Category Archives: Politics

apparently the crazy train has stopped in chester county

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I can’t even with Chester County right now. It’s CRAZY. As in crazy train crazy.

Where to start?

Ok the first thing was the husband or partner of Caln Commissioner Lorraine Tindaro named Michael Bedrick who is all in with Chester County Democrats going to jail for child porn? And when I wrote about it I felt like Lorraine Tindaro was a victim of sorts in all of this because I am fairly certain she’s over 70 and his actions have quite literally blown up her life.

curious and curiouser….in caln

Also to add to that because it IS Caln is this was the same guy cited for some property condition issues wasn’t he?

See? I am not making this up. So he’s in prison, what happens to Lorraine with all of this craziness? I am not advocating for her, don’t know her, but I think she deserves compassion. However, I am also not saying I think she should necessarily stay a commissioner in Caln, either. If I had been hit by the Mack Truck of life like she has been recently, I don’t quite see how she will be able to do her job as a commissioner in Caln but hey, just my opinion.

However, oddly enough, that wasn’t the part of my opinion on this that upset certain folks. It was saying have compassion since her husband or partner’s decisions and choices just blew up her life at a time when most are just wanting to contemplate retirement, etc. And oy vey, some of the comments I got from one person. Yes, I did finally tell that person to STFU before I removed them and all the comments and blocked them. Which is my right and not against the law even on Facebook. Their comments went TOO FAR. They were making people uncomfortable. But then there were the boundary issues of it all where someone gave them my personal email address and after their messaging on Facebook was ignored, and yes they went there. Sigh. Calgon take me away.

Did I tell them to STFU? Yes I did and maybe they did not like that, maybe saying that was not nice but also not illegal. Also no Papal ring to kiss. And if I choose not to engage vis-à-vis what I felt to be an unwanted contact via messenger and just quietly blocked them there, how do they think a creepy AF email to my personal email address which I did not provide them with would be received? Kisses and flowers?

And if we are going all Chesco D for DEMOCRAT when it comes to the Chester County Democrat Committee is it still practicing Democrap behavior this year? Remember the spring primary and their candidategate? Here let’s refresh:

BREAKING NEWS: does the chester county democratic committee also eat their own young? or is this just vote how mommy told you?

That was a fun post, right? I somehow don’t think Charlotte Valyo thought so. I bet her knickers were in a twist when her email to a local paper got leaked? And then there was the who ridiculousness kerfuffle of oh a blogger published that they must also be corporate espionage types who hack email, right? Except the truth of the matter is the Chester County Democratic Committee much like their GOP counterparts are like a leaky boat. People aren’t happy and others overshare, yes?

So Charoltte, dear dear Charlotte launches a very GOP eve- before- election- trick. It backfired and gave her optics that were deservedly terrible for pulling a bitch trick because at a minimum she and her cronies are TERRIFIED of independent candidates and try to squash then at every turn so everyone runs lockstep behind mommy and her clucking political chickens, right? Well guess what? Her case and her minions known as the filing five seem to have ended this case that was going to do so much?

CCDEM-thing-withdrawnDownload

So Charlotte darling, what’s next? Are you all besties once again with failed judicial candidate State Rep Kristine Howard? Did you investigate her filings then too? Was she squeaky clean? Can I get out the popcorn anytime soon because you KNOW someone will primary her don’t you? And Charlotte, has anyone read the comments under this post:

grab your popcorn and meet the sacrificial lambs of the chesco dems, the “filing 5”

Charlotte someone remembers you from your days on the board of the Phoenixville Country Club or something? Something to do with an issue described as a “bail out” from Schuylkilll Township? Seems very dirty laundryish but is there anything to the comments left? Part of this one stuck out when they said:

Past is prologue. On either count, strong oversight and judgment doesn’t appear to be a well honed skill.

~ comment left May 20, 2023

Now this Phoenixville Country Club thing is not my story to tell. But it sure gives one pause yes?

