Lower Providence Supervisors won't be criminally charged

Montgomery County's district attorney will not charge Colleen Eckman and Don Thomas in connection with the campaign battle waged against former township supervisor Craig Dininny and his running mate, James Dougherty. That doesn't mean J.P. Mascaro and Son's will drop its civil suit against Eckman and Thomas, though. The pair accused employees of the company of funding their opponent's campaign. While that is perfectly legal, it is a no no under the Pennsylvania election code for companies to fund political campaigns. So, if defamation is not a criminal offense, will it hold up in a civil court?

Thomas Jefferson, the last true Republican

Since this column is getting so much reaction I thought I would post a link to it here and get some additional response. I know my readers always have an opinion or two, so chime in, please. 
http://bit.ly/aNzaC0

No need for Wikileaks in Norristown

I thought I would put this out for discussion this week. The press does their own digging on a routine basis, but without people willing to come forward some stories just wouldn't be told. Check out the link below and throw in your two cents.

http://bit.ly/b571Nq

Consulting for dollars

Montgomery County (PA) approves a new contract for a health care consulting firm, guaranteeing them somewhere around $365,000 to tell them what? That they should go with the health care firm they're already using? C'mon, this is getting more and more ridiculous by the day. The leadership in this county is failing us. There's a budget shortfall but we're paying a consultant to give us the lowdown on the health care company the county has been using for years.

I have half a mind to run for county commissioner myself. Will you back me? I mean seriously, half a mind is about all I'd need to do better than what we have now. I guarantee you this kind of stuff would come to a screeching halt.

Round up time

As we head into the weekend let's take a moment to catch up. When you get a minute leave a comment on one of the below questions.

Why is the Norristown Area School District taking 30 days to respond to a Right To Know request for the needed repairs for Roosevelt Field?

Why are we not hearing anything out of the county about the multiple accusations leveled at commissioner's Chairman Jim Matthews?

Why is Norristown taking forever to respond to the disaster that is 770 Sandy St.?

Why is West Norriton fighting putting a stadium in at the high school?

Take your pick, or ask your own question. I'm just trying to keep the conversation lively!

Today, we declare our independence

OK, that was a little dramatic, and a little early, but we are in a way declaring our independence at The Times Herald with the Ben Franklin Project. We're breaking the chains that bind us to the proprietary systems that have held newspapers back for the past decade and breaking out on our own to bring you your news your way. How about you telling us where you think the biggest traffic headaches are in your community? Send an e-mail to jdhuff@timesherald.com. Who has the best cheese steak in your community? Send an e-mail to gpuleo@timesherald.com. Who was the best athlete at your high school, and why? Send an e-mail to dkurtz@timesherald.com. What does Independence Day mean to you? Send an e-mail to gglantz@timesherald.com. We will be declaring our independence on Independence Day and we want you to be an integral part of the project. This is just the beginning, folks. It's time you started receiving Your News Your Way.

My own version of the Tea Party movement

Here it is, plain and simple.

Increase the sales tax to 8 percent and include clothing.

All of you ‘regressive tax’ naysayers need to keep reading before you start e-mailing me.

I can’t believe I walk into the King of Prussia Mall, that is after I walk past all the Mercedes Benz,’ Hummers and Porches, and watch what must be literally hundreds of thousands of dollars a year walk out the door without a single tax dollar being collected.

Are you kidding me?

Where is the common sense, here, folks? And yes I meant to drop the reference to Thomas Paine’s eloquently written masterpiece.

Look folks, adding two cents on the dollar is not going to keep even the poorest of people from eating, so you can drop the ‘regressive tax’ argument right into the harbor.

I ordered an external hard drive for one of my sons a couple of weeks ago from Best Buy. It cost $79.99. When the bill came it was $79.99. Really? An eight percent tax would have brought the total to $86.39. How many millions of dollars would the state collect each year based on an 8 percent tax on electronics alone?

We the people have been sitting around the harbor for far too long, taking what’s been dished out as if we didn’t have any other option.

We do.

This is still our country, and we need to act like it.

Call it a tea party, call it a property party, call it whatever you like, (That’s where I need the help I was asking for earlier, you have to have a catchy name for your movement.) but we need to get our collective acts together and throw all the taxing bodies into the local harbor and not let them back onto dry land until they figure out that we’re actually in charge.

Teaching lessons

Teachers play a significant role in the formation of our children. Their jobs are tough, I know, I was a substitute for a while when I was at the University of North Texas. They work long hours, but they get a lot of time off in the summer. Most teachers are dedicated professionals, and I say most only because in any profession there are people who simply don't belong. Teachers are taxpayers, too, so they feel it every time the school district raises property taxes.
I wanted to put all of that on the table so someone doesn't read into this post that I don't like teachers. This post is really for teachers. This is a brief explanation of why you're feeling unappreciated. Every time you go to the well for pay increases all of our property taxes go up, and yes, I know that includes yours as well. Here's the real reason you're not feeling the love right now; you're asking for too much. No one wants to hear that you want to pay less for your health care. No one wants to hear that you want 4, 5 and 6 percent raises. Just be reasonable. That's all.

PA getting out of the liquor business?

Direct from the state legislature, courtesy, Bob Godshall.

Rep. Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) unveiled legislation this week to privatize the wholesale and retail operations of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB). The bill would auction off 100 wholesale distribution licenses and 750 retail store licenses to the highest responsible bidders. The auction of the licenses is expected to bring in a minimum of $2 billion in revenue. Tax changes under the bill are predicted to generate $500 million annually; the current system brings in approximately $375 million in tax revenue. Presently, the PLCB owns and operates 621 state stores throughout the Commonwealth and is responsible for the purchase and distribution of all wine and spirits within the state. The sale and distribution of beer would not be affected by the legislation.

I'm all for this; the state shouldn't be in the liquor business anyway. Open it up to competition and we all win.



What's your take?

How about a spot of tea?

Tea Party members from all across the country demonstrated on April 15. While there have been alleged members of the group spouting hate at some of the rallies, for the most part they have been pulled off without a hitch. I write about the Tea Party movement in my April 19 column in The Times Herald. So, here's my question. As we argue about the fringe element of the group are we missing the message? Is that by design? I'm not happy with the direction this country is headed in, are you? OK, that was three questions; take your pick of which one you want to answer.

Sen. Specter's Visit

Sen. Arlen Specter will visit us today for an editorial board meeting. We want to open up a portion of the meeting to you, our readers. If you had the chance, what would you ask the Senator? Please post your question here and I'll try to fit it into the interview.

Fringe benefits?

The benefit of the doubt is getting harder to give, http://bit.ly/cdZiwM

Blurry Lines

So, where is the line, http://bit.ly/bpFEeb? The way I see it I could run for office, build up a nice campaign war chest and use it to pay off my house, my car, whatever. Why would anyone (and by that I mean individuals, not corporations) give to any campaign?

Trash Talk

Good morning Lower Providence. Good morning East Norriton and good morning Philadelphia.
How about some open debate for a change?
What are the merits of having one trash hauler as opposed to having your choice of several?
Here's what I'm thinking.
I live in West Norriton. We have our pick of about a half dozen trash haulers. For us, that means we can drop anyone we don't like at anytime in an effort to get better service and a better price. You know what else that means? I don't think there's a day that goes by without a trash truck rumbling down my street before the crack of dawn.
Now, Lower Providence just renewed its contract with one trash hauler. If the township supervisors were doing their due diligence, which I have no reason to believe they weren't, and a quick Right To Know request would clear it up in a minute, then residents of Lower Providence are getting the best price, and possibly the best service for their buck. And if they're not happy with either they can re-bid the contract.
East Norriton, you're debating whether to go with a single trash hauler. So for residents I guess the question is whether you trust your elected officials to make the right decision.
Philadelphia is struggling so the mayor wants to start charging $300 a year for trash collection. My only response is that I'm pretty sure they're already being taxed to pay for collection so why is the city trying to double dip into residents pockets?
The lines are now open. Where do you stand?

