physical. I know that when Township Manager Raymond Stepnoski attempted to implement this requirement, he ran up against opposition from the Policeman’s Benevolent Association. Perhaps with the backing of the new Republican-controlled Board he will get better results.

These are your leaders

2010-04-14T10:27:00.007-04:00

Hmmmm

Can't add a thing to this.... this Wizard of Id cartoon says it all!

This cartoon and the comments above it were e-mailed by Middletown Township Supervisor Drew Kreiling to a number of other Republicans, including Supervisors Pat Mallon, George Leonhauser and Tom Gallagher.

It is repugnant on a number of levels.

Democratic residents should be outraged to learn that this is what their leaders on the Board of Supervisors think of them. Keep that in mind the next time you have to address the Board on an important issue.

What is really outrageous is this seeming endorsement of an intelligence test for voters. Maybe if Kreiling, Mallon, Leonhauser and Gallagher had any understanding of the history of civil rights, they would have been less likely to find any humor in this cartoon.

In case you have any difficulty reading the text:

Panel 1, left balloon: Shouldn't voters have to pass an intelligence test?

right balloon: You don't have to be intelligent to vote.

Panel 2: What if there are more stupid people than intelligent people.

Panel 3: Then the Democrat wins.

What an Outrage

2010-04-06T10:01:00.003-04:00

Well, it sure didn’t take the Republican hypocrites on the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors long to toss the Sunshine Law out with their promise to conduct a thorough and fair search for a new chief of police.

In other business at Tuesday’s meeting, Supervisor Patrick Mallon proposed a police chief review committee comprised of citizens who would be nominated to review all applications, conduct interviews, and make a non-binding recommendation of the top 5 candidates to the board.

For those of you who don’t know, “other business” comes after regular agenda items. Unless there is an emergency, I have never seen it used to push through important business that should require a period for public input – and there are very few decisions as important as empowering a select few to determine who the next police chief will be.

Why do I say a select few? Because not only did Mallon propose this police review committee, but he already had a list of those whom the Republicans decided should serve on the board.

Now, if this wasn’t discussed among the four Republicans on the Board outside of a public meeting and in clear violation of the Sunshine Law, how was it that they not only had the list of those who will serve on the committee ready to introduce, but all four voted to approve the appointments with only a few words of background on each person and virtually no discussion among themselves?

In the words of a friend of mine who has been around long enough to know, “I do not recall Middletown ever appointing a committee without taking applications. Last night they appointed one of the most important committees in this township (a chief of police search) and took not one application.”

It is clear if this had been done by the previous Board, Mike Fitzpatrick would have rounded up a few shills to file one of his famous lawsuits for violating the Sunshine Law – and for once he might have prevailed.

Who are these shining examples of public service? Believe me, if you are not a supporter of Lieutenant Kane for the chief’s position, you probably wouldn’t recognize them. Four Republicans, David Zellis, Michael Lentine, Sharolyn Hessenthaler and Michael Jones. Democrat David Kemmerer has already privately indicated his support for Kane and Martin Duffy, the other Democrat, publicly indicated his support for Kane on at least two occasions that I am familiar with. And Todd Buch, the seventh member, is not even registered in Middletown Township. Furthermore, there is an extreme lack of geographic representation on this committee. Given the diversity in Middletown Township, this committee should be comprised of a representative sample of citizens from across the township. This is difficult to achieve, though, when in fact three of the seven appointees come from Mr. Mallon’s district (Upper 6).

Why wasn’t there some consideration for balance on this committee? There are a number of those who have been involved in public service that could have been considered. There are talented recruiters and public business managers who could have been asked. Furthermore, rather than naming partisan appointees for this important committee, perhaps a better approach may have been to identify the qualifications desired on this committee and then recruit people that meet those qualifications. Examples may have been:

An experienced Human Resources executive.
Representatives from large township business that rely heavily on the Middletown Township Police Department like Oxford Valley Mall or Sesame Place.
A representative from St. Mary’s Medical Center, the largest employer in Bucks County.
A fire chief or volunteer fireman, given how closely our police and volunteer firefighters work together.
Retired Pennsylvania State troopers or FBI agents living in the township.
A representative from Neshaminy School District.
A block captain from a township Neighborhood Watch Group.

Coincidentally, there you have seven examples of the profiles that could have been represented on this committee. Instead, what Mr. Mallon wants to be a bi-partisan effort, is really just more of the same partisan politics.

The only conclusion I can come to is that Kane was promised the job by the Republicans running for office and now they are delivering on their promise. All Middletown Township residents should be outraged. This “search” is nothing but a sham.

A great deal for Middletown Township

2010-03-25T08:57:00.002-04:00

For the past two weeks, I have been immersed in painting the downstairs of my home. So, I have been a little distracted – although not enough not to notice that President Obama has produced a great win for the American people who truly care about improving the health care delivery system in the U.S. Maybe a decade from now we won’t have the 37th place ranking among the world’s nations – right below Costa Rica and only two places above Cuba.

I received an interesting phone call earlier this week from a friend whose property was needed for a cell tower. He called to see what I knew about the deal Middletown Township was getting for the two towers currently going up here. I explained that basically the Township receives $10,000 yearly per carrier on the towers and there are currently two carriers on each.

It is very likely that the number of carriers will rise to at least five of the six carriers that cover this area, so we could be earning about $50,000 from each tower, with regular increases included in the lease agreement.

In his case, the company negotiating the lease for his property – which is not Tower One, the company working for Middletown – offered monthly payments that added up to just under $20,000 for two carriers that would be included with the initial erection of the tower. However, they were offering him a one-time payment of $2,500 for any carriers that were added after the tower went up.

Obviously, when he heard of the agreement Middletown reached with Tower One, he is going to take a tougher stand with the company that wants to lease his land.

To me, this highlights two important points – thanks to the research of Supervisor Robert McMonagle, Middletown Township is getting a great deal that will help hold the line on taxes, and there is a lot of demand for tower sites to help fill in the gaps created by the explosion in cell phone use. So get ready to see one of these near you.

Incredible Short-Sightedness

2010-03-17T10:21:00.003-04:00

With all the howling and gnashing of teeth over cell towers at the past few Middletown Township Board of Supervisor meetings – particularly on the March 1 day-after-a-full-moon meeting – protestors are missing the point. Their irrational behavior is exemplified by their anger over a simple question put to them by Supervisor Robert McMonagle: “Do you own a cell phone?”

According to U.S. Mobile Markets: Analysis & Forecasts, the latest report from consumer technology think-tank, The Diffusion Group, by the end of this year, mobile phone subscribers will climb to 75% of the US population or approximately 236 million users. There is a growing consensus that cell phones are no longer a luxury but a necessity.

Because of the sky-rocketing demand, cellular service companies are scrambling to erect the towers needed to keep up with the usage. Mr. McMonagle saw an opportunity to bring in new revenue to the Township last year when he suggested the Board look into locating new cell towers on Township-owned property. Tower One was subsequently tapped to locate potential sites and negotiate lease agreements with carriers.

According to Nicholas Pullin, a partner in Tower One, conservatively, if there are just two tenants on each of the two cell towers currently under a lease agreement with the Township – which is what is currently on both the Veterans' Highway and Langhorne-Yardley Road structures – the total aggregate value of those leases would be $7.5 million over a 29-year period.

Also, these two towers could accommodate up to six carriers, so the potential for income for the Township is significant – income that will lessen what is needed to be collected through property taxes.

Opponents fail to recognize the fact that these towers are strategically sited to meet the demands of service. If the Township didn’t lease the property it owns, the companies would find an alternative private site nearby. Ultimately, these protestors would still have a cell tower in their neighborhood with the revenue going to a private individual or corporation.

These people who show up at each meeting to shout, cheer and jeer are incredibly short-sighted. One suspects that if they were around in the 1870s, they would have protested the erection of the first telephone pole.

Speaking of cheers and jeers, Board Chairman Tom Gallagher has a gavel in front of him at each meeting and should learn how and when to use it. While Mr. Gallagher likes to be the hero of the cell tower opposition, he has a responsibility to run these meetings in a professional manner – they are not and should not be pep rallies for his re-election campaign.

Perhaps some people will show up at the next meeting to thank Mr. McMonagle for seeking out ways to raise revenue in an effort to hold the line on property taxes. Now wouldn’t that be refreshing.

Frank Farry: The real reason I haven't done anything in Harrisburg

2010-03-09T08:22:00.003-05:00

In a March 5 blog, I chided Frank Farry for the excuses he made in a meeting with the editorial board at the Courier Times. Basically, he complained that he couldn’t get anything done because he was in the minority party.

Today he had a guest opinion in the Courier that is one of the most excuse-ridden, whiney pieces I have ever read. Frankly, I was embarrassed for him.

I was going to write a comment on it until I saw the first blog attached to Farry’s piece. I usually ignore these as they too often appear to be the work of cretins. But in this case, no one could have put it more succinctly. So my hat is off to the blogger who wrote:

“Just what constituents want to hear...a detailed explanation from their representative as to why he has been toothless. Doesn't Mr. Farry know that as soon as a politician starts a sentence with ‘These are not excuses,’ that every voter knows to get ready for the excuses to start flying?

“You know what the ‘reality of some of the things wrong in Harrisburg,’ is? Someone who gets elected, then campaigns on why he wasn't able to get anything done.

“In the ‘Maybe no one will realize I've done nothing’ department, Frank Farry decides that only now that everyone does know he has not been part of the solution, he ‘will voluntarily match the mandatory Senate contribution for his health benefits by sending a personal check to the state monthly.’ Others have been doing it all along. Retroactively sending the money back after you've been exposed only shows just how stupid you think the voter is.

“You might want to consider returning your entire 14 months salary. Maybe the voters won't notice the ‘reality’ of you not doing your job.”

Farry's Excuses Ring Hollow

2010-03-05T10:42:00.003-05:00

In the “Thumbs Down” section of the Courier Times criticizes Frank Farry, who by “citing his minority party status over and over again, seems to have thrown in the towel.”

The emphasis is mine since it confirms what many of us already know – Farry is much better at whining than he is at acting. It leads one to wonder if Farry has done anything at all for the residents he is supposed to represent.

The editorial further states: “For example, Farry said he won't initiate a bill calling for state House members to contribute to their health benefits – even though he said he'd be ‘the first one to sign on to it’ – because the bill would be blocked. Glad to hear the representative would sign on. But actions speak louder than words.”

So I have a suggestion: Let’s show Farry what it means to act and send him back to his beloved fire company, where I believe he is still the chief, and send John Toth to Harrisburg who will be a full-time legislator for all the people he represents.

We need someone who acts, not someone who makes excuses.

What was he running for?

2010-02-27T12:10:00.001-05:00

Now that we have gone through the fourth snow storm of this winter season, I learned from a source that Supervisors Chairman Tom Gallagher isn’t too happy about the number of telephone calls he has been getting from constituents. Can’t imagine what he thought he was running for.

Another friend of mine bumped into him in the Tax Collector’s office. Knowing he was new to the office, she introduced herself to him. In a rather gruff manner, he told her that if she had any problems, don’t call him. That’s what the Township Manager is for, he reportedly said.

Apparently Mr. Gallagher is so upset over the telephone calls he said he wishes his number weren’t in the book. So, in case he does decide to pull it next year, it is 215-752-3557. Pass it on. Trust me, it is his job to listen to you and, when possible, try to solve your problems.

Calling out incivility for what it is

2010-02-23T13:59:00.002-05:00

Dick Polman, cited by the Columbia Journalism Review as one of the nation's top political reporters, writes a regular column in the Philadelphia Inquirer called the American Debate.

On Sunday, his column was titled The incivility death spiral. In it he notes that “millions now seem to assume that an Internet connection is a license to indulge their most sociopathic impulses.”

No where is that more apparent than in the responses to articles in the Courier Times. Things the worst of us may have merely thought 10 years ago are now considered worthy discourse on the Courier blog posts.

