I don’t know. Maybe this applicant should have tried out for ABC’s The Golden Bachelor and she would not be a rooster mommy wishing to create a fake farm?
Before we begin I will note that this is a public issue and that notice is publicly visible and posted.
Crazy fowl issues once again roosting in Willistown Township.
As you know, I am in favor of legitimate agricultural zones and farms and uses. This is under 3 acres. It’s on a very residential street and my opinion is it’s BS. Also in my humble opinion the only reason this is going to zoning for a mythical agricultural use is because she wants to keep a rooster, although now it draws attention to the entire menagerie.
(And all her buddies can roll up here and tell me what a terrible person I am, but it doesn’t change my opinion, which I am allowed to have.)
I have gone out of my way to not really post photos of the shantytown shed arrangement on this property. It was definitely designed by Fred Sanford for the Clampetts. That is part of what makes this laughable. I will note this applicant was handing out hand outs when this went to the Magisterial District Justice not so long ago which was public, so now the hand outs are too, right? Comforters as rooster baffles really?
I’ve also seen a recent email exchange between this person and someone they had problems with regarding roosters last time. And if you disagrees with this woman with this notice, you’re a bad bad person? Well, I don’t need a Christmas card from her and I don’t need a cocktail as part of the follow car circuit for Radnor Hunt so I must be extra bad right?
(Newsflash I love watching the Radnor Hunt go by and the other Hunt clubs that still exist in Chester County. I think they’re marvelous)
Back to what constitutes a farm and farm animals. So this woman doesn’t live on a farm doesn’t have a farm but wants to have a farm, do I have this right?
So that means she wants to legitimize the rooster, all the chickens, the numerous goats including intact billy goats plus the two donkeys that I really don’t think are grandfathered or whatever?
People will often fill up empty places in their lives with animals. That’s part of the human condition. No judging there.
Sadly every single time something comes up about roostergate In Willistown, it’s like neighbors on this street are being punished doesn’t it?
And once again, I reiterate, this is not the only rooster issue in Willistown at all which is why Willistown needs an ordinance. Eventually, these issues with roosters are going to detrimentally affect responsible backyard chickens owners, and I don’t think that’s fair.
Wounds on a person’s leg after a peck attack from a rooster elsewhere in Willistown.
Here go ahead now- those of you who are going to attack me, attack me now get it out of your system. This is now a very PUBLIC issue with a PUBLIC notice so you can go down a PUBLIC street and see for yourselves. (CLICK HERE for link on Willistown website.)
What is the actual agricultural use? Selling goats and chickens live as a breeding operation? Or selling goats milk or goat meat, or butchered, chickens, or eggs?
Putting on a pair of cute overalls doesn’t make you a farmer, does it? So having a collection of dumpy sheds on a suburban NOT country street and a menagerie of farm animals doesn’t mean you are a farmer or have a farm either, does it ?
Grab your popcorn Chester County. This is going to be amusing. And it starts with Willistown Planning Commission 10/4/23, Zoning 10/25/23 and if there is enough of a wailing wall like the applicant bought to court recently, there is another potential Planning Commission date of 10/18/23.
From prior to August court date. People shared these text messages around
I have two other posts in the process of being written, yet this is the one I’m writing right now because I think I’ve seen everything vomitorious on TV at this point.
Except I haven’t. They are starting an ABC Bachelor series for the Social Security set.
They explain the series as the following:
One hopeless, romantic, is given a second chance at love in the search for a partner, with whom to share the sunset years of his life.
~ The Golden Bachelor
OK I think I just threw up a little in my mouth. But wait, there’s more and they all play pickle ball or is it hide the pickle I’m not really sure. and yes, I am being super sarcastic because this just blows my mind at the new level of drivel of reality TV.
Those writers in Hollywood settled their strike right? Because I don’t think Americans can handle any more reality TV
OK and they have this poor man on some of the ads in a mustard colored suit. It’s like they stole an old Weichert Realty blazer for him.
And OMG, these women. Maybe 3 seem real, and the shot of a late middle aged leg putting on pantyhose? Sort of a retro No Nonsense ad or something…
I’m not the only one that thinks this is going to be nothing short of appalling as a reality series given this article, I just found in the Washington Post:
As an increase in cord-cutting leaves networks with smaller audiences, a strategy to attract more senior viewers — traditional network TV’s bread and butter — has become more essential. If we are to believe the publicity campaign around The Golden Bachelor, which starts airing Thursday evening, ABC wants the show to right two wrongs: That romance among senior citizens does not get enough attention; and that not enough programming is created for that age group, the network’s core viewership.Those goals are, respectively, commendable and commercially sound. But I am skeptical ABC can thread that pair of needles with a retread of a hoary old reality TV format originally designed to exploit the brazenness of twentysomethings looking for love in luxe locales. Since Disney CEO Bob Iger hinted over the summer that the company’s linear networks were on the chopping block, you have to to wonder if ABC doesn’t care at this point or is just bad at programming.The Bachelor franchise is growing long in the tooth, and the network is counting on the spinoff to provide a much-needed refresh. But the trailers for The Golden Bachelor allow for no optimism that the show will greatly deviate from the formula: The bachelor and the 22 women seeking his affections in a lavish Southern California mansion will serve up the same mix of entitlement (his) and desperation (theirs) that has characterized every iteration of the franchise over two decades.