Angus found on Schuylkill Expressway

Check out the power of social networking, http://bit.ly/9YCLyW, and a heartwarming story.

Citizen Journalism Redux

Here's where journalism is headed in a hurry, http://bit.ly/9JS5TD. We, and by we I mean the newspaper industry, will not lose our core values as we catapult ourselves into the 21st Century.
Thomas Jefferson once said, "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without government, I should not for a moment hesitate to prefer the latter." We will keep fighting the good fight, no matter the platform.

Remembering a friend

My tribute to Montgomery County Sheriff John Durante, http://bit.ly/dx6yOf. Please feel free to share.

Snow job

So, how good of a job did your town do plowing your streets? I live in West Norriton and I'd have to give them at least a "B." I won't go to an "A" because, well, I hardly rank anything as the best, and we still have mountains of snow in our development. I thought they were sending in front-end loaders to haul some of it a way, but I guess not. Anyway, how about your town. I think a "B" is a pretty darn good grade, did your town do any better?

Citizen journalism

Have you ever thought you have what it takes to do what we do? Or maybe, you think you can do it better than we do it! We're kicking around the idea of bringing in a group of people to talk about citizen journalism, which basically is defined as journalism in the hands of every day citizens. While that is a scary concept for a hardcore journalist to accept, we're not talking about bringing in people to do investigative journalism, we're talking about having a troop of citizens looking out for news in their neighborhoods, kind of a rookie journalist who has more will power than training. I know there are at least a dozen or so residents in Lower Providence who fit the description. How about the rest of you? You don't seem to want to talk about Obama's state of the union address, so how about chiming in here?

Obama turning a corner?

I closed my eyes while listening to President Obama's speech and for a very short moment there I thought I was listening to a Republican. He was actually touting small business as the economic engine that will pull this country out of the recession. A capitalist if ever I heard one. Your thoughts on the speech?

Play nice, please

OK, kids. If you can't play nice I'm going to have to put you in time out. Seriously, watch the personal attacks. I don't like them and I will continue to remove them.

Speaking of playing nice, I'm not really sure who gave CBIZ the go ahead to play with the county's money. It looks like nobody right now, and it looks like there weren't any requests for proposals sent out to insurance companies.

If I'm wrong, I'd sure like to know. Perhaps someone from CBIZ could give me a call?

Montco, PA, home of pay to play?

Sunday's editorial in The Times Herald requires more than one reading. First read through and you think to yourself, oh well, that's politics, but when you read it for the second time you have to think to yourself, wait a minute, isn't this the very definition of pay to play?
Here's the Reader's Digest version. CBIZ is the county's health benefits consultant; the county asked CBIZ to go find it the best deal on insurance, which amounts to a $35 million expenditure each year, and CBIZ contributed a good bit of money to (Montgomery County Commissioners Chairman) Matthews’ campaign, and the topper; we cannot find any evidence that requests for proposals were sent out to any insurance companies to determine if CBIZ was indeed giving the business to the lowest responsible bidder.
All of this could quickly be cleared up if Matthews would simply provide the information requested by The Times Herald.

The real scoop on Lower Providence

OK, it appears to me that residents in Lower Providence wanted twice a week trash pick up and the lowest responsible bidder was J.P. Mascaro and Sons. Seems like the right decision was made last night by the board. My question is - as probably was the case with the American Revolution Center - are there really just a few disgruntled LP residents who squeak the loudest, or does the majority truly believe the supervisors are selling the township down the river? Just to let you know, anyone who posted to another thread on this subject it was not approved, please post your response here. I want to keep the comments going under the appropriate posts. Thanks.

Limerick, not a funny rhyme

Feds are back in Limerick looking for something. What have you heard? They, that would be the feds, were there early last year but nothing ever came of it. They were looking into allegations against former supervisor David Kane. Now I'm being told they were there to gather information on equipment at Limerick nuclear plant for security purposes, saying it's routine. Really? How come we've never heard of these visits before?

Healthcare reform still on life support

While I can understand the euphoria surrounding the House passing health care reform, please remember it still must make its way through the Senate where Democrat turned Independent Joe Lieberman said "I will not allow this bill to come to a final vote." Why? Because the public option portion could bankrupt this country. Why not try to push the bill through without it and send it back to the House?

Republicans on the comeback trail

Montgomery County and half the nation, okay, at least a couple of states, have decided we've about seen enough of what the Democrats can do when they take charge. Republicans swept into the judicial seats, taking six of the seven seats on Common Pleas Court. Most of the local races were won by Democrats, though, except in Conshohocken and Lower Providence. Thankfully one Republican made it in West Norriton. A Republican took the governor's seat in New Jersey, and Republicans took over in Virginia as well.
What a night. How does your morning look?

Election Day Drama

I know it's going to happen somewhere, so drop me a line and let me know if it's taking place at a poll near you. As is tradition on Election Day I don't get to the newsroom until later in the afternoon so let's get the party started, no matter which side of the aisle you sit on. Any predictions?

Phillies and fanatics

Please notice that fanatics is not spelled with a 'ph.' That's because the fanatics I'm going to talk about today are of the political bent. But before I go down that road let's make a quick prediction for the World Series. I've got the Phillies in five. They'll split the games in New York and finish them off Monday night. What's your prediction?
Now on to the fanatics. This political season has gotten nasty, as usual, but there are some people who just go too far. The personal attacks are absolutely the worst. I guess if you don't have something intelligent to say you simply attack your opponent. How about this, a candidate that sends out a personal attack is automatically taken off the ballot?

Ethics and politics, an oxymoron? Part Deux

Way back in March I made a prediction, "Montgomery County employees are going to be barred from running for office if the recently tabled ethics reform policy is given new life, which I'm certain it will," that has indeed come true. Look folks, this is nothing more than county Commissioner Joe Hoeffel attempting to rid the courthouse of all things Republican. Unfortunately, quasi-Republican Commissioner Chairman Jim Matthews is going along for the ride. The ordinance should be overturned and I'm sure Judge Nicholas will do just that. But what I'd really like to know is, what do you think?

Obama's Nobel Prize win

I have no idea what the nominating committee could have been thinking when they came up with President Obama for the Nobel Peace Prize. It's like giving a 20 year old a lifetime achievement award. Wait a minute, though, I wrote one book, I must be ready for the Pulitzer. Don't get me wrong, I think Obama has certainly made strides in getting the rest of the world not to hate us, but how does that equal a Nobel Prize?

Something I didn't know

Here's a surprise, http://bit.ly/snsVH, I just found out Borders is also carrying my new book. They also want me to do a book signing Nov. 28. What do you think?

Calling ACORN

So, with all the bad press ACORN has been receiving on the national level I thought I would give our local branch an opportunity to speak out. I went on their Web site and used the e-mail address provided to request an interview. It was returned undeliverable. I then used the telephone number provided to request an interview. No one answered so I left a message. A gentleman returned my call to tell me he was not a member of ACORN, that he has been inundated with calls to his personal phone and also that he had asked them to remove his number from their Web site, obviously to no avail. So, I'll try reaching out here. Does anyone know anyone who works for our local ACORN branch?

