Committee Issues
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES - 2009 NOVEMBER 3, 2009 GENERAL ELECTION
| District Judge | - Judge Michael Burns www.judgemikeburns.com |
| LMT Supervisor | - Daniel McLaughlin www.electdan09.com |
| LMT Tax Collector | - Sam Spera |
| LMT Constable | - Claudia LaChance www.LMTconstable.com |
| LMT Auditor | - Tim Malloy |
| Pennsbury – Region 1 | |
| - Simon Campbell (endorsed) www.betterpennsbury.com | |
| - Kathleen Zawacki (endorsed) | |
| Pennsbury – Region 3 | |
| - Richard Johnson www.JohnsonforPennsbury.com | |
| - Allan Weisel www.pennsburycleansweep.com | |
| Yardley Constable | - Brad Varney |
| Yardley Mayor | - Chris Harding www.hardingformayor.com |
The United States of America is a Constitutional Republic, (hence the name of our party, Republican). Our forefathers wisely chose that our country be a Republic. Our U.S. Constitution, created by our forefathers following the American Revolution, and the Declaration of Independence are the foundations of our Republic and our nations’ laws.
Simply stated, a Republican form of government means that we are a nation governed by laws and government is limited. Our Constitution exists to restrict the actions of government. This is in contrast to the popular belief that the U.S. is a Democracy, which is a form of government in which no such restrictions exist and the government is ruled by the majority. For example, in a Democracy if 51% of the people voted to pass a law to disallow free speech, they would have the authority to do it; by contrast, elected officials in our U.S. Republic do not have this authority. The Republican Party therefore draws its ideals more from the founding fathers vision of limited government than merely from the rule of law.
Our Republican Party was created in 1854 in opposition to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, allowing the expansion of slavery into Kansas. Besides opposition to slavery, this new party put forth a forward-looking vision of modernizing the United States fostering such initiatives as improving higher education, creating a banking system, expanding railroads, etc.. They vigorously argued that free-market labor is superior to slavery and is the very foundation of civic virtue and true American values. Abraham Lincoln, elected in 1860, was the first Republican president.
Republicanism espouses the value system of governance that has been a major part of American civic thought since the American Revolution. It stresses liberty and rights as central values, makes the people as a whole sovereign, rejects inherited political power, expects citizens to be independent in their performance of civic duties, and is strongly inclined towards high ethical standards and against corruption. Of utmost importance is the recognition by every citizen that inherent to these ineailable rights are corresponding duties and responsibilities….or, to use more modern vernacular, “there is no such thing as a free lunch.”
Our Lower Makefield Township/Yardley Borough platform likewise rests on proven truths and tested wisdom that government should be limited to maintaining the infrastructure, facilitating iniatives impacting quality of life, law enforcement and safety, but should do so within its economic means. We believe that conservation of the environment is consistent with republican ideals, that education prepares children to be responsible citizens, and that safe, affordable communities are the building blocks of a free society.
The local government exists to only facilitate those activities that foster and support our community. The local officials serve at the will of the people of our township, and act only in the community’s best interest.
LOWER MAKEFIELD QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES
Infrastructure
Infrastructure impacts the everyday needs of a community. It is literally the bricks and mortar that bind the community into a functioning entity. Without proper management communities deteriorate; with it they become vital and desirable.
The condition of streets, municipal buildings, drainage, streetlights and all of the other mundane but necessary items that make up the skeletal structure of a community is a key indicator of its health. Therefore, prudent management and maintenance by our local government is critical.
While much can be learned from a cursory inspection of infrastructure, an examination of the internal structure, such as, the allocation of finances for building and maintaining our facilities, is the heart of the matter.
As Republicans, we believe that it is the role of government, guided by prudent management and fiscal responsibility, to maintain the infrastructure as this in the best interest of the people of the community.
