Township Matters & Your Vote for Change
Ah, Township matters…this is where the role of Trustee can have an impact and there is so much to unpack here. After watching Township operations and working to find ways to work with the Township on community projects over the past 4 years, the three biggest challenges I will work tirelessly to address are the following…
1) Communication/Transparency
The most inspiring thing about community projects I’ve been involved in, such as fighting against the asphalt plant, and the Town House Project, is that people in this community care deeply about the place we live. People come together from all backgrounds and walks of life, they work across party lines, and they work together to make sure Tyrone is taken care of. Sadly, over the past 4 years communication has shut down. People are feeling pushed out and unheard. We need to figure out new strategies for collaboration, communication and certainly transparency. Nothing else can be effectively accomplished without first building better relationships.
2) Restoring Ethics in Board Practices
Board members are not elected to unilaterally make decisions and ignore the input of residents, nor are they elected to follow the opinion or wishes of one. A healthy Board has independent voices, critical thinkers, answers questions, engages with the community, and shows up well informed before ever voting on an issue. Each member’s vote should be his or her own without influence, pressure, or coercion of another Board member. These are simple matters of ethical practices that I think need to change immediately.
We need a Board that meets regularly and builds new forums to work with the people instead of canceling meetings and unilaterally adopting unenforceable ordinances/punitive Conduct Policies that silence the voice of people.
3) Drafting a Master Plan & Re-aligning Ordinances
There are many things that have not been done that are leaving our Township vulnerable. If anything, we need to have some urgency in drafting a better Master Plan that actually reflects the vision of the residents, involves the residents that want to help, and works to align our ordinances to protect our community. These actions will slow track heavy development, extraction mining, and green energy pushed on us by the State. Retaining local control is seriously threatened by recent legislation and relentless lobbying at the State level. It’s been going on for years. Our Board and appointed Planning Commission has a lot of work to do so we can be more proactive instead of reactive. We need a Planning Commission of appointees that show up to do the work.
My last comment is PLEASE exercise your right to vote in the August 6th PRIMARY ELECTION. This election is so important for our local governance. We need you to show up to vote and we also need you to call your friends and urge them to vote too! Whether you agree with my views and goals, or that of another candidate, I cannot express the importance of voter turnout in this election.