BLOG: It's time to dig in the dirt - not throw it!
This isn’t your parent’s political experience, this is thick skinned, hand to hand political combat - all to achieve success as a local township government official! Seriously?
Have you been to a township meeting lately? Have you watched one online? It's the kind of interaction that we teach our children is unacceptable. Our kids are taught in kindergarten to be kind, be civil and above all else treat others how you want to be treated. Maybe we have a need for some lessons in manners for some of our political kin.
I won’t lie to you, there are times when I will sit and listen to someone talk and think - what the heck are you talking about? But that little thing in my brain, you know the thing, that filter that makes me stop and think before i speak, usually kicks in and prevents me from putting my foot in my mouth. I often wonder if others need a tune up on their filter. Watch a meeting - like bookends there are some that really need to smile more, stop being so personally mean and use their filter!
Aren’t people tired of hearing dirt being thrown at fellow community members? Isn’t it more important to talk about the issue being discussed than the person involved in the issue?
Listen, if you are a political opponent and have a record as long as my arm, the public deserves to know. This goes to the character of an individual. If you are a political opponent and I just don’t like you because, well because I don’t, I still owe the people around me a little bit of dignity and civility and the breakdown on the issues. After all, the issues are the things that matter to our residents.
As a mother, I care about public safety. As a mother, I care that our schools are performing with excellence. As a taxpayer, I want to be sure that we have the right people in place to keep our way of life here in the township at the levels we deserve. As a Republican, I believe that government is here to serve the taxpayers.
So much needs to be debated and shared, but it doesn’t bode well that this will be an election season of civility. I extend that challenge to our Democratic opponents, stick with the issues, stop bashing the individuals who are willing to stand up and serve. Lets talk about what matters - money, service and community pride.
On a personal note - welcome home (even for just a couple of weeks) my son Airman Tony Nolte, he is headed home on leave from the United States Air Force!
Barbara
2:43 pm on Monday, May 9, 2011
First off, please thank your son for serving our country!! God bless him! Secondly, I agree with you completely. I share your viewpoints. Last week's Board of Commissioner's meeting was a huge joke. The 'bookends' continuously demonstrate lack of business sense, professionalism, and business etiquette. They can't make a good business decision and never provide good justification for their 'no' votes. You get the sense that their decisions are based more on personal vendettas and vengeance than sound reasoning. They are an embarassment to the community, and anti-business.
Ruth Z. Deming
8:04 pm on Monday, May 9, 2011
really enjoyed your candid comments, barbara! i luv our township and had attended a couple of meetings in the past which weren't the dirt-slinging ones they are apparently are today, but people were so long-winded i lost track of what they were saying. better that i read about these meetings on patch than attend them.
Mary
8:54 am on Friday, May 13, 2011
I find this funny that the party that brought us Stacey E. now wants civility, but that's very good to hear. Maybe you should talk to Sam V. and Jonathan D. about being nicer though. You are right about candidates running on their records, but then you already have GOP leaders going around door to door attacking the opposition on everything but the issues.
Remember UMT, a fringe group of the R's have held the majority for as long as anyone can remember, so how is it that all the evils have been done by minority board members?
Maybe you should also say that you both are, or have been, R committee people Barbara and Kathy.
Kathy Rusch
4:53 pm on Tuesday, May 24, 2011
I always find it interesting those who can only look to the past - I guess that asking for some civility is too much from the left side of the dais. No GOP leaders are going door to door attacking anyone - just because you say it doesn't make it true - but you must know this from the random and baseless allegations that are thrown around at the meetings just to give you a small thrill.
I am not a fringe group of anything, I am the chair of the Republican Party in Upper Moreland Township. Along with 27 other Republicans that form the committee. and for the record - Lisa Romaniello's hanging of Dee and Chris Beck's picture on her A-Frame and calling them the fringe doesnt make that true either.
Lets stick with the facts - and the facts are easy to count!
Mary
3:19 pm on Thursday, May 26, 2011
Dear Kathy,
You say you want decorum but you sound kind of harsh to me. So you don't want to talk about your party members records because that has to do with the past? A candidate's record is normally a very important part of what voters like me look at. For instance, what has been accomplished in the past few years? Have elected officials actually attended all the meetings? How did they handle the township's finances? Were they fair to all the constituents in their wards regardless of party affiliation, or did they vote strictly along party lines their entire term? Do the board chairs run their meetings efficiently?
See, these are some important topics that should be discussed. I see no mention of issues in your negative comment here. I did not use full names in my previous comment, but since you feel this is appropriate I will say that there is no way I can see myself voting for Joe LaValle and Sam Valenza because they have failed in every single point I made above. They simply do not have the capacity or the will to do the job they were elected to do.