Straight talk

Plain and simple, do you think schools should have shown President Obama's speech to students?

History in the making

Time for a little shameless self-promotion. My new book, "Remembering Norristown: Stories from the banks of the Schuylkill River" is here, http://bit.ly/y39kr, or you can come by our offices and I'll sign a copy for you.

Back to basics

That's exactly what the Republican Party must do, get back to basics. We've been running scared since the Democrats took control of Congress in 2006. And just what have they accomplished? Nancy Pelosi was going to fix all our ills in her first 100 hours after being sworn in. Well, times been up for a long while and we're still waiting. We haven't done much to help ourselves since then either, but things are about to change. Republicans have been ashamed of being Republicans for the past four years and we have to stop wallowing in our own self pity. Personally, I'm proud of the fact that I don't like big government. When did that ever become unpopular? It's time for a grass roots, back to basics campaign that will sweep Republicans back into power before we all end up working for the government. Care to join me?

Dirty Dem Politics

I had to extend last week's post because of what happened in state government today.
Listen to this. Dems are touting the bridge budget as a victory, which will allow state workers to get paid early next week. What they're not touting is the fact that they were all issued paychecks Tuesday. That's right, Democratic lawmakers made sure they were paid first. Let me be very clear that I'm talking about Democratic lawmakers here. They've put themselves at the head of the line, once again. Republican lawmakers will get paid next week, just like everybody else.
The audacity is simply astounding. Watch this http://www.wgal.com/video/20290590/index.html and then tell me what you think.

Dirty politics

How is it that Gov. Ed Rendell is able to hold up the budget process every year? And I mean every year. He hasn't passed a single budget on time since he's been in office. This is dirty politics at its best. He's using state workers to get want he wants, which we all know is a tax increase. A tax increase. Really? I guess people who live the kind of life he leads simply don't understand what it is like to even face the prospect of going without a paycheck. The dems want to raise taxes, the Republicans want to hold the line on taxes. How is it again that dems are gaining in numbers?

Black and white

Seriously?
I'm not naive, I know racism still exists, but the incident out at the Huntingdon Valley swim club is so blatant it's absurd. And the fact that it was addressed toward children is twice as appalling. Racism will never cease to exist as long as it is perpetuated by adults, in front of children. For those of you who missed the story, seems an inner city summer camp was looking for their kids to swim. They paid nearly $2,000 for the privilege to swim at the Huntingdon Valley club, but when they showed up the white folks (parents) didn't like what they saw.
I have to say it again. Seriously?
The best golfer in the world is black. OK, mixed race, like our president. I'm pretty sure either of them would have been welcome at the swim club. I understand the club is private, but here's what should happen. Everyone of those black and Hispanic kids should be invited back to the club to swim, everyday, not just on Mondays. Perhaps then the racist white folks at the club would begin to understand that they're just that, kids.

Arc war is lost

Personally, I wanted the ARC a little closer to home. I know that's a little selfish, but the idea of driving into Philadelphia is just not appealing to me. It was a valiant battle waged on those who didn't want it in Lower Providence and my respect goes out to them for sticking to their guns.
I believe, unfortunately, that it will be a loss for our little part of the world.
Now that it is going to be in the city, what do you think will happen to the land?

The man with the plan

All right already with Lower Providence. I think I'm going to have to give you guys your own blog. Try not to hijack this one, please, because I really want to get some good feedback on my plan. So, without further ado, here it is.
The Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown has a gift shop. In the gift shop there could be brochures for a new performing arts center and the old Montgomery County prison, which could be converted into a haunted house ala Eastern State Penitentiary, because, if it’s a good plan there’s something going on at the prison/haunted house nearly year round and they'll need a brochure. The performing arts center will have a ticket booth and a lobby, both of which could have brochures for the zoo and for the prison/haunted house, and, I think you’re following the plan by now, but just for posterity’s sake I’ll keep going, and the prison/haunted house has a ticket booth that could have brochures for the zoo and the performing arts center. With all three cross promoting each other we’ll have people running all over Norristown in no time.
Now I know this doesn't have anything to do with Lower Providence, but humor me, please.
I wrote a lot more about the plan in my column, which you can find in the Monday, June 29 edition.

Election post mortem

What a night. I have to say I was surprised with some of the results and not so much with others. I wasn't surprised at all with the turnout, which was dismal at best. Big shakeups in East Norriton and Lower Providence, and a newcomer to Norristown politics was the highest vote getter. Did your candidate win? I know what I'm thinking, but what are you thinking?

100 days, 100 chances

I hope the next 100 days brings at least some of the change President Obama was talking about when he was running for office. I know, I know, I'm supposed to give him a chance. Well, when you're the most powerful man in the world 100 days is a chance. I remember Pelosi saying she was going to change everything in Washington in her first 100 hours. We're still waiting. Obama has had 100 days to make an impact on the economy, on health care, and in the Middle East. Let's see, what do we have so far, the economy isn't getting any better, the proposed health care plan will put the economy in worse shape than it has ever been in, and Obama's finding out that getting out of Iraq isn't as easy as he thought it was going to be. Hope and change sounds a little hollow right about now.

Valley Forge Free For All

Where to start, folks. It's been a busy day at The Times Herald.
Slots were approved for the Valley Forge Convention Center, http://bit.ly/eq95H, and now we've just heard the judge has dismissed the case against the American Revolution Center.
Stay tuned.

White flag waved in ARC battle

While it certainly isn't a surrender by any stretch of the imagination, the developers of the American Revolution Center have agreed to put off building a convention center at the site for at least 15 years. Now, my first question would be that if you don't need it now, are you going to need it 15 years from now? And of course I'd have to follow that up with, if you agree to not build the convention center at all would that appease the ARC's opponents?
You tell me.

Ethics and politics, an oxymoron?

How can anyone have a problem with ethics reform?
I'll tell you how, when the reform isn't really reform at all.
Montgomery County employees are going to be barred from running for office if the recently tabled ethics reform policy is given new life, which I'm certain it will.
What's the point? I think the point is so county employees will not be involved in politics on county time.
Well, I'm fairly certain that's the law now, isn't it?
What do you think?

What a 'Vision'

Vision Quest is an organization that does a job most of us would rather not talk about, hear about, or quite frankly even see. They want to come into Norristown and set up shop at Norristown State Hospital, and they just might be able to do so, but I'm opposed to the idea. Not because of who they are, but because of where they want to set up shop. An urban setting is just not the place for this type of facility. There would be entirely too many temptations for the juveniles housed there, and entirely too many residents within a stone's throw of where they would be biding their time. While there are dozens of residents coming out in opposition to the move, and rightfully so, I'd like to suggest that some concerted effort be put forth to find an alternative site for Vision Quest so the conversation does not center completely around 'not in my back yard.'

Where's the gander?

County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel, who seems to be an all-around good guy, apparently has never heard the saying, "What's good for the goose is good for the gander." I'm talking about his recent assertion that County Commissioner Bruce Castor should be investigated for using his then-district attorney's office for political activities. It wasn't so long ago that Hoeffel's once time opponent, and now strange bedfellow, County Commissioner Jim Matthews, used his office for actually taping a political commercial, using staff members as extras, in his bid for reelection.
Come on, Joe, say it ain't so. Seriously, if you're going to take Castor to task for his (admittedly) discussing his run for state attorney general while in office you absolutely have to hold Matthews to at least the same standard. Those with not so short memories will recall Hoeffel actually sending out a letter that was nothing more than a solicitation for new business for his law practice using his then county commissioner seat as the reason new clients should seek him out.
Does that make Joe the new Goose?