Polman was using as his example of incivility the way people on the right were rooting for the death of Ted Kennedy while those on the left were doing the same for Dick Cheney when he entered the hospital with chest pains. This behavior is only the tip of the incivility ice berg.

He is correct when he states “Part of the problem, of course, is that our brave new digital world allows people to root for death from the safe confines of anonymity. I bet they would spare us their most toxic thoughts if they were required to put their names to the words, and take some measure of responsibility.”

That’s the problem with these people – responsibility is not a part of their lexicon. As Polman sates, “incivility extremism can’t be stopped. All we can do is call it out, in the name of civility. I've just done that. You should do the same.”

Well, now I have as well.

Move Over Bristol!

2010-02-17T08:11:00.002-05:00

I never thought I would see the day that the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors meetings would challenge Bristol Township for its supremacy as the antithesis of representative democracy.

Sadly, that day has come.

Last night, in the limited 30-minute public comment on non-agenda items section at the beginning of the meeting, Supervisors Chairman Tom Gallagher spent, by my watch, 20 minutes grand-standing on cell tower placement. He doesn’t realize that just because he almost never attended a meeting last year that issues such as the cell tower policy were thoroughly aired. He should, however, realize that this period is for public comment, not dissertations from the chair.

Anyone else who wanted to speak had to wait until well after 10 p.m.

Then there is the cheering section. Mr. Gallagher doesn’t’ seem to realize that these are public meetings with serious issues that need to be soberly debated – not a public rally for his early re-election campaign. One has to assume he enjoys the circus atmosphere because not once did he bang the gavel and caution the audience about cheering, clapping and other outbursts.

Don’t take my word, watch for yourself on Comcast channel 22 and Verizon channel 30. Meetings are re-broadcast Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 10 a.m., 7 p.m. and 2 a.m., and Monday, Thursday and Saturday at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

There were some positive developments, if one cared to listen through all the hyperbole. Unfortunately, my time is up.

It would be laughable if it weren’t so sad.

Truly Unbelievable

2010-02-12T09:10:00.003-05:00

Unbelievable!

That’s about all I can say each time I read a new round of the unabashed love Mike Fitzpatrick enjoys from the editorial staff at the Courier Times.

Last Wednesday, I listed the startling number of times they ran banner stories about a statement from Mr. Fitzpatrick and then followed them up with editorials of high praise. And they don’t miss a beat when they see an opportunity to slam U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy.

I know when I worked at the Philadelphia Bulletin, we reporters were often embarrassed when we read editorials that were clearly biased or showed the writer didn’t have a clue about what he or she was examining. But I don’t remember anything so slanted as what I am reading in the Courier. It is almost as if they are running Mr. Fitzpatrick’s campaign.

So, I was surprised today when I read a Thumbs Up for Rep. Murphy “for his vote against raising the federal government's debt limit another $1.9 trillion.” That is, until I read the last paragraph: “While Murphy deserves credit for bucking the president and his party, Republican congressional candidate Mike Fitzpatrick asks a good question: "Why was (Murphy) willing to vote for all the bills that piled up the debt but not to cut the check to pay for them?" Does Mr. Fitzpatrick actually sit on the Courier editorial board so he is readily available to provide his slant?

The writer of this editorial didn’t even comprehend the utter hypocrisy of Mr. Fitzpatrick’s “good question.” Check Mr. Fitzpatrick’s record during his four-year stint in Congress and see how many bills he voted for that ran up the debt because they were unfunded.

I can only repeat what I stated in a post on Friday: This lack of professionalism and transparent bias is beyond comprehension.

Career Mike on YouTube

2010-02-10T15:15:00.003-05:00

From a friend of mine:

Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick is up to the same dirty tricks that we've seen for two decades - and he'll stop at nothing to get re-elected so he can implement the failed Bush-Cheney policies that got us into this mess in the first place. It's hard to believe, but Congressman Fitzpatrick, a guy who has been running for political office for 20 years, claimed that he has "no interest in becoming a professional politician".

Problem is, Fitzpatrick already is one. In fact, that's all he's ever been. [Italics mine.]

He must be hoping that the people of Bucks County have forgotten his long political record - full of property tax increases, $23,668 in pay increases for himself, and big-spending ways.

I hope that after watching this video, you'll send it around to your friends, family, and colleagues. We need to make sure as many folks as possible know about the real Mike Fitzpatrick- and we need to make sure they know that our country can't afford to go backwards.

I hope you'll help us get the word out and thanks in advance for your help in this fight.

Click Here Career Mike on YouTube to watch Mike's 20 year political career in under one minute.

Second coming continued

2010-02-05T11:38:00.001-05:00

The editorial staff at the Courier Times should be given a prize for the most concentrated effort ever to get their prince charming elected. In a post on Wednesday, I asked, “Can we expect an endorsement every time [Mike] Fitzpatrick opens his mouth?” Apparently the answer is yes.

Today he even got a twofer.

The thumbs up for today went to Fitzpatrick for issuing “a term-limit pledge this week. If he bests his GOP competitors in the primary and goes on to defeat Democratic incumbent Congressman Patrick Murphy in the fall, Fitzpatrick promised to serve only four terms or eight years. And since he already served one term, before losing to Murphy in 2006, the ex-congressman said he'd only serve three terms.”

This editor should come down from his ivory tower. Since I was a cub reporter for The Bulletin in 1974, I have seen one congressional candidate after another promise to limit their terms to four if the oust the incumbent. The only way I ever saw those promises kept was when they were kicked out of office before serving eight years. Fitzpatrick is so power hungry (more about this in coming posts) that there is no way he will keep this promise.

While praising their pretty boy, the Courier gave a thumbs down “to Congressman Patrick Murphy for his petty griping to a business group that some stories involving him have appeared on the inside pages of the newspaper rather than Page 1.” Maybe they should do a count on the number of times Fitzpatrick’s fluff makes it to at least Page 1 of the local news section.

Maybe the real problem is they have their noses out of joint because Murphy doesn’t jump up and salute when they call on him. They note in this thumbs down – and this is so unprofessional it defies imagination – that “It would be both responsible and accountable of the congressman to actually return calls from the newspaper rather than charging his communications director with that task - as he so often does.”

But wait, it is not enough that they have praised Fitzpatrick for what is basically an old political trick while blasting Murphy for valid criticism on the same day, but they go on to praise Fitzpatrick again in the thumbs down remarks on the Republican leaders’ assertion that they have a responsibility to endorse candidates.

Frankly, it is certainly fair to criticize this assertion – on its merits. But that isn’t enough for the Courier. The writer goes on to note: “Republican congressional candidate Mike Fitzpatrick, probably the party's biggest name, made the endorsement process an issue when he asked the bosses to stay on the sidelines. That got our endorsement as well as all lot of voters.”

This lack of professionalism and transparent bias is beyond comprehension. But then, they own the ink.

Courier loses its perspective with Fitzpatrick's "second coming"

2010-02-03T09:56:00.003-05:00

The Courier Times today endorsed Mike Fitzpatrick’s call to limit spending in the November Congressional race – while admitting that “some will say it's hypocritical, given that Fitzpatrick once held the seat and didn't hesitate to take advantage of the fundraising benefits of incumbency.”

Note how the editorial explains that “some will say …” Certainly not the editorial staff at the Courier since it is acting like Fitzpatrick’s candidacy is akin the second coming of the lord.

It was only nine days ago that the Courier trumpeted the story that “Fitzpatrick makes it official: He’s running.” Read the story and tell me if you don’t think it sounds like heralding of the second coming.

Quick, tell me the names of the other five Republican candidates running in the primary. Of course you can’t. Because they aren’t getting any coverage by the Courier.

Two days later, the Courier runs another big story about Fitzpatrick calling for an open primary.

Two days after that, another editorial by the Fitzpatrick-adoring editorial staff endorsing his call for an open primary. With the kind of coverage they are giving him, calling for an “open primary” seems a little hypocritical.

Five days after that, the Courier runs another big story about Fitzpatrick’s call for Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy to limit spending in the election campaign.

And, a day after that, the Courier endorses his proposal.

Give me a break! Doesn’t anyone but Fitzpatrick make proposals worthy of endorsement? Can we expect an endorsement every time Fitzpatrick opens his mouth? Why not end the suspense, Courier, and give him your full endorsement now, even before an “open primary” decides who the Republican nominee will be.

If the Courier really took a hard look at Fitzpatrick’s behavior since his loss four years ago, I don’t think its writers and editorial staff would be enraptured. So stand by because I plan to provide some enlightenment of my own.

And the beat goes on

2010-02-01T15:06:00.003-05:00

As many people in Middletown Township know by now, former State Rep. Matt Wright has paid the state $10,000 under a consent agreement regarding allegations he used legislative employees and resources for campaigning, according to a State Ethics Commission report released last Friday.

Basically, the 28-page document concludes that “In considering the Consent Agreement, it is clear that a violation of Section 1103(a) of the Ethics Act occurred in relation to Wright’s use of staff, office space, equipment and materials of his legislative District Office and his Capitol Office to further his re-election campaigns.”

The State Ethics Commission has referred its findings to the state Attorney General’s office, which will review it and decide if further action is required.

It is interesting to note, however, that Wright's case has parallels to that of former state Rep. Jeff Habay, R-Allegheny, who resigned in February 2006 after being sentenced to six to 12 months in jail for having aides perform campaign work on state time. Indeed, it was the Habay investigation that prompted Lisa Deon to write a detailed letter to the House Republican leadership describing how Wright’s local legislative office was being used as a virtual campaign re-election headquarters.

Her efforts to halt the illegal activity was spurned not only by the leadership in Harrisburg, but also by two of the aides who were involved in the activities, Harry Leonhauser (as in Supervisor H. George Leonhauser) and Russell Kavana. When Wright was thrown out of office in 2006, Leonhauser and Kavana would go on to run their own campaign for the Middletown Board of Supervisors the following year.

Leonhauser won a seat on the Board of Supervisors by 32 votes and Kavana, with the Republicans now in the majority on the Board, was just appointed to the Zoning Board. Interesting, huh?

The New Mike

2010-01-26T10:53:00.003-05:00

Reprinted from the Intelligencer

The new Mike

By: JOHN MULLANE

The Intelligencer

Last week, I wondered which Mike Fitzpatrick would show up on the campaign trail for Congress. Would it be "Moderate Mike," circa 2006, proud of his Sierra Club endorsement? Or would it be a persona to fit the times, say "Tea Party Mike," who recites the 10th Amendment from memory and embraces "Drill, baby, drill."

After announcing his candidacy for the 8th District seat in a rematch with incumbent Democrat Pat Murphy, I realized we have "Mystery Mike." It is a mystery to me what he or his Republican Party will do to end the Great Recession. How would they restore economic vitality and make it so one need not choose between making the mortgage and buying health insurance?

His remarks before hundreds of well-wishers on the lawn of the Neshaminy Middle School Saturday were brief and bland.

Jobs, runaway federal spending and health care are the themes of his campaign. Naturally, he will hammer Murphy's claim that Murf is a [cough, hack, wheeze] "fiscally conservative" Blue Dog Democrat.

But what are Mike's ideas to resolve the present crisis? He didn't say. Maybe we should go to his Web site and click on the policy tabs.

Tough times call for clear solutions boldly stated. Unemployment in Bucks County is 9 percent. From the number of middle-aged men and women I see clerking at convenience stores and stocking retail shelves, underemployment is as bad.

But what does a vote for the county GOP's favorite son mean for these people - and for the ticked-off independent voters who will decide this race? Nothing was offered.

Mike told the crowd that trillions of dollars of government debt is a "national emergency." Of course. What will he do about it? He didn't say. How about channeling the economist Grover Norquist: "My friends, I am committed to reducing the size of the federal government until it is small enough to drag into the bathroom and drown in the tub."

Fighting words like that would be worth tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Bensalem to Springtown.