And from the county level politically ridiculous we move along to Roostergate 2 in Willistown. Now there’s some fun. Hate mail a plenty. Messages, text messages, emails, messages to this blog. One of my favorites was this to the purchased manor born who told me to go back to Delco or something. I am not from Delco, but amusingly the poisonous pen pal was. It was such a bye post menopausal girl moment. And for those who like to say there is nothing about roosters in Willistown, well there was something and then mysteriously it was not signed even though the prior Roostergate, Roostergate 1 should have made it common sense clucking or something. And Roostergate 1 indicated some judge described rooster rules, but whatever. Just keep getting roosters and siccing people on me for my opinion. Nevermind the poor neighbors, right? Talk to the hand, people. I love chickens, don’t like roosters.

rooster crowing issue continues in willistown

Roostergate I found that umm yeah the rooster was a nuisance ….

noun. nui·​sance ˈnüs-ᵊns, ˈnyüs- : something (as an act, object, or practice) that invades or interferes with another’s rights or interests (as the use or enjoyment of property) by being offensive, annoying, dangerous, obstructive, or unhealthful. — attractive nuisance.

Oh and Willistown does actually have a noisy bird thing in their codes and the meeting the other night indicates this issue is not just in one place in Willistown:

So then we move from this bit of crazy train over to West Whiteland a couple of meetings ago:

So that is obviously a dicey neighbor situation. And painting profanities on a fence to upset a neighbor? That’s crazy town no matter how you are provoked.

This apparently was over fence boundaries? But the strife that was between the neighbors made you wonder back on May 10th, where were the police? I mean they keep the peace, right? It’s not always a “civil matter” is it? These people seem to live in between both Uwchlan and West Whiteland so there’s that. Betwixt and between two municipalities.

This was crazy train enough and then last Friday there were rumors of another neighbor on neighbor incident over there and someone got stabbed and was in the hospital? yet NOTHING until media reports yesterday?

AND STABBED? In that neighborhood? I don’t know anyone over there but friends in both townships say it’s a nice regular neighborhood which has the drawback mostly of kind of being in two townships. So then nothing is said by Uwchlan who responded although there is a court docket:

So this is hanging out there and one guy neighbor is in the ICU at a local hospital and the other guy neighbor is in jail? This is not normal this is crazy town and two families are blown up over this and two townships….yet it took until the media started asking questions for Uwchlan Township Police to issue a statement? WHYYYYYY? And I have to ask, could this have been prevented?

Then this hits the Daily Local:

Chester County man accused of stabbing neighbor following property disputes

There was a fairly large TV news report on NBC 10 yesterday also. Deanna Durante had the story:

Ok so I heard through local chatter that some are giving West Whiteland Supervisor Brian Dunn a hard time…for trying to do his West Whiteland Supervisor job fairly and for being kind to an upset woman at a public meeting in May? That’s what men who are grownups try to do: the right thing. Brian is a stand up guy. If I had to hazard a guess, this whole sequence of events is distressing to everyone. It is profoundly disturbing the way this escalated and there are no winners here. This is big time crazy train time. And listen to the news report on this. This whole neighborhood sounds like they were ALL living through this Hatfields vs. McCoys in Exton even if they weren’t involved. Now two families are kind of destroyed.

No winners here, none at all.

And finally, the ultimate crazy train for the week occurred on Sunday freaking afternoon on a quiet street in West Vincent. Not to be crass, but human freaking BBQ. That’s right, a burning dead body was dumped on Eagle Farm Road.

I have been getting LOTS of messages to the blog’s Facebook page about this. I know nothing more than anyone else. This is as creepy as F. But this is a dumped body. As in dumped and left . And this body was dumped in an area where you wouldn’t necessarily have security cameras abundantly present. So did no one see, or did someone drive by when some kind of vehicle would have had to pull over to dump a body, start a fire?

People. This is a case of if you SAW something, SAY something. Even if you don’t think it is important, you never know. Do I think the public is at risk over there? No my dears, your greatest risk in West Vincent is perpetual dumb ass politics and bad manager choices at least every other manager, right? You have a good police department and they care.