That Gerry Turner, the eponymous “golden” bachelor, is 72, and the competing women range from 60 to 75, is fodder for cliches and jokes about age — and pickleball, a game many of them say they play. In the previews, the women wear gowns and dresses, rather than bikinis….While they wait for the first original reality TV show targeted at them, senior citizens can thank goodness for streaming services, where there’s a growing library of scripted content about and for their cohort. The gold standard remains As Time Goes By, the 1992-2005 BBC series starring Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer as grown-ups navigating the tricky shoals of romance. If the folks at ABC don’t want to take a chance with originality, they’d do well to seek inspiration here.
Some of these women are downright terrifying. And he is sadly just very creepy. And this whole series is just trying too hard and kind of insulting to those who are later middle-aged into senior citizen age range everywhere.
I turn 60 next year. I honestly don’t know what I think about it. Because it’s one of those ages when you were a kid you thought was so old only it’s not. And I was looking at the preview for the series, which I think starts in October, and the majority of the women are just so fake. I just don’t do fake well.
Maybe this will be the reality series. Everyone watches in the fall because it’s like a train wreck or a car accident and there is gaper delay and you can’t look away.
But seriously, it’s been a long time since I laughed so hard at a preview of a TV show not trying to be funny.
Maybe you think spending ad money to blind motorists from this insanely bright sign is the way to get new customers but you are selling cars so why aren’t you more concerned with driver safety?
I mean, do you think this sign is safe do you think this sign is not way too bright for its location? Do you think it’s nice to contribute to making the community in which you have a business as gaudy as Times Square?
I guess what I would just be thinking about if I was this car dealership is the fact that people already take issue with them because of the way, they essentially park cars right on the edge of Route 30 a lot of the time in East Whiteland.
But maybe you should put some money towards upkeep on those old structures on the property in East Whiteland and not billboard ads? These poor old and historic structures sure are getting run down looking or is that by design? Those are your rental properties correct?
And I don’t care what anyone thinks if I am singling out businesses that are contributing to the billboard blight on Route 30 by buying advertising. It is my right to comment, and I also think that if these are people and businesses doing business locally within a community that they should care about how the community looks, shouldn’t they? And is a giant billboard making Lancaster Avenue, AKA Route 30 in Frazer look like Times Square on a Thursday morning caring about the community?
Billboard Ad Blight award du jour goes to this car dealership. Shame on Jeff D’Ambrosio.
Too much? I don’t think so. How many of these GIANT ELECTRONIC OUTDOOR TV’s are supposed to light up our nights? We aren’t I-95. But now Outfront Advertising wants us to think so.
Yes, that is right, ANOTHER billboard application has been filed in East Whiteland Township. Another kill the trees for the Route 202 billboard. The application says 103 Feet East of Mill Lane.
To be clear, because I may not be being clear, this M-700 Application by Outfront Advertising AKA BILLBOARD COMPANY is to REMOVE and potentially unnaturally trim 150 year old sycamore trees not a brand new billboard per se. It FEELS like a new billboard because they are the successor owners to Catalyst. Catalyst had previously filed an M-700 with PennDOT after killing a slew of trees and then there was serious community uproar, and then before a decision was ultimately made if I recall correctly, the application was withdrawn and then the site flipped from Catalyst to Outfront.
This is next to a PARK and residents, as in real affected people. Like last time, it would be a heinous act with environmental, highway, and residential impacts. We are an area that floods now and badly with every heavy storm. Tree removal = more erosion and other impacts with stormwater impact. Overall environmentally this is bad and these are OUR heritage trees. Why do we have to lose more heritage trees in our communities for billboards? Scenic highways, would that be so bad? Less distractions, being more environmentally friendly?
East Whiteland Township is OPPOSED to this new application.
But East Whiteland needs your help, especially but not limited to residents. If you travel this stretch of Route 202 regularly, PLEASE take the time to contact PennDOT and CC: Scott Lambert, Chair of the East Whiteland Township Supervisors. I will provide some lovely email address I have looked up in a moment, but you can also report your concern via their Customer Care Center: https://customercare.penndot.gov/eCCC/eCCC.nsf
YOU MUST BE POLITE AND PROFESSIONAL, NO PROFANITY PLEASE.
At the end I will embed the actual documents I received on a Right to Know. But now a word about billboards as an issue. EVERY SINGLE TIME the issue comes up, the knee jerk response is “get rid of all of the elected officials.”
It’s not that simple, people, and neither should any of you be when it comes to this.
And you know, as well as I do that things with development are not always so simplistic because of the municipalities planning code. Billboards also come in to play with that, because if Pennsylvania had a more strict or defined policy about billboards as a state, it would have a trickle down effect to local zoning, and Pennsylvania kind of looks the other way which is why I am FOR different State Representative representation here for example. State Representative Kristine Howard does not do much of anything and does not have a voice for her constituents. We now have Katie Muth as our State Senator and I don’t know enough about her to have an informed opinion. At this point other than from what I have seen, she does stand up for her constituency, depending upon the issue. Maybe she will show an interest in helping save communities against billboards, or one can only hope.