The lesson of the recent upset in the U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts is that good ideas succinctly hand victory to an underdog. That quick-on-your-feet answers to belligerent questioners can turn the tide of a campaign - and history. ("It's not the Kennedy seat and it's not the Democrats' seat, it's the people's seat," Sen.-elect Brown said, and electrified the nation.)

Fitzpatrick fell flat when a belligerent questioner showed up to heckle him. The heckler marred the day by shouting obnoxiously, "How we gonna fix health care?"

In the crowd, pushing and shoving nearly turned into a brawl. The cops arrived. Fitzpatrick might have said: "Look - I will not support the health care status quo that just bankrupted Lower Bucks Hospital - or any government system that bankrupts the country."

But as shouting and confusion engulfed the event, Fitzpatrick continued reading prepared remarks: "I think that we need someone in Congress who's more concerned with the citizens of Bucks County than with extraneous photo opportunities. We don't need someone in Congress who's a rubber stamp for bad national policy or misplaced priorities."

He actually said "extraneous." At a rally. Egad.

Fitzpatrick runs in a Republican primary. There are at least eight other contenders aligned, more or less, with the Tea Party Movement. But on Saturday, the event felt uncomfortably like a back-door Republican coronation. The crowd was larded with Bucks County's GOP establishment, anathema to independents and tea partiers alike.

After Fitzpatrick finished, two candidates told me they will run as "outsiders." I asked Mike if his Republican establishment pedigree hurts him in the Tea Party era.

"I gotta tell ya - I'm an outsider," he said, and as the words sped from his lips, shrieking birds scattered from surrounding trees.

My jaw dropped like Obama approval ratings.

Mike is a good man who is blessed with a beautiful family. He is blessed with a miraculous recovery from cancer, which gives him moral credibility on health care. But it is the Democrats who are blessed with a (likely) Republican candidate whose positions on urgent issues are pastel and pending.

A Lack of Leadership

2010-01-14T11:15:00.002-05:00

A bit touchy, isn’t he? Is Middletown Township Board of Supervisors Chairman Tom Gallagher supposed to be immune to criticism? In a recent Courier Times article, Gallagher said that “Chuck Thompson should let us have a meeting or two and see how we operate before commenting on this stuff.”

This “stuff?” Mr. Gallagher, this “stuff” is the public’s business. This “stuff” is important to the future of our community. This “stuff” involves taxpayer money, and when taxpayer money is at stake, there should not be a grace period of “a meeting or two” to observe how you operate. Your responsibility as an elected official to be fiscally responsible with tax dollars begins on day one, not after “a meeting or two.” Further, your misrepresentations are so transparent as to be ludicrous.

I know that others were concerned with your decision to put public comment at the end of the meeting and your disingenuous excuse was that you didn’t want the consultants to have to sit through public comment.

Since you didn’t even have minimal documentation at the meeting in which you appointed a new solicitor, I can only take you at your word that his compensation is exactly the same as the last solicitor, except that the hourly rate is $120 instead of $125 an hour.

I wonder if you even know that the solicitor is usually paid a monthly retainer to cover all time spent attending Board meetings, weekly staff meetings, telephone calls and e-mails between his office and the manager, directors, employees and the members of the Board of Supervisors. These items never appear as time charges on the general bill as they are all covered by the retainer.

The hourly rate is paid for any other work, such as writing ordinances, contracts, reviewing documents, litigation, etc.

Therefore, Mr. Gallagher, you aren’t saving any money by having the solicitor or other consultants sit through public comment. Furthermore, the solicitor and engineer frequently respond to public comments because they involve projects on which they are working. Not having them available for public comment is a disservice to any resident with a concern.

How contemptuous you are about public comment: “The only piece of true business at the reorganization meeting was approval of the bill lists and I called for comment on that. The other things were not public comment items.” Seems you have changed your tune from the few times you decided to attend a Board meeting to enlighten us with your criticisms. And if appointments are no longer “public comment items,” the township should be able to avoid frivolous lawsuits like the one you filed over this topic in 2008.

And speaking of disingenuous. The school board does indeed meet the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. So if you were truly interested in allowing these people the opportunity to attend the Board meetings, why not hold them on the first and third Tuesdays? Sure would have been a lot less confusing.

Staying Safe

2010-01-11T14:02:00.003-05:00

Forty-one burglaries in a two-month period in and around Forsythia Gate. More than 50 rightfully angry, frightened and frustrated people gathered in a neighborhood home to learn what is being done to solve the crimes and what can be done to deter future crime.

That was the setting last Thursday night as members of the Forsythia Gate neighborhood watch committee organized the meeting to listen to and query Acting Director of Public Safety Pat McGinty and liaison officer Paul Bingaman.

With the tension in the neighborhood building for the last few weeks, this meeting could have easily devolved into a rally demanding the Township hire more police and increase patrols. This is a simple reaction to a complex problem that is all-too-often exploited by politicians. But, it is not always a solution.

It is known that a seriously depressed economy with a high rate of joblessness inevitably leads to increased crime. It is also known that drug dependency – which also increases in seriously strained economic times – plays a role in this and other crime sprees. But when you add to that mix the fact that gold is now selling for more than $1,100 an ounce, an increase in burglaries is almost inevitable.

Director McGinty was stellar in the way he reassured the residents at the meeting, explaining how Middletown Township police officers, through strong detective work, identified the person involved in at least 24 of the burglaries, tracked him down and put him in jail. They are continuing to work on any accomplices he may have had, as well as tracking down those involved in the other burglaries.

More police officers or increased patrols may or may not have prevented these, or future, burglaries. Deterring crime requires both individual and community efforts:

Form neighborhood watch groups such as the one in Forsythia Gate, which is the only one in Middletown Township.
Get to know your neighbors and watch out for suspicious activities in your neighborhood.
Make it part of your routine before leaving your house and every night before going to bed to insure all windows and doors in your home are locked.
Keep valuables, such as cash and jewelry, out of sight.
Keep your vehicle locked and don’t leave valuables (i.e. navigation units, iPods, laptop computers, phones, etc.) in plain sight.

The Middletown Township Police Department provides information about how to form a neighborhood watch group on its Website and lists a number of actions all residents can take to help keep their neighborhood safe. Look for:

Someone screaming or shouting for help.
Someone looking into windows and parked cars.
Unusual noises.
Property being taken out of houses where no one is at home or a business is closed.
Cars, vans, or trucks moving slowly with no apparent destination, or without lights.
Anyone being forced into a vehicle.
A stranger sitting in a car or stopping to talk to a child.

Officer Bingaman suggested people keep a pen and paper near windows where they can write down anything they see that is suspicious, particularly if they can see a license plate. He pointed out that residents can call 215-949-1000 anytime to report suspicious activity that may not be an emergency. Tips will be followed up, he said.

The police are doing their work – and doing it well. Now it is up to all of us to do our part in keeping our community safe.

A Mockery of Democracy

2010-01-07T08:40:00.001-05:00

At the Monday night reorganization meeting of the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors, we got a glimpse of the kind of government we can expect from the Republican majority – and it wasn’t a pretty sight.

First and foremost, the decision of the Republican majority to schedule public comment at the end of the meeting is a blatant attempt to discourage residents from voicing their concerns or opinions. Combined with the fact that the start of the meeting was moved from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., residents may have to wait until 10 p.m. or later to address the Board.

Local government has been referred to as the purest form of direct democracy. It presents a forum in which any resident can come before their elected officials and speak their minds. The minds of those who stick it out will probably be numb before they get the opportunity to speak.

While I would expect nothing less from Tom Gallagher or George Leonhauser – both of whom prefer working in the shadows – I must say I am quite surprised that Pat Mallon and Drew Kreiling would agree to this. I expected more.

Secondly, the Republican majority has established a meeting schedule that may be confusing to some of our residents. As best as I can figure out, meetings will be held on the first and third Monday of each month. However, this will change if a holiday falls on a Monday, which happens quite frequently. In those weeks, the meeting will be held on Tuesday instead. What was the problem, Mr. Gallagher, with simply holding them on a day that would be unlikely to change – say the first and third (or second and fourth) Tuesday?

Third, I was astounded that there was no opportunity for the public to comment on motions. Mr. Gallagher was blowing through a beautifully choreographed set of motions without asking whether other Board members or the public would like to comment until Supervisor Robert McMonagle interrupted him on the motion to appoint a solicitor. This is especially ironic since Mr. Gallagher sued the past administration because of an oversight in allowing public comment before voting on a motion, and then sought an injunction when a meeting was scheduled to redo the motion – the appropriate curative action that was ultimately upheld by a judge. If asked, I wonder if he’d recommend someone following his lead and sue the new board for this violation?

Finally, motions were being made, seconded, and voted upon, in some cases, without even minimal documentation. Mr. Gallagher called for a vote on the appointment of a solicitor when Mr. McMonagle asked if Mr. Gallagher could provide the details of the contract – i.e., what the compensation would be. The dialog happened as follows:

Mr. Gallagher: “All in favor?”

Mr. McMonagle: “Is there going to be any discussion on that vote, Mr Chairman?”

Mr. Gallagher: “Sure.”

Mr. McMonagle: “What is the rate that the solicitor is being hired at or is it just open-ended?”

Mr. Gallagher: “No, it’s actually less than what the previous administration’s solicitor was.”

Mr. McMonagle: “Well, maybe I’ll rephrase the question. What is the rate that the solicitor is being hired at?”

Mr. Gallagher: “It’s the same, uh, monthly fee and $120 an hour.”

Mr. McMonagle: “Same as what?”

Mr. Gallagher: “As what was in the past.”

Mr. McMonagle: “So it’s not less than the previous solicitor?”

Mr. Gallagher: “The hours, the dollars amount for the hourly rate is less, yes.”

Mr. McMonagle: “OK, I just wanted to be clear on that.”

Mr. Gallagher: “The previous solicitor was $125 an hour. This solicitor will be $120 an hour. Is there any other discussion?”

The next motion and second involved the appointment of a township engineer and when Mr. McMonagle asked if there was a rate that the township will be charged, Mr. Gallagher’s answer was “yes, there is and I don’t have it with me.” It is beyond my comprehension that our elected officials voted on hiring a firm without knowing the rate. That is scary and irresponsible, to say the least.

As I said, it wasn’t a pretty sight.

In closing, it was interesting to see that Mr. Gallagher was so pleased in saving the township $5 per hour in legal fees. The reality is that, with legal fees for 2010 budgeted under $150,000, this will not make much of a difference. We do hope that this focus on saving money extends to doing something about police overtime, which topped $1 million in 2008.

Leonhauser votes against restoring chief of police

2009-11-11T12:52:00.002-05:00

The Republicans may have begun to see their campaign promises unravel at Tuesday’s meeting of the Board of Supervisors. Only about 12 percent of all registered voters in Middletown Township cast their ballots for Gallagher, Mallon and Kreiling. The entire Township will probably be paying dearly after so many voters stayed home on Election Day.

During a budget discussion, they found that their ideas for hiring more police officers without increasing the budget were like smoke in the wind. The police department’s $9.2M budget represents 66% of the overall township budget, with the next closest department coming in at $1.9M, or 14% of the budget. With the township manager proposing flat revenue and flat expenses for 2010, we have a shortfall of $3M. That is without hiring more police officers.

So, with the budget already falling short (meaning a tax increase), how can the township afford hiring more officers with no tax increase (as the Republicans promised)? Additionally, their campaign promised to “dedicate all community policing revenue earned at the Oxford Valley Mall, Sesame Place, and special events to the police budget – not to the general Township operating funds.” The Township Manager confirmed last night that this revenue is ALREADY allocated to the police budget so there is no silver bullet there either. What really surprised us is that Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Kreiling seemed shocked that their campaign promises may have had no merit (Mr. Mallon did not attend the meeting). This shock would seem to indicate they might have actually believed their campaign bluster. That’s scary!

