VOTE MAY 16, 2017 - Bold, Knowledgeable Leadership - Experience that PERSISTS
On May 16, 2017, Darby residents have an opportunity to speak out, voice their opinions and change our community for the BETTER. As we've witnessed recently, our world can be turned upside down, when we sit back and don't take the time to vote. When only 10 to 20% of registered electors cast their vote, they make the decisions for the rest of the population, the 80% who stay home. Is that fair? Unfortunately YES! Why? Because the rest of us stayed home and didn't bother to come out to exercise the right our ancestors fought, died and PERSISTED for.
The 90's were filled with lots of ups and downs. I decided to run for Mayor as I felt I could do more for Darby Borough as Mayor. In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, small towns have a mayor, whose main duty is to oversee the police department.
On January 1, 1998, I was sworn in by Judge Thomas Lacey as the first female mayor. On this day, I decided to take my sworn duty seriously, and fulfill my obligations. In the beginning, it was almost impossible for me to perform my duties. The Chief of Police refused to allow me inside of the police station. He refused to allow me to see the daily police reports. He refused all access. How can a mayor, be in charge of the police department, and direct the time, place and manner when she wasn't allowed near the police, the department or the records? Persistence....I stood my ground and took the Chief to Common Pleas Court where Judge Battle, ruled AGAINST the police chief and gave me unfettered, unsupervised access to ALL records along with a set of keys, passwords and equipment that enabled me to finally be able to do my job, as I was elected to do. Persistence.
For too long, we had a police department that consisted of only a few full time officers. Five, to be exact. The rest were all part time. Crime was high, morale was low. Part time officers were hired and left within a year or two as their hopes for becoming full time were dashed if they weren't part of the "clique". Our town suffered immensely. One of my goals was to bring the department BACK up to adequate full time staffing. Residents need to know their police, and police need to know the residents. Within three years, the police department staffing had over nineteen full time officers and just a few part timers. The community benefitted as officers were fairly compensated and felt good, knowing their residents had confidence in them and vice versa.
2000 to 2006
Darby had it's fair share of catastrophe's during this time period. Remnants of Hurricane Floyd where over 337 homes and 59 businesses were severely damaged, major fires, more floods, train derailments and much more. Through it all, we persisted and kept our head above water, (no pun intended) kept our residents as our first priority and did everything we could to keep our town clean and safe.
In January of 2006, I turned over the keys to the police department to the current mayor. She promptly dropped them on the floor and said she didn't want them.....and that's how it's been for the last eleven years....
2017
I love Darby. I love the people, the history, the past, present and future. I have no plans of ever leaving. My family has been here since 1903. I feel that as long as I live here, I have to give back to my community, contribute and share what I can and strive to make it better. If I live here, I need to do all I can to stabilize it, bring pride back and create a safe community for all of us. I've waited eleven years, and I have not been able to catch even a glimpse of change. A sliver of hope that someone, somewhere, will care about our town and try their best to get it back on track.
In March, there was only one candidate on the ballot for Mayor. If no one stepped up to the plate, there would be no choice for the residents. I could not sit back and let that happen, so once again, I am going to give it my all, and offer the residents a choice. An opportunity to choose an experienced, dedicated person who will be persistent in righting the wrong, bringing the community together keeping the residents as priority and opening the doors of government so transparency is paramount. The choice is up to you!
On May 16, 2017, Darby residents have an opportunity to speak out, voice their opinions and change our community for the BETTER. As we've witnessed recently, our world can be turned upside down, when we sit back and don't take the time to vote. When only 10 to 20% of registered electors cast their vote, they make the decisions for the rest of the population, the 80% who stay home. Is that fair? Unfortunately YES! Why? Because the rest of us stayed home and didn't bother to come out to exercise the right our ancestors fought, died and PERSISTED for.
pərˈsistəns/
noun
- firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.
Persistence...as described above, indicates in spite of how difficult something may seem, we continue to take action. continue to speak out, continue to improve the quality of our lives, our community.