Do I think it would be NICE if the media covered this to get this out there more to the public regionally so this craziness can be case solved? YES. And no I don’t think this was a local person, this was an elsewhere dump. So maybe people who live on either side of the crime scene if you have trail cameras or security cameras start checking your footage for cars etc you don’t recognize or were driving oddly? You never know…

And then there is the AJ Blosenski of it all. I finally got our street cleared of the backlog of missed trash pickups and had a nice chat with two corporate overlord folks at Waste Connections. That was the accomplishment that pleased me yesterday. but now AJ Blosenski and Waste Connections need to do that for everyone.

But as for the rest of it? Swirling humanity and the crazy train stopping too long in Chester County? Enough already. It is freaking exhausting.

Just like the people who seem to think contacting me whenever about whatever and being utterly obnoxious a lot of the time is too much talk to the hand. I don’t suffer fools gladly, so fools, please stay in your lane. Everyone has opinions, I am but one person so why do you care so much?

And then a question I ask sincerely: Why is it wrong to show compassion for people at times?

We have had three pretty awful things happen lately: a stabbing that was the end result of a neighbor dispute that went on for far too long; a local politician’s spouse/partner went to jail for child porn which blew up lives and friendships because of collateral damage; a body BBQ due to a dumped burning murder victim in West Vincent Township in a quiet area with lots of kids.

Look at this local craziness as a microcosm of the larger picture of what is happening in our country. When does it stop? When (for example) do the political parties put down their pitchforks and meet in the middle for the benefit of ALL Americans? When did violence become the answer to everything? When did we stop feeling consistently safe in our own neighborhoods?

There is no simplistic answer to crime. But there is a simplistic answer to the bullshit and crazy behavior we see every day on social media that spills over into the real world and people actually think the behavior is OK? This behavior is NOT O.K. That is your simplistic answer.

People, breathe. Just freaking breathe. Enough stupid human tricks for a while.

That’s all I have got today.

wtf development proposed AGAIN in east whiteland…

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Start around the 1 hour 20 minute mark.

WTF East Whiteland Township? HOW MUCH ROUTE 30 DEVELOPMENT DO WE NEED? MORE FREAKING APARTMENTS?

OH BARF.

I mean seriously what is this bullshit?

This is planned for the Clews and Strawbridge property. 310 Lancaster Avenue Malvern/Frazer. Otherwise known as where the 18th century farmhouse has been rotting for YEARS and YEARS.

rotting 18th century chester county farmhouse in east whiteland.

People time to contact East Whiteland Township. Go to meetings. Like yesterday. Chester County is going to sink under the weight of development. Our infrastructure can’t support this, our school districts can’t support this, we can’t continue to live like this.

If you live in East Whiteland Township or drive through this area or live in a municipality on either side of this area, please contact East Whiteland Township. It’s time for us to start standing up for what we want in our community and not just standing idly by like a bunch of sheep.

Stop the madness. Slow down development.

Supervisor E-Mails:

slambert@eastwhiteland.org

rorlow@eastwhiteland.org

pfixler@eastwhiteland.org

Township Manager:

sbrown@eastwhiteland.org

Assistant Township Manager:

cricardo@eastwhiteland.org

Be polite but if you OBJECT, PLEASE speak up.

NOT RELATED but Also don’t forget about the FIRE at a new construction site in West Whiteland on Lancaster Avenue right near Church Farm School. It was May 5th. As described by West Whiteland Fire Company:

At 8:18AM The West Whiteland Fire Company was dispatched to the 800 block of E. Lincoln Hwy. in the new neighborhood under construction for a commercial building fire. The West Whiteland Township Police Department arrived to find heavy smoke showing.

Employees tried to extinguish the fire with an extinguisher prior to calling 911, unfortunately giving the fire time to grow. Initial arriving crews stretched two hand lines to the first and second floors. Crews found fire coming from the floor of the second floor. An attempt was made to extinguish the fire, but the fire had already spread throughout the void space between the two floors. Due to collapse concerns crews were ordered to evacuate the building. The fire continued to grow rapidly and reached gas lines. Eventually the fire reached the attic space and caused a collapse of the HVAC system on the roof into the second floor. Crews then went into defensive operations with master streams. The fire was placed under control in just under an hour and a half. Crews cleared the scene at 1 PM after extensive overhaul.

