All tagged 2019/11
The family of Kathleen L’Armand would like to thank members of the Swarthmore community for their support and kindness during the last months of her life.
I realize that I am coming a little late to the discussion of whether council members and the mayor [of Swarthmore] should be paid, but I wanted to provide my perspective as someone who has served 16 years in unpaid elected positions.
This is not a new argument. Paying representatives has been the subject of heated debate since at least the Middle Ages. Opponents to payment have cited the need to encourage altruism in public service.
Since 1994, the Chester Children’s Chorus has provided joy and opportunity to over 570 children from our neighboring city of Chester. On behalf of the entire CCC organization, we would like to thank the many friends and sponsors who supported our 25th Anniversary Fundraising Celebration on the night of October 26, 2019. It really does take a village, and with your help, we far exceeded our original $50,000 fundraising goal — and had a wonderful time doing it, as guests enjoyed a special performance from the CCC Chamber Choir and viewed the premier of our 25th anniversary video, More Than Music.
The Swarthmore Historical Society, best known for organizing the popular biennial Swarthmore house tours, is looking for new volunteers to offer ideas and to get involved in the tours as well as in programs, archiving, and other activities.
Thanks to everyone who made the Friends of the Swarthmore Public Library sale a success! Last weekend, the Friends raised $9,358 for the library with its traditional semi-annual Book and Bake sale. Due to the hard work and dedication of countless volunteers — sorters, clerks, bakers, publicity people, set-up people, clean-up people — as well as the excellent library staff, the community came together in a fun and productive manner to benefit the library we all love.
With all due respect to Don Delson whose voluntary, unpaid service to Swarthmore has been extraordinary — voluntary, unpaid service is a luxury many are unable to afford.
Like Don Delson, I was disappointed to read that the Swarthmore Borough Council is considering payments for its members. I am grateful to the Swarthmorean for reporting on this matter. I took the time to watch the proceedings online and certainly have no problem with the concept of reimbursing elected officials for necessary dependent or child care. What I did find objectionable was the special pleading by certain council members that because their “day jobs” were based on billable hours, they should be compensated for some element of lost earnings.
Last week, the Swarthmorean printed a short letter written by Don Delson expressing his view that “service is its own reward.” Don speaks for others. On Borough Council for eight years and spending my days after college building the Swarthmore Senior Citizens Association, I always felt it a privilege to serve my town, as I know did Don.
There has been a deer hunt in Rose Valley borough for the past ten or so years. The hunters are usually police, we have been told, from surrounding communities. During that time, there have been numerous occasions when hunters have disregarded our safety, and on several occasions the State Police and the Pennsylvania Game Commission have been called in to resolve the issues.
To date, the discussions of Aqua Pennsylvania’s attempt to take over water supply and sanitation operations now under Chester Water Authority (serving Swarthmore and other communities in Delaware and Chester counties) and Delcora (the organization dealing with wastewater in the region) have focused on the cost to ratepayers, not the quality of the product coming out of our faucets.
It’s not easy to select a day for volunteer work in Little Crum Creek Park, what with many competing events, and questionable weather. The other week, we scheduled a work day and announced it via our usual social media resources. About 1 p.m., three of us met at the park and waited for volunteers to appear. We wondered, were we the only ones who were going to complete the unfinished work needed to put the park to bed for the winter? Suddenly, five boys, all 5th graders at SRS, showed up, eager to help!
I am collecting school supplies from now through Thanksgiving Day for Harlem Lacrosse, a school-based non-profit that works with underserved kids in Philadelphia by placing full-time staff in school sites. They provide year-round support and individualized attention for kids and use lacrosse to build leadership skills and social responsibility.
I am disappointed by the proposal to pay local elected officials (mayor, council members, school board directors) for their service.
The Luminaria Fundraiser Has Begun! Once again, it is time to place your order for the Luminaria fundraiser, which beautifully light up our streets on the evening of New Year’s Day, 2020.