You all know how I feel about billboards. I’ve never made a secret of it and I’ve been parts of groups fighting billboards since billboards were first proposed around 2010 in Bryn Mawr on Lancaster Avenue.
When billboards first became an issue in East Whiteland, some of the community were all gung ho, and formed a no billboards group. But those people soon fizzled out and didn’t go to meetings they weren’t speaking up and it was just left to a few people. People are not consistent with participating where they live. And everybody has a different reason, but the thing is people have to pay attention to the meetings and the schedules and what’s being submitted and it’s all there as public information. With regard to township meetings you can also attend them on zoom from the comfort of your home. You don’t have to be in person anymore and if you can’t attend them on zoom, you can watch them after on YouTube but people have to participate. Consistently.
Part of the problem is that more residents need to get involved where they live — as in East Whiteland and elsewhere. We can’t blame government for our lack of participation where we live.
When these billboards first came up the threat of the expense of prolonged litigation was real (look at Haverford Township and Lower Merion for real world examples.) This was like the one billboard that the billboard guy really wanted, but he had proposed three, so it was either they were going to accept this one billboard and the other billboards would go away or there would’ve been three like this within a mile and a half to 2 miles. People will have to go back and look at the original submissions. (http://www.eastwhiteland.org/418/E-Whiteland-Outdoor-LLC-Off-Premises-Sig )
Now I will admit that I think they could have said no, but the township felt compromise was in everyone’s best interest. Of course we now know how obnoxious that sign is, so perhaps that sign can be revisited by PennDOT and East Whiteland?
Once again, I ask people to start bombarding state elected officials, including the freaking governor to update the Municipalities Planning Code to protect where we live. It requires them to enact an act of the state constitution to do this, and they’re all too damn lazy to do it and this has to be done in Harrisburg. We need a top down STATE law solution to SAVING our communities from billboard blight.
I just don’t want people throwing the baby out with the bathwater because not all elected officials are bad. And we need to come together on this issue for real. Again.
Here are the documents I have to share below. I am also sharing something from Scenic America. I don’t pretend to have the answers but please contact PennDOT. Time is of the essence. If you have media contacts, please impress upon them to cover this.
Saying NO to billboards IS possible. It doesn’t happen often enough, but it does happen. Phoenixville did it in 2012, remember? And a Chester County Judge upheld that decision in 2014. And special counsel to Phoenixville then is now a judge…Anthony Verwey. And Tredyffrin won their case this year saying NO to a billboard on Lancaster Avenue in Paoli.
Stronger together, people. Fighting billboards is not the purview of any political party. This is a non-partisan we live here but the billboard companies don’t live here kind of an issue. This is purely a We The People thing. Please stand up and be heard.
Together we can save 150 year old trees. Hopefully we can someday save our communities completely from billboard blight. But we can only do that as unified communities across Pennsylvania.
Well it’s a good thing they can’t take away my choice for political party in Chester County, I suppose. Because I am of a mind to “tease out” some more…..it’s generally speaking not helpful for a woman to be a tease, but when it comes to politics, perhaps there are exceptions?
Let’s start with by laws. Local chapters of political parties are supposed to post them. The current Chester County Democratic Committee Secretary is Alex Teplyakov, right? This is the officer responsible for producing the by laws, correct? The NEW CCDC website does NOT post them, as a matter of fact the new website is so dumbed down third graders might take offense, but hey maybe that is me just taking issue with assuming the Democrats at large in Chester County are sheeple and will all do as their told. (Didn’t work so well for the Chester County Republicans when they were leading the county, did it?)
Anyway, anyway, there is the OLD website buried within the new website. I find that both sloppy and a goldmine. Let’s begin with the last publicly published by laws I can find from I guess 2019?
So has young Alex Teplyakov ever actually published the current by laws? Are there current by laws? I mean what are the current by laws? I hear that is a burning question often asked all over Chester County by Democrats in various areas? Is it is a state secret? Are the by laws in witness protection?
So since the by laws are not posted any longer on the sparkly new dumbed down website is this a consciousness of guilt to REMOVE the by laws if they were already and previously posted? I am telling you this is indeed a Nancy Drew Mystery –The Mystery of The Disappearing By Laws
So was no longer having by laws on the new website voted on? Or were new by laws never actually voted on or approved? I got my paws on proposed 2023 by laws, but what did the state actually say and is the Chester County Democratic Committee actually adhering to what the state committee actually dictates? I mean isn’t this a case of what the state says goes? I ask because I do not know, hence the questions. So what did the state Dems actually say??
Here is this draft by laws thing from at some point this year I guess it was?
Can we talk a smidge about these new proposed 2023 by laws that no one is quite sure are approved?