Earlier George Leonhauser made a mockery of their campaign promise to restore the position of chief in the Police Department. In an attempt to acquiesce to what was reported to be the wishes of those who voted on November 3, Supervisor Robert McMonagle introduced a motion to abolish the resolution creating the position of public safety director and restore the position of chief.

Mr. Leonhauser should have been delighted, right? Final vote, 4-1 with Mr. Leonhauser voting against the motion.

One final observation: during the meeting, Mr. Leonhauser referenced that the newly elected Republican supervisors would be “in power” soon. Those two words (“in power”) represent most of what is wrong with politics today. Politicians are not elected “to power.” They are elected “to serve.” If more politicians remembered this key difference, more might be accomplished in government. We hope that Mr. Gallagher, Mr. Kreiling, and Mr. Mallon do not share Mr. Leonhauser’s feeling that they were elected to be “in power.” We hope they will be there “to serve” all residents of Middletown Township.

In the Arena

2009-11-06T14:33:00.001-05:00

Middletown Township residents were either lied to or misled by at least two of the supervisor candidates elected on Tuesday. That fact alone means that it is now more important than ever to monitor the newly elected Republican majority closely as they are sworn in and take office at the January reorganization meeting.

Bookmark this site and together with your help we will keep the community informed and hold our supervisors accountable to every last word they printed or said during the campaign. If warranted, we will also illuminate their abuses over the next two years – and, if we rally enough support for the lone Democrat on the Board, Robert McMonagle, maybe there will be times where we can even stop them.

Mr. Gallagher Mr. Mallon and Mr. Kreiling said they want to hire up to 10 more police officers without raising taxes. As residents, we immediately need to start asking how they going to do that? We’ve suffered through double-digit tax increases from them before. Under Republican control, we went through tax hikes of 15.3% in 2006, 18.3% in 2007, and 11.3% in 2008. When Democrats regained the majority on the board, the 2009 tax increase was limited to 6.7%. After three years of double-digit increases, Democratic leaders got spending under control.

Now, we have returned to a Republican majority on the board. A big reason for those tax increases in 2006, 2007, and 2008 was, under a Republican majority on the board, there was no oversight of the out-of-control police department budget. In 2008, overtime for the police department shot up to $1.1 million, with the sergeants on the force leading the charge by raking in an average of $130,000 per year. One sergeant even went over $165,000! If we are to believe our opponents are correct in saying only four officers are on duty at a time (when our police force totals over 50 people), how can we, as taxpayers, justify this kind of spending. Further, with over 50 officers on the force and assuming only four are working at any given time, this would seem to indicate that no officer is working anywhere near a full-time schedule for a 6-figure pay package. How can that be right? Our community is currently outraged over teacher salaries, which average less than the police department and, using the numbers published by our opponents during the election, teachers are working many more hours. Again, how can that be correct or even possible?

A new contract for the Middletown Township Police Department will be negotiated next year. It’s time to ask ourselves why friends and family members of certain police officers worked so hard to get our new supervisors elected. If the police wives and emergency services workers who were at the polls on Election Day were truly “non-political” as we heard them claim all day, consider these questions:

1. Why did those police wives and other emergency services workers claim they were organizing “as a result of recent campaign literature,” when, as early as July 2009 and possibly earlier, they were holding meetings to discuss defeating the entire Democratic ticket?

2. Why were they pushing the entire Republican ticket? How did endorsing candidates for auditor, tax collector, and constable contribute to public safety?

3. Why were there no attempts to talk to the Democratic candidates about their public safety concerns in order to endorse those individual candidates that best reflected their point of view?

The answer to these questions is simple: follow the money. Our newly elected supervisors, along with current supervisor George Leonhauser, have promised to protect the culture of entitlement that a handful of officers in the department demand. They have promised not to safeguard the financial interests of the township and taxpayers, but instead to safeguard the financial interests of these members of the police department.

To repeat what we said during the campaign: “Ninety percent of the members of the Middletown Police Department are honest, hardworking men and women of the highest integrity; a credit to the uniform and a source of pride to our Township. We salute you. But, as in any large organization, there is always a small group that will resist any form of progress or management by disrupting operations, abusing authority, and fighting to maintain an impossible status quo. The rest of the force is embarrassed by them, and many have said so, but would never do so publicly.”

We know that addressing concerns about public safety will be a priority of our new board of supervisors. For the good of the township, we hope they will address these concerns in conjunction with doing something about the arrogance displayed by and entitlement demanded by this small group within the police department. We cannot address public safety without addressing the corruption that exists in and disruption that is caused by a small segment of our police department.

We will keep you informed and highlight important issues that impact your township in this blog. It is up to you to do something with that information and make a difference in our community.

We are proud of the work we did over the last two years to try to get Middletown Township back on a stable course – where problems and needs of residents were addressed without skyrocketing budget increases. In the end, the bluster of our critics won out. So today I will leave you with this quote from a speech President Theodore Roosevelt made on April 23, 1910;

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Moving Forward in Middletown Township

2009-10-28T10:25:00.002-04:00

I sat at the Middletown Municipal Center last night and watched our community at odds. As a resident, I was ashamed of and embarrassed by most of the behavior I witnessed. Rather than residents working together for the good of our community or simply communicating effectively, many resorted to screaming, bullying, heckling, and finger-pointing. How is it possible that people who all have the same goal (a safe community) cannot have a productive conversation?

Allow me to look backwards for a brief moment to state a fact. I’m not placing blame or pointing a finger – I am stating a fact. Members of the fire companies asked last night how they were dragged into politics. Republican flyers distributed as early as this past summer claimed the Democratic candidates ‘failure to support our volunteer fire and emergency services.’ As a resident and a candidate, this deeply offended me. Prior to this claim appearing in Republican literature, nobody ever asked me how I felt about emergency services so how is it possible that somebody could claim I failed to support them? For the record, I have the highest respect and regard for all emergency responders and I value the significant contributions, and personal sacrifices, they make to ensure that our community and our residents are safe. There are some administrative issues that need to be addressed in both the police and fire departments, but that has absolutely nothing to do with the service or performance of our police officers or our volunteer fire fighters. As an example (and this came from a volunteer firefighter in Middletown Township), each of the four fire companies that serve our township may need to purchase new hoses. When this occurs, each company purchases what they need. What a firefighter suggested was why not pool these purchases together and buy a total of, say, 800 feet of hose instead of each company purchasing 200 feet individually. Grouping purchases like this, and therefore using economies of scale to our advantage, is an example of the kind of administrative issues that need to be addressed. To ensure clarity, I am in no way trying to change how our police, fire fighters, or EMS respond to emergencies. They are experts in their respective fields and they do an outstanding job for our community. Listening to suggestions for improved administrative efficiencies directly from our emergency responders and then working with them to make these kinds of changes ensures that Middletown Township will continue to receive the best possible emergency services.

I have said to many people that I will talk to anyone with a concern about our township anytime, anywhere. However, that conversation must be reasonable, rational, and respectful. I will not engage in shouting matches, I will not be unprofessional in my communications (nor will I tolerate a lack of professionalism from others), and I will seek to solve problems, not place blame. This township must look forward and ensure we are prepared for whatever new challenges may be ahead. Everyone pointing fingers at everyone else only looks backwards, and looking backwards does not solve problems. I am not interested in looking backwards and I am not interested in figuring out who is to blame for a particular issue. I am interested in moving forward, solving problems for our community, and never again seeing what I saw last night.

Facts about a Debate in Middletown

2009-10-26T11:04:00.010-04:00

“We find this outrageous that any sitting elected official would refuse to engage the citizens of our community so voters could better understand the positions of every candidate for office.”
(Source: Republican flyer to Villages of Flowers Mill residents)

"The true loser in this situation is the voters as they are being denied the ability to see all the candidates at the same time, ask questions and make a decision prior to Election Day.”
(Source: 10/14/09 Letter to the Editor of Bucks County Courier Times by Tom Gallagher)

"Instead of crediting Tom Gallagher with attempting to setup a debate, Ms Sauerbry-Smith's only contibution (sic) to this matter is the above letter attacking the one person who tried to do something."
(Source: Middletown Republican Committee Website)

With the Republican candidates making statements like these, one might assume that they are anxious to get a debate on the calendar. The reality is that nothing could be further from the truth.

I wrote a letter to the editor of the Bucks County Courier Times in response to the 10/14/09 letter written by Mr. Gallagher, and only a portion of the letter was printed in the newspaper this morning. The full version of the letter (which was under the newspaper’s 200-word limit) can be read here.

The reason there will likely not be a debate in Middletown Township this year is because of the “delay and duck” tactics employed by the Republican candidates. Here are the facts:

1. On August 25, the Bucks County League of Women Voters told Mr. Gallagher they would be unable to host a forum. He then waited until October 14 to write a letter to the newspaper saying any attempt at debate now would be ‘doomed to failure.’ With seven weeks to find an alternate host for a forum, he chose to do nothing. He also chose to not communicate this response to the Democratic candidates until we read it in the newspaper on October 14.

2. The Democratic candidates for supervisor coordinated with the Bucks County Courier Times to provide a moderator for a debate at the Middletown Municipal Complex, on live TV.

3. An e-mail was sent to the Republicans candidates on October 14, requesting to coordinate a date and time for this live debate.

4. As of October 16, there was no response from the Republican candidates so the Democratic candidates proposed a date and time.

5. On October 20, the Republican candidates finally responded and said they were already committed to another event on the proposed date and time.

6. Also on October 20, Chuck Thompson (on behalf of the Democratic candidates) requested that the Republican candidates select an alternate date and time for debate, saying "this educational opportunity for the voters of Middletown Township is too important to not reschedule any event we may have on the date you choose."

7. As of October 26, there has been no additional response from the Republican candidates.

We do not need elected officials who make statements like "the true losers in this situation are the voters" (Tom Gallagher, 10/14/09 letter in Bucks County Courier Times) and "anything else would be doomed to failure due to logistics" (10/14/09 letter in Bucks County Courier Times). The residents of Middletown Township deserve leaders who will put residents’ interest first, take quick action when quick action is needed, and actively work to promote a positive community spirit, not individuals who delay, make excuses, and only tell part of the story.

I encourage all residents who have any questions about Middletown Township or this election to email Chuck, Harry, or me directly.

Middletown Candidate's False Claim of Ivy League MBA

2009-10-20T08:35:00.004-04:00

News Release

For immediate Release

MIDDLETOWN - Candidate for Middletown Township Supervisor Andrew Kreiling may be confused about his alleged alma mater, or he may simply be misrepresenting it.

On several publications paid for by the Middletown Republican Committee and distributed by Kreiling himself, he lists his education as having earned an MBA from Columbia University. In addition, two Middletown Republican Web sites list the same credential, with one stating that Kreiling is a “Former union contractor with an MBA from Columbia University who understands job creation at every level.”

While Kreiling’s job-creation skills are unclear, his problem with telling the truth is long-documented. In a March, 2003 application for appointment to the Middletown Board of Supervisors, Kreiling submitted a résumé indicating that he was working to complete his “M.B.A.—Columbia University (Fall 2004).” However, an April, 2009 brochure lists “*MBA—Columbia University (2009 Spring)”. Columbia, like most universities, limits post-graduate programs of study to a five-year completion window. By Kreiling’s own statements, he has been in Columbia’s MBA program for nearly seven years.

Whatever Kreiling’s education, honesty and ethics must not have been part of the curriculum. On the business networking Web site Linked In, Kreiling’s profile lists Columbia Southern University under Education. On May 17th, his profile published by the League of Women Voters Web site listed; “Enrolled working on my MBA Columbia Southern (working),” which also calls into question the “2009 Spring” completion that he listed on his more recent brochure.

Columbia University is a world-renowned Ivy League institution that graduated four U.S. Presidents and eight Supreme Court Justices. Columbia Southern University is an unaccredited, online correspondence school in Alabama. Companies like Columbia Southern are commonly referred to as “degree mills,” where one can purchase a degree in just about any discipline. Andrew Kreiling’s repeated claims of an Ivy League education from Columbia University are an attempt to deceive the voters of Middletown Township into believing that he is something he is not – by a long-shot.

