"The time has come, the Woldow said, to talk of many things...of municipal elections, and folks who would be kings."
That's not exactly what Lewis Carroll wrote in "The Walrus and the Carpenter", which Tweedledum and Tweedledee recite to Alice in Through The Looking Glass. But with primary elections coming up in May, the time has indeed come to talk of many things. And in future weeks, we will. Like who is best qualified to lead local municipalities, and a school district, that have sometimes seemed like surrealistic Wonderlands...
Take Quakertown borough. Please. The incumbents are all seeking another four-year term. All nice people. But they just haven't earned it. Their record has been abysmal. Truly, they appear burned out. Dennis Hallman has 21 years on council, Jim Roberts 25, and Elfriede Werner 27. Dave Wilsey has only three, but misses half the regular meetings. In every important area of government they have failed:
Taxes. Technically, real estate "taxes" have stayed the same for years, but only because council has chosen to disguise the increases as utility bills. Electric is up 65% in just four years, sewer up 143%, water up 226%!!
Infrastructure. Miles of leaking water and sewer lines went untended for over a century. The wastewater processing plant dumped raw sewage into the Tohickon Creek. But money was never reserved for repairs that everyone knew were necessary, and you are now stuck with all of the costs that should have been billed for decades. Over $10 million!
Ethics. For years, council members approved purchases from their own businesses. They repeatedly violated the Sunshine Law. They said nothing when councilman Special Favors Williams was caught receiving a free delivery of stone for his alley - at taxpayer expense. They approved the hiring of Williams' daughter, Debbie, as a summer worker while other borough employees' kids were refused.
Historic Preservation. Quakertown was the last historically-meaningful municipality in Bucks County to pass such an ordinance, in June, 2006. Some towns had theirs in place 30 years ago. And council actually did nothing themselves. Everything was delegated to Quakertown Alive, a private group.
Downtown image. You can choose your own word here. Even rah-rah Quakertown Alive President Scott Soost referred to it as an "ugly duckling". Again, council has done nothing on their own. Grants awarded to QA may be on the way, but this is 2007, and we still look like 1957.
Spending your money. Oh, where to start...
Qtown had to pay Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority over $800,000 for overbillings. Other legal judgments and settlements exceeded $400,000, forcing workman's comp insurance up 144% in six years. The municipal pool renovations that were supposed to run $2.3 million ended up over $3 million. Cleanup of the polluted Krupp site cost over $1 million because council did not properly investigate before they purchased it.
Former manager Dave Woglom handed out dozens of borough contracts without the required bidding, and council approved every one of them. There was absolutely no one watching. The preliminary report from Keystone Municipal Services, covering only January, 2003, through June, 2006, revealed over $1 million in illegal contracts, involving at least 24 different vendors.
Woglom resigned, but only after council agreed not to sue him; not to say anything negative; and to pay him three months severance, five weeks vacation pay for 2007 (though he worked only two days!), and $75 per hour as a consultant. In addition, Woglom and council so angered borough workers that they unionized. Council has spent close to $100,000 on labor negotiations. They are using a law firm that was fired in Hatboro because they dragged out negotiations there for over three years with no resolution.
Solicitor. For 22 years council has employed Charles Fonzone, despite a multitude of costly mistakes. Illegal secret votes in at least three meetings. Repeated Sunshine Law violations. He didn't catch a single one of those illegal contracts, and then bent over backward to defend them. In 2006 he claimed to be unaware of the 1998 state law prohibiting borough purchases from councilmen's businesses. Members of the press have repeatedly observed him apparently asleep at council meetings.
Understanding the job. Despite all of their experience, council just doesn't understand what is necessary to run this town today. President Hallman, the poster child for their indifference, said "We are not supposed to be involved in the day-to-day operations...this isn't our full-time job". That's just an excuse - and a bad one. Council need not be involved in day-to-day operations, but they certainly must understand and oversee them. Their inattention birthed most of the borough's problems. They have to do far more than just show up at town hall twice a month.
Sadly, some don't even do that. Wilsey missed five out of 11 regular meetings between March, 2006 and January, 2007. And he revealed his personal priority by running (unsuccessfully) for state senate in the middle of his first council term. We need leaders who think borough first, who willingly meet with citizens, address issues before they become problems, and understand what the staff is doing.
Current council members had decades to figure it out. It appears they no longer try. This isn't just occasional human error. It is a total failure to manage. Yet Hallman proclaimed to the Republican caucus last week that council has done a "fine job", and blamed "special interests" for any negativity. Another bad excuse. Quakertown must have fresh eyes, fresh ideas, and fresh enthusiasm. Regardless of political party.
This is our most important election in decades. Finally, residents will be able to set a much-needed new direction. Local discontent is obvious: there will be eleven hopefuls for four seats - five Republicans and six Democrats. Some candidates are good - very good. Some are not. The time has come to talk of these many things - and in upcoming weeks we indeed will.