SECTION 3. General Disqualification. No person shall be eligible to hold any CCDC position who:
….b) has entered into an agreement with an opponent or opponent(s) of the Democratic Party to support such opponents;
….“ The County Chair and County Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer need not be members of the County committee at the time of their election”
SECTION 3. County Chair. …… shall see that all orders, resolutions and the Bylaws are carried into effect and performed in a lawful manner…
….SECTION 6. Conflicts with Endorsed Candidate. Where an elected or appointed Zone Leader or Assistant Zone Leader believes that they cannot support a duly endorsed Democratic candidate for personal or professional reasons, that Zone Leader or Assistant Zone Leader shall resign their leadership position upon submitting a letter of resignation to the County Chair within ten (10) days after the Nomination Endorsement Convention where the candidate was endorsed. The Zone shall elect replacements of Zone Leader or Assistant Zone Leader in accordance with Article XI, Section 2.
~2023 draft CCDC By LAWS
Truck to drive through these, anyone? Go through entire document. One thing that is astounding is NO definition of “opponent”. Opponent could be the garbage collector. Ambiguities in this construed against the drafter, right? Could we not hypothesize then that some of the emails that have leaked out penned by Grandma Charlotte violates things and makes HER an “opponent” of the CCDC who needs replacing? (Hey kids, have at it, right?) So to my mind that charming excerpt in Section 6 basically means if you don’t endorse or campaign for who we want you to endorse you’re a goner? How is that legit, legal, ok with state Democrats?
Soooo…for the proposed by laws whom is the author? Is it the current CCDC Solicitor Elizabeth Swain?
I am of course wondering as are many how Ms. Swain can be the solicitor of the Chester County Democrats AND a committee chair? Shouldn’t it be she is either ONE or the OTHER but NOT BOTH? I am not a lawyer, and I don’t play one on the Internet BUT one I know said a lawyer can’t represent the client and also be a potential witness and what do people who know election law think or whom are lawyers? I mean isn’t that just kinda sorta an untenable conflict that doesn’t work?
One of the things bugging me is although the CCDC proclaimed THIS below on their old website, which kind of flies in the face of Grandma Charlotte’s new world order doesn’t it?
Chesco Dems are always looking for passionate, committed people to seek public positions. We recruit and train the highest caliber candidates and provide logistic support to their campaigns. As a Democrat, have you ever considered running for office? Or do you have a Democratic friend, family member, or neighbor who you think would be GREAT for one of the positions on this year’s ballot? We look forward to hearing from you.
Or at the municipal level, contact your local zone. Remember that municipal and school board positions often open up due to resignations, and then the seats are filled by appointment and/or at the next election, so it is good to be prepared.
I mean they SAY they want people to run, but if you aren’t decreed okay by the controlling cabal then where are you? Example number one is a woman who SHOULD be on November’s ballot, Magisterial District Justice Paige Simmons. Ginny Kerslake also comes to mind, who is an amazing woman. She literally has everything they say they want, only she terrifies them essentially for having a brain and a spine and isn’t afraid to show it. Danielle Friel Otten also comes to mind, which is why they are perennially passive aggressive with her and always trying to primary her with temporarily bright shiny objects…err candidates. Or another recent example would be when Libby Madarasz was going to primary Theresa Hogan Santalucia in West Whiteland. No one else had stepped up, and it was enough to make Saint Theresa of West Whiteland come up with “health reasons” to not run again didn’t it? She would not have survived being primaried by ANYONE including Jo Ann Kelton who MAGICALLY popped up seeming like minutes after Libby Madarasz was going to run and said SHE was going to run for Supervisor in West Whiteland? Are we all that naiive that Ms. Kelton popping up was just a coincidence? I think not. I think that was contrived and I am allowed to have that OPINION, yes? Mrs. Madarasz yielded gracefully to Ms. Kelton who does have experience as a current Zoning Hearing Board, a former Planning Commission member, and a long-time committee person for the West Whiteland Democrats. But Ms. Kelton is in her 70s so will she have the stamina for being a Supervisor? Not my township, and hopefully she will be better that Saint Theresa, right?
Other things I am curious about are the values documents on old website, but not new. Is the committee in it’s current executive iteration actually living their espoused values?
And why is there a new treasurer? I thought Ms. Baxter was doing such a wonderful job?
Look at this point, people could sit with a magnifying glass to Sherlock Holmes the Chester County Democratic Committee. It seems fraught with issues, doesn’t it? Kind of sad since they worked so hard to attain their majority?
Final thoughts? People are correct that politics did not cause Danelo Cavalcante to escape from prison. However, there are indeed potential political consequences.
I am but one woman, one voice. The Chester County Democratic Committe and their they can do no wrong cheerleaders have fingernails all poised to claw at me at every turn and why is it so bad to ask questions?
People, I do not pretend to know everything, but I am perennially curious about the inner machinations of politics. That is as American as Apple Pie. That’s how this country was founded.
Nothing like a good e-mail to get the juices flowing. I will leave this as it is. Y’all can decide if you will be Dumbocrats and sheeple and dig CCDC Chair Charlotte Valyo’s pretzel logic or will you stand up, look at your by-laws and ease your Grandma and her flying monkeys into party retirement?