“It makes you wonder what else he is being dishonest about,” remarked incumbent Supervisor Chuck Thompson. “Is anything on his résumé true, or is the entire thing fabricated?” Thompson’s running-mate Harry Arnold found the revelation more dubious. “If someone will go so far as to lie to secure elected office, it kind of makes you wary of what he will do if he gets there.”

Kreiling and his running mates, Chuck Benhayon, Ray Chapman, Tom Gallagher, Pat Mallon and Kathleen Passaretti refer to themselves as The Team that Will Restore Integrity and Pride to Middletown. “They may want to re-think that slogan,” said Supervisor candidate Julie Sauerbry-Smith. “I think it’s kind of sad, really.”

A Great Community We Call Home

2009-10-13T09:41:00.003-04:00

The Neshaminy High School Class of 64 held its 45th reunion at the Middletown Country Club this past weekend. As a member of the planning committee, I enjoy keeping in touch with my classmates and learning how their lives have gone over the years.

As we gathered together Saturday evening, many of the conversations brought to mind the words of my running mate, Julie Sauerbry-Smith, in her last post on this blog. Those who remained here in Middletown Township talked about what a great community it has been and continues to be to live in and raise a family. Those who moved away remarked on how happy they are to return for these gatherings and how Middletown still holds a special place in their memories.

I was one of those who moved away after graduating from Neshaminy – and ultimately spent more than 30 years in other communities. I never lived far, so I was back here visiting friends and family on a pretty regular basis. And, over the years, I realized that Middletown has never lost its luster as a premier community.

Some 12 years ago, my wife and I returned here to take care of my ailing father. We now own the home I grew up in, and what I find both interesting and telling is that two neighbors on my block also own the homes they grew up in. Another fellow graduate in Quincy Hollow bought his childhood home and a number of others bought homes nearby.

Children returning home to live and raise families after college is a sign of a community’s vitality. Julie, Harry Arnold and I have pledged to work with our residents to maintain this quality of life and insure that future generations can enjoy this great community we are privileged to call home.

Why do you want to be a supervisor?

2009-10-07T14:27:00.002-04:00

The most common question I am asked when people find out I am running for the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors is “why do you want to be a supervisor?” I begin answering the question by saying that it is a very personal reason and it has to do with family and role models.

I am a lifelong resident of Middletown Township. I grew up in the Highland Park section of Levittown before moving to Langhorne when I was fourteen years old. My grandfather was very community-minded – he served as President of the United Way in Bucks County for ten years, was a charter member of the Kiwanis Club of Lincoln Highway, donated space to the Penndel-Middletown Emergency Squad when they first organized, and supported virtually every local cause that he came across. He came to Bucks County from Iowa at a young age, borrowed money to buy Greenwood Dairies with only his 4H ribbons as collateral, and spent the next fifty years building it into a highly successful restaurant that many people in this area have a fond memory of. This was a family business so I spent a lot of time there growing up, learning how to manage a business, effectively manage people, and handle adversity. One of the best lessons I learned was how to treat everyone – no matter what their position – with respect. I also learned that people will allow you to lead them when they trust that you are willing to work alongside them to get the job done. Not when you speak loudly, speak just to hear yourself speak, issue orders, or belittle their efforts but when they trust that you are willing to work alongside them to get the job done. It’s been over twenty years since Greenwood Dairies closed, but all of the lessons learned there are life-long.

After college, I chose to return to Middletown Township and after getting married, my husband and I chose to call Middletown Township home. We have lived here for thirteen years and have been Middletown homeowners for eleven years. When our first child was born last year, I began thinking about all of the lessons learned from my parents and grandparents, and I saw them from a very different perspective – that of a parent. The questions I ask myself every day are “what example am I setting for my child today” and “what lessons am I helping her learn today.” When the opportunity to run for Supervisor presented itself earlier this year, I realized that not only could I set a good example and provide an opportunity for her to learn important lessons, I could also work to have a direct impact in the community that I love and in which I have chosen to raise my daughter. I grew up in this wonderful community, getting to know great people, participating in community celebrations, and feeling tremendous pride in where I lived; this is what I want for my daughter and I will do my part to ensure that Middletown Township affords her the same experiences it has given me.

I am running for Supervisor to maintain the positive quality of life that I love about Middletown Township and I am willing to work alongside every resident to do the right things for our community.

Revisiting the "Outpost of Freedom"

2009-10-06T10:09:00.000-04:00

You gotta love the internet. Kids off to college can instantly communicate with their mothers and fathers – and, of course, boy friends and girl friends. Facebook keeps us current on the activities of friends and relatives. And even Twitter has some advantages, although I am not totally sure what they are.

I just discovered that I can even rekindle relationships I developed during my tour of duty in Berlin 40 years ago. I was a member of the Army Security Agency, which was under the jurisdiction of the National Security Agency rather than the Pentagon. In Berlin, I was a voice intercept operator, listening in on the conversations of East Germans in the Central Committee, the ruling agency in East Germany.

Since we weren’t supposed to discuss our activities with anyone and since we spent all our duty time cooped up in a small room with banks of tape recorders, we necessarily became close friends.

I’ve often mentioned to my wife, Chris, that I wonder what became of my best friend over there, Brock Garland. The other day when I mentioned it again, she said why not try to find him on Facebook or by searching on the internet. I wasn’t able to find him on Facebook, but searching on the internet I did find – and joined – a Yahoo Group for Field Station Berlin veterans. In the introduction, the moderator points out that “We Field Station Berlin veterans have lots to discuss that we were not allowed to talk about back then.”

I’ve already begun reminiscing with some of the guys who were there during my time but in different units. So who knows, I may ultimately find Brock or another friend and character, Gene “P. Rap” Brown (he was in charge of packing and wrapping material we sent back to NSA and not really related to the infamous H. Rap Brown). And maybe someday I will finally write that book about our experiences in the “Outpost of Freedom.”

The Loaded Question

2009-09-29T10:20:00.002-04:00

A common practice in politics is the use of the loaded question; that is, a question with a false or questionable presupposition designed to mislead the reader or listener. A typical example of this often used in logics classes is the question “Have you stopped beating your wife.” It presupposes that you have beaten your wife in the past. No matter how one answers a question like this, the listener will often have doubts about the veracity of the answer.

The Republicans are masters at the use of the loaded question. Take for example, the inclusion in one of the health care bills of a provision giving the option for an elderly person to discuss end-of-life issues with his or her doctor. End-of-life issues could be anything from the discussion of hospice care for a chronically ill person through living wills and directives to funeral planning. These are issues that are commonly discussed today – and should be – but are often not covered by one’s medical insurance.

All it took was for Sarah Palin to make the charge that the government health reformers were creating death panels whose task it would be to decide who would live and who would die. Of course that is a charge based on a totally false presupposition, but it was enough to blow this much needed provision right out of the water.

Members of the Middletown Republican Club – I always try to distinguish them from the good, decent registered Republican voters who are my friends and neighbors and whom I have met in my travels throughout Middletown Township – have been perfecting the art of the loaded question for years.

In a recent mailer to residents of the Village of Flowers Mill, they basically ask why I would refuse to engage the voters in a debate. They took a statement I made out of context – that I would be reluctant to accept an invitation to debate at the Village of Flowers Mill – and exclaimed with great flourish that “We find it outrageous that any sitting elected official would refuse to engage the citizens of our community so voters could better understand the positions of every candidate for office.” (Not that anyone could understand their positions on the issues that face Middletown Township from their literature, but more on that tomorrow.)

The article in question was about a resolution passed by the Board of Supervisors allowing Township Hall to be used for a political debate, which would be televised so every resident in the Township would have the opportunity to view it. Given that premise, I said I would be reluctant to hold a debate in the Village of Flowers Mill since the audience would be restricted to members of this community when we now have the means to reach all residents of the Township. A fact our Republican opponents neglected to mention is that the president of the Village of Flowers Mill’s Board agreed that a debate in Township Hall would be preferable.

Also left out was the fact that one of their candidates was quoted in that same article saying that they were contacting the League of Women Voters to set up a debate. This, of course, never happened.

I am sure a lot worse is coming. When candidates don’t have any issues to run on, they attack, distort and obfuscate to try to cover their own inadequacies. Now there – inadequacies – is something they have in abundance.

Shredder Truck in Middletown - Saturday, 9/26

2009-09-23T14:04:00.002-04:00

If you type “identity theft statistics” in Google, you will end up with a few million results. If you visit even just a few of the links, you will find alarming statistics:

1. The number of identity theft cases continues to increase each year – one study reported a 22% increase from 2007 to 2008.
2. One third of identity theft victims spend 4-6 months trying to recover and repair the damage caused.
3. Low-tech methods, like stealing a wallet or going through trash to find sensitive information, is the most common for stealing your identity.

There are many ways to help prevent identify theft, and one of them is to shred sensitive documents (including your credit card receipts) instead of just discarding them. If you don’t have a shredder or if you have years of documents to be shredded, mark your calendar for Saturday, September 26th. There will be a shredder truck available from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm in the parking lot of the old Levitz Store in Levittown (1661 E. Lincoln Highway). This event is sponsored by the Democratic Party of Middletown Township, and is free for all Middletown residents.

Family Caregiers: You Are Not Alone

2009-09-21T11:02:00.002-04:00

On October 10, I will be attending the reunion of the Neshaminy High School Class of '64. I am also a member of the organizational committee. One rule we have for our meetings is that no one is allowed to talk about their aches and pains or other maladies.

However, something often discussed during my past 10 years working with this group is the difficulties some of us have had in caring for aging parents. It is the reason I returned some 12 years ago to the home I grew up in.

Family caregiving is virtually exploding in the U.S. Studies have estimated that approximately 26 million adults in the U.S. provide unpaid assistance to adult family members who have a disability or chronic illness. And, according to the National Family Caregiver Support Program, the stress associated with performing family caregiving tasks can result in an increased risk of infectious disease, depressive symptoms, and chronic illness such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Shortly after moving back here to help in the care of my ailing father, I joined Children of Aging Parents (CAPS), a national organization founded right here in the Levittown portion of Middletown Township by Mirca Liberti some 32 years ago. CAPS provides information and support to caregivers, and the assurance that they are not alone. Shortly after that, I was encouraged to join the Board of Directors and served as president for a year before it was decided to merge with Contact Greater Philadelphia about six years ago.

While CAPS has a number of caregiver support groups in 15 states, I realized some time ago that we could never adequately serve the needs of all the caregivers who desperately need help, information and encouragement. As a result, I started and still maintain an online caregivers support group. This group currently has more than 900 members who share stories, discuss resources and vent frustrations.

If you are the caregiver of an elderly parent, relative or friend, and the stress seems to be unbearable, remember that you are not alone. Visit the CAPS Web site to see if there is a support group near you. If not, look in the right-hand column of the home page for the box to join our free online support group. You will be welcomed the moment you send your first post.

What's the hurry?

2009-08-27T09:55:00.001-04:00

At least once every day this week, I have heard someone express serious concerns about children walking longer distances and more dangerous routes to bus stops. Parents have explained that children need to cross streets in neighborhoods where there are no stop signs at the intersection, or that they need to cross streets where the average speed on the road is 40 mph (even though the speed limit is 25 mph!). Not only have I heard what these residents are saying, I have observed the speed at which some people travel on their neighborhood streets. Speeding is a problem everywhere, and Middletown Township is no exception. It is a problem on most every road in this Township, but with school starting next week, it is especially a problem within our neighborhoods.

How do we bring attention to this problem now, and encourage people to slow down, especially on residential streets? One child hurt by a speeding car is one too many so how can we fix this problem now? We’d love to hear your ideas – leave a comment here or drop me an email with your suggestions.

Kudos to Nancy Blank

2009-08-12T08:50:00.003-04:00

It was a pleasure last night to represent the full Board of Supervisors in honoring Nancy Blank with a proclamation for her 40 years of service to Middletown Township.