The road will be traveled often

OK, my attempt to get you to look through rose colored glasses for a moment or two lasted about, what, a moment or two?
Well, it's back to reality.
Who was caught in the traffic nightmare last Saturday?
I know some of you were because you brought it up on other posts so I thought I would start a new post to consolidate the thread.
Obviously, something has to be done, and I for one appreciate the fact that Mr. Neilson came out to the Upper Providence meeting to let people know he was going to do just that.
The question is, though, just how much can he do? I mean, running a one-way street through a park just isn't the answer. Sure, it will alleviate some of the congestion for the time being, but what about when spring arrives and that park is full?
The only fix is going to be a full interchange off Route 422 at the Pawlings Road overpass. I can vaguely remember former Lower Providence Township Supervisor Tom Borai standing on the overpass in a photograph on the front page of The Times Herald. It must have been at least 10 years ago.
Why was he standing there, you ask? He was calling for a full interchange off Route 422.
Seems he knew then that the road would be traveled often.

New Year, new possibilities

OK, let's start the new year off on the right foot.
We spent the past year complaining about everything under the proverbial sun, and don't get me wrong, we'll get back to that real soon. I just wanted to start off the year with a blog about new possibilities in the new year. I've been working with some really great folks behind the scenes to find a new home for the Montgomery County Cultural Center. We're even going to give it a new name, the Norristown Performing Arts Center. It's going to be a place where you can go see off-Broadway quality theater and musical acts that you can remember from days gone by. Did you know Greg Allman was booked for New Year's Eve at the Keswick?
We're going to start a new feature in paper and online about people in the are who do good deeds, just because. 'Faces' will debut the first week in February. We're going to launch a social networking site to accompany the profile pieces so everyone will have a place to share their stories.
Those are just a couple off the top of my head. How about you? What do you see possible in the new year?

Stackless in West Norriton

Take a look up the next time you're driving down Main Street.
Make sure you're keeping one eye on the road, though, I don't want you to get into an accident.
When you do look up you'll notice that one of the Barbadoes Island smoke stacks is gone.
The other is going to come down soon, I hear.
There are a lot of eyes sores around the area, and while the smoke stacks were not as visible as most, they certainly didn't lend anything positive to the aesthetics of the area.
What other buildings or structures do you know about that need to be no more?

Postal mystery solved, ARC still coveted

Thank you, Mr. Rick Brown.
I thought I was going crazy last week when I saw the Eagleville post office had shut down, especially since my mailing address had recently been changed to Eagleville. Thanks, Rick, for letting everyone know it had simply moved. Unlike you, I don't live in Lower Providence. I live in West Norriton, but that's where I go to pick up my certified mail.

So, every one's tired of talking about the ARC, eh? I could talk about the hospital move, but there's nothing new going on right now.

How about a performing arts center in Norristown?
I'd love to talk about that. How many of you would be interested in helping out with bringing a little culture into the county seat? We already have the state on board to the tune of $500,000, the county on board for some significant funds, and the borough, I mean municipality, is ready to help out any way they can, but we're also going to need some every day folks willing to throw a shilling or two into the pot.
Shoot me an e-mail at shuskey@timesherald.com if you think you want to get involved.

New heights in Lower Providence

Maybe this was in the paper and I missed it, but being a resident of West Norriton, which has the same zip code as Providence and East Norriton, I became one the new residents of Eagleville a few months back when the U.S. Post Office decided that's where we live now. To be honest, it really didn't bother me all that much. But, there's always a but, isn't there? Anyway, I went to Kmart the other day to buy a gift for a youngster in Norristown's preschool program and guess what I spied as I pulled into the parking lot. The Eagleville post office was closed down. I don't mean just for the day, the letters have been pulled off the front of the building.
So, stew on that one for a while and let me know what you think.
And if that's not enough to get your juices flowing what do you think about the latest with the ARC?
I thought that might work.
The National Parks Conservation Association has filed a federal suit to get the zoning overturned.
I'm beginning to think we might have another revolution before this thing gets built, no matter where it winds up getting built.

Here's the frightening part

I told you I would come back with some frightening numbers on where your tax dollars are spent.
Are you sitting down? You really should be.
Pennsylvania spent a whopping $108.3 billion in the 2005-06 fiscal year, according to the Commonwealth Foundation, and is expected to increase spending to $130 billion by the 2010-11 fiscal year. That's right. That's a billion with a 'b.'
Any time anyone starts talking in the billions I lose track. I can’t even imagine what a billion of anything looks like. So, thanks to the good folks at the Commonwealth Foundation, I’m going to break it down for you.
The state spent, in the 2005-06 fiscal year, $4,312 for every man, woman and child in the state. Really?
But it gets better. For the same year local governments spent an average of $4,378 for every man, woman and child in their respective municipalities. Seriously?
Unfortunately, I am serious. By the way, this amounts to an increase in government spending, on just the local and state level, by a little more than 98 percent since the 1991-92 fiscal year.
Governments have no reason to rein in their own spending. All they have to do if they need more money is increase taxes, and we all know how good they are at doing that.
I think it’s time to start a movement that requires a referendum on any local or state spending that goes beyond the rate of inflation.
Our federal government is a monstrosity. Did you know there are more than 14 million people working for our federal government?
Pennsylvania alone employs more than 80,000 people, according to our state’s own recruiting Web site.
That's right, the state government is so big it has its own recruiting Web site.
So, let's kick it up a notch, folks.
Government is simply getting out of hand, no matter what level you look at.

Where do our tax dollars go?

I'll tell you where I think it all goes. I think it all goes to our local, state and federal governments so they can tell us how we're supposed to be living. We spend as much money on people working in government than we do on programs that are supposed to be helping people.
When are we going to let them know we've had enough?
We work now until, what, April before we're actually finished paying our tax load?
Our state and federal governments are huge.
And locally, our school districts tell us how much money they're taking from us each year to give our children a quality education. How about we start telling them how much we're going to let them spend to give our children a quality education?
When did we let our governments get so big?
It wasn't just yesterday so you can't blame Bush, which a lot of people try to do for just about everything.
I think it's about time for some accountability.
Just where do our tax dollars go?
You tell me where you think they're going and then I'll come back with another blog with some absolutely frightening numbers.

Color blind

My candidate lost last night.
There will be time to reflect on that loss, but now it's time to reflect on the win.
The color barrier in this country has been shattered.
When I think about all of the times in my life when I've walked a little taller, they just don't seem to compare to what African Americans must be feeling this morning.
I'm working on a column for Monday's print edition and I'll be speaking with friends during the next few days to at least attempt to understand the magnitude of Barack Obama's march to the White House, forty years after Martin Luther King Jr.'s march on Washington.
Please, take a few moments to share your thoughts.
I know there must be an awful lot of pride out there right now. What other emotions are being felt as the reality of the first man of color being elected to the highest office in the land settles in?

The writing on the wall

There is a very real possibility this could be a landslide, at least electorally speaking.
This is awfully reminiscent of two years ago when dems were swept into office on the congressional level with Nancy Pelosi leading the charge, telling us how she was going to fix everything within her first 100 hours.
Obama has told us how he's going to fix everything, and I mean everything, if he's elected.
Well, he won't take office until January, but after that, let's make sure we're holding his feet to the proverbial fire.

Down to the wire

I'm not really sure if that's going to be the case, but I'm hoping we'll get to call it tonight before we put the paper to bed.
Turnout is heavy everywhere, though, so it's going to be tough.
I voted a little while ago and I was number 938 in a precinct that normally gets two or three hundred.
There's plenty of time left before the polls close, though so tell me what you're hearing out there.
I'll be here all night, so let's get the conversation started.

