Lights! Camera! Retraction! It's time for the latest episode of your favorite Quakertown area soap opera, As The School District Turns. Away from the set, behind the scenes, things are taking a major turn for the better.
It seems like the controversies have been around longer than it took Susan Lucci to win an Emmy. Is the district's fund balance legal? Does QCSD budget correctly? Should school finances be better controlled? Unfortunately, just like soap opera plots, there never seems to be a resolution. Many of the issues are, at best, a matter of opinion.
But there is no argument that spending, and your taxes, have skyrocketed. And, no matter what happened in the past, the one question that all viewers want to know is - What Now? What are the QCSD scriptwriters cooking up to reverse the district's plunging ratings?
The answer is - stay tuned. Good news is in the works. By January. And the leading actress in this drama is named Dr. Lisa Andrejko, starring in the role of "Superintendent". Her top priority is reforming our budgeting and spending, and she claims the expertise to do it. She saved Norristown taxpayers over $17 million through shuffling of personnel, resisting questionable expense requests, and securing grants. And she has already begun here, consolidating administrative positions to save over $200,000, despite grumbling from some board members. She has a real plan, but...
Dr. A can't reform everything by herself. She needs a school board that supports her mission to reverse the spend-spend mentality that raised your taxes 50 percent. There is one board seat still up for grabs in November, and it will make the difference between the old, costly habits, and Andrejko's plan for new financial responsibility. It all falls on voters in Milford and Trumbauersville. Help our superintendent, and all of us, by dumping old-guard tax-and-spend Linda Martin, and electing reformer Lou-Ellen Renshaw.
Dems Abandon Candidate Murphy
You would expect that Republican or Democratic candidates, and office holders, would be totally supportive of their party's brethren running for office. If they are not - beware. They probably know more about the man/woman than you do. If a candidate doesn't have the unqualified trust of his/her party, there is a giant red flag waving.
Case in point - the Richland Supervisor race. Republican Rick Orloff is endorsed by State Senator Rob Wonderling, State Representative Paul Clymer, Former US Representative Mike Fitzpatrick, County Commissioners Charles Martin and Jim Cawley, and supervisors and councilpersons from Quakertown, Haycock, and Richlandtown.
On the other hand, Democrat Patrick Murphy (not the Congressman) has only one endorsement on his website - former Representative Peter Kostmayer, who was voted out of office 15 years ago after being caught in the House Banking Scandal. Why aren't other area Dems supporting their fellow candidate? Red flag!
I asked three politically-prominent Democrats in Quakertown if they had a statement about Murphy. Their very brief answers: "No, I do not". "My focus has been on my own campaign". "I'm not even going to touch this one. Sorry". Red flags!
But Richlandtown Democratic Councilman John Norvaisas, a former Murphy supporter, had plenty to say. "Patrick Murphy's non-support and attack on fellow Democrats proves he is not the best choice for supervisor. Murphy backed his buddy, Mike Zowniriw, when Z abused neighbor Claire Cressman, a lifelong Democrat. A Murphy worker verbally attacked another long-time committee woman at a Democratic picnic this summer when she supported Orloff".
Norvaisas continued "If you don't agree with Patrick Murphy, he will go after you, and, even worse, he will waste your tax money with his ego-driven lawsuits. I for one cannot, and will not, be a part of his radical action. I have gotten to know Rick Orloff, and found that he is a caring family man who wants what's best for our community". Giant red flag!
Murphy's website features a large picture of Candidate Patrick Murphy shaking hands with Congressman Patrick Murphy. But Candidate Murphy does not claim that Congressman Murphy endorses him. Does he? The Congressman's Communications Director, Adam Abrams, wasn't sure. He had to consult a list. Uh-oh, red flag. But, as it turns out, Candidate Murphy is on the list!
Congressman Murphy is a hot property in Washington today. A major player in the Iraq debate. So how much time has he devoted to knowing the fellow Democrats that he endorses? I asked him to respond to several specific questions, among them...
"Candidate Murphy's close friend, and (former) campaign manager, Brian Kline, sent out an email saying 'Do you want your kids entering a public school system on par with some Christian school, where kids are socially inept, ill-prepared for human sexuality, learn creationism instead of evolution, and most importantly, are overlooked by colleges and universities?' Does Congressman Murphy agree with the statement?"
"Kline issued a press release for Candidate Murphy: 'Repealing the estate tax for billionaire families is un-American in a time of war. Across the nation, ordinary people are holding bake sales to buy Kevlar vests for their kids in Iraq, but Fitzpatrick and Orloff are working to insure Paris Hilton gets every dime of her inheritance'. Orloff's son, a Marine headed to Iraq, is the fourth generation of his family in the US military, going back to his great-grandfather who survived Pearl Harbor. Neither Kline nor Candidate Murphy have children, nor military service. Given Congressman Murphy's well-known military record, does he have a comment?"
Abrams' response: "Congressman Murphy has endorsed supervisor candidate Patrick Murphy because he feels that he is a dedicated public servant who will work hard to improve the lives of families in Richland Township. As with any campaign, the voters are the ones who will decide what positions matter to them on Election Day. Congressman Murphy trusts that the voters in Richland Township will make that decision after hearing each of the candidates tell their side of the story". Dedicated public servant Mr. Congressman? Candidate Murphy "serves" two days a year as a largely-ceremonial Judge of Elections.
Can you imagine a weaker endorsement??? If area Dems feel this way about Candidate Murphy, those red flag are indeed a'waving.