I presented Nancy with a pin for her 40 years of service on Wednesday, June 24 at an employee appreciation breakfast. I noted then that the Township is “exceedingly fortunate to have some of the most dedicated employees I have ever met.” Nancy stands out as a role model.

Her service started on April 24, 1969 in the records department of the Middletown Township Police Department as a student intern while attending Neshaminy High School. On October 1, 1984 she was promoted to the position of secretary to the Detective Division.

As the proclamation states, “throughout the years, Nancy has worked diligently to learn the criminal justice system and the Bucks County Court System … [and] with professionalism and confidentiality Nancy has insured criminal complaints and case files are complete and ready for prosecution.”

In addition to her duties with the Police Department, Nancy also serves our community by volunteering her free time to the Penndel-Middletown Emergency Squad.

With people like Nancy serving the community, we can be sure that Middletown Township will continue to earn its reputation as a desirable place to live.

Committee, unions, government work to make park reality

2009-07-30T14:59:00.004-04:00

All five Township supervisors agreed to lend the Veterans Memorial Park committee the $250,000 it needs to complete the facility located on Veterans Highway next to the new municipal Department of Public Works building.

The loan will be paid back by the committee through fundraising at the rate of $50,000 a year for five years.

Members of the local carpenters, operating engineers, electricians and other unions have donated about 1,000 hours of labor to the park, and other volunteers have donated another 1,000. We are really lucky to have such public spirited unions in our area – if you see them working in the park, stop by and say thanks.

This is going to be a beautiful facility and I for one am looking forward to seeing it completed by the end of the year.

Making government work

2009-07-29T08:25:00.002-04:00

Because of the action we took at last night’s Board of Supervisors’ meeting, an untold number of residents of the Levittown section of Middletown Township will be saved from paying a $135 fee and appearing before the Zoning Hearing Board before they can apply for a building permit.

This problem was brought to our attention by Harry Arnold, a member of the ZHB and my running mate in this year’s election.

The problem is the fact that nearly every home in Levittown is designated as “non-conforming” because, by the current codes, the lot sizes are too small for the homes that sit on them. A strict reading of the codes indicates that people whose homes are deemed as non-conforming must apply to the ZHB for a “certificate of non-conformance” before they can apply for a building permit, even if the permit application wouldn’t require a variance of any kind.

For years, this provision was just ignored by the zoning officer. Recently a new zoning officer was appointed and began to enforce this provision. Mr. Arnold told the supervisors last evening that he felt this was both unfair and unnecessary. We agreed.

The Township has been working on codifying the ordinances and Manager Ray Stepnoski and Solicitor Mike Savona agreed that this stipulation could be removed during the codification. Vice Chair Robert McMonagle successfully motioned to direct the zoning officer, in the meantime, not to enforce this requirement and for the Township to reimburse those who have paid the fee.

This is a prime example of why I ran for office in the first place and am running again in November – making government work for the citizens it serves.

Wet and Happy

2009-07-12T09:51:00.007-04:00

Well, it’s over. The Middletown Township Parks and Recreation Department’s Second Annual Lake Luxembourg Paddle Boat Regatta has come to a successful conclusion. And, while there was some confusion, I think everyone had a good time.

There was one aspect I did find interesting. While there were several politicians who entered the race, only the Democrats actually got into the boats and did the paddling. That was kind of a metaphor on the difference in the two parties. While our opponents stand around – or, in the case of a few here in Middletown, sit around – and bask in their own glory, the Democrats dig in and do the hard work that can help improve their community. One need only watch the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors’ meetings to see what I mean.

Democratic supporter Nicole Palfy with
Supervisor candidates
Harry Arnold, Julie Sauerbry-Smith
and Chuck Thompson.

A Culture of Entitlement

2009-07-02T08:30:00.003-04:00

At the June 23, 2009 meeting of the Middletown Board of Supervisors, the Middletown Policeman’s Benevolent Association, (PBA), filed four grievances on behalf of their members. These grievances helped illuminate, for the public, a systemic pattern of abuse of the PBA contract – abuses that may explain why there is a culture of entitlement within the police department.

First, I should explain how retirement pensions and permanent disability pensions are addressed in the PBA contract. If an officer has served enough time to retire, he or she will receive a pension equal to 55 percent of wages earned, averaged over the last three years of service, much like the rest of the U.S. workforce.

If, on the other hand, an officer is retired on permanent disability, this pension goes up to 75 percent of the three-year average, which the retiree receives for life – tax free. A prime example of this is Supervisor George Leonhauser who receives about $80,000 a year on a disability pension. The disability-pensioner is free to secure other employment; Leonhauser, for example, has a full-time position with the Bucks County Tech School.

The Heroes We Grew Up With Redux

2009-06-26T08:30:00.007-04:00

On May 11, I wrote a post about attending the 64th anniversary reunion of the shipmates on the USS Evans DD552. A friend just sent me some photos to post on the Evans Web site. A few of them are worth posting here.

Shipmate Bill Heron in front of
Display Ship USS Barry
where we held our memorial service.

Shipmate Ade Lorentson salutes after the wreath
honoring those who died on May 11, 1945 is dropped.

Chuck Thompson presents shipmate Bill Wilson,
whose family sponsored this reunion,
with a certificate of special recognition
from U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy.

Recognizing Those Who Make the Township Work

2009-06-25T14:08:00.006-04:00

I had the pleasure yesterday of handing out years of service pins to Township employees. The employee appreciation breakfast and the awards were conceived by the Township department heads and Manager Ray Stepnoski. It is the first of what will now be an annual event.

In the photo above, Nancy Blank receives her pin for 40 years of service.

We are exceedingly fortunate to have some of the most dedicated employees I have ever met. From the Parks and Recreation personnel through those in the public works department to the fire marshal and those who work for him, people are hard at work every day helping to make Middletown Township the desirable community it is in which to live and work.

Their dedication also shows in the number of years they have worked for the Township. The pins were given out for 5-year increments through 40 years of service – and there were a lot of people picking up 25, 30 and 35-year awards. There were even two who had more than 40 years on the job.

I enjoyed the opportunity yesterday to sit and talk with many people I have come to know during my tenure on the Board of Supervisors and to meet many new friends as well. I was honored to be able play a small role in showing them how much they are appreciated. I hope the next time you are in the municipal center and are pleased with how you are treated, you let the person you are dealing with know how much you appreciate their service to you.

High Price of Partisan Politics

2009-06-18T14:52:00.003-04:00

Across the Country, many State legislatures are struggling with budget shortfalls. Pennsylvania is no exception and in recent months Republicans have been playing partisan politics with the taxpayers’ hard earned money.

Last week, the state House of Representatives Appropriations Committee voted down Senate Bill 850, the Republican-sponsored budget that would have dramatically under-funded many programs that are critical to Pennsylvania’s economic well-being.

The votes were clearly cast along party lines with all 14 House Republicans on the committee voting for Senate Bill 850 while the 20 Democrats wisely voted against this unbalanced budget proposal. SB850 would put the state budget at a 1.5 billion dollar short fall in just two years. In my opinion, that is irresponsible and a clear example of why we must reject partisan politics and elect people who will enact legislation and create budgets with only one thing in mind, the taxpayers’ best interest.

The Republican plan would use Federal stimulus dollars to balance the budget and make unacceptable cuts in essential programs, which is not the objective of the stimulus funding. Under their plan, pre-kindergarten, veterans homes, state parks, child care for working families, nursing homes, persons with disabilities, libraries, and many other services would be cut.

These cuts would have long-lasting negative effects on our economy. Local governments and school districts are already tightening their belts and struggling to balance fiscal responsibility with the need to provide quality education and extracurricular programs for our students. This is evident in the highly-debated Neshaminy School District’s most recent budget. If the Pennsylvania GOP get their way, it will have devastating effects on our children’s ability to receive a quality education while at the same time shift the cost burden directly to taxpayers.

There is some light at the end of the tunnel. We still have time to make the right decision and work together for a compromise budget with input from both sides. Governor Rendell has consistently said that he wants to meet with legislative leaders from both parties on a regular basis to arrive at a compromise budget. It is time for the people of Pennsylvania to have their voice heard on this issue. I urge everyone to contact their state legislator, no matter your party affiliation, and urge them to start realistic negotiations and stop pretending that the Senate Republican budget is balanced or workable for state finances.

Fun at the "Gates"

2009-06-17T10:13:00.004-04:00

Our Run the Gates 5-Miler and 1-Mile Fun Run/Walk – which benefits four Bucks County agencies that provide services to disabled persons – broke all records Sunday, June 7. The almost 200 runners and walkers who participated more than doubled those who showed up last year.

Part of the reason for the great turnout lies in the support our committee received from the Middletown Township Parks and Recreation Department. By partnering with groups sponsoring township events such as the Run the Gates 5-Miler, the department is continually expanding its offerings and the success of the event is enhanced for the sponsoring organization.

Anyone who looks through the department’s summer recreation calendar – which is 28 pages long – can’t help but be amazed by the wide variety and affordability of the events that the department offers. Regardless of what your interest might be – from a challenging 5-mile run in Run the Gates to a healthy steps program for seniors to the second annual paddleboat regatta – the department will most likely have something for you.

As a community, we are indeed lucky to have such dedicated, energetic and innovative people working to improve our quality of life in Middletown Township.

We believe the department’s support of the Run the Gates 5-Miler helped lead to the explosion of participants this year and will enable us to turn it into a premier event in the running community – it is already being talked about among runners as a challenging and enjoyable event.

So, if you are a runner or someone who just wants to come out for the music and excitement in the park – where the runners start, pass through at the half-way mark and end – mark Sunday, June 6, 2010 on your calendar and we’ll see you there at the 5th Annual Run the Gates 5-Miler and 1-Mile Fun Run/Walk. You may just win one of the 24 awards given out at the end of the run.

A Fairer Way to Raise Revenue

2009-06-14T09:53:00.002-04:00

With all the threats facing us in the post 9/11 era, there is one that is very close to home and, in my opinion, threatens the very fabric of our community – ever escalating property taxes.

Middletown Township has been fortunate over the years. We have a large base of senior citizens living side-by-side with young families raising their children in what can only be called an idyllic community. And, we are doubly fortunate in that many of our graduates decide to return home after completing college.

Not surprisingly, then, the median age for males in Middletown Township is 37.8 and for females, 39. This is indicative of a very stable community with the human resources to thrive.

But we are at what I would consider a tipping point – witness the outrage this year over the possibility of a significant tax hike that will result from the cash-strapped Neshaminy School District’s budgetary needs. Seniors on fixed incomes are facing the possibility of having to sell their homes in order to survive and young people are finding it difficult to find an affordable home.

Using property taxes alone to support school districts and local and county governments is inherently unfair. It means the burden for these services falls on the homeowner alone.

The 2006 Taxpayer Relief Act restricted how much school boards can raise property taxes and also provided an average of $200 in reductions to property taxes. But we all know that more must be done.

According to Townships Today, a quarterly newsletter published by the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, Gov. Ed Rendell and a group of local government associations are working on a tax reform plan that will allow counties to levy a 1 percent sales tax on the same goods and services subject to the state’s existing 6 percent sales tax.

Participating counties would receive 50 percent of the funds collected, townships and boroughs would be given 40 percent and 10 percent would be deposited in an account to support collaborative projects, such as regional police departments and joint equipment purchases, according to Townships Today.

Both county and local governments would have to use at least 60 percent of their allocated funds to reduce your property taxes and offset dollars they lose from exempt properties. This is a much more fair way of raising taxes since the burden is shared by everyone who buys taxable goods rather than just homeowners.

“The bottom line is that we, as a state, have to take a long, hard look at how we are funding government services,” Kenny Grimes, PSATS president, is quoted as saying. “The property tax isn’t working and it isn’t fair. Therefore we have to find a better way to balance the tax burden while still providing townships, counties and boroughs with adequate—and increased – funding that doesn’t come from a property tax hike. The optional county sales tax is our best option yet.”

