Pattye Benson

Community Matters

Countdown to Primary Day, May 17 . . . Presenting Tredyffrin Supervisor Candidate Resumes

The Pennsylvania Primary Election is 30 days from tomorrow — Tuesday, May 17, 2011. As was previously announced on April 11, I will provide all the candidates resumes on Community Matters using the following schedule. I hope that by providing in-depth information on local candidates will encourage increased voter turnout for the Pennsylvania Primary Election. Historically, voter turnout in Tredyffrin Township has been low for the Primary Election, (particularly in a non-presidential year) — here’s hoping that trend changes next month.

In Pennsylvania, only registered Republican and Democratic voters are permitted to vote in the Primary Election. As a reminder, this year in addition to the Primary Election, there is a Special Election in Tredyffrin Township — Independents, as well as Republican and Democrats can vote in the Special Election race.

The Special Election will fill the vacancy in the office of the Board of Supervisors caused by the resignation of Warren Kampf. The vacancy was temporarily filled by the interim supervisor appointment of Mike Heaberg. As required by the Township’s Home Rule Charter and the Pennsylvania Election Code, a Special Election will be held and voters will choose between incumbent Mike Heaberg (R) and Molly Duff (D). The individual elected will fill the remainder of the supervisor term, ending on December 31, 2011.

  • Monday, April 25: Tredyffrin Township Board of Supervisor Candidates
  • Monday, May 2: Tredyffrin-Easttown School Board Candidates
  • Monday, May 9: Chester County Magisterial District Judge, District Court 15-4-01 Candidates
  • Wednesday, May 11: Tredyffrin Township Board of Supervisors Special Election Candidates
  • Tuesday, May 17: Pennsylvania 2011 Primary

According to the schedule above, today is for the Board of Supervisor candidates. I have received resumes or bios on each of the candidates listed — click on the candidate’s name and the link will take you directly to the individual candidates information.

I encourage you to review the information that the candidates have provided and welcome your thoughtful comments.

Tredyffrin Township Board of Supervisor Candidates:

** Incumbent

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  1. Thanks for assessing the candidates for us. Two concerns — you want us to add two lawyers to the Supervisors largely for their professional background. I see Ms. Duffy as having an important voice in the community that doesn’t need to turn political and loses some of its value by becoming a BOS vote and not a community influence. And since I strongly oppose the Paoli Transportation initiative (69th Street in Paoli), I need a voice to offset that on the board of supervisors. I like the way Mike Heaberg has approached these initial issues. I believe his financial skills are valuable, and I think his demeanor is a strong asset. Your goal is a BOS with 5 women and two men….and while I do not believe gender influences qualifications, I do believe it strongly affects tone and process. The BOS wasn’t good with mostly men, and it won’t be any better with predominantly women.

    I’m for term limits too, and wish Olson wasn’t running. But didn’t we all just support leaving the planning function with the planning commission? So why bring the strongest planner on that board onto the Board of Supervisors?

    Just asking?

    1. Please cite your reference to where Heaberg does not believe in fire funding by the Government. You cannot just keep making things up, or going in directions that have no reality. This is about people, not just ideas.

      Yes — Tom Colman. Activist and former Chairman of FLITE — the foundation that is helping to support the kids and programs of TE in these difficult economic times. Check it out online at Flite-PA.org. Active in the TE cost cutting study that Kevin Grewell here has said saved the district millions.

      Mr. Petersen: Exactly WHAT are you contributing to? You are a verbal activist — is there any place you put yourself out there? You criticize websites — do you volunteer to run one? You criticize Mr. Heaberg’s association with Tom Colman — have you been on any of these advisory committees that Mr. Colman has not only been part of, but has been selected to lead?

      Mr. Colman was featured in Main Line Life in 2008 when he was chair of the FLITE board. Here’s an interesting comment he made:
      “Life view: chance or fate? My life is not about things happening to me; my life is about trying to make things happen. ”

      The role of the BAWG was to evaluate and help to improve the financial situation in the Township. Tell me how taking money from St. Davids in exchange for relieving them of an obligation to build a sidewalk — as a suggestion from a NON LEGISLATIVE BODY — was a controversial suggestion. I could make the suggestion that the school district stop providing buses, and could document how much that would save. It would only be controversial if it was in the hands of legislators.