Thank you once again to our mutual aid partners for your assistance at todays fire. Lionville Fire Company, East Brandywine Fire Company, First West Chester Fire Co., Engine Co. 51, Goshen Fire Company, Uwchlan Ambulance Corps, Good Will Fire Company #2 of West Chester and East Whiteland Fire Company.

Also, a big thank you to The Paoli Fire Company and their crew for standing by while we operated and helping our crews get the apparatus cleaned and back into service.

~ West Whiteland Fire Company 5/5/23

oh no…. in west whiteland along w. king road

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We all know that “UHHH OHHH, OHHHH NOOO” feeling when we see something. Like the real estate sign above. It is one of the two parcels that make up Johnson Matthey. To East Whiteland residents, Johnson Matthey is also a familiar name as one of the successor names to Bishop Tube over in General Warren, but I digress…only not really because things all seem to be related around her, right?

another bite at the apple in west whiteland township?

Another bite at the apple above was a post referring to the where’s Waldo as it keeps popping up issue in West Whiteland as to data centers and hydrogen plants etc there. It was a topic for discussion at the West Whiteland Planning Commission this Wednesday (oh and West Whiteland, that person your zoom bouncer didn’t let speak was ummm the chair of East Whiteland Supervisors, and since we all don’t live on islands, maybe learn who is on your calls. A neighboring township being interested should have some sort of professional courtesy, don’t you think?)

So. WHY is this 15.70 acres which is wooded with a cell phone tower of concern? Well Johnson Matthey wants to sell this chunk of their land on West King turning onto Phoenixville Pike is right on border with East Whiteland. Johnson Matthey is TWO parcels totaling 35+ acres.

And this is a real worry as to what kind of developer would snatch it up. Whether industrial or residential the scenario sucks. Because is it someplace they could put an Amazon hub for example? Or try to put a Data center or a hydrogen plant for example ? Or God knows how many townhouses or apartments?

And let us not forget Weston is across W. King Road, correct? And although residential plans have been shopped there it does have the labs and offices thing going on, right? And Johnson Matthey land has industrial going on correct? Is it as simple as 1 + 1 = 2? I hate to be a conspiracy theorist but this area right there in West Whiteland is truly the perfect storm for data centers and hydrogen energy plants, right? Are we wrong worrying about this? Like is the land at Johnson Matthey clean? As in DEP and EPA clean and isn’t that reasonable to ask considering it’s industrial?

The Johnson Matthey land for sale has a sign up and a listing on Loop Net for 15.70 acres. East Whiteland and West Whiteland need to pay close attention. They have to. First of all, how much more stress can W. King Road and that stress of Phoenixville Pike take? People who live on those roads have a hard enough time up and down getting out of their driveways and the ever increasing problematic four way stop sign and intersection of King and Ship is just up from there. It is already a shit show from existing development including West Goshen Township’s development. And next there is the piggy glut of development coming to Ship and 30 (Lancaster Avenue) and the rest of the development on the other side of the traffic light past the old Ship Inn, and east on Lancaster Ave towards the boundary there with East Whiteland.

This could be another bad plan coming our way when this property sells, couldn’t there be?

I also have *heard* via sources the intimation that some of the hierarchy of the Chester County Democrats don’t want to appear business “unfriendly” which is undoubtedly putting pressure on Democrat supervisors locally…like in East Whiteland and West Whiteland, right? But if these honchos are worried about appearing anti-business, are they also worried about appearing anti-resident and anti-environment? I think that could come into play here, sorry not sorry.

I also feel that in West Whiteland there is ONE Supervisor you can count on to do right by residents every time and that is Brian Dunn. Theresa Hogan Santalucia is now an angry lame duck politician, so she won’t care these next few months and Raj Kumbhardare is more pro-development and pro-data centers etc than I am comfortable with. He is not a bad person, however my opinion is at times he just doesn’t get it, and I have watched all of them, and he can dig in his heels and not for the benefit of all. He’s in the data kind of business for example given his career, so he doesn’t see the pitfalls, does he? Or doesn’t want to?