I agree.

The Politics of Obstruction

2009-06-09T12:09:00.003-04:00

It is absolutely beyond me why anyone would oppose the emergency services study committee created by the Board of Supervisors on May 12. We are facing 21st century challenges and it is the obligation of the Board of Supervisors to insure the Township’s emergency services are prepared for whatever may come in the years and decades ahead.

Supervisors George Leonhauser and Jasper Caro, however, proved once more that there is no limit to their willingness to put politics over sensible public policy.

In the June 9 edition of the Courier Times, Leonhauser said “the new committee was formed out of the blue with no prior discussion or notice to the emergency services agencies that cover the township.” I am not sure what he means by “out of the blue” – it is often difficult to comprehend what Leonhauser means – but if he means this new proposal was made without consulting him, that is my prerogative, just as it is his to make new proposals without consulting me.

According to the story, Caro said “he has no problem with the new advisory board, but didn't like the fact that Thompson was given sole power to appoint members.” We know how these two work to obstruct and tear down – witness the actions of Leonhauser when we were trying to hire a public safety director – and we decided this new committee was too important to allow them to send it into next year trying to populate it.

If anyone doubts that I appointed people strictly on their abilities and expertise, check out their party registrations – I believe at least four and possibly all five are Republicans.

I sincerely believe this committee will create a master plan for the delivery of emergency services that will give our board and subsequent supervisor boards the tools needed to insure the health, safety and welfare of Middletown Township residents. The added bonus is that it may ultimately lead to a significant reduction in the cost of property insurance for homeowners as well.

There is no excuse for voting against the creation of this emergency services study committee. There is no downside to investigating our emergency services to determine if improvements can be made. Ultimately, any and all recommendations will have to be voted upon by the full board. It only goes to prove once more that Leonhauser and Caro prefer the politics of obstruction to dedicated leadership.

Middletown Township Earth Day

2009-05-30T12:59:00.002-04:00

Check out the Middletown Dems at the township's Earth Day celebration. Ignore the chain saw that went all day in the booth next to ours. The vendor was sculpting tree trunks. Actually, I think it was a GOP conspiracy. (Only joking, Mr. Gallagher.)

The Politics of Disruption

2009-05-28T10:31:00.002-04:00

As we were leaving the township meeting Tuesday evening, a resident walking out with us said, “How do you guys manage to get anything done with that guy on the Board?” He was referring to Supervisor George Leonhauser, who takes every opportunity to disrupt or poison discussions of issues that are often vital to the efficient and cost-effective operation of government.

This gentleman, whom I had never met before, even went on to note that Leonhauser seems to “object to anything that may be good for the township.”

He doesn’t know the half of it. Leonhauser is a former Middletown Township police officer who retired on a disability and is being paid nearly $80,000 a year tax free. He’s a guy who sees nothing wrong with the fact that more than $1 million in overtime was paid to Middletown cops last year while all other departments combined only racked up $85,000 in OT. He’s a guy who has no problem with a police officer making over $160,000 a year and is always eager to thwart our efforts to bring the department under control.

When we were interviewing candidates for the new position of Public Safety Director – a move Leonhauser vehemently opposed – he did all in his power to sabotage the process, sending out e-mails to potential candidates to discourage them from coming here or to their superiors letting them know they had applied. His dissemination of confidential material has become so disruptive that it has become virtually impossible to hold executive sessions on personnel or contract matters.

It was Leonhauser who politicized the tragic death of Det. Chris Jones. Fortunately those who initially supported his efforts to demonize some elected and appointed public officials who haven’t bent to his will recognized how poorly this reflected on the memory of Det. Jones and the honor he deserves. Residents familiar with the controversy were almost uniformly appalled over his antics.

In the words of one of my colleagues, one can only conclude that Leonhauser’s sole motive “is to tear down the Board of Supervisors in some ill-contrived effort to elect more people like him.” Residents should be careful to identify those candidates with whom Leonhauser has aligned himself to protect their tax dollars and the integrity of their local government.

Meeting the Emergency Services Needs of the 21st Century

2009-05-13T15:05:00.003-04:00

At last night’s meeting of the Board of Supervisors, we passed a resolution establishing an ad hoc Study Commission for the Long Range Planning of Emergency Services in Middletown Township. As Board chair, I was tasked with designating who should serve on this commission.

As our solicitor, Mike Savona, pointed out last night, it is the legal obligation of a second class township to provide the emergency services required to keep its citizens safe. The fire companies, police department and emergency medical service are the tools through which a township meets this obligation.

By setting up this study commission, we are setting out to determine if these services are functioning properly, if there is a unified command structure to meet any catastrophe and whether any actions are needed to improve on the delivery of these services.

The creation earlier this year of the position of public safety director was the first step in providing unified oversight of all three services. The study commission will help establish a strategic plan to determine what, if any, other measures are needed as we move forward to meet all emergency needs in the 21st Century.

If you, as a citizen, have any comments or concerns, let us know. The safety of our community demands that we get it right.

The Heroes We Grew Up With

2009-05-11T11:56:00.002-04:00

I just returned from a four-day trip to Washington, D.C., to attend the 64th anniversary reunion of my father’s shipmates from WWII, all crew members on the USS Evans (DD552). I have been attending these every-other-year reunions for the past 12 years, ever since the offspring of shipmates began running them for their parents.

I have gotten to know and love these members of America’s “Greatest Generation.” So, while each reunion has been a joyous occasion for families of the shipmates to once again come together to honor these heroes, they are also bitter sweet since we all know that many will not return two years hence. World War II veterans are dying at a rate of 1,000 a day according to projections of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. When we hosted the reunion in Philadelphia six years ago, about 200 people attended, with slightly more than 30 who served as shipmates on the Evans. This past weekend, there were a mere 30 in the entire group, only six of whom were shipmates.

Typically a reunion consists of arriving on Thursday, scheduled site-seeing activities on Friday morning with the afternoon off for individuals to explore on their own. On Saturday morning we have the memorial service for the 33 crew members who were killed on May 11, 1945 and those shipmates – one of whom was my father – who have passed on since. On Saturday evening, we have a formal dinner.

The Evans was part of the famous Battle of Okinawa. Forty days into that campaign, on May 11, the Evans was attacked by approximately 100 Japanese aircraft. After 73 minutes of constant fighting, she was taken out of action as four kamikazes achieved direct hits on the ship.

This reunion in Washington had its particularly heart warming moments. On Friday morning we visited the National WWII Memorial and the Marine Corps War Memorial, also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial. At both sites, young children on tours with their schools flocked around our shipmates (all of whom had Evans’ caps on, which probably identified them as veterans), asking to have their pictures taken with them. Several actually asked for autographs. The shipmates – who became known for the remainder of the reunion as “rock stars” – were thoroughly surprised but obviously pleased. These are people who rarely talked about their experiences in the war until they began getting together for these reunions.

On Saturday afternoon, Chris and I were joined on a trip to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum by one of the Evans crew and his nephew, and a Marine fighter pilot and his wife. After the Evans was dead in the water from the four kamikaze hits, this Marine pilot took out a kamikaze just before it would have crashed into the Evans, most assuredly sinking her and leading to the deaths of many more sailors. He has since become the only honorary member of the Evans crew.

During our tour of the Air and Space Museum, two college students came up to us, apologized for interrupting, and said they just wanted to shake the hands of our two shipmates and thank them for their service. Nothing like this has happened on any other reunion I attended. Hopefully it is happening to other WWII vets all over America – their time is short and they deserve every tribute they receive.

Nancy Wilson, who hosted this reunion for her father, had a very appropriate toast to the shipmates attending – and all other crew members who departed: “To the heroes we grew up with.”

I wholeheartedly concur.

Lack of Respect "Ugly" and Must be Changed

2009-05-01T11:39:00.004-04:00

Recently Middletown Township entered into an agreement with the Pennsylvania Governor’s Center for Local Government Services to conduct a management review of the Middletown Township Police Department.

The basic reason for the review was to provide some assistance to the Board of Supervisors to improve the working relationship between it and the members of the police department. To get there, some of the chronic problems that are part of the current culture of the department needed to be identified and, ultimately, addressed.

The review was completed approximately a month ago and presented to the Board of Supervisors following its April 28, 2009 regular meeting.

The peer-to-peer consultant for the project was Richard F. Garipoli, who is a 33-year veteran of municipal law enforcement in Pennsylvania with a long list of credentials. In a pre-release discussion of the findings with Township Manager Raymond Stepnoski, acting Public Safety Director Patrick McGinty, and chairman of the Board of Supervisors Chuck Thompson, Mr. Garipoli opened the review of the “Organization and Management Principles” section with the following statement:

“There is a lack of respect (for the current PSD). It is ugly and it needs to be changed.”

In his review, Mr. Garipoli pointed out that “someone must inspect the various people and functions to confirm that duties are being performed and to insure that quality service is delivered. This responsibility falls upon the top executive of the department, which in this case [is] the new PSD, the lieutenants (command or mid-level managers), and sergeants (first line supervisors).”

Because of the “ugly” lack of respect being accorded PSD McGinty, the report said the “supervisors of the Middletown Township Police Department need to reinstitute this culture back to the officers. Officers should be respectful at all times.”

The emphasis is mine. The reason for this statement is that Mr. Garipoli states elsewhere in his report that he “was shown e-mails from officers to the township administration staffs that were inappropriate and unkind.” That is bureaucrat-speak for arrogant and outrageous.

Mr. Garipoli also reports that “During my visits I had opportunities to see numerous officers gathered for long periods of time and wondered why. When I asked, I was told they had nothing to do.” Standing around for long periods of time with nothing to do is not unusual for the Middletown PD. It is part of the culture PSD McGinty inherited and it is part of why overtime for the department has exploded – to the point where one officer was paid more than $160,000 last year.

Additionally, Mr. Garipoli pointed out that:

“Arrests are not done in a timely manner. Lab reports indicate that arrest can be made; however, many cases are not followed up and prosecuted. … Officers must be held accountable for finishing their reports and arrests.”
“…Sergeants should watch how arrests are made and that the number of officers involved with a case is held to a minimum. …Somewhere in this process there should be a check by a supervisor to make sure that unnecessary witnesses are taken off the paperwork for courts.”

This second bullet point is what is driving the overtime to such extraordinary heights. In some cases, as many as five officers show up at a traffic stop and all “sign on” to the case. Each must then go to court and rack up the 6 hours of overtime this entails.

This report will go a long way in helping us solve the long-festering problems that plague our police department and will not only lead to better relations between the PD and BOS but will also create a much safer community.

Earth Day in Middletown

2009-04-24T11:05:00.002-04:00

I will be at Middletown Township’s Earth Day Celebration tomorrow and hope to greet some of the 1,800 or more people who will be attending the annual tribute to efforts to heal our planet. It is being held in Core Creek Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will be followed by a tree planting at Middletown Community Park.

Visitors will be able to learn how to make their homes more energy efficient, visit information tables on environmental issues from recycling to pollution, and from storm water management to sustainable gardening. There will be a host of other information tables, games for children and entertainment.

This is just one of a myriad of great activities sponsored by our Department of Parks and Recreation – and part of what makes Middletown Township such a great place to live, raise a family and retire.

To learn more about our activities, you can sign up for an e-mail newsletter on the Middletown Township Web site or download a complete summer calendar.

So if you visit the Earth Day celebration, please stop by the Democratic Party of Middletown Township table and say hi to supervisor candidates Julie Sauerbry-Smith, Harry Arnold and me. We will be giving out seed packets – Forget Me Nots, of course – and raffling off three large trees.

League of Women Voters Questionnaire

2009-04-20T13:09:00.005-04:00

Candidates for office received this questionnaire which will be published in the newspaper to give voters a snapshot of their background's and qualifications for office. Below is an advance of the answers I provided.
My hope is that this blog forum will provide helpful answers to questions and spark constructive debate on issues related to the Middletown Supervisors' race.