      Birds of a Feather….all trying to help make Tredyffrin and Easttown more financial strong and a great place to live.

  2. Wow. And I thought it was only your opinion.

    You threw out Heaberg because of his stance on the Paoli Train project – anecdotal through his posts here. So you DQ someone on your pet project. Likewise the fire funding issue — is there a vote you are resting your conclusions on?

    As an elected official, I believe you can have personal opinions and still make governing decisions on behalf of a community. It is a Republic after all. Have you questioned the candidates on specifics, or are you generalizing? I think our system needs people OUTSIDE the system, working in volunteer and community positions to keep it strong. You bashed KK for her approach, and then I believe you are using the same one.

    Anyway….why are you telling us this? Didn’t you already say this:?

    “Decided not to vote in this primary
    Reflecting on the current state of affairs its occurred to me that nobody has earned me taking the time to vote, much less the vote itself. The past several years have been disappointing. In spite of bad government and bad actors, the status quo is alive and well. And what’s worse is that those who complain the most about it are apparently OK with the status quo. I make that conclusion based on the fact that they don’t don’t change their tactics. They don’t make the case of why they would be any better. One D supervisor essentially quit with about a year to serve.

    …. Why bother…. There are too many people with personal agendas. It really has gotten to the point that if you are in favor of somebody’s pet issue, that’s license to look the other way. Too much vanity. Too many egos and not enough REAL care about the community and what’s best for it.

    Bottom line is this.. regardless of how I would vote on 5/17, the outcome won’t change. It’s somebody elses fight. I have no more energy to give. “

    1. First, it’s not anecdotal. He’s flat out against the project. — I believe his comments here were in regards to the alleged benefits of the project, where he questioned the numbers being used, and the costs to the community in the end. He opined that we have no mercantile taxes so where would the revenue come from? Again — he’s a candidate. Maybe Pattye can ask him for his stance – -along with the other candidates.

      And you also claim: BTW, the Paoli TS IS NOT MY pet project..

      Except that you live nearby, and have said repeatedly that after you child graduates, you are “outta here.” Maybe you think the redevelopment would enhance your property value? I can connect dots too…whether or not the connections are valid.

  3. You two lovebirds bring up some good points but ‘Give it a rest’ makes some really dumb comments. As a republican I am calling him out here:
    -WTF does having ‘all men’ or ‘predominantly women’ have to do w/ anything? You should want to have 7 good candidates.
    -69th street terminal in Paoli? That’s just ridiculous. Anyone can look at the plans , the maps, and demographics and understand that won’t happen here. Paoli isn’t Upper Darby. Upper Darby is a stones throw from West Philadelphia. Right now the railyard in Paoli is a dump and an eyesore and if you look at the plans , then you have to be a mental midget to draw any conclusion and call it a ’69th street in Paoli’.
    -Give it a rest wrote: ” I think our system needs people OUTSIDE the system, working in volunteer and community positions to keep it strong.” ….now that is a good point, however it rings hollow when you write: ” I see Ms. Duffy as having an important voice in the community that doesn’t need to turn political and loses some of its value by becoming a BOS vote and not a community influence.”,,,,,well – which is it? seems you want volunteers and outsiders, so long as they are not running against your guy Heaberg.
    -You both make good points on Olsen. he needs to go.

    1. ” I see Ms. Duffy as having an important voice in the community that doesn’t need to turn political and loses some of its value by becoming a BOS vote and not a community influence.”,,,,,well – which is it? seems you want volunteers and outsiders,”

      That is the point — where’s the confusion? It has nothing to do with running against anyone. Ms. Duffy is a strong advocate for several critical issues, but she has an obligation to ditch the advocacy role if she joins the BOS. I have no personal stake in this — and if you think gender mix is dumb, I cannot help you. That’s MY opinion. I want strong candidates as much as the next guy, but putting savvy community activists in a political seat is not my idea of advancing an agenda…or maybe that’s the point….advancing an agenda? Good thing I only have one vote?

      1. Westover Park was acquired long before Kampf was on the board. that ship has sailed. Judy D. lived nearer to it when it was acquired, and I doubt much that she pushed for it as a neighborhood shill. The “fireworks site” was appealing because of its history….and it’s not been developed I’m sure because there ain’t no money in the kitty. But “green space” funds probably helped buy it?
        My opinion is not uninformed…just mine.

