Pattye Benson

Supervisor Candidates for Tredyffrin Township, At-Large
Elva Bankins (D)
Louis Horvath (D)
Trip Lukens (R)
Sean Moir (R)

The Tredyffrin Township Supervisor candidates were asked to answer the following question in 500 words or less.

Please identify a specific character trait that makes you an effective leader. Give an example(s) of how you have utilized that personal characteristic in previous leadership position and, if elected, how residents will benefit from that particular trait. Be specific.

The four candidate responses follow below in alphabetical order according to last name. If your question and/or comment is for a specific candidate, please refer to that individual by name so as not to confuse the reader. Voters will select two of these candidates on November 3 for the Tredyffrin Township Board of Supervisors.

Tredyffrin Township Supervisor Candidate Elva Bankins (D)
At-Large

Communication & Active Listener

With 20+ years of experience in corporate management, technology start-ups and non-profit board leadership, I bring an ability to communicate by actively listening and understanding the needs of others. A small business owner and certified leadership coach, I am a communicator who believes in an open and transparent approach to decision-making and resolving issues.

One example of how I utilized my communication and active listening skills within several disparate groups was in my leadership role with a career services firm. The firm’s purpose was to assist employees who were downsized or “laid off” with their job search. As the general manager, I served several different constituencies with varied and conflicting interests. For example, there were two types of customers; one was my corporate customer who paid for their employee’s services and the other was the effected employee who utilized the services. Additionally, there were many full-time, part-time and contractors who worked for the firm. My responsibilities were extensive. I managed the budget process (P&L), facilities, operations, sales and customer satisfaction. My communications and listening skills while working with multiple constituents were critical to the success of this multi-site operation.

At the request of our corporate customers, the firm opened an office location in the Westlake’s Office Complex in Berwyn, PA. I had continuous meetings with the realtors, our firm’s controller, telecommunications reps, movers, etc., and our employees to ensure a smooth and successful new office opening. While communicating and listening to many constituents, I held costs under budget for the move, ensured customer satisfaction and maintained open and transparent communications throughout the process.

How will this trait benefit Tredyffrin Residents?

If I am elected to the Board of Supervisors, Tredyffrin residents will benefit by getting a communicator who is an active listener. A 22+ year resident of this township, the Board will gain a business professional who can listen to multiple constituents and who will work tirelessly for successfully outcomes. If elected, my vision is to foster closer relationships with our residents and companies that conduct business in Tredyffrin to build a closer sense of community. As a communicator, I bring compassion and a responsible and prudent approach to decision-making while seeking new ways to ensure that we are focused on building a foundation that solidifies the future of Tredyffrin Township and our residents.

Tredyffrin Township Supervisor Candidate Louis Horvath (D)
At-Large

Character traits that best describe me are my lifelong determination to achieve competency, serve others and be a person of the highest integrity.

I am from a humble background. I grew up in the coal region of Western Pennsylvania as the son of a coal miner and a cleaning lady who were not able to attend high school. My roots have provided me with the values of humility, respect and service to all people.

I began my devotion to service at the age of 15 when I entered the Catholic seminary to study for the priesthood. My original intention was to serve others as a missionary in South America. But after graduating from college, I decided to seek a different vocational direction. I completed my graduate studies in Community Health at Temple University and embarked on a rewarding career in health care and education.

My professional career started as a clinician counseling people with alcohol addiction and their families. As I grew in my understanding of the disease, I developed a comprehensive program that improved successful outcomes in meeting patient needs.

My career grew in senior management by enhancing medical services in hospital settings; coordinating mental health services at three organizations; and serving the elderly and special needs children through care management and home care services.

With over 25 years of successful leadership experience in managing health services, addressing and responding to the special needs of the community and listening to their concerns, my journey as a health care administrator and university educator has equipped me with the knowledge, skills and competency to serve the community as a Township Supervisor. They include:

• Managing employees and benefit administration
• Monitoring large budgets and capital improvements
• Improving information system;
• Leading growth and change in multiple organizations

For three years now I have been fully committed to motivating and guiding students at St. Joseph’s University to become future leaders. I tell my students they will achieve as leaders through determination and by remaining true to themselves and their highest values.

I am an individual committed to the ethical principles of autonomy, which entails respect for others, social justice, and having the courage to do the right thing in the right way. A person of high expectations of self and others, I would like to serve in the best interest of the community. I do my research and homework and base decisions on facts and truth. My interest in service is rooted in my family background, my career in health services and in higher education.