1. EDUCATION: Pierce College, Philadelphia –A.S., Business Administration
2. OCCUPATION: Telecommunications
3. QUALIFICATIONS FOR OFFICE: President/Treasurer for Non-Profit children’s charity. Served on Middletown Telecommunications Advisory Board and Zoning Hearing Board. Lifetime resident and homeowner with a solid foundation in community service and activism.

What do you consider to be the most important issues facing your community, and how would you address them?
Misguided partisan politics and frivolous lawsuits have disrupted operations in the township. I will work to end the politics of fear & smear and return government to the people. I will represent all residents by listening to, learning from and serving them. I will address quality of life issues; improve recycling and solid waste services, while working to keep taxes at a minimum. I pledge to vote only in the best interests of the taxpayers.

Responses to League of Women Voters of Bucks County

2009-04-16T09:32:00.010-04:00

I received a Voter Guide Questionnaire from the League of Women Voters of Bucks County a few days ago, and I spent time completing this last night. The most difficult part of completing this form was limiting my complete response to 125 words or less! If the residents of Middletown Township chose to elect me to represent their interests, they most certainly need to know more than 125 words about me, my education, background, qualifications, and views about our Township. Included below is a slightly longer version of the answers I submitted to the League of Women Voters today:

1. Education:
Graduate of Neshaminy High School (1992) and High Point University (1996) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and a Bachelor of Science degree Computer Information Systems.

2. Occupation:
President of marketing services firm in Langhorne.

3. Qualifications for Office:
Lifelong resident of Middletown Township, homeowner, and president of a Langhorne company. Running a small business has provided me with extensive experience in planning, budgeting, managing people, and solving complex problems. On a daily basis, I interface with a wide variety of audiences, including clients, vendors, board members, employees, volunteers, local officials, and partners, and am very adept and adjusting to the different needs and styles of all of these groups to work effectively with them and accomplish goals.

I have also applied many of these same skills to an industry association, where I have been an active board member for five years and was named “Planner of the Year” in 2006.

4. Most Important Issues Facing Community and How I Would Address Them:
Middletown Township is a great community and I believe the most important issues are “quality of life” issues:

a. Solving traffic issues through responsible land development and re-engineering of difficult traffic patterns.
b. Responsibly protecting our environment, primarily by protecting our limited remaining open space.
c. Attracting new businesses to fill empty buildings with incentives appropriate for our community.
d. Ensuring adequate park and recreation facilities for families, children, and young adults through effective dialog with residents and careful planning with all appropriate members of the community and our local government.

Most importantly, we must accomplish all Township goals, manage all Township activities, and develop our Township within the current financial means of our residents.

If these are the same issues that are important to you and your family, and you have ideas to solve them, I'd love to hear from you!

Defining the Issues

2009-04-09T11:08:00.001-04:00

I just finished answering a questionnaire for the League of Women Voters of Bucks County. In response to their question, “What do you consider the most important issues facing your community and how would you address them? (In 75 words or less)” I answered, “Traffic congestion is one of the major problems in Middletown. We must continue our aggressive approach to protect remaining undeveloped parcels of land to reduce the potential for additional development, which contributes to traffic congestion. We must also work with other municipalities and our traffic engineer to create ways to move traffic more efficiently and eliminate bottlenecks – which has proved successful in several areas we tackled during my time in office.”

The 75-word restriction was … well, restricting. I have learned during my last almost 18 months on the Board of Supervisors, that there is a whole host of problems that must be addressed, Prioritizing them is a difficult task itself.

This is not to say Middletown Township isn’t a premier municipality worthy of respect and admiration. It is. In my estimation, it is one of the top communities in the country. A great place to live, raise a family and retire in.

Facing up to the fact that there are problems that need to be addressed only means that one is willing to put the effort into defining what flaws exist and determining ways to correct them to pass on an even greater community than one inherited.

One of the biggest problems we addressed in the past year and a half was what was described by one investigator from Harrisburg as a dysfunctional administration in the police department. We have a number of outstanding police officers, some of whom would admit off the record many of the problems that existed in the administration. These problems affected morale as well as the overall safety of our residents.

As a result, the Democratic majority on the Board voted to create the position of Public Safety Director to replace the position of Chief when Chief McKenna retired at the end of January of this year. Pat McGinty has been in the position of Acting Public Safety Director for only a few months now and already some of the problems have been addressed and corrected. I am confident this move is leading to a much more efficient and effective police force. I am also confident that those within the department who are truly dedicated to protecting the residents of Middletown Township are quietly cheering.

The Director of Public Safety oversees the fire and emergency services as well as the police department. There are four fire companies that provide service to Middletown Township organized under an entity called the Skyline Fire District. We know that there are a number of issues that Acting PSD McGinty and the Supervisors will have to address in the coming months regarding how the taxes allocated for fire services are utilized and options that are available that could ultimately lead to reductions in the cost of homeowners insurance.

We will be addressing these and other issues in the weeks and months ahead, but we are most interested in what you, as a resident of Middletown Township, think are the most important issues that need to be addressed. You are welcome to submit a comment to this blog. And, Julie, Harry and I will be out knocking on doors throughout the campaign, so please don’t hesitate to let is know what you think.

Destructive Pursuit of Power and Control

2009-04-07T12:35:00.009-04:00

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.

Open Space Opportunity

2009-04-01T15:26:00.005-04:00

A committee of Environmental Advisory Board members, a member of the Parks & Recreation Department and a Planning Commission member recently advised the Board of Supervisors that $1,016,324 has been allocated to Middletown Township from the 2008 Bucks County Open Space Bond Initiative for the acquisition of open space.

As they advised,

while there is a significant amount of open space currently preserved [in Middletown Township], protecting the remaining parcels of land will help to reduce the potential for additional development that would contribute to the traffic congestion, threaten the suburban esthetics of the community and place additional stress ont he Township's budget and human resources.

The group suggests the Township should work toward "creating a comprehensive 'system' of parklands which is evenly distributed throughout the Township..."

Criteria suggested in choosing the parcels to consider for acquisition include land that:

Links to or is contiguious with exisiting open space or parkalnd
Is environmentally fragile, including wetlands and steep slopes
Has potential for public recreation
Acts as a buffer between conflicting uses
Is along a stream or creek
In its undeveloped state maintains the character and beauty of the Township
Left undeveloped will control traffic congestion and environmental stresses
Is 5 acres or more
Is currently or potentially farmland

They identified 6 parcels that are available and meet this criteria. The final plan must be submitted by December 31, 2014, which in the scheme of things isn't really that far off.

There is a lot to consider, not the least of which is the requirement that the municipality match 25% of the grant. This could mean that the Township will have to put up more than $250,000, but that seems like a pretty good bargain to protect more than $1 million worth of open space. What do you think? I am sure the supervisors are very interested in how our residents view this issue.

Get to Know Middletown Township

2009-03-31T11:45:00.007-04:00

We who are running on the Middletown United ticket in the municipal elections believe that the more that residents know about the Township, the more they can become vested in the community. We have a lot of challenges in the months and years ahead and will need everyone working together to meet these challenges.

The Township Web site notes:

Middletown was among the fastest growing post-war suburbs in the Philadelphia area during the 1950's. The Township is a progressive community in a highly developed metropolitan region. Pressures for both residential and nonresidential growth continue to be strong forces for change in Middletown and much of the surrounding area. These conditions underscore the need for ongoing comprehensive planning in the Township.

Middletown is a unique and diverse community. It contains 19.4 square miles and is the third most populous of Bucks County's 54 municipalities. A significant amount of Middletown Township has been developed. The southern portion of the Township contains more densely populated residential subdivisions, including Levittown which was established during the 1950's. The central portion contains large areas devoted to retail and other commercial development. Western Middletown is largely an older residential area that is somewhat detached from the northern and southern sections because the Boroughs of Langhorne, Langhorne Manor, Penndel and Hulmeville are located "within" the municipal limits of the Township. The northern area contains the most recent residential development that not only includes houses on larger lots, but also neighborhoods dedicated to those residents aged 55 and over.

Particular care is being taken to conserve the natural environment and open space areas throughout the Township; from storm water management, the naturalization of retention basins, to the re-introduction of native plants throughout the parks and other open areas. Striking a balance between the Township's overall growth and preservations needs is the central theme of this comprehensive plan.

A comprehensive breakdown of nearly every aspect of the Township can be found at City-Data.com.

Get to know Middletown. Watch or come to meetings of your Board of Supervisors. Join some of the great activities sponsored by the Township's Parks and Recreation Department. It is a great place to live and together we can insure it gets even better in the years to come.

Environmental Disgrace

2009-03-30T11:54:00.009-04:00

Last week, I joined Fire Marshall Jim McGuire by Queen Anne Creek where he was monitoring booms that had been put in place to soak up diesel fuel or home heating oil that had been dumped in a storm water drain on Queen Lily Road in Quincy Hollow.

Jim estimated that about 15 gallons of the oil had been illegally dumped down the drain and the boom lines had been set up to soak up the substance, most of which floats to the surface. Unfortunately, some of the oil residue can settle on the bottom, coating the substrate and whatever organisms live there, causing physiological stress to fish and other wildlife. Studies have shown that it takes up to 20 years for an aquatic environment to return to a healthy condition.

Closer to home, as Jim pointed out, this is where our children play or fish. As I mentioned during our discussion, a person who would dump waste oil on land or in storm drains is first and foremost lazy. There are dozens of locations throughout the area where it can be disposed of free of charge. It probably wouldn't take much more of an effort to deliver it to one of these locations that it took to dump it down a storm drain.

But, this person is worst than merely lazy – clearly he has no conscience or concern for the people of our community. If this person is a resident – and he most likely is – then it is hard to believe he has such little regard for his own back yard.

Middletown Township is offering a $500 reward for information resulting in the arrest and conviction of the person who has been dumping the waste oil at this location. If you have information about this incident or any illegal dumping, you are asked to call 215-750-3812.

This is where we live and it is up to each and everyone of us to keep it clean.

Public Service

2009-03-29T09:55:00.003-04:00

Last night Chris and I attended the 98th Annual Banquet of the Penndel Fire Company. I am continually amazed at the dedication of the men and women volunteers who put themselves in harm’s way to keep our residents safe. Three other fire companies – Parkland Fire Company,, Langhorne-Middletown Fire Company and William Penn Fire Company – work with PFC to protect the citizens of Middletown Township.

Sitting at our table was a fellow Neshaminy High School Class of 64 graduate, Rich Schramm. Rich has been serving the people of his community as a volunteer firefighter since his was 16 and is regularly one of the top responders in his company. He also serves as the Fire Safety Officer. Two other NHS classmates – Tony Esposito and John Cosgrove – were also at the dinner and we all had sort of a mini-reunion.

It is hard to be cynical about public service when you meet the men and women of our volunteer fire companies. Their only reward is the satisfaction they get from being there when needed. I hope that I live up to their standards in my service on the Middletown Board of Supervisors.

Campaign Underway

2009-03-28T11:07:00.001-04:00

On May 19, voters will go to the polls to choose their candidates for the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors. One candidate in each party is running for the two-year unexpired term of former supervisor Diane Marseglia. The other two positions are for 6-year terms. All three of – Julie Sauerbry-Smith (candidate for two-year term), Harry Arnold and Chuck Thompson – are running unopposed.

That doesn’t mean, however, that our supporters shouldn’t go to the polls on May 19. We would like to see a large turnout to help set the tone for the general election campaign.

And, speaking of tone, the reason we will be maintaining this blog for the duration of the campaign – and, hopefully afterward as well – is:

To listen to the voters and learn what is important to you to maintain
the quality of life you desire in Middletown Township.

To talk about our views and vision for a better Middletown Township.

And to act as a truth squad for any false or reckless claims made by out
opponents.

So please join in. We look forward to your comments and suggestions.