        1. I do believe that Westover Park was acquired while Kampf was supervisor.

          Actually I just checked and Westover Park was acquired August 2002 — was Kampf on the BOS at that time?

  4. Why in the world should it matter the gender of the supervisors. I just the supervisors to be honest, fiscally responsible, transparent in their actions and to represent the voters who elect them. I don’t want people to say one thing while campaigning and then act differently once they are elected.

    Does anyone know why all the campaign signs look the same? I cant tell the rep and dem candidates apart or was that done on purpose?

  5. I don’t really understand your reply. Either I have been drinking too much, or you have. You made 2 comments that are contradictory. You call for outsiders and volunteers should run, then you recommend one volunteer shouldn’t run. And your point is?

    Same w/ Petersen’s comment on Danish Ancestry? :-)

    As far as having ‘too many women’ . Well as long as they are the right women. A balance of republicans and democrats. Just no liberals or religious righties. No egos and candidates who are using the position as stepping stones to higher office. And no discussion of a tax increase. But saying there is too many women , I don’t know about that. It’s about as relevant as if they were…good looking women. I’m more concerned that they don’t raise taxes. But sounds like you want to vote for Heaberg because he is not female and because he agrees with you that Paoli is going to be like 69th street?

    69th street terminal was built over 100 years ago. it’s subways, el’s, buses. It transports low wage workers from primarily west philadephia to the suburbs. Paoli is meant for a modern, clean Amtrak station and SEPTA station with class A office, restaurants, and shops so workers from the far western suburbs might actually want to park in Paoli, spend some money here on shopping, food, and take the train. But anyone currently running for BOS who is against this, certainly isn’t qualified to be in a position to make decisions.

  6. i noticed the signs too. all blue w/ stars. No colors. I would vote for someone if they just changed their color of their sign to be different.
    C’mon candidates: Blue w/ stars. Real original. Couldn’t throw some red in there could you ?

  7. “You both make good points on Olsen. he needs to go.”

    – That, my friends, is the most accurate statement I have ever read on this blog.

    In order to make that happen, people in this community, specifically Republicans in this case, need to have the courage NOT to vote straight party. Take the time to understand that just because someone has an “R” or “D” next to their name they are good representation for you. Especially in local politics, where 90% of the political stances (abortion, stem cell research, etc) have no bearing. These people make or break your community.

    Paul has broken our community. He has shoveled millions of taxpayer dollars into Parks and Libraries, while at the same time allowed our infrastructure and safety to work off of table scraps. There is nothing wrong with parks and libraries, they make everyone feel warm and fuzzy. This makes him a good politician, but a poor community leader. Community leaders need to step up to the plate, the plate of reality and hit a home run, not slide unnoticed into 2nd base with a ground rule double.

    Lets not forget how he treats people in the community who disagree with him. Between Paul, Bob & Warren over the last several years, there have been more insults thrown at community members then a Mel Brooks movie.

    1. Ironically, Paul’s candidacy shows how weak the TTRC actually is.. I know for a fact that Broadhurst didn’t want Paul to run

      ************

      Really, where is the proof? An email, a signed statement from Broadhurst?

      —————–
      Folks need to remember that Paul himself, along with Lamina and Kampf, made library donations a political issue in 2007.

      *************

      Really again? I will give you that Olson did this, but nowhere that I can find was it ever mentioned on a Kampf or Lamina mailer, website, letter, etc.

      ———————-
      As for Paul’s interest in the libraries, that’s all political. It was the chief means of him staying relevant from 2006-2007

      *****************

      Sorry, this is just out-of-line. In thirty years, Olson has done more volunteer work and given more time of himself to community organizations than you, Mr. Petersen, can ever hope to match. Heck, the guy even gives himself –literally — as one of the top blood donors in the region.

      You don’t work as hard as Olson and others did to raise millions of dollars if you don’t care.

      It might seem simple to sit behind your keyboard and take the potshots you do, but Olson has worked for the community and done more than you ever have.

      And I defend him on all of this despite misgivings about certain of his actions…but give the man his due.

