By all accounts, Ken Williams is a likeable guy, and has long been a part of the social and sports scenes in Richland Township. Twenty years ago he was given the Community Service Award by the Upper Bucks Chamber of Commerce.
He now yearns to be a supervisor. Why? He told The Free Press "I can bring experience of the common man - I know a lot of the people in the area for years and I don't see the common man getting listened to in Richland Township. And there are a lot of them out there."
Unfortunately, the very reason why Williams wants to be a supervisor is the very reason he should not be. Not yet, anyway. He still needs the Learn and Earn to go with the Yearn .
This is not personal to Ken Williams. He is just not quite ready for prime time. A "common man" makes a great buddy. The guy you want on your softball team, in your church, around the water cooler at work. But, without experience, not the guy to make the tough decisions every week requiring specific expertise. If, for instance, you want your taxes kept low, you can't really ask someone who has never before dealt with the issue.
This is not about politics, nor friendship, nor personal agenda. Any leader, in any municipality today, must be a knowledgeable businessperson with experience in dealing with local issues and problems. Good intentions, and nostalgic memories, are fine as far as they go. But not nearly far enough. We will be much better served by someone who has developed a vision for the future.
The days of rural townships being run by "common men" are gone. Because a $5 million per year budget is at stake. Because sophisticated developers are lurking. Because the pressures of the cities are inexorably and undeniably headed our way. Because we are no longer isolated from the world's social and economic problems.
Draw your own list of potential issues: Development. Traffic. Open Space. Emergency services. Town budget. Water and sewer. Recreational opportunities. Insurance. Working with staff. Waivers. Ordinances. Lawsuits. Government grants. Police contracts. Cooperation with neighbors. Schools. Roads.
And, most of all, how your taxes should be spent this year, next year, and in 3, 5, and 10 years.
Now, ask yourself who you want on the front lines dealing with these problems. Forget names. Forget political parties, and labels like conservative, liberal, or vegetarian. Forget a candidate's hopes and promises.
What you want - what we all need - is someone with experience. Lots of experience. Lots of the right experience. Someone who has proven himself capable in business, dealing with multi-million dollar budgets, complex negotiations, and legalities. Someone who has a real-world plan to slow development, and extract important concessions from builders, while avoiding expensive litigation.
Someone who understands Richland. Not just from listening to friends, but from years of vital volunteer service on the various boards and committees. Particularly the Planning Commission, which studies and deals with the major issues. Someone who has paid his dues, worked his way up the Learn ladder, and Earned the role of supervisor.
After all, who would you choose for your family doctor or lawyer - someone with no training, or one with years of experience? Would you want your schoolkids taught by the well-intentioned rookie, or the classroom veteran? Would you want someone running your club or organization who had never even been a member?
There is another issue with Williams which should not be overlooked. He is the brother of Dan Williams, a councilman in Quakertown. No, I don't think Ken Williams will be asking for any stone deliveries. But Richland and Quakertown have some important philosophical differences which may take a long time to resolve.
They have widely divergent views on developing the Krupp site. They have clashed in the past over police, trails, funding emergency services, road work, permits, water rates and service, and park maintenance costs. They even disagree on how to communicate. There will soon be negotiations over sewer treatment.
Both sides develop their strategies in staff meetings, informal private conversations, and executive sessions. Discussions they certainly do not want to share.
It just might be asking too much of brothers to be both blood relatives and political adversaries. It is a recipe for mistrust and conflict if those private discussions ever were leaked by anyone . Both borough council and township supervisors may feel uncomfortable, and, at worst, undermined. Dan Williams has already thumbed his nose at the taxpayers once. Not Ken's fault, but reality nonetheless.
Though he is 57 years old, Williams still has the opportunity to serve Richland as a volunteer, and, maybe someday, earn a greater role. I hope he does, because we can certainly use energetic individuals who care about our community. But, like anyone, he has to be willing to start at the bottom, not the top. He has to be willing to work on committees, cooperate with other volunteers and staff, and learn the inner workings of municipal government. Hopefully even take some business courses.
And he must do these things before he is trusted with our money, and our quality of life. There will be other elections in two years, four, and six. Plenty of time for the necessary learning process. He learns about us, we learn about him. If he is as successful in Richland Service as he was twenty years ago in Upper Bucks Service, we will be proud to consider him for leadership.
Three steps to prime time: Yearn. Learn. Earn . Williams is one-third of the way there.