Time for the 2-minute offense

Is it just me or are you seeing a little change in the polling numbers, too?
McCain is making that last quarter drive that could just put him into the end zone first.
I'm not certain why it's happening, but a few thoughts would include that people are trying to figure out just how the Wizard of Obama can promise every American everything and then give them a tax cut to boot.
Some things just don't add up and a trillion dollars in new spending combined with a tax cut is one of them.
Here's the playbook that we need to be following.
Instead of giving health care to everyone we need to open up health care to competition by allowing people to buy across state lines. That's John McCain's playbook by the way, not mine.
Instead of rolling back the Bush tax cuts and then pretending to give tax cuts to everyone, how about we leave the tax cuts in place and cut government spending?
It's time for the 2-minute offense.
The game's on the line.
I'll be here throughout Election Day. Drop me a line and we'll chat about the numbers as they come in.

Where do you stand?

Election Day is almost here and I think there are historical numbers of people who have not made up their minds about who to vote for in this historical election.
So, for those of you still on the fence I would suggest it comes down to values. You can throw in some morals there too if you want, but I personally have a hard time throwing that stone.
So here's where I stand.
I don't want government getting any bigger than it is.
I don't think our government should pay for everyone's health insurance. I think people should work hard for what they get in life. And no, I'm not against health care for the poor...we already have it.
I don't think we should run from Iraq because I do believe that if we don't take the fight to them, they'll bring the fight right back here to us. Check out the movie Obsession.
I don't want a redistribution of wealth. That's called socialism. We have done just fine with our capitalist society. I don't think I should help out 'those behind me.' I think those behind me should work their tails off to catch up with me. Trust me, it really wouldn't take that long.
When I put it down on paper my choice for president becomes crystal clear. John McCain.
Where do you stand?

Bs in the bailout plan

Have you noticed a recurring theme in all of the speeches being made by Congress concerning the bailout?
Every time someone gets behind a microphone they talk about how much we need this plan. Every congressman and congresswoman is concerned about our welfare. We're in a crisis, they say and we're going to pass this bailout plan because if we don't all working class Americans will feel the pain in their pensions, their 401Ks, their IRAs and their savings accounts. They keep saying 'they' because members of congress aren't worried about their retirement. They're not worried about their retirement because their retirement is government funded. They're not worried about Social Security because they don't pay into the system that every hard working American pays in to because they set up their own pension plan. We can worry all we want about race for the White House, but we better start paying closer attention to Congress. We need a grassroots effort to change the way our elected officials in Washington earn their keep.
Did you know earmarks have also been added to the bailout plan?
That's right, more bs in the bailout plan.
Exactly who are we bailing out again?

I've got your bailout

Are you kidding me with this $700 billion bailout plan?
This is the best they can come up with?
Are we seriously thinking about giving the former head of Goldman Sachs complete control over the money?
That's just insane. One of the sticking points is about compensation for the heads of all of the failing companies. Again, are you kidding me? How about none. That's a good amount for the heads of companies that are causing a nationwide financial crisis. I've got an idea. The rebuilding money we're sending to Iraq stops today. I'm not talking about troop support, I'm talking about the rebuilding money. Didn't we just hear that Iraq has a phenomenal budget surplus? Why are we still sending them money? I've got another idea. Instead of bailing out all of the companies why don't we bail out the hard working people who are losing their homes. I'm not talking about the people who should never have bought the McMansions in the first place, I'm talking about the people who were suckered into a mortgage with a 4 percent arm that ballooned when they weren't looking.
I've got another idea. Every pork barrel projects gets thrown into the slop bucket today. That has to be a few billion right there. This is ridiculous, folks. If this goes through our grandchildren are going to be paying for this one.

Money for nothing

Or should I say nothing for your money. Times are tough folks, you don't need me to tell you that. So why is it that local governments feel it is OK to spend your money on things you might not want. I'll just give you a couple of quick examples and you can chime in with your own. Let's see how many municipalities we can include here in the wasteful spending department. We'll move on to state and federal government later.

Lower Providence; they're having more meetings on the proposed American Revolution Center than the Senate holds to confirm a Supreme Court justice. How much money has been spent by the township on attorney fees? And, how much more do the residents want to spend on attorney fees?

Norristown; they've hired a pr firm to come up with "Where you belong" to the tune of $60,000. I don't know about you, but I don 't really need anyone telling me where I belong, especially for that kind of money.

Let me hear from Lower Providence and Norristown residents on the above two, and anyone else who thinks their township is wasting money. I'll be at my desk here in the wasteful spending department.

Palin's grand slam home run

How far out of the park did she hit the ball? I'm thinking Barry Bonds couldn't have hit one that far.
Let's get past the fact that she's a woman, folks. If she was a man no one would be saying anything about whether she should be running for office. Let's get past the fact that she's still a little on the young side, at least compared to me. She's older than Kennedy was when he was elected, and she's running for vice president, not president.
In my last blog I told you I didn't know enough about her to pass judgement, so I asked you what you thought of her. Now I'm going to tell you what I think of her. She's sharp. She has a lot on her plate and she's handling it all. She's honest. She put it all on the table in her acceptance speech. She told America her family has problems just like every other family. But perhaps the most important point she made and other speakers at the convention made for her is that she has more executive experience than Barack Obama and Joe Biden combined. Running a state, no matter the size, has given Palin the experience she needs to sit at the right hand of the president, certainly more so than Biden, and more to actually sit in the Oval office than Obama. Style over substance, that's what you get from the Democrats. Personally, I prefer substance.

Woman of the hour

I'm still thinking, give me a minute.
While you're waiting let me know what you think of McCain's choice of Sarah Palin, current governor of Alaska, for a running mate.

Combustible Conshohocken

The flames have been fanned, so to speak.
We need a lot of answers to what we're now calling simply, the Conshohocken fire.
Why were steel posts being removed from the building?
I'm also hearing there were not any firewalls in the attics. How could that be? I live in a 20-year-old townhouse and I have firewalls in my attic. There was a lot of federal money allocated for the project. Hopefully, if there weren't any firewalls in the attics, that's okay with the feds.
As we say in the business, this story has legs. What are you hearing?

ARC around the clock

To keep everyone informed and to keep the conversation constructive we have posted all ARC related stories on www.timesherald.com. Scroll down the right hand side and click on the American Revolution Center button.

The return of the ARC

The ARC issue isn't going away any time soon, so I thought I would do a little unscientific polling. Are you for the ARC being built in Lower Providence Township just off Pawlings Road or would you rather see it built next to the Valley Forge National Historical Park visitors center? Also, tell me why.

Stale or just simmering

It has been a while folks, but I really wanted to get a good idea of what you think about the immigration issue.
I thought it was a hotter topic. I've been wrong before.
How about offshore drilling? That's going to be one of the biggest issues leading into the election, unless of course Congress gets off its collective backside and does something about it.
McCain's for it, Obama's against it.
Where do you stand and why?

