All tagged Swarthmore Borough Council
It’s an exciting time to be a Swarthmore resident and it is an honor to be on the ballot next Tuesday, November 2, for Swarthmore Borough Council.
As your councilwoman for the next four years, I hope to have the opportunity to provide skillful fiduciary oversight, ethical, and equitable decision-making, and inclusive processes that galvanize our community at this pivotal time.
It was not reported in The Swarthmorean, but there were shocking scenes about an hour into the July 26 Swarthmore Borough Council meeting, as a discussion of a towing contract descended into chaos, and a recess was called to attempt to restore order.
I was shocked to see that the much-treasured newspaper of my beloved Swarthmore would splash the washing of dirty linen, namely a personal dispute between two council members, on its front page.
I appreciate all the fine work Swarthmore Borough does, and the necessity of paying for those things that make Swarthmore a pleasant place to live. But in the midst of the current economic crisis, Borough Council’s apparent desire to increase taxes (“Council Weighs 2021 Tax Hike,” November 6) seems remarkable.
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.
I am disappointed by the proposal to pay local elected officials (mayor, council members, school board directors) for their service.
My family and I are extremely disappointed that Swarthmore council voted to enforce the new street parking policy, in which all cars must face the same direction. While we understand that it’s a state law due to safety concerns, we also know that not every town has to enforce it.
I write regarding your article “If a Tree Survey Falls . . .” in the Feb. 15 issue. You say “However, council members were of different views about the desirability of the health assessment component.” We all support the survey’s health assessment; it’s risk assessment of street trees that we were debating. The title of the article and the expression “back to the drawing board” in the last paragraph imply some kind of major setback. Actually, it’s a fairly minor tweaking that should save the Borough money and potential liability.