What does the email say? I am including verbiage in case screen shot is not clear and Chesco Dems? “Bubble” well….:
I apologize for yet another email. I am receiving questions regarding retentions. Some information is being shared that is not complete nor necessarily factual.
1) Retention is not an election. Court of Common Pleas Judges are elected once, for a ten-year term. After ten years, they are placed on the ballot for retention. The purpose of retention rather than running again is to remove politics from the judiciary. Once elected, judges are to make decisions based on the law and facts, not on political affiliation or political views. There is no red or blue, they are to think black (robes). This process was written into the Pennsylvania Constitution to ensure the independence of our courts.
2) Judge Carmody and Judge Hall will both age out before their next term ends, which will open up two seats for us to elect our candidates. This also makes it unlikely either would run for a higher Court seat.
3) Judge Carmody and Judge Hall are not extremists but are moderates and have earned the respect of their fellow judges and the legal community. I have spoken with our Democratic Court of Common Pleas Judges, most of our judicial and county candidates, and Democratic attorneys in Chester County. All unanimously support both judges and have only positive things to say about both.
4) If these judges were not retained what would happen?
a. The Chester County Court of Common Pleas would lose 2 judges, burdening an already overburdened Court.
b. Governor Shapiro can appoint attorneys to fill judicial vacancies, but this requires approval by the Republican controlled State Senate. The likelihood that the Republican controlled Senate would vote to approve Democratic judges is very low. Therefore, we will either have no appointments or two Republican judges who could be and probably would be younger and much more conservative.
c. If two Republican judges were appointed, both would be running as incumbents in the next election.
5) Bubbling “No” for these moderate and respected judges diminishes the effect of our bubbling “No” in the future when more extreme judges are up for retention.
6) For statewide judicial retentions, the Pennsylvania State Committee is bubbling the Democrat up for retention as a “Yes” and the Republican blank.
7) Based on the information above and following the lead of the Pennsylvania State Committee, CCDC will not be bubbling in a recommendation for retention for the Court of Common Pleas.
Today I have been fielding an absurd amount of comments about that. And in one case yes, I was rude about it because this whole issue within a real issue pisses me off. People have become so self absorbed in this world that they often don’t get that sometimes you just need to let people simmer down when they are pissy. I would say today some learned that about me.
Let me break it down for y’all:
Those public meetings post-Cavalcante were designed so people could express HOW they felt. I expressed how I feltpolitely, and what I said was said calmly without rancor. I felt some of our public servants and prison board members could have been more visible. I said that because we elected them, and seeing them there even if they weren’t speaking during that time would have bought residents comfort. Even if it was law enforcement out there protecting us, many of those folks were not locals, so to see the ones we elected and recognized just from a visibility standpoint is calming. It makes people feel better in the midst of chaos. It’s common freaking sense, and IMHO part of the job they signed up for.
For expressing my opinion, as well as others expressing theirs, a couple of commenters decided to chide in the form of “education”. Those people have since contacted me. One I am fine with, the other not so much. Perhaps my feelings will change, perhaps not. Sadly, the still don’t get it wasn’t their job to womansplain or defend the honor of the CCDC to anyone there speaking. That is the job of elected officials and the prison board. Further and to the point, as Americans we do have those in alienable rights which allow us to address government and politicians to express ourselves. And these folks did this at a public meeting which means I am well within my rights to express my feelings on the topic. Truthfully, this all would have been over yesterday had they just let me be after venting my spleen on the topic.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
~ First amendment/ Constitution of the United States
I do not pretend to be right all of the time, and even if it kills me I will own when I am not. But I was not wrong yesterday and we had the right to express ourselves freely in that forum if we were comfortable. I felt expressing what I said was important, and truthfully, I do not speak often at public meetings anymore. Which truthfully, many should be grateful for.
The overly politically correct world we live in mixed with all of the babble of misinformation we stumble across on a daily basis is almost depressing. I remember the good old days when we had magical things called conversations even at large in the community and even when we were on opposing sides of the conversation whatever it was. Now life has turned into this inexplicable race to be whomever gets all of the toys wins, and well people that is NOT working is it?
Sometimes I think people just like to suck all of the oxygen in the room in general. This has nothing to do with politics in particular. It’s just life. We can’t control those people, only ourselves, and well, I am a verbal person and sometimes I will indeed tell someone off. And that’s OK.
Life is hard enough without all of those who would tell us how to breathe every minute of the day.
I would like to share something else briefly. It’s a follow-up on the Hood Mansion in Montgomery County (Limerick Township.) I wrote about her the other day here:
Now I would like to share an update from my friend Tyler Schumacher who has an update after the meeting this week – there are 120 days left to save the Hood Mansion and that area from mega warehouses –
I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me in this trying time with the Hood Mansion.
Many of you who know me well, understand the importance this building has to me.
I feel as though the Hood Mansion story is so heartwarming, yet so plagued with tragedy throughout its lifetime. I will admit this is long, but worth a read if you have the time.
John McClellan immigrated to this country at just 21 years old, raised 13 children, and made a name for himself selling wholesale grocery.