The cost of illegal immigration

For those of you who only read me here I thought I would let you know that I sometimes use the blog to stoke the creative fires for my column, which as I'm hoping most of you know, appears every Monday in The Times Herald.
I'm not sure how to approach a future column I've been kicking around so let me know what you think. Maybe your comments will give me a little direction. We read a lot about the outlandish amount of money this country is spending on the war in Iraq. In fact, we had state Rep. Daylin Leach on Behind The Headlines a few months back and he was talking about all of the good we could do right here at home with the money we spend in Iraq. I didn't tell him then, but Daylin, that's exactly what scares me about Democrats, if you think there's some extra money out there you'll find a way to spend it. But that's not where I'm going today. We spend roughly $10 billion a month in Iraq. That's a huge chunk of change. But, just to provide a little perspective, do you have any idea how much we spend dealing with illegal immigration each month? No? I didn't either, but apparently it's more than three times that much. About a year ago I made another analogy to the war with the number of people who are killed on our city streets. I'm still waiting for the outrage. Look, I don't think anyone will argue that war is a good thing. It is, however, a necessary evil and we need to support our troops in every possible way. But we need to start paying a little more attention to what is going on right here at home. Where is the outrage against illegal immigration?
I'm telling you right now it is destroying our country. But that's just my opinion, what's yours?

New site not the same as the old site

It might look like it, but trust me, it's a heck of a lot better than it was.
Thank you very much for your patience. I know I've had to say that several times during the past year when it comes to our ever-evolving Web site, but we're getting closer to a site that is going to be fun for all.
The search option that everyone has been asking about is back, well, almost. We're in the process of bringing all of the stories posted from the past year over to the new site. We've also brought back one of my personal favorites, the online poll. You can also comment on a story, which I think provides critical feedback and encourages public discourse. Do me a favor. Take a quick look around the site and come back here and let me know what you think. Go ahead, I can wait. Thanks, I do appreciate the feedback. It's the best way to make the site better.

Calling out Bobby Flay

Well, actually it's almost 'Showdown' time. The Times Herald's Great Pork Sandwich Showdown is right around the corner. This may sound like a bit of shameless self promotion but I have an ulterior motive in mind. We have 10 restaurants bringing their best to the Holy Saviour Club Wednesday, June 25. The competition will be fierce, and we're expecting a big turnout based on the number of people who have called asking for tickets. There have been plenty of ads in the paper and a brief running every so often, but here comes the ulterior motive for the blog part. I would love to take credit for this idea, but that goes to Joe Tarantino. We were talking about the contest over lunch Friday when he suggested that I try to get Bobby Flay to come to town for a throw down against the winner of the contest. What a great idea. The day after the contest I'm going to do my best to get in touch with his people to see if we can get him down here. I'm guessing Bobby Flay can't throw down on an Italian pork sandwich as well as any of the restaurants competing. What do you think?

And then there were two

We could wait until the dust settles and Barack Obama officially says no thanks to Hillary Clinton, but let's go ahead and get this party started. Do any of you really think Obama has a chance against John McCain? If so, please, without being nasty, self righteous or condescending, tell me why. I guess there are really two questions here. Do you think Obama will choose Clinton as a running mate, and do you think Obama, who is much more popular, should be president instead of the seasoned veteran, McCain? Did you notice I didn't bring race into the issue? Good, because I don't want you to either. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream is alive and well. Let's judge these two men on the content of their character, not the color of their skin. This is now a race to determine who will run our country for the next four years. Let's start peeling away the layers and looking at what each candidate stands for, not what each candidate looks like.

Code Enforcement Collapse

Norristown's code enforcement department is about to have a bomb dropped on it, and of course, I mean figuratively.
Charlie Sweeney has his job back.
Sweeney, who, when I was a cop reporter, was the borough's fire marshal, was fired after a debacle unfolded at the 4 Bakers building on Airy Street.
He took the borough to court, who by the way hired the very pricey firm of Cozen-O'Connor out of Philadelphia, and won.
He's been re-instated with full back pay.
I'll have more as the story unfolds.

Let the sun shine in

The state's Sunshine Law is not the greatest effort at transparency in government that I've ever seen, but it's better than nothing.
Local governments and local school boards are supposed to abide by the law, but I'm not so sure everyone out there is playing by the rules.
Officials in the Methacton School District have apparently been telling a resident of the district that he may come into the administration building only during a two hour window to see documents.
That's just wrong.
I checked with the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association's resident expert on the Sunshine Law and she told me the district has to make public documents available during their regular operating hours.
I really don't think violating the state's Sunshine Law is in the best interest of the residents of the district, even if there are one or two residents who are a little more demanding than others.
While we're on the subject. What the heck are Norristown officials thinking with this new proposal to destroy public documents? Space is always at a premium, but some of these documents are not all that old.

Open...or shut

Have you ever tried to go to your local municipal building and pick up what you thought should be a public document? How about your school district? If you have and you've been shut down, let me know. Or, if the door was wide open I'd like to know about your experience, too.
Gov. Rendell (I was a big fan until he simply dropped the ball on property tax reform, created a monster with the gambling board and has all but ignored the shenanigans at the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, but I digress), has come up big this time with the appointment of a director of the Office of Open Records.
All too often I hear unbelievable tales from people about how they were denied a public document. We did our own audit here a few years ago and a local district justice actually told the person we sent in to the courtroom that they couldn't have a criminal complaint because the detective on the case said so!
That's my most outrageous story, what's yours?

Vote with your mind, not your heart

It's your turn now. I've said all I have to say. You know where I stand and now it's time for you to let everyone know where you stand. Did you vote for Obama or Clinton? Are you ready for 'change'? People need to vote with their minds, not their hearts. All of the change Obama is talking about and all of the rhetoric Clinton is spewing is aimed at your emotions, not your mind. McCain is talking common sense approaches to our nation's problems. So, no matter what you did today, think about what you're going to do come November. The Democratic primary has been entertaining to say the least, but when the general election rolls around it will be time to get serious. We're talking about the leader of the free world. Personally, I don't want a rock star in the White House, and I don't want a woman who learned from her husband.

Primary numbers

No matter how you add it up, John McCain wins the Republican primary Tuesday.
I know what you're thinking, way to state the obvious, but the reason I'm bringing it up is this renewed vigor from Ron Paul. What is this guy thinking?
While I really won't have much to watch on the Republican side Tuesday night I will be paying close attention to the Democratic side. It's getting down right entertaining.
Hillary is lying about being under sniper fire for some unknown reason and Obama is now being endorsed by nearly every entertainer interested in politics.
No matter how you add it up, it just doesn't matter.
McCain beats Obama or Hillary come November.

Just a little reminder folks. You can only vote for the party you're registered under, and there are a lot of people running for committee seats so keep your eyes wide open, these are the people who sit in the backrooms brokering the deals.

"County turns blue" and so am I

Don't get excited, I'm blue as in depressed, not Democratic.
What else can I say? How about, I told you, I told you, I told you.
The Republican Party in Montgomery County has been so splintered for the past few years that the surge in Democrats registering to vote should be of little surprise to anyone, especially Republicans.
I did notice something in Saturday's story about the registration coup. Did you catch it?
Republican stalwart and county Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr. was doing the talking for the party.
I don't know about you, but I would certainly hitch my Republican wagon to Castor.
Now, if we can only get Bob Kerns sitting in the county GOP Chairman's seat we might just stand a chance of taking back the majority.

Nepotism in Norristown?

I'm not sure if nepotism is the right word to use here because the home rule charter Norristown is now under doesn't really say an elected official is not allowed to get a borough job for two of his children. It does have several entries about employees of the borough not being allowed to hiring family members, especially if that person would be supervising said family member. And it has another entry about nepotism after the fact, describing an instance where someone already employed might be in violation if a relative is elected or appointed to a position.
Why I find this so astonishing and why I'm going into such detail is that I can't believe there isn't a clause in the new home rule charter that states something along the lines of 'relatives of elected officials are not to be hired by any department head within the municipality.'
Here's the deal. Two of Councilman David Hodo's children have been hired by the borough. Now I know David. I've spoken with him on a number of occasions and he seems like a fine gentleman to me, but certainly we can all see where there is at the very least an appearance of a conflict of interest.
What is an employee to do if an elected official, one who could very well hold said employee's livelihood in the palm of his hand, comes to the employee and asks them to hire their son or daughter?
Now what happens if said children find themselves in a bit of a pickle with the local police department?
There are just too many 'what ifs.'
Nepotism or favoritism. No matter how you slice it, it just doesn't seem right.