Finally, my strength lies in my spirituality and integrity.

Tredyffrin Township Supervisor Candidate Trip Lukens (R)
At-Large

Consensus Builder

I am a proven consensus builder. For the last eight years, I have served Tredyffrin Township as a member of the Planning Commission. For four of those years, I was elected by a bipartisan group of my peers to serve as either the Vice Chairman or Chairman.

During my eight years of service, I have worked with individuals with competing interest to craft compromises that have worked well for the township. I have been active in advocating for our communities. I was involved in drafting the Township’s Comprehensive and Historic Preservation plans. I have worked to modernize the Township’s zoning ordinances. Those efforts continue as I work to address problems that remain within the Zoning Code which have allowed for excessive density in some of the Township’s Zoning Districts. I have worked diligently to reduce the impact of Storm Water throughout the Township.

My ability to build consensus and to be a bipartisan leader is illustrated by the fact that three former Democratic candidates for Supervisor chose to contribute financially to my campaign to become a Tredyffrin Township Supervisor.

The makeup of the next Board of Supervisors will have members of both parties. The Township will be best served by having a Supervisor with a history of working with people of differing points of view. Given my eight years of service on the Planning Commission and my professional experience in real estate and finance, I believe I am uniquely qualified to serve as a member of the Board of Supervisors.

As a father of three young children, I know how important it is for the Township to provide and support top notch police and fire departments, great municipal parks, and excellent libraries. Tredyffrin Township is a wonderful place to live and I consider myself blessed to be able to raise a family here. Departing Supervisors Mike Heaberg, Kristen Mayock, and J.D. DiBuonaventuro have provided a history of delivering an excellent level of service from the Township with a proven history of excellent fiscal management. I intend to continue this legacy.

Tredyffrin Township Supervisor Candidate Sean Moir (R)
At-Large

Consensus Builder

As a member of Tredyffrin’s Park Board for the last ten years, I’ve had the opportunity to work on a number of projects that directly affect the daily lives of township residents. Sometimes these involve virtually unquestionable community improvements – like the new scoreboard at Wilson Park – but sometimes the projects also require community buy-in. In these latter cases it’s important to have the ability to act as a consensus builder.

Over the last year I’ve been working on an initiative to establish a safe and convenient access to the Chester Valley Trail from D’Ambrosia Park. This has required working closely with neighboring residents, Supervisors, Park Board members, Public Works, township staff, the Friends of the Chester Valley Trail, Chester County Parks and Facilities, and the adjacent landowner, to develop a mutually agreeable solution for trail access.

When I first approached the Supervisors about this idea in early 2014 there was some concern about neighborhood reaction, so I was asked to contact the residents to discuss the idea. I invited a group of neighbors to attend a Park Board meeting where I presented a possible plan for the D’Ambrosia trail access. There were about a dozen residents in attendance and they expressed their concerns primarily about increased traffic and privacy issues. After demonstrating how we could address these issues, we called for a vote and the neighbors unanimously and enthusiastically agreed to support the project.

After various follow-up meetings on and off site with residents and township staff to discuss possible trail alignments, we developed a plan that was approved by the Supervisors. I also met with representatives from the Friends of the Chester Valley Trail, as well as Chester County Parks and Facilities to formalize a connection agreement. Since this access requires crossing a small section of private property, I contacted the property owner, and managed to foster an agreement between his attorney and the township solicitor.

The project is now in the construction phase, and should be open to the public next spring.

This particular example demonstrates that even the most seemingly simple of public projects can require buy-in from a vast array of stakeholders, any of whom could cause an initiative to stall out. It is critical in these cases to always respect the wishes of all parties involved, especially residents who don’t necessarily have an official role in municipal projects. Only then, through thoughtful consensus building and perseverance, can a public project succeed.

As a Park Board member, I have demonstrated the ability to bring people together to accomplish many objectives. Not only with trail access, but I did it with the Conestoga Road sidewalk project in 2009, the scoreboard at Wilson Park last year, and I’m currently working with the Audubon Society’s Tredyffrin Bird Town chapter to create a bird sanctuary at Westover Park in Devon.

As Supervisor I would apply the same consensus building approach to bigger projects whether they involve the parks, libraries, infrastructure, stormwater, planning, or public safety.