Question: In Tredyffrin Township, what do you get if you combine a former Democratic township supervisor candidate with a current Republican school board member and mix in their love of the Phillies, craft beer and American history?
Answer: Occupy Tredyffrin, populism and a little Tea Party, or . . . a couple of friends who love their community and want to help make it better.
In this case, friends Sean Moir and Rich Brake, pooled their interests and love of community and came up with a plan for the people – for all of us. Calling their initiative, “The Devon Petitions: Community Solutions for a Better Tredyffrin”, they are convinced that “. . . there’s a way to stay to true to your principles, sometimes disagree but in the end be able to forge common ground that can move Tredyffrin forward.”
Theirs is a two-step approach. First, they ask community members to answer a simple four-question on-line survey that asks us to provide ideas on how to improve the economy and the schools. Click here for the survey.
The second part of their Community Solutions plan includes presenting the survey results in a citizen forum on Monday, February 20, 7 – 9 PM at Saint Luke Lutheran Church, 203 North Valley Forge Road, Devon, 19333.
Appropriately choosing President’s Day for their citizen forum, Moir and Brake hope to engage the public in a town hall-style meeting for an exchange of ideas to discuss and deliberate over some of the big issues facing our community.
According to Moir, “. . . we are providing an un-intimidating forum where all citizens are invited to lend their talents to help develop solutions to the current budgetary situation.” Brake offers, “. . . Bottom line – we think that we are performing a public service, and we hope to foster a sense of deliberation and empowerment among the Tredyffrin citizenry.”
Encouraging all of us to participate in the survey and the citizen’s forum, these two friends say, “. . . they believe that this is about small “d” democracy and the virtues of local self-government.” Based on survey results and the citizen’s forum, they plan to forward the recommendations to the Board of Supervisors and the School Board.
I have told Sean and Rich that I completely support their community initiative. I will take the survey and encourage all who are reading this, to do the same and then pass it along. Your voice counts — and the success of the project is tied directly to the number of respondents.
Is ‘Community Solutions for a Better Tredyffrin’ a bit like mixing Occupy Tredyffrin, populism and the Tea Party movement together? Maybe . . . but I say, its two guys that care about our community just trying to make it better!
I know where I will be on President’s Day 2012 and . . . I think that George Washington would have approved!
Thank you Pattye for your support. I am also working with and supporting Sean and Richard on this community effort. I am asking friends and adversaries to support this effort and complete the survey. I am hopeful this combine effort will bring solutions to the problems of our community. I also believe this effort will demonstrate how people with different political perspectives can work together for the good of the community.
Rich Brake is the most conservative ideologue on the School Board (and one of the most conservative ideologue politicians in Tredyffrin.)
His getting involved in this smells of politics — meaning how can he try to position himself as a middle of the road guy.
To date, he hasn’t shown much willingness to listen to ideas outside his conservative framework, so I can’t believe this is real.
The OCCUPY movement has racked up over 450 ‘incidents’, without including those not reported. That tally includes rapes, killings, public sex and defecation, intimidation and a long list of other outrages, plus forcing communities to spend money they sorely lack in this troubled economy.
OCCUPY has gained the support of the Communists as well as the American Nazis. George Soros yesterday surmised that the movement would likely turn violent.
Any linking that movement with what ourTea Party members are about, while done in all innocence, is actually an insult. Our people work, are looking for work, or are retired. We also cling to that quaint American tradition of self-reliance.
If you choose to attend our monthly meetings, you’ll find we bear no resemblance to OCCUPY, with one exception: we are disgusted with the crony capitalism/cronysocialism/cronywhatever that’s inflicted one of the most severe economic trainwrecks our country has endured since the great depression. Both politial parties have dirty hands in this.
Please, avoid such inaccurate and foolish combinations!