Frank Murphy has a tradition of community involvement and
plans to keep that tradition alive by running for school board. The Delaware
County native will run against Gregg Lindner for the Region C seat on the
Unionville-Chadds Ford School district that became vacant when Ed Wandersee
stepped down from the board this past spring.
The district appointed Lindner to serve through this year,
but he must face Murphy in November for the final two years of Wandersee’s
term.
Murphy, an attorney, is a former Aston Township commissioner
who moved into Chadds Ford in August 2008. When the seat became available,
Murphy said he saw an opportunity to get involved with his new community as he
had been involved in other communities.
“I’ve been involved in a number of community activities over
the years and I thought this was a chance to give back to the local community,”
Murphy said during an Oct. 10 Republican party fund-raiser. “I’m a product of
public education. I went to Upper Darby High School, Temple University and Penn
State, so pretty much everything I’ve accomplished has been through public
education. I understand the importance of public education and thought serving
on the school board would be a good way to give back to the community.”
Murphy said he sees a number of issues facing school board
members.
“Budgetary issues are [among] the first things that come up
with everyone I talk to in Chadds Ford and Pennsbury townships. People are very
concerned about the economy… One of the other issues is communication from the
school board to the public and vice versa. Those are two areas I would focus on
if elected,” he said.
Murphy acknowledged the hottest issue the school faced
recently was the high school expansion. He couldn’t say how he would have voted
had he been on the board at the time, but said it was an example of poor
communication. He added, however, that no one he’s spoken to has ever said some
renovations weren’t needed.
“I think what bothered those people who were against the
construction was the way it was handled by the school board [with] two
referendums voted down by the public and then the school board going ahead with
the project anyway.”
The 47-year-old candidate said he’s looking ahead to what he
can contribute to the board in the future, what needs to be done going forward.
“The money has been allocated for the project. The bonds
have been issued; the debt has been incurred. The shovels are in the ground. It
seems to me, what we need to be worried about now is making sure every dollar
is spent properly so there are no issues down the road with regard to flawed
construction. … We need to make sure the money is being properly spent.”
He said he would like those who disagreed with the project
to come to the realization that the district got its money’s worth.
“The role of any public official is to make sure their
actions are transparent and that they’re accountable for their actions,” Murphy
said. “I believe the school board needs to improve communications with the
community. As a former municipal
official, whose meetings were televised every month, who had a number of public
meetings, sometimes with angry constituents, I dealt with that issue. I dealt
with public meetings, been involved with the budget process, been involved in controversial
issues. I think I have the temperament to handle that… I bring a range of
background that I think will be very useful to this school board.”
Murphy said he also spent time teaching as an adjunct
instructor at DCCC.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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