In the beginning....many, many years ago, when I was a young mother with four babies...I noticed contractors dumping broken concrete and asphalt into the Darby Creek. I knew it wasn't right. Although I was not aware of the specific hazards, I felt it was wrong to pollute the creek where trout, catfish, ducks, turtles and other wildlife existed. I did a little research and traced the dumped materials back to the contractor the borough hired to replace the sidewalks on Main Street. At that point, I made a few phone calls...first to Darby Borough where officials told me the materials were just being placed on the banks of the creek temporarily, until the contractor took them to the dump. When I witnessed them pushing the debris into the creek water, I called the Borough again. This time I was told the materials were being placed there to stabilize the banks of the creek. Receiving two very different answers concerned me. I decided to contact the Federal EPA and the State DEP to find out if the materials were dangerous to the creek and wildlife. They were. The borough was fined and ordered to remove the debris immediately. This was the beginning of my road to persistence.....
Fast Forward....
1980's
Darby Borough Council was made up of mostly men, mostly Republican. Council meetings were held where decisions were made in the back room - no discussion in public. The public portion of the meeting would take about twenty minutes with each Chairman giving a report, voting to accept the report unanimously and adjourning the meeting. No questions asked. But I had questions....many questions....so from the audience, I asked...and I asked again until I received an answer. When I couldn't get a solid, truthful answer, I decided to throw my hat in the ring and run for council. I ran, I lost, I ran, I lost. At the age of twenty four, I finally won a seat on the council. As you might expect, I asked questions. Lots of questions. The councilmen did not like the questions, but I persisted. WE have a right to address and redress our government. By silencing one person, ALL of us are silenced. However, many of the men on council did not feel the same way. They did not want to hear the questions. They did not want their "good ol' boy" world interrupted. They ruled me out of order, refused to allow me to speak, tried to censor me and finally, arrested me on false charges. For two years, I fought those false charges and finally won. The right for ALL residents to address and redress their government was solidified in Federal Court. Never again, will a resident be silenced, arrested and removed from a borough meeting for speaking to their government officials. Persistence.
1990's
§ 1123.1. Mayor's powers concerning police.
(a) General rule.--The mayor shall have full charge and control of the chief of police and the police force.
(b) Direction.--The mayor shall direct the time during which, the place where and the manner in which the chief of police and the police force perform the duties of their rank.
For too long, we had a police department that consisted of only a few full time officers. Five, to be exact. The rest were all part time. Crime was high, morale was low. Part time officers were hired and left within a year or two as their hopes for becoming full time were dashed if they weren't part of the "clique". Our town suffered immensely. One of my goals was to bring the department BACK up to adequate full time staffing. Residents need to know their police, and police need to know the residents. Within three years, the police department staffing had over nineteen full time officers and just a few part timers. The community benefitted as officers were fairly compensated and felt good, knowing their residents had confidence in them and vice versa.
2000 to 2006
Darby had it's fair share of catastrophe's during this time period. Remnants of Hurricane Floyd where over 337 homes and 59 businesses were severely damaged, major fires, more floods, train derailments and much more. Through it all, we persisted and kept our head above water, (no pun intended) kept our residents as our first priority and did everything we could to keep our town clean and safe.
In January of 2006, I turned over the keys to the police department to the current mayor. She promptly dropped them on the floor and said she didn't want them.....and that's how it's been for the last eleven years....
2017
I love Darby. I love the people, the history, the past, present and future. I have no plans of ever leaving. My family has been here since 1903. I feel that as long as I live here, I have to give back to my community, contribute and share what I can and strive to make it better. If I live here, I need to do all I can to stabilize it, bring pride back and create a safe community for all of us. I've waited eleven years, and I have not been able to catch even a glimpse of change. A sliver of hope that someone, somewhere, will care about our town and try their best to get it back on track.
In March, there was only one candidate on the ballot for Mayor. If no one stepped up to the plate, there would be no choice for the residents. I could not sit back and let that happen, so once again, I am going to give it my all, and offer the residents a choice. An opportunity to choose an experienced, dedicated person who will be persistent in righting the wrong, bringing the community together keeping the residents as priority and opening the doors of government so transparency is paramount. The choice is up to you!
posted by Unknown | 7:20 PM
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