With the spring primary just weeks away — and a sitting supervisor not running for re-election — the Democratic and Republican parties are preparing to go after that seat.

Seeking the Democratic Party nomination in the primary is Rhona Klein, while Frank Murphy is going after the Republican Party nomination.

While both are running uncontested in the primary, here is a preliminary head to head comparison of the two.

Personal background

Klein has lived in Chadds Ford Township for 20 years. She’s married and has two kids.

Murphy has been in the township for five years. He, too, is married and has two kids.

Occupation/Education/Public service

Klein has worked for several municipalities, but is currently unemployed after being laid off from her previous job as special projects coordinator and sustainability director for London Grove Township. She has a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in energy and environmental policy. She has been involved with various committees, but has not held elected office. She lost to Deborah Love in the 2007 supervisors’ race.

Murphy is a practicing attorney who also has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering. He’s been a director on the Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board for the past four years. While living in Aston Township, he served as a township commissioner for eight years.

Why run? What would you like to do should be elected in November?

Klein said she’s running because she’s committed to public service.

One of the things she wants to address is oversight of township personnel, something she said was apparently lacking. She cited the situation with the previous township manager. Klein said he was “incompetent” and “ill-prepared” for the job.

“We had an incompetent township manager who was ill prepared to be a first time manager. …You need to have somebody who’s had a lot of experience as a first time manager so they know the ins and outs of local, state and federal laws and regulations. This did not happen to the point where there was oversight in the uncollected amount of taxes over the past four years of his tenure.”

Murphy said community service is very important to him. As much as he’s enjoyed his time on the school board, he said, his legal and engineering background make him best suited for serving as a supervisor dealing with land development, zoning and other issues facing the township. He previously said he’s very interested in land use matters.

Is there anything the current board has done — or failed to do — that you would like to address?

Klein: “My heart has always been committed to environmental issues, so that’s where my focus is going to be, on making sure we have clean water, that there’s good stormwater management policies. We’ve been paying low taxes, but we have to fulfill the services that are needed.”

Services she thinks that need improving are stormwater management, road issues, and a creek that floods. She added that supervisors need to address the staff to determine whether they’re qualified and meet the needs of the township.

Klein also said she knows there have been times when residents went to the township for advice and consultation, but their concerns were not addressed.

Murphy: “I can’t say they failed to address something. What I can say is that my approach would be different in some regards.”

He said the difference would be in “reaching out” and “taking the extra step” to make sure the public is fully and properly informed on issues as much as possible.

As an example, Murphy cited the little discussed Loop Road Overlay that could result in building a loop road on the southwest part of the Route 1, Route 202 intersection.

He said people would naturally focus only on the aspect that affects them. People living in Painters Crossing Condominiums would view it differently than other people. He said his approach would be more proactive in making sure that everyone understood all aspects of such a proposal. That understanding should be based on facts, not rumors or whispers, he said.

The primary is Tuesday, May 21.