So I find this section of West Whiteland far, far away from not only the West Whiteland Township Building but also where two of the supervisors in West Whiteland live at risk. There are also multiple pipelines running around here including Williams which was mentioned somewhere when the whole data center hydrogen plant came up, right?

While we are on the topic of West Whiteland and data centers, allow me to share an update Ginny Kerslake sent out:

Good news from the data center / power plant zoning ordinance discussion at last night’s Planning Commission meeting in West Whiteland Township!

Over 20 residents attended to listen to the discussion and provide input on the public’s strong, universal opposition to allowing this use near our treasured Exton Park in the Office/Laboratory District. As a result, allowing this use in the O/L District appears to be off the table as far as the WWT Planning Commission is concerned. They are continuing the discussion next month. From there it goes to the Board of Supervisors and a public hearing. It’s important that we stay engaged as this proceeds.

Meanwhile, a proposed southeastern PA “hydrogen hub” called MACH2 would mean the construction of more fossil fuel infrastructure right here in Chester County including power plants, and dangerous, unregulated, CO2 pipelines in existing pipeline easements, including Mariner East and others. And it’s reasonable to assume that the proposed hydrogen power plant near Exton in Park was/is part of MACH2.

The time is now to do what we can to stop MACH2 from being awarded federal and state subsidies which it would require in order to advance.

🌞 I hope you can join me and other community members protecting Exton Park this Sunday, April 23 from 3 to 5 PM at Stolen Sun in Exton for some food and drink (provided) to learn what next step you can take to stop this hydrogen hub …. and also celebrate our community’s recent victory in stopping the hydrogen power plant near Exton Park from progressing! RSVP here

Onward,

Ginny Marcille-Kerslake

MACH 2 is a bit scary. As per West Whiteland Residents for Pipeline Safety:

A proposed southeastern PA “hydrogen hub” called MACH2 would mean the construction of more fossil fuel infrastructure, subsidized by taxpayers, including power plants, and dangerous, unregulated, CO2 pipelines in existing pipeline easements. And guess who’s a key player in MACH2 – Energy Transfer (Mariner East)

West Whiteland and East Whiteland residents need to pay attention here. Big time. We are all at risk from things like data centers because of PA’s tax credits for data centers. And certain political factions are pushing for these things so their besties can get contracts and jobs. And no ones really tales into consideration that a lot of the jobs are much like the jobs for Mariner East / Sunoco / Energy Transfer – out of state workers, not local. And yeah, sadly there are certain Democrats in Chester County push push pushing these things when they should be paying attention to their county row jobs, because what happens if audits on their county row job or a right to know is filed on their hours there happen? What will they show? Of course county row jobs in Chester County are a conversation for another day. Suffice it to say more than a couple should actually be spending more time earning their keep along county row and if they think even Democrats, let alone Republicans are not paying attention? Well that equals sadly mistaken, yes? Quit shilling for law firms, solicitors, and your union buddies from OUT of the area. Be present, be local, be for the residents you serve, not higher ambitions.

I am including photos of the streetscape so people have an idea. Why can’t that be bought and just left open space? A trail park?

Well, think about it people, because a buyer will come, and then potentially this is a fair bit of acreage in play if Weston wakes up again, this is oh hell no again, right?

It is never over in Chester County. And a lot of this is due to….wait for it…the Municipalities Planning Code of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania which has not been comprehensively updated since 1969. It requires an act of the state constitution which means State Reps and State Senators and they never seem to want to deal with this, do they? It would be nice if they did. It would be nice if residents were protected better and had more of a say as to the way they want their communities to look like.

The Johnson Matthey Land and Weston land if improperly developed could drastically impact our eco system in that area and the environment. And then let’s look at traffic and infrastructure. And more.

Time to pay attention.

Happy weekend.

politics in radnor township: the more things change, the more things stay the same….

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……Radnor politicians, former and current, always amusing.

Yesterday I wrote a post about Radnor Township. Yes, I know there are some in Radnor Township, especially politicians present and former who still hate (yes, hate) when I write about Radnor, or speak about Radnor. (Actually, over the years a lot of Radnor government and a fair amount of the politicians have always hated when anyone dares talk about Radnor.)

radnor township, leave fenimore woods alone!