Prudent financial planning on a long term basis for benefit of our community:
- We agree that contractors hired by the Township must comply with the Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act. However, the provision in Lower Makefield Township Ordinance 369 (Responsible Contract Ordinance) requiring a Class A apprenticeship program (union shop) should be repealed. Non union labor should be able to bid on Township projects.
- Moving to a single trash hauler is not a top financial priority of the township, as this action infringes on individual right to choose their service providers. Individuals should maintain the freedom to choose their own trash hauler.
It is the duty of the local government to protect and maintain all township assets in usable condition. Local government officials should never put the safety of our township at risk by selling or outsourcing critical resources. The sewer system is a valuable part of our infrastructure and a good example of one resource that was recently put out to bid by our township; after much controversy and public outcry, the plan was tabled. Our local officials should find other cost effective ways to ensure township maintenance and ownership of critical resources:
- Municipalities can build and maintain infrastructure with tax exempt financing; and, also, secure federal and state monies for repair. Private companies do not have these advantages, but they do have corporate overhead and litigation costs when requesting rate increases at state regulatory agencies.
- Municipalities can also control and manage rate increases. In private hands, residents who want to protest rate increases must go to the PUC in Harrisburg.
Sewers, Storm & Sanitary
One indisputable area where Lower Makefield and Yardley are conjoined is that of sewers. Basically, there are two types of sewers. The first are storm water sewers, which direct rain, ice or snowmelt, and other precipitation from developed areas to natural runoffs such as brooks or streams. As our communities developed, it became necessary to manage rainwater runoff. Natural watercourses became taxed and incapable of safely handling torrents, so that and in some heavy downpours flooding can occur. To ameliorate this condition, a storm water management plan was developed and has, in the main, proven to be successful. The plan allows for storm water to be collected and gradually released. Eventually, the water joins the Delaware River where it follows its natural cycle of regeneration.
The second type is sanitary sewers. This vital asset accommodates household waterborne waste. These sewers comprise a major asset to both communities and serve the entirety of Yardley and Lower Makefield. The system is comprised of sewer lines in the streets that connect to homes and businesses, pumping stations that sit atop collection tanks, and a main sewer line that connects to a sewage processing plant.
In 2008, much discussion occurred regarding the sale of the LMT sanitary sewer system to a private company. The company submitted a bid that if accepted would result in Yardley/Lower Makefield losing control of this asset. In April of that year the, LMT Board of Supervisors declined the bid, thereby keeping possession of the system. It is our position that this was the proper course for the Board to take.
Storm water runoff must be planned for and properly managed:
- Storm water issues must be kept as a priority matter.
- We recognize and assert that storm water issues are an inter-municipality issue.
- The community should rightfully own sanitary sewers.
- Our sanitary sewer system is more than capable of performing its function.
- Ongoing evaluations and maintenance are required.
Green Initiatives
As Republicans, we believe that we are all stewards of our environment, and we support green initiatives that make both practical and fiscal sense:
- We support green building technology, and prefer an approach that uses incentives for private builders.
- For Township buildings, we oppose any resolution or ordinance that will force an arbitrary LEED rating on future boards for township buildings. Future boards should be free to perform cost/benefit analysis with existing green technology at the time the township is planning a new building.
Parks and Recreation
We support appropriate development and proper maintenance of our parks and recreation areas as these contribute to the overall quality of life for our township. Fiscal responsibility by the township is required to ensure:
- On-going review of real needs and operating costs
- Public disclosure of the costs and use of our assets
- Responsible use of facilities by all residents
- Proper supervision of facilities to ensure against illegal or unauthorized acts.