Vote switching in America

If you're a Republican what are you going to be doing April 22?
I know what I won't be doing. I won't be switching my party registration so I can vote for Hillary to hurt Barack.
What ever happened to may the best man (or woman) win?
I think McCain has it sewn up anyway, and here's why.
Hillary's supporters hate Barack so much that if he gets the nomination all of her followers will migrate over to McCain. And the same goes for Barack's supporters.
So I'll be sitting in the newsroom watching the returns.
What will you be doing?

Let's keep the conversation moving

We made a couple of mistakes with the Jim Van Horn story in last Friday's edition. I haven't seen the reporter since then, but trust me when I tell you I'll let him know exactly where he was when he went to District Justice Augustine's office. There also was a problem with the charge, which, apparently was harassment, not disorderly conduct, which leads me to the topic of discussion.
Should Van Horn resign from the school board?
If you think he should let me know why, and if you think he shouldn't let me know why as well.

Will the real anonymous please stand up?

What's with all the anonymous comments? Do you really believe someone is going to hunt you down if you put your real name on a comment? How about this, if you don't want to put your full name, how about just your first name? I put my name up here, why don't you? There's one anonymous who keeps on and on about how I'm connected to Mark Marino and I'm afraid to post his comments because....I'm not afraid, I'm just tired of reading the same blather over and over again. I posted it the first time you said it, but I'm not going to keep posting the same comment. Come up with something original for Pete's sake. Or, better yet, try to further the conversation just a bit. And when you do, please, put your first name, at least, on the post. There are a couple of people who have been using their real names on posts and I think it just lends credibility. The idea of this blog is to further public discourse, not provide a bully pulpit for someone who wants to post derogatory comments about other people. So, will the real anonymous please stand up?

Montco GOP's future

Where do we go from here? And when do we go from here? Look, I'm not in the backroom, as I've told you before, but it's no secret the Montgomery County Republican Party is splintering faster than an old Christmas tree in a shredder. What I want to know, and what everyone I've talked to wants to know, is, will Ken Davis try to retain control of the GOP? I say no. What do you say? I say Bob Kerns should finally get his shot at running the party. What do you say?

Covenant of the ARC

I'm sure you're all aware that an appeal has been filed to stop the American Revolution Center from being built at Valley Forge National Historical Park. The piece of land they want to build on, while it is within the boundaries of the park, is not actually owned by the park. So, in reality, anything could be built there, zoning permitted.

And of course zoning is at issue in the appeal. But the appeal is not the covenant I want to talk about.

Just what is the covenant that provides for an American Revolution Center?

Tom Daley apparently has a collection of artifacts from the Revolution. Sounds like a covenant to me, but does that give him the right to the ARC?

Now the Schuylkill Alliance Chamber of Commerce wants to build the ARC.

Sounds like they have a plan that would bypass all of the zoning issues currently facing the ARC. Al Paschall, the head of the chamber is working on a deal that would put the ARC at the vistor's center. Sounds like a perfect place for the ARC to me, but without the covenant can he get it done?

The holder of the covenant of the ARC might just hold the upper hand here, but the greater good would be served if the ARC was brought back to the park, where it all began.

Perfect seasons

No, I'm not talking about the New England Patriots. Doesn't it seem like they're in the Super Bowl every other year? I know they're not, but it sure seems like it some times.
Anyway, I'm talking about the Norristown Area High School boys basketball team and the Methacton High School girls basketball teams.
These two schools are on a roll to say the least.
The streaks started me thinking about all of the great athletes to come out of our area.
I can name a few, but I was hoping for a little help.
Let's get off politics for a couple of minutes and talk sports.
Who do you think is the greatest athlete to come out of Montgomery County?

Caught in a different Trappe

Two wrongs don't make a right. I thought it was wrong for former councilman Mark Carrig to stay on after he had moved out of town and he eventually did the right thing and resigned.
Now council has appointed solicitor Bob Brant to the zoning hearing board, if my source is correct, and not the planning commission. Either one doesn't really matter for the point I'm trying to make. First, I don't know Mr. Brant. I'm sure he's a fine person, but he also happens to represent a real estate investment company that proposed an 88-townhouse project to council.
I could be wrong, but it certainly sounds like a conflict of interest to me. And you know what they say about the appearance of a conflict.
If there's some kind of 90-day probationary period for commissioner members I would suggest council reconsider the appointment.

The truth certainly didn't set us free

The truth of the matter is we don't know what possessed Jim Matthews to sidle up to Joe Hoeffel. Jim knows exactly why he did it and maybe some day he'll let the rest of us in on it. We know he wanted to appoint his own solicitor. He got his wish. But other than that, is being chairman really that much more prestigious than vice chair, which is what he would have been had he stayed true to Bruce Castor? And, if he would have allowed Bruce to pick his own solicitor he would have been chairman.
I asked you guys to send me a note or two on what's going on with appointments in your townships. I basically heard from Whitemarsh and Lower Providence.
Some people, read Republicans, in Whitemarsh is a little upset that Sean Kilkenney was appointed solicitor out there. Personally, I don't know Kilkenney, but I have seen his name pop up as solicitor in a few other municipalities and I'm wondering how many he can take on before he's spreading himself too thin. You'd think he'd have his hands full with Norristown alone.
Speaking of solicitors, Lower Providence is on the verge of changing theirs as well. Folks out there are upset with a new appointment to the zoning hearing board, and now they're getting a new solicitor.
The year's starting off with quite a bang. Stay tuned folks.

The moment of truth

The moment of truth is almost upon us. Montgomery County commissioners will reorganize next week and as we've reported in The Times Herald, Republican Jim Matthews has formed an alliance with Democrat Joe Hoeffel to wrest control of the county from incoming commissioner, and Matthews running mate, Bruce Castor.
Unless there's a last minute deal the Matthews/Hoefell duo will be running the county and Castor will most likely be spending more time at his law firm.
To those of you who donated to the Matthews/Castor campaign, if it were me, I'd be asking for my money back.
Look, this isn't really about some unholy alliance. There's a chance that Matthews/Hoeffel will do just fine running the county, but that's not the point. This is about all of the people who thought they were voting for a team only to find out one member of the team jumped ship right after pulling into the harbor.
There will be reorganization meetings all over the county next week. Drop me a line and let me know how you think things shook out in your town. Not that I'm implying that there's any kind of shakedown going on here, but, boy, won't it be interesting to see who the next county solicitor is?

Try, try, again

Man, take a couple days off and the barbs start flying (see entries in previous post). The talk around the water cooler is that Castor's not giving up on Matthews just yet. He still thinks he can talk Jim into forming an alliance with him, thus giving Republicans the majority they won at the polls. Hey, I'll take it. After losing five county row office seats to the Dems it would be nice to retain control of an office we actually won. And now that we're down to the end of 2007 will someone please tell me what the Dems in Congress did all year?