Fearing for his children’s health during the summer in Philadelphia when yellow fever was an issue, he bought this property and erected a mansion he designed himself, based off a home he admired as a young boy in Ireland. His family enjoyed many lovely summers there, and they were especially proud of their son, Washington Hood. A captain in the US army corps of engineers, and well accomplished.
Tragedy struck when Washington contracted a disease during his journeys, ultimately passing away from it at a young age. Heartbroken, John and his Wife interred him at the family crypt, located just near the mansion they loved and called home and erected a monument in his honor. John passed away less than a decade later, being interred with his son in the family crypt.
When all was set and done, 15 of the Hoods resided together in the family crypt within viewing distance of the home they all loved and cherished. The home passed through generations of Hoods until it ultimately had to be sold during the 30s when the Great Depression hit the nation. Luckily, one of the Hood daughters married into a wealthy family who purchased it.
Meanwhile, the Hoods still slept peacefully in their family crypt surrounded by those they loved and the place they cherished.
Tragedy strikes yet again, when a group of teenagers break into the crypt in the mid 30s, and take their beloved son Washington’s skull and use it as a prank on a local resident. Mysteriously, those teenagers passed in a freak car accident not long after.
Fast forward to the 1960s, and the entire crypt is desecrated. Grave robbers break in and steal anything of value left on the Hoods, topple the monument to Washington Hood, and scatter the bones around the crypt. Luckily, the caretakers of the mansion at that time moved what they could behind the home they cherished and reinterred them for safety.
Fast forward to modern day, and the Hoods are yet again to be destroyed in grand fashion as a developer has come in to destroy what is left of their legacy, and their love of family, and replace it with warehouses and a retaining pond.
Someone has to stand up for them, for their home, and for their legacy. They certainly can’t do it – and I’ll be dammed if I let it happen without giving it my every last bit of effort.
If you read this far – thank you. And thank you for supporting my work, and me for many years.
Things like the Hood Mansion matter. Don’t let her get lost to bad development like Happy Days Farm in Exton will be. Hood Mansion is suffering the way Lionville Station Farm is, and Downingtown Area School District has the ability to change the fate of Lionville Station Farm and haven’t. I hope the negative election issue the DASD has created for themselves will be worth it.
This weekend we are being visited by a storm called Ophelia. She might be a real charmer. At a minimum she is messing with our weekend. The weather is already starting to change. I will close with Ophelia by the Lumineers.
I am who I am. So now the Chester County Democrats perceive me as public enemy number one for being essentially an inconvenient Democrat. Like I said before it takes me back to 2013 when it was declared I was a tea partier.
Yesterday I offered public comment at the beginning of the Prison Board Meeting in West Chester:
Well then when the rest of public comment rolled around up popped two ride or die Democrats who not only seemingly leave no room for independent thought as well as no room for anyone to challenge the machine, which was rather ironic considering who one of the speakers was and how she was treated in the past by this very county party and I supported her. That is kind of sad, right? I think so.
Now while I respect these women for speaking on what they believe to be true even if people disagree, I don’t respect misquoting me from the same meeting barely an hour before if that. And the passive aggressive “teased out” of it all made me laugh out loud and if I open my mouth for public comment anything, I do my homework ahead of time.
So I offered rebuttal. I do not like being misquoted or a victim of a sniper attack from other Democrats because they think people owe abject loyalty to political parties at all times no matter what even if that kind of makes something more of a cult instead of a functioning political party:
So I have been thinking about this. What does it mean to be a Democrat in Chester County if they attack you for being independent minded? Doesn’t that make them everything they said they wouldn’t be when they took majority in Chester County?
I point you back to JudgeGate from the spring 2023 primaries.
And speaking of JudgeGate will we have StateRepGate again next primary season? Seems like Grandma Charlotte erstwhile head of the Chester County Democrats is at it again? Just visit this website to see. Now this is a person who ran unsuccessfully for Downingtown Borough Council in 2015. She’s part of Mid Chesco Dems, AKA where some of Grandma Charlotte’s filing five came from when they did Paige Simmons dirty in May. (Which was withdrawn in June.)
So unlike others, I pay attention to whom decides to follow me on socials, especially if they are very chirpy. All of a sudden this new Chesco Dem was following. So I kept an eye peeled. And she is running for State Rep. She is a Democrat. She has headshots out there and then there is her Twitter handle and her friends announcing on message boards that she is running for State Rep. That would put her in Legislative District 155, or Danielle Friel Otten’s district.
It doesn’t take new math to figure out this chick has her eyeballs focused on Danielle’s seat, does it? It also doesn’t take much of a reach to figure Grandma Charlotte Valyo of the Chesco Dems must have her paws in this somewhere, does it? So they are gearing up for more Dirty Dems Primary Tricks Done Dirt Cheap, eh? And it’s not like they haven’t done this before, right? I will say sorry if I am wrong, but past being prologue and all say I am right, doesn’t it? We have recent shenanigans and then the others they have primaried against Danielle Otten like Rose Hogan Danese.