  8. Uff da…
    What IS with the yard signs???

    This morning I noticed a bunch of Michael Heaberg signs in front of 1008 Upper Gulph which houses Strategic Realty Investments. Doesn’t this seem odd? Considering Heaberg is against the Paoli Transportation Center…

    1. “What IS with the yard signs??? ”

      Looks like candidates for both the Rs and Ds each got together as a team and went in on one buy (i.e. one buy each, one for Rs, one for Ds) and chose the cheapest style sign – monochromatic (plus white.) And both groups chose blue as their color. It’s like both the Union and the Confederacy choosing blue instead of blue and grey. (“Wait a minute…you guys are wearing blue? We were gonna wear blue.”)

      The benefit for the community at large might be that we see less signs deployed as they all look the same anyhow. The first candidate to peel themselves away from the rest, spend some money and choose a different color for themselves (like green) probably picks up some votes.

    2. less than subtle reference to speculative information. You can extend the non-logic to suggest that why would a company that is intereted in “strategic realty investments” want his signs in their yard — IF what you speculate is accurate? Perhaps some people working there respect him?
      This blog is not worthy of these specious comments. A reminder of Pattye’s founding premise:

      “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever does.”
      – Margaret Mead

      Let’s put a little more effort into being thoughtful and committed, not spiteful and clever. Sound reasonable?

  9. Is Heaberg really anti-Paoli Transportation center? That’s all we need, another bureaucrat stalling progress. Is there another republican? Who appointed this guy?

    1. Not that he has said in the context of his role as supervisor pro -tem. On this blog (which is why it’s not a great place to conclude you know what is true), I think I recall that he challenged the numbers Mr. Drucker put forth about employment gains, as well as the local costs and revenue projections. As someone with access to information now (I think he and Pattye both were seeking more accurate information), I have no idea what his opinions are, and would suggest you ask the candidate rather than conclude anything based on assertions made here or elsewhere.

  10. Thank you Mr. Petersen for responding — once again — to a request for proof of your statements with defeaning silence.

    I know that you don’t feel you need to offer proof, which may be why you didn’t make it in law…

    1. Mr. Petersen said: Certainly, Kampf was an “Activist” for the Westover Park because it was near his home on Homestead. Since he moved to Valley Green, it was no longer an issue. Look at the white elephant we have now? ”

      Not a false claim? Yes — saying he was an ACTIVIST for it IS a false claim. The site was acquired prior to his election to the BOS in 2003. He moved from Homestead ineither 2009 or 2010. If he was an “activist”….I would think the park might have moved forward during his 7 years living a block or so away from the property that the township owned. I think the park was acquired because interested landowners believed the Fireworks Site had historic value — and Judy D lived nearby, and Paul O felt that area needed recreational space. It hasn’t developed because the well is dry.

      Face it –you use innuendo to make a point. Facts are meaningless, because you are more into the argument than the solution. And backing down — not your style.

      And as for posting under a name — the internet is TOO permanent. Google your name and you can see every post you ever made. I’m done with that too. Stop trying to tempt people into it.

  11. Pattye Benson Reply:
    April 26th, 2011 at 6:44 PM

    I do believe that Westover Park was acquired while Kampf was supervisor.

    Actually I just checked and Westover Park was acquired August 2002 — was Kampf on the BOS at that time?

    *****************

    No, Pattye, he was not. However, that has not yet resulted in your pulling down Mr. Petersen’s false claims (yet again).

    I appreciate your blog, but don’t appreciate that you allow your good intentions to be constantly run over by a man who makes claim after claim with no proof and, when requested to, simply dismisses those claims.

    He also continues to personally berate both our public officials and other people who post to your site.

    I had been off for a while, and now I remember why…this has become nothing more than a ranting area for Mr. Petersen. He has/had his own blog — you should ask him to go back there or block him from further posting on yours.

    1. I agree with From The West about JP’s constant sarcasm, ranting and nasty tone on this blog. His words demonstrate that he has no interest in intelligent, informed and civil discourse – just refer to his comment above, where he states “If you don’t like getting berated, don’t respond.”

      Pattye, when are you going to reclaim your site for the rest of us and remove this man who simply cannot comment without personal attacks?

      1. JP – if you read my posts you would find that I actually support your views most of the time – I am a registered Democrat who has often voiced my displeasure with the BOS, Paul Olson’s statements & votes, etc. Am I still “part of the problem?”.

        We are all entitled to our opinions, and I certainly use this board to present mine. However, I expect that everyone who posts here will follow the basic tenets of courtesy & civility, and refrain from personal attacks.

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