I have been getting the special treatment for years. It actually amuses me, because I have done some good for Radnor over the years.

After I wrote the post, it was shared. Hey well, blogging happens, right? Well, not in Radnor. Shock and horrors. Officials perceive themselves as running the Shangrila of Delaware County, and a lot of Delaware County just shakes their heads. (Well I say shakes their heads, it’s more polite that repeating the choice words I have head over the years, but I digress.)

Do not misunderstand me, I love Radnor Township. It is a beautiful place with amazing history but if they don’t start looking for reasons to reduce the footprints of development plans (for example), it is going to look not so fabulous and will lose it’s character. (Which of course is why they should not mess with Fenimore Woods.)

North Wayne in particular is a favorite of mine. I first became a fan of North Wayne when I was a kid. The fanciful Victorian architecture in particular had me at hello, just like Cape May, NJ.

North Wayne has grand Victorian homes with sweeping porches, tree lined streets, and smaller homes of a more fanciful bungalow style. Many of these homes have been lovingly restored. You see Queen Anne, Second Empire, Tudor, shingle style, stick style, craftsman, and colonial revival homes dotting the streets neatly laid out on a grid pattern. I actually wrote an op-ed in 2011 about this when the Wayne Bed & Breakfast Inn was being discussed. A beautiful old house at 211 Strafford Avenue. Of course the sin of that location now is the proposed development with the preposterous name, correct? Old growth trees and gardens will also disappear, won’t they?

Anyway, so my writing about something Radnoriffic is not so unusual, but because I don’t live there, according to some dinosaur aged local politicians desperately seeking new relevance I am a bad, bad girl:

The Chester County Ramblings is mean-spirited and reflects on a larger problem in the country: divisiveness bolstered by personal attacks. Tammy Cohen and Bill White are decent people and don’t deserve this treatment.

~ old politician who doesn’t like bloggers

And old politicians generally speaking, often have equally old and odd cheerleaders, so here comes a 70-ish babe with her comment about me:

Dreadful! Mind your own business CHester Co whiner! 

~another wayne fan, cheerleader to old politician (lovely message copied exactly, warts and all.)

Oh my goodness! I might never recover! The nerve!

Now I am no stranger to blog critics in Radnor. This sad old politician (who has been a commissioner more than once in Radnor’s first ward starting in like the 1980s, right?) wanted to muzzle the blogs in 2009, right? He doesn’t like bloggers, right? He heads up this group called (I think) “Friends of Fenimore Woods Coalition.” They have no website or Facebook page or any kind of presence online, which is their choice, but he can’t say that others, even outside of Radnor Township, can’t comment on this issue. Even me. It makes people feel they are like a secret society, the Shakers of North Wayne or something.

Opinion and First Amendment rights. To take pot shots at me essentially because you are outraged that I am not following the prescribed method of dealing with a local issue? It’s a bit ridic. It’s your local issue, I am just talking about it because I stumbled upon a PUBLIC meeting on cable. It was just fate that brought us back together so you could say I was terrible, etc, etc.

They don’t like it that I have expressed my opinions on this topic in Radnor and others. Ok so that hasn’t changed with any of you over the years. You’re still there, I am still here, why do I need your approval? Do I actually need you to stamp a passport of sorts when entering Radnor Township?

I am going to remind my “fans” of things I did for North Wayne, ironically.

Example 1, an editorial written in February , 2009 by me for then Main Line Suburban Life. The end result of this was North Wayne got a little stormwater management under the Wayne, PA train station parking lot adjacent to the train station. How do I know this? Because the lead engineer who then became Septa’s general manager, contacted me after I wrote the editorial and said “Hey we have room in the budget for a little stormwater remediation.” And Septa back then, did that and also a couple of other things right there.

Example 2, the Wayne Natatorium Historical marker. Here is the video from Radnor Historical Society:

Now I am sure my Radnor critics don’t like it when I write about ANYTHING Radnoriffic, yes? Like when I reminded them about the history and back story in Garrett Hill in August, 2022?

guess what has a target on it’s back again? yup, garrett hill in radnor township.