As Republicans, we believe that our public education system should aspire to provide the highest quality primary and secondary education to best prepare our children for life and to be able to compete for acceptance to top colleges and universities. Our LMT taxes pay for our children’s’ education; therefore, it is the responsibility of our elected officials to prudently manage the expenditure of said funds to ensure that our education system is of the highest quality. To this end, we support our candidates’ position to:
- Improve the quality of our students education:
- Focus spending on improvement of our students core competencies in math, english, science and technology
- Increase teacher accountability for results with merit based pay
- Meaningful graduation requirements for students
- Increase transparency and responsiveness:
- Make union contract proposals public
- Televise school board meetings
- Have interactive public comment sessions
- Allow greater parental access and input into school board decisions
- Hold down property taxes by removing wasteful spending from the current $180 Million budget
- Eliminate compulsory unionism and restore the idea of individual liberty for all school employees by ensuring that no teacher of other employee is ever forced to finance union activities against their wishes as a condition of their employment.
- Oppose institution of a personal income tax
Good government is based on the fundamental belief that elected officials act in the best interest of the constituents whom they serve.
The recent economic downturn has highlighted the fundamental necessities of sound local government and, unfortunately, the impact when such policies are not embraced. Government at every level can no longer survive based on the philosophy of providing everything constituents “want” but rather must focus on its core objective of providing only the “needs” of the community in which it serves. Too often, society has been led to believe that more government is better, in bad times, to provide the necessary buffer against the realities of life and in good times to fund increased programs indicative of the good times ahead. The problem is that government spending is ever increasing, in good times and bad, and, therefore, becoming an ever increasing tax burden on citizens with no incentive to be either rational or downsized.
Government must enter an evolutionary phase where the old philosophy of entitlement is discarded in favor of best practices where, to a large extent, government models the private sector. Government must become proficient at evaluating the expenditure side of services while challenging the return on investment provided to its citizen stakeholders on every dollar collected via taxes/ fees. Government must implement fiscal strategies that focus on extracting cost efficiencies, whenever and wherever possible, as a top priority - rather than continued reliance on unjustified and routine tax increases with no real cost benefit analysis to measure the impact of these increases on our community.
In the private sector, it is commonplace for an executive who implements fiscal rationalization to be hailed as a visionary for his/her understanding of future requirements and, more importantly, for having the fortitude to make the “tough” decision. Yet in government, the elected official who offers to pursue the same vision to prioritize spending between essential and nonessential programs is vilified by the vocal minorities whose vested interests and political agendas are thereby served and often go unchallenged. Government is intended to be and must return to being an entity that is run “by the people, for the people”. It must shed its image of “back room” politics which ultimately benefits the few at the expense of the many. To accomplish this we all must commit to the following practices:
- Clear and precise priorities on spending must be set with policy mandates on which services are necessities, such as, public safety, and which services are non-essential and thereby available for cost containment and rationalization efforts. All programs, whether essential or non-essential, must be based on what is required to efficiently perform/deliver the services in the most cost effective means as determined by measurable performance indicators.
- Availability and transparency of government’s financial records are critical in building a better awareness and acumen among citizens. Knowing exactly how our government is performing on a routine basis provides a clear understanding of the overall health of our community, not only today but also for the future. No longer can government officials hide the impact of their decisions by failing to openly communicate and discuss its overall condition with the public on a recurring basis. Elected officials must be willing to engage in open and worthwhile discussions much the same way a publicly owned corporation must discuss their financial results with shareholders on a quarterly and annual basis.
- Governments must adapt quickly to the changing landscape of compensation and defined benefits for employees. In the private sector, traditional employee benefits such as company sponsored pensions and company paid healthcare are quickly becoming replaced by defined contribution plans. Government must follow the private sector’s lead and realize that current compensation/benefit structures are unsustainable and overly expensive to maintain. Government must also begin to use incentive based performance evaluations to motivate the desired change in behaviors within its employee ranks. Creating a model in which employee compensation is partially based on performance and attainment of pre-defined goals leads to a more effective and efficient workplace.
And as Republicans, we believe that, if we are to continue to be a free society, all able citizens must recognize that it is their duty to take personal responsibility for their own lives and not look to the government to take care of things that are not within the traditional role of government.