Oh and I mentioned JudgeGate in the spring primary, but there was another JudgeGate this summer wasn’t there? Something about just endorsing current sitting GOP judges? Kind of funny after they went after a fellow Democrat who is a Magisterial District Justice who was looking to run for Common Pleas in the spring?
And now this other thing related to that – a rumor of planning to do the sample ballot to the entire county on behalf of CCDC leaving judicial retention question blank? Supposedly local areas/zones are losing their minds because they want to vote NO on the Republican and Indie candidates there, because well Democrats are supposed to elect Democrats, and Republicans wouldn’t support a Democrat, etc? But Grandma Charlotte supposedly thinks this might still achieve retaining the Republican judges? Now to be honest, I have Republican judges I will vote for, but I don’t run the party and that is my personal choice as an inveterate ticket splitter, so Grandma Charlotte are you all there? Je ne comprends pas.
All this strife and controversy from within the Chester County Democrats since Grandma Charlotte Valyo took the wheel, isn’t there? Does she think it’s Phoenixville Country Club or something? She and her hubs were on the board during that whole space oddity of the bailout of that club once upon a time, right? I mean for what the bailout was, isn’t it still surprising that is not a public course since government monies from Schuylkill Township bailed them out? We the people and all that jazz?
The Chester County Democrats always SAY they are different from the GOP but when they do the same stupid tricks now that they are in power are they actually different? Inquiring minds want to know. Want to know what I think?
I think power always corrupts and political power is no different. I think with every leadership change with the Chester County Democrats there is not enough cleaning house of deadwood and the past people who made local paper headlines are still too involved in the running of the party and I am allowed that opinion. I think independent thinking is discouraged and everyone is supposed to walk lock step with whatever leadership is word salading that day, week, hour.
So am I surprised that the claws came out at me at the meeting yesterday? Nope. The Chester County Democratic Committee is like Project Runway: one day you are in, the next day you are out.
Obviously I am out. I was ok to Democrats as an inconvenient Republican, but I am not ok as an inconvenient Democrat. Thanks kids, duly noted, and perhaps Independent is in my future except then I lose right to primary voting.
But their nasty Project Runway behavior seems to be constant and can it be said only pet committee people and zone folks aren’t harangued? I point you to the pet squad of Mid Chester County Dems in particular. Freedom, fairness, opportunity is somewhat subjective with Grandma Charlotte, yes?
I am beginning to feel like the Chester County Democratic Committee want us to be like 1950s housewives: obedient and silent. Sorry doesn’t work for me. And aeresol hairspray isn’t environmentally friendly and went out with Barbara Hafer circa late 1980s- 1990s.
I have a theory. I think there needs to be new leadership with Chesco Dems and a housecleaning of old leadership hanging about. They have become so much like what they criticized and replaced that if that doesn’t happen, mediocrity will reign supreme. Without change there will not be growth. And Chester County Democrats need to grow away from all the current petty bullshit. And there is too much petty bullshit which comes from the top as acceptable behavior. They will have kittens over my opinions on this and I will get nasty comments, but so what? I became a Democrat because I thought they would actually live their mission and they are not. It’s that simple.
All Democrats are not welcomed equally is the clear message. Individuality is not welcome. And they tell their committee people whom they want endorsed. There really is no natural selection, it is pre-ordained.
And I am not letting the Republicans of Chester County off of the hook, either. Most of what CCDC is playing at is out of the age old playbook of the RCCC. It’s all stupid, kind of like their QAnon Princess West Goshen Republican Committeeperson Ada Nestor and her latest obsession: saying Chester County is a Sanctuary County. And also saying that Chester County Prison doesn’t work with ICE. The prison follows the law, they work with federal officials…they have to. And then there is the latest fakakta lawsuit. And the fact that they try to hide it, but still very much cater to extremism groups including those poorly disguised as suburban moms like it is totally normal for a soccer mom to show up at school board meetings in a gas mask, right?
I guess I am waiting for Chester County Democratic Committee and the Republican Committee of Chester County to stop acting like teenage mutant ninja turtles with vertigo and blindfolds. Both parties need work. But the Chester County Democratic Committee should be ashamed of themselves for becoming exactly what they said they wouldn’t when they attained their historic majority. Here’s an idea Chesco Dems: ditch current leadership and their gross and continual stupidity and try to keep your majority because after all, elections are also like Project Runway: one day you’re in, the next day you’re out.
Those who want to tell me how wrong I am? Save your breath. You will need it when I can say told you so, and that day is coming if you don’t get it together.
Hi it’s me, the development critic. Weston is selling on West King Road across from Johnson Matthey. This is in West Whiteland, JUST over the East Whiteland border quite literally. I have written about this before:
So there was a meeting last night in West Whiteland. Planning. The Weston Development came up again. If it wasn’t for a West Whiteland resident looking at the agenda because they were at another meeting last night, I would not have known Weston was up again and with a zoning change going to zoning with I presume planning approval.
Now I have not seen the property change hands as of yet, but there is the possibility the sale is through since Chester County seems behind in what they record almost always.
I am kind of pissy about this. Right or wrong.
