When you run for elected office you become not only a politician but a public figure. Some are better than others.

Last evening was a West Whiteland supervisors meeting. Other municipalities pretty much run their meetings fairly civilized these days, but West Whiteland is swirling in controversy, so they’re a bit rocky.

Last evening’s meeting (3/9/22) was the most civilized they’ve had in a while. And mostly it was civilized because one supervisor, Theresa Hogan Santalucia, for once didn’t act out. Well that is not quite true, she spouted off on why they shouldn’t get a camera in the West Whiteland board room to record PUBLIC meetings. Something about distorted view, can’t see faces, etc. She referenced West Goshen Township which was kind of funny because unless they are having technical challenges, you can see everyone clear as a bell: supervisors, staff, even people who go up to speak at the podium. Ditto with East Goshen Township and East Whiteland Township, and a whole host of other municipalities whose meetings I have seen either live streaming or recorded. I think she just doesn’t WANT meetings recorded because it is easier to pretend bad behavior doesn’t happen at public meetings and not all resident comments are positive, can’t you agree?

Theresa Hogan Santalucia does act out for lack of a better description, kindly reference an apology tour screenshot from the not so distant past:

And yes Theresa, we all can have opinions on you, how you govern, how you behave because you are a PUBLIC official, a politician/elected official. I can also have the opinion that I think you are unsuited for public office and should resign for any number of reasons.

My reasons go back as far as sidewalk chalk, or when someone was made to feel bad (and publicly skewered) for putting sidewalk chalk drawings on a sidewalk outside the township building on Election Day. I will note back then that I don’t recall any signage saying “no sidewalk chalk.” Is there such signage today? I don’t know. I never knew in suburbia there were rules on sidewalk chalk.

Then we have the recent occurrences of making a unilateral decision to send out a fairly large check to someone who’s contract or agreement or whatever you want to call it hadn’t been renewed, correct? You’ve been a sitting supervisor in a fairly large municipality for not a year, but several years yet you oopsies it and claimed you didn’t know you could do that? Municipalities and businesses alike always have a system of checks and balances for checks over a certain dollar amount or should, correct? I think with 2nd Class Townships like West Whiteland, this is something the board has to decide and vote upon as a governing body, correct?

Doesn’t that just beg the question of what other things she has done that maybe she shouldn’t have done but she claims she didn’t know you couldn’t do as an elected official? And again, she’s a public official, an elected official, a politician so anyone can ask these questions.

And do not forget, this politician makes a big hairy deal about going to PSATS things. PSATS is the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors. Don’t they offer seminars to help elected officials and appointed officials and employees in municipalities learn to be better?

Here is what Theresa has had to say on social media about PSATS things:

And then there’s the whole thing of performing Rights to Know on your fellow elected officials using your West Whiteland email address and that also meant private citizens and their rights were being targeted? And how about invading the privacy quite literally of your fellow supervisors with that and why is that? Are they not allowed to have friendships and relationships outside of the township building?

We live in communities where we elect our community members to represent us and elect local government so once you get there or you’re not supposed to have any friends, family, neighbors, acquaintances, co-workers?

Which brings us to last night. For once Supervisor Theresa Hogan Santalucia made an effort to look fairly presentable for the meeting. Another opinion anyone can have. A screen shot was taken and it was posted with a tongue in cheek quip about a “glam squad.”

Truthfully, it wasn’t a very active post, only a few people saw it and about five or six people laughed at it because when you mention a local politician and a glam squad it is actually funny. Women use glam squads for so many things today. Wedding makeup, party makeup, pre-photos makeup, just for fun with friends. But I think why people laugh at it is if you watch any of the reality TV shows on Bravo, I think every single one of those women on the majority of those shows have a glam squad. And they talk about their glam squads like it’s a regular everyday thing…you know when they have their people call your people?

So yes, poor me the evil blogger made a funny. I made a funny about a local politician who hasn’t been very nice all of the time, has she?

Fast forward to today when I logged onto my computer and I had a message from one of the people who thought the post was funny and left a 😂. Literally that is ALL they did. No comment, just a laughing like to the post. Here is the message to me (and no they didn’t respond to this, what would be the point?):

Your eyes do not deceive you, she contacted someone who laughed at the post. I have no way of knowing if it’s a constituent or not, but if any of you received these messages I’d be interested in hearing about it. It’s just downright odd, isn’t it?

One of Saint Theresa’s biggest issues as a politician isn’t just the lack of playing well with others in public, it is how she is on social media. No one is being mean if they suggest least said, soonest mended to her. She has in fact a nasty flannel mouth as one of my grandmothers would have said.

Also….No politician likes being lampooned. But that’s actually an age-old tradition in this country. Like Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall. The Boss Tweed lampoons still resonate today.

They lampooned and cartooned and generally poked fun of people, royalty, etc. in the 18th century here when we were divorcing ourselves from the United Kingdom during the revolution.

They did it in Europe when Bonaparte was waging war in Europe.

Before I finish up this post, allow me to circle back to that PSATS conference. I don’t know if Saint Theresa will be attending, but there are definitely some seminars which might be good for her. One is even being led by her Township Solicitor’s law firm in fact. You know that guy she said was so terrible at the reorg meeting? The same reorg meeting where she said terrible things about new Supervisor Brian Dunn? Anyway, some of the following may be helpful to here:

So here we are. I have to ask did any of these politicians or public figures back in the day write letters to people laughing at these lampoons historically? Do you know any others who do so now? Do you know any other politicians locally or otherwise who private message people well into the evening about what they’re liking on Facebook?

Theresa Hogan Santalucia, like it or not, is a politician. She has a choice. She can own her political mistakes and whatever else as an elected official and move on, or she can do West Whiteland a favor and resign. I say resign. As a politician she has gone well past tsk, tsk she shouldn’t do that. And it actually is sad, because when there are women like this in politics, even in such a local capacity, it makes it harder for women in general to run for office no matter what their political persuasion.

#ResignTheresa