Doing my job, the sequel

About a month or so ago I blogged (or was it in my column?) about the possibility of Republican Montgomery County Commissioner Jim Matthews teaming up with Democratic commissioner-elect Joe Hoeffel, leaving Republican commissioner-elect Bruce Castor the odd man out. Well, it sounds like it is going to come to fruition. Not quite the way I predicted, which would have had Hoeffel being elected chairman and Matthews vice chairman, but if the reverse is true does it really matter?
You know what really matters?
That this is just another sign the Montgomery County Republican Party has more splinters than a termite could handle in a month.
I don't know folks, perhaps it's time for someone to step up and take the reins away from the Asher/Davis duo.

Just doing my job

We would all like to think we make a difference when we go out of our way to do something for someone else. It's good for the soul.
My job is to try to make a difference every day.
Sometimes I think I do, and sometimes I'm not so sure.
When I started blogging about Trappe I did so because I thought what I had heard was going on was just plain wrong.
I don't know if Mark Carrig resigned because we started putting pressure on him to do so or if he was just waiting to sell his house in Trappe.
I don't know if Stewart Strauss wasn't appointed to the seat left vacant by Carrig because I uncovered what was going to happen before he was able to pull off his coup d'etat, or he just decided he didn't want to play the political game any more.
I might never know.
I am certain of one thing, though. I was just doing my job bringing these things to light, but I would like to think I made a difference.

Trappe Time

This is the moment of truth folks.
Trappe Council is poised to appoint a new member this evening.
Mark Carrig resigned so there is a seat available.
Obviously the appropriate thing to do would be to appoint the top vote getter in November's election, but I just don't think that's going to happen.
If you go back in time with me to just a couple of months ago I told you what I thought was going to happen.
Stewart Strauss is the president of Trappe Council. He will resign tonight and he will then be appointed to the seat vacated by Carrig.
I said it two months ago and I'm saying it again today.
I would like to think that it's not going to happen. I'd like to think that the remaining members of Trappe Council will do the right thing and put the top vote getter from the most recent election into the seat.
I'd like to think that, but....

The Trappe is set

None of us really know the future, or do we?
It appears as if everything I wrote about is coming to fruition.
Not because I'm some kind of psychic, but because when someone lays out a plan and executes it properly the future isn't such a mystery.
The good people of Trappe have had a resignation on council, and just last night council started looking for a replacement.
How many days, or hours, do you think it will be before the president of council resigns so he can be reappointed to the seat?
Remember folks, this is your town, not the town of the few people you chose to run it for a short period of time.
If you don't want this to happen, make sure it doesn't.

Methacton Madness

What in the world went on Tuesday after the Methacton School Board meeting?
I've seen the video tape. A visibly upset Jim Van Horn, that's school board president Van Horn, is seen coming full steam at the camera, which I'm told was operated by perennial pain in the side of Van Horn, Jim Mollick.
Van Horn can clearly be heard saying that video taping after a meeting is over is a no-no. The next thing you see is the camera going haywire so we're not real sure what happened next.
Van Horn has simply said he was not charged with assault by state police and he won't comment further.
I had a couple of voice mails waiting for me Wednesday morning when I got in. One person was absolutely appalled at what she called an 'unprovoked attack'
Lower Providence Supervisor Craig Dininny said Van Horn should resign.
From what I saw on the video tape, whether an assault occurred or not, Van Horn should be able to have a little more self control. He's a public figure, and has been one for some years. I agree with Dininny to a certain extent. Van Horn should step down, at least from the president's seat. I don't know if he needs to resign, but the president's gavel should be passed along to someone else.

Trying to decipher Norristown code report

The consultant's report on the Norristown code enforcement department is finally out.
I was under the impression is was going to be out a while ago, but, as they say, better late than never. Or is that really the case here?
The report tells us the department is in disarray. We knew that didn't we? The report tells us the department is understaffed. We knew that, too, didn't we? And the report also says the department needs a true leader.
Ah, now we're getting somewhere. Just what happened to the leader of the department?
Where is Charlie Sweeney?
Last I heard he was waiting for another hearing on whether he's going to get his job back.
Where was that little tidbit in the report?
We know something happened to cause Charlie to be fired, but what was it?
I can certainly understand the idea behind the report was to determine all of the departments faults and attempt to move forward in a positive fashion to create a department that will run smoothly and efficiently in the future.
But what about the past?
I'm still under the impression that Charlie was fired for doing something he was told to do.
I'm also under the impression that Charlie was told to do something for a Montgomery County mover and shaker and when the favor didn't go as planned the hammer came down on Charlie.
Now I don't know how productive all of this is in moving the department forward, but I do know that exposing past practices will go a long way in assuring the people of Norristown that those practices no longer exist.
We all remember the FBI raid, don't we?

I want to be elected

OK, not really, I just couldn't think of a catchier headline for today's entry.
We're off and running toward the finish line, though, and I wanted to let everyone know I'll be here all night dropping you a line from time to time as I find a race that catches my eye.
I'll start the ball rolling with telling you that I was duly impressed when I went to vote at First Baptist on Burnside Avenue in West Norriton and nearly 150 people had already passed through. That's a big turnout for our little precinct. I hope it's a sign of a great turnout.
What's going on where you are?

Weekend update after the weekend

Sorry about that folks. I know I said I was going to start doing a weekend update on Fridays, but I just got way behind the 8-ball and couldn't get out.
Anyway, this is (and I know I've said this before but I'm serious this time) the last time I'll address the alleged charge to Trappe Borough for putting borough contact information in the Collegeville/Trappe Heritage special section. I didn't a little investigative reporter. I was a cop reporter in a former life, you know. The money that shows up on the Trappe books is for an ad they took out in the section; not for the listing.
There are bigger fish to fry.
For now though, I want to get back to Norristown and find out where in the world that code enforcement report is. It's like trying to find Carmen Sandiego for Pete's sake. Or for you older folks, Waldo.
Anyway, There was a report, but they didn't like it, or couldn't understand it so they sent it back and now there isn't a report.
What I'm hearing is they didn't like what was in the report. Apparently some higher ups were getting raked over the coals. That's why it was sent back, not that they couldn't understand it. Now they want a 20-page report instead of the 70-page original. How do you do that? A consultants work isn't up for editing. It is what it is.

No, No, No

No, we didn't charge Collegeville and Trappe to put their listings into our recent Collegeville/Trappe Heritage piece.

No, I don't know Mark Marino. I think I shook his hand for the first time last Monday and said hello to him, but in my book, that doesn't mean I know him.

No, I don't allow every post to go through.

Now I feel trapped

The role of your local newspaper is to be a watchdog. That's what we do. For some reason the discussion on whether a Trappe councilman still lives in the borough has turned to what business is it of the newspaper or of mine.
This is what we do folks. We also try to clear up misconception.
First, I do not know Mark Marino. I think I met him for the first time the other day, but I certainly don't know him. I do know Mike Marino.
Second, I live in West Norriton, if it really matters at all. I'm not an elected official.
Third, and while I know we haven't done such a great job of it lately, we do cover Trappe. In fact, there was a terrific Collegeville/Trappe Heritage tab in last Saturday's (Oct. 6) paper.
And finally, this isn't so much clearing up a misconception as it is an attempt to put this issue to bed, so to speak. We've done our job. Now it is up to the residents of Trappe.
This is the role of your local newspaper.

Trapped again

Well, I sent a reporter out to the meeting. Check out tomorrow's (Sat. Oct 6, 2007) Times Herald.
While no one on council admitted to living in another municipality apparently a gentleman did get up and ask that if there were to be a vacancy on council he had just the man to fill the seat.
Come on, now, this isn't rocket science. Does the councilman, Mark Carrig, live in Trappe or not?
If you'll just sign on to the blog and say you live in Trappe we'll let the issue drop. That is, if that's not your townshouse sitting vacant like everyone seems to think it is.