Radnor Township has a lot of overly entitled people. Always has. And they have always had a lot of ideas about who can say what, when, and how. But damn Radnor, you sure have had lots of politicians with issues in general, haven’t you? 2017 was a particularly bad year for Radnor Democrats in particular, correct? (Hey just READ HERE. and HERE) And 2016? Also bring the popcorn (READ THIS. ALSO THIS. ) I could further back, I could more a little forward. You breed interesting politicians with interesting ideas of how to treat the public, don’t you? (Don’t answer, you know I am not making it up.)

Now here are two old articles on Fenimore Woods:

Neighbors push back on Radnor’s Fenimore Woods Park plans
Radnor delays plans on controversial plans for Fenimore Woods of renovation plans

So yes, now I have acknowledged once again that the gloriously self righteous of Radnor Township still don’t like my blogging. And as I said in 2009, the thing about blogs and bloggers is they are a catalyst for community conversation. But open community conversation and engagement has always been hard for Radnor, hasn’t it?

Again, going back to 2009 when this came up with this politician the last time I said that in Radnor, those who advocate for real change need to realize one thing: none of you will ever move forward until you learn to let go of the past, learn from the past, and try new things. For some of you it means trying to learn to understand how social media works. (Still does.) Back then a lot of this tempest in a teapot started because of a blogger who went by the handle “Chicken Sandwich.” I didn’t know who they were for real then, still don’t today. But they upset the status quo in Radnor. Like Radnor Coyote on Twitter a few years ago. Never knew who that was either, but they were also pretty darn funny.

I am out there in multiple communities. Always have been as a blogger and people do talk to me. There are also just things I am interested in.

And why do people talk to me? Because when I have time, I take that minute to listen, and try to see the good in people. Sometimes I don’t see that good. That’s life.

At present, I don’t see the good in old political war horses who wish to steer something the way they want it to be steered, period end of story. Why steer me? Why not simply say thank you for talking about the importance of Fenimore Woods and helping raise awareness? But instead y’all have to ramble on about how I don’t help your cause and I have an inflated sense of self importance.

Inflated sense of self importance? Moi? If that’s what these people think, I can’t dissuade them of their foolishness, anymore than I can not feel that out to pasture politicians seeking new political relevance are sad creatures, right?

It’s a big world out there. These people don’t have to like me, and in some cases I have never liked them. That’s fine. But when you have a community issue that every time someone thinks it is settled, it ends up it is not and someone raises awareness to this plight just because it is not phrased or said exactly the way you would say it, it doesn’t mean it’s wrong or the person is bad.

That phrase God don’t like ugly and you aren’t all that and a bag of chips comes to mind.

Allow me to bottom line it for you: I am not going to pitch a tent in Fenimore Woods or move to Radnor. I would not wish to live in Radnor or Lower Merion today. It’s far too crowded for me for one thing. And the issues are too plentiful to ignore. But for God’s sake, as a community at large, Radnor Township residents need to wake up and participate where they live.

And that includes Fenimore Woods.

Cheers, Radnor. Cheers, Radnor Politicians.

lower merion township is kind of like an ongoing dumpster fire isn’t it?

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See 1:09:27 time mark in meeting for when the discussion of the police disciplinary action starts.

Back in January I wrote about a disturbing incident involving the treatment of a black woman which occurred in Bala Cynwyd in the WaWa parking lot which was videoed and witnessed with horror by onlookers.

where are we as women and human beings supposed to go with this, lower merion?

This was widely covered in the media, as well it should have been. So here we are in March. Now they are talking punishment for the police officer. Lower Merion’s website allows you to download their meetings. So I downloaded March 8th, 2023 Lower Merion Meeting and watched it. At the 1:09:27 mark starts the police discussion. That is at the top of this post for all of you. I am going to jump into some of the commentary.

Lower Merion Police Superintendent Mike McGrath who has been under fire with his own force (vote of no confidence in 2022) , suggested an EIGHT HOUR SUSPENSION. Yes EIGHT as in 8. That was so shocking. What a slap in the face for anyone not a white face in Lower Merion and concerning for anyone in my humble opinion, women especially, travelling through Lower Merion in their cars. That woman was also a victim no matter what else happened. What happened to de-escalation tactics?

