7th Ward News - McGarrity says "don't call me" about Act 1

Today's mail included the 7th Ward Newsletter put out by current Commisssioner Jim McGarrity. It starts out with:

Please note: I don't know anything about the Act 1 Question that will be on this primary ballot. My guess is that you don't either. I still have to see how this affects me personally. So don't call me on this particular item.

I find this odd for a few different reasons.
1. He doesn't know anything about Act 1? Why not? It's an important issue in our township.
2. He thinks we don't either? Don't underestimate the people's intelligence!
3. He's worried about how it affect him personally? Not worried about how it affects the community as a whole?
4. Don't call me? Are constituent services slipping in the 7th ward now?

As reported in the lastest Haverford Press (4/16/2007), there is a public forum on April 24 at 7:30 PM at Haverford High School to discuss the Act 1 ballot question, co-sponsored by the Haverford Township League of Women Voters and the School District of Haverford Township. At least McGarrity mentioned that in his newsletter!

And when you go to the event, enjoy all the nice big blue Larry Chrzan for 7th Ward Commissioner lawn signs along Mill Road!

News in Haverford Township, April 9-15

The Press page of www.LarryChrzan.com has been updated to keep track of the news about what's going on in our Township, particularly around the corruption indictment, the resignation of Township Manager Mike English, and the Acting Township Manager appointment of Larry Gentile.

I spoke during the Citizens' Forum at the April 9, 2007 meeting. To summarize my comments, I called for action to:
1. Continue the clean-up and run the township in the most transparent way going forward.
2. Demonstrate competence and professionalism by taking action with positive, proactive steps to move the Township forward.

You can read the full text of the speech here. I was also asked to comment for a Delco Times article, where I said:

Although he said these events are clearly a "black mark on the township," Democrat Larry Chrzan thinks "it would be a shame if the township didn't learn something along the way."

To get out from under the dark cloud, Chrzan recommends ending what he described as cronyism, favoritism, nepotism and pay-to-play practices, despite some positive changes over the past few years. Access to information needs to be improved upon, he added.

"It's important that we move forward in a positive and pro-active way," Chrzan said.

In short, the Commissioners and new administrators of Haverford Township are obliged to make this right and make the changes necessary to win back the public trust. And while that is in progress, it is also important to keep moving forward on planning, development, and business revitalization. A tall order for sure.

One issue that I think is critical in this election is removing all appearance of corruption. When I began this campaign I posted on the Contribute page of my website that I would take no contributions from anyone who does business with the Township. Also, I will take no contributions from PACs that are outside our township. As I said in the Citizens' Forum, "Our Commissioners must take nothing so that the public knows that only the taxpayers’ interests are being looked after."

Hint: look for more on this as we go forward!

Indictments in Haverford Township, Questions

Following today's indictment of Haverford Township 4th Ward Commissioner Fred Moran, I attended the 3 PM press conference. Board President Steve D'Emilio delivered the statement to the TV cameras and ABC6 reporter David Henry.

In short, the statement from D'Emilio on behalf of the Board was that the Township would cooperate with authorities and the Township would be run with more transparency going forward.

David Henry's comments on TV were about the same as what he said to the Commissioners at the press conference. He called it "a sweeping indictment of the way business has been conducted in this township for years." At the press conference Henry asked if the towship could trust its goverment. And finally, he asked if the selected developer of the property, Goldenberg-Pohlig, would be kept on in light of these accusations. Current 7th Ward Commissioner Jim McGarrity said that it was too late to turn back now and start over after 14 years on this project. (Picture credit: ABC6, Philadelphia, from newscast.)

Last week on the Haverford Township 7th Ward Campaign trail...

In a campaigning coincidence, both Jim McGarrity and I were out knocking on doors in the same section of Kathmere Road last week. We both had a good laugh at having chosen the same blocks of the same street at the same time.

Some comments I have heard are notable. One is that some Democrats were insulted by the recent letter sent out asking them to change their party registration so they could vote for him in the primary. Also of note is that while there are some people who are aware of the Grand Jury investigation of Haverford Township and the raid on the Administration building last year, most people don't know about it.

Along the same lines, my current handout while I'm knocking on doors has the Top Ten Reasons to Vote for Larry Chrzan for 7th Ward Commissioner in 2007, which includes:
Haverford Township is under investigation by a state Grand Jury. Larry is not!