October 9, 2013

As a candidate for Chadds Ford Supervisor in November’s election I am proud to live in such a wonderful community. If I have the honor of being elected, one of the first projects I want to work on is improving channels of communication and the connection between our Township government and all residents. The current Board of Supervisors has taken some good steps in the right direction, and I would like to improve upon those steps with experience I have gained from my years as a township official in another community and as a School Board Director for the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District.

Some of the ideas I would like to explore include the following:

·        Implement a volunteer committee to assist with communications.  Chadds Ford has many talented and energetic people, and many wonderful volunteers who already serve in important roles.  A Communications Committee could assist with a Township Newsletter, Press Releases, research, surveys, and other important tasks.

·        Televise meetings, or excerpts of meetings, on Cable TV or the internet.  While not every minute of each meeting needs to be televised, public meetings could be broadcast by using a simple camera and computer video editing program.  Community volunteers or students could assist with this project – perhaps for community service hours or a Scout or other badge.  We have the talent here in Chadds Ford — let’s use it.

·        Create an email newsletter.  We could create a newsletter that would report upcoming meeting dates, agenda items, discussion topics, and a summary of the impact of items that will go before the Board of Supervisors prior to each Supervisors meeting.  Such a newsletter would be politically neutral, in electronic format only, and could be prepared at little cost by enlisting volunteers and students.  By using this type of newsletter we could reach a broader audience of concerned citizens and alert residents via email to upcoming events, agenda items, and meetings.Then, after each meeting a follow-up could be emailed out reporting on what took place.

·        Create a Chadds Ford Blog where Supervisors, other Township Officials, volunteers, and others regularly blog about topics of interest to the community. Why not invite feedback and comments from the community for each post?  We could invite an occasional distinguished “guest blogger” to contribute as well! I see this as an opportunity to promote more openness and transparency within the community.

·        Hold “meet the Supervisors” meetings at staggered times for face-to-face conversation and discussion on topics of the day.  We all benefit from more interaction, accountability and connection within our community.

·        Solicit feedback.  Feel free to contact me either by email at FMurphy2013@comcast.net or by phone at 484-841-6371.

Chadds Ford is a great place with great people.  Together we can develop ways to better communicate and to make Chadds Ford an even better place to live and work.

Frank Murphy
Chadds Ford Township
Republican Party candidate for supervisor

It’s an old concept, but true. All actions, decisions and choices have their consequences, good or bad. Sometimes those choices affect people totally uninvolved in the original decision making process.

A decision made by Chadds Ford Township supervisors when they approved the Toll Bros. development that became The Estates of Chadds Ford is an example. We were reminded of this during the special meeting of the township Planning Commission.

In addressing her concern regarding the possible construction of the southwest leg of the loop road, township Tax Collector Valerie Hoxter said supervisors listened to residents of Summit Drive and Heyburn Road when they said they didn’t want traffic from the new development on their streets. Supervisors honored those requests and the estates were built with only one way in and one way out, that being Evergreen Drive that leads to Hillman Drive in the Henderson Group-owned Chadds Ford Business Park.

That decision now has a consequence, maybe several.

The YMCA wants to build a facility in that complex and it can be strongly argued that such a facility is needed in the township. There are no recreational facilities for children or families in Chadds Ford. There are no playgrounds, no basketball courts and no ball fields. No such facilities at all, either for profit or nonprofit.

Understandably, though, many residents of the estates are concerned about traffic and they don’t want the Y to get the zoning amendment needed to build on that site. At least, the vocal ones have been saying they oppose the idea.

One other resident said, in a private conversation, that the YMCA is a great idea.

“It’s either going to be a three-story office building or a YMCA. Why not have something we can use?”

The site was already approved for an office building, but the YMCA is asking for a text amendment to allow for a not for profit recreational facility to be allowed in that location zoned as Light Industrial.

What would have happened had supervisors, at the time they were approving the estates development, called for a second or even a third access point for the Estates of Chadds Ford? Would there be as much concern over the possibility of a YMCA along Hillman Drive and Dickinson Road as there is now? Likely not, but it’s a moot point because no one will ever know. There is only one access point, and that’s the primary reason for the concern now.

Chadds Ford Live is, as of now, taking no position on any of the developments mentioned during the Planning Commission meeting. Not enough information has come to light, but consider a comment once made by the late Milton Friedman, economist, statistician and recipient of the 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences: “Most of the energy devoted to political work is devoted to correcting the effects of mismanagement of government.”

While the board’s original decision is not a reflection of mismanagement — the board was diligent in looking to strike what it thought would be a win/win situation — the decision and the current reaction reflect the truth of unexpected and unforeseen consequences.

If the Planning Commission recommends a zoning change to allow for the YMCA and for the proposed K. Hovnanian Homes development on Brandywine Drive, either the current or future board of supervisors will have to make more decisions. What consequences will they bring?