One reason WHY I am pissed is I have been on zoom calls of other meetings involving this property in the past. I even contacted them in writing as did many others from EAST WHITELAND. As a COURTESY, you all should have let East Whiteland residents know. I know full well they know how to reach me, and if not me the peo in East Whiteland Township.
This plan will drastically impact residents of East Whiteland who live on roads off of W. King or who are in the many houses that pepper W. King Road in East and West Whiteland.
It would be common courtesy to let your neighbors know when ANYTHING happens with this property because ANYTHING that happens with this property or the acreage across the road being sold by Johnson Matthey WILL AFFECT MORE THAN WEST WHITELAND, correct?
There is quite the eco system on that property. Has a property search been done as to any special special like bog turtles which might reside there? How many and what trees will be removed and how large will the trees be? And any tree planting should NOT be developer specials lined up like for a firing squad (what Toll brothers does) and left to die.
Also, the neighbors want a traffic signal as in yes a light right there at the mouth of that development at King and Weston Way. Otherwise, NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO GET OUT. And speaking of not getting out, has West Whiteland been monitoring the intersection of Ship and King lately? They should. And the guy who zips around on W. King in the motorized wheelchair in the lanes of traffic with nothing reflective? They should pay attention to him as well, and get him like those big reflective triangles Amish buggies have. It’s terrifying to be on W. King with traffic with him zipping around like he is driving a car.
West Whiteland approving a development of this size is going to affect the neighbors in more than one municipality. I saw a reference in old materials about a neighbors’ meeting in 2022. I don’t recall hearing about that. Thankfully this development will only overload West Chester Area School District.
I feel East Whiteland is completely out of the loop on projects that they border with West Whiteland and other municipalities and this has to stop. Soon we will not be able to navigate around the area with the development approved in West Whiteland on Route 30 from the Laborers past but including Ship Road and east on Lancaster to the municipal border with East Whiteland. Oh and this latest developer seeking big bucks at the expense of Chester County residents has a very similar plan to this brewing in Willistown. They are from Blue Bell which I sadly remember the farms and open space there before the developers moved in.
I am pretty tuned in to what happens around here, and I was a little distressed to see this all moving forward without us lowly East Whiteland folks being clued in.
Also has West Whiteland forgotten the pipelines that run through this property? Still want people running uphill or whatever?
I go out of my way to try to get East and West Whiteland to communicate. It’s only COMMON SENSE. Yet here we are.
Like I said, I can’t stop this development but I will talk about it. West Whiteland will have conditions of approval on this project and respectfully, one of those needs to include A TRAFFIC SIGNAL as well as answers to environmental questions.
It’s nice they are saving the historic structures, but as is the case with a lot of these things, seeing will be believing.
When I lived in Lower Merion they would create resident email lists for development projects. Someone in planning and/or zoning would notify residents of actions on a particular plan. A lot of your projects don’t just affect residents of just ONE municipality, they also affect residents of bordering municipalities.
It drives me CRAZY that no one in Harrisburg wants to get off of their asses and do a comprehensive non-Band-Aid update to the Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), since hello the MPC drives our zoning. The last comprehensive update circa 1969 is what cause the first monster project to tear apart Chester County and blow up a school district: Chesterbrook.
It drives me CRAZY that municipalities that border each other and often have similar issues act like independent island nations. When there is collaboration there is often greater success. And West Whiteland and East Whiteland had success, great success years ago over what Rouse had planned for Church Farm. More recently, residents banned together to stop a hydrogen plant.
Now I was sent the photos of the Mt. Airy location today, Tuesday. If the CSA pick up is on Thursday, are those leftover vegetables and have they been sitting there since then? Blech if true, and does that attract vermin ?
Also rather ironic but I actually have a jar of the lavender honey she sells. On the website it says “Raw Unfiltered Honey sourced from a local apiary company.” Yes, so how do you know that’s true? If you were doing your honey in a partnership with local beekeepers, wouldn’t you tell people where the honey was actually coming from?
I didn’t like the honey at all and I am tossing it. And it’s sold for $12 a jar on the website and it is the tiniest little jar. I love honey, and I buy local honey, but I know where it comes from as in where the hives are located and where the honey is actually processed. Thanks I will stick with Chester County grown and produced honey. Besides local honey is great for allergies.
And speaking of how much things cost one of my readers had left a comment somewhere on this blog about going to visit and finding the hours inconsistent (being kind) in Westtown, and that peaches were $2.00 each?! Were they flecked with gold leaf?
No, I have not gone over to visit in Westtown. I don’t really have any desire to. Maybe as time goes by that will change but for my asking questions, I received vile comments from her supporters and somebody who condones bad behavior like that I’m not going to run out and support, are you?
And something that I keep wondering about is it keeps talking about she’s in this agreement with Westtown but what’s the agreement exactly? How much does she rent the land for? I’m asking because I legitimately don’t know and I have no idea how much it was for the prior farmer Pete all those years. if the land lays follow for three years to become organic, did Westtown offer a period of rental abatement?
And if she’s all down with helping alleviate food insecurity in communities, she is now in Chester County correct? It would be nice if she participated where her business is. Chester County Food Bank, The Lord’s Pantry, People’s Pantry, etc.