So then the public weighted in, demanding change. Interesting to listen to was former Commissioner Brian Gordon who is a very kind, fair, and thoughtful human being. He spoke about things proposed in 2015 that never really happened. Among other things. Some commissioner unfamiliar to me named McComb was actually kind of rude to him.

The other commissioner comment that smacked of hail fellow well met and worse, was Scott Zelov. He has been on that board a long time , maybe too long at this point, sadly. Prior to the board of commissioners he ran unsuccessfully for Lower Merion Township School Board at least once. His comments make one believe 100% in term limits. And he should be ashamed of himself. He thought an 8 hour suspension was jolly good. And talked about the charges against this woman. Does what they did justify the things they charged her with or does what they charged her with justify what they did?

I watched that video taken while that woman was being put through it by Lower Merion cops. It was terrifying. The woman was terrified.

I am not being a drama queen writing that this made me want to scream in outrage, cry, and be terrified. What is going on with Lower Merion Police Department?

I never talked about Lower Merion and their police really before this. I have law enforcement in my family so I am extraordinarily aware of how difficult a career path it is and I have respect for the badge. But what happens when you feel that some of those who wear the badge don’t have respect for you and others? Do your feelings matter, no matter who you are? Also note from jump I am not saying police shouldn’t do their jobs. But was this thing that happened really good policing and good police?

Regardless of what that woman may or may not have done – which didn’t seem to show up on the video, did she deserve to be treated the way she was? Listen to the meeting. Think on it. I do not think the racial and civic divide in Lower Merion can get much worse, and I too remember the issues of the past that residents commenting referred to.

Lower Merion is indeed a dumpster fire right now. They need a new police committee, and they need to look at the Township Manager Ernie McNeely. There seems to be a lot of chaos since he came to town, which is astounding because he was supposed to the best thing since sliced bread, right? As for Superintendent Mike McGrath, I think for his own sake he should retire. I mean does he really have control over his department or respect from his force?

LM Cop Suspended 80 Hours For Tasing Incident

This is horrifying and sad all at the same time. And while they throw the book at the black woman who was dragged around and tased, where is the balance on the inappropriate actions of the police officer and the officers who didn’t step in and pull him off of that woman?

Lower Merion Commissioners, you need to represent all segments of the population equally and you know you aren’t. You need to do the best by all residents not just your popular kids.

The longer this issue goes on, the sadder and worse it gets. Did I mention dumpster fire?

I can’t say anymore. What more is there to say?

Also see:

https://www.pahouse.com/InTheNews/NewsRelease/?id=127245

https://www.phillyvoice.com/lower-merion-police-taser-black-woman-wawa-parking-lot-investigation/

Lower Merion police release body camera video after officer uses Taser during traffic stop
Lower Merion residents call for independent investigation after police use Taser during traffic stop

https://www.inquirer.com/news/lower-merion-police-tased-driver-body-camer-footage-20230118.html

https://www.inquirer.com/news/lower-merion-police-taser-black-woman-traffic-stop-20230111.html

https://www.phillymag.com/news/2023/01/10/lower-merion-cops-tase-black-woman-wawa/

Residents calling for change after police use Taser on woman in Lower Merion
Lower Merion FOP: Supt. McGrath has “destroyed the integrity and reputation of the Lower Merion Police Department”

is it bye fenicia time?

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seeking commissioner clarity in chester county politics

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Last evening there was the Zoom Pow Wow of Endorsement for the Chester County Democrats. To say I am confused by some of the outcome would be an understatement. I also heard it was a Zoom that needs a replay but that will never happen, right?

All sorts of things about people seemingly trying to get back what had been removed from and candidates who didn’t exactly shine as Republicans, trying to become candidates as Democrats and seeking endorsement no less? The Chesco Dems released a very distilled and watery press release much like their Republican counterparts, but suffice it to say I heard from both sides of the aisle nothing to write home about, right?

I am conflicted about Marian Moskowitz. She is self made, which I respect, but I question sometimes WHY she serves in public office? And a big part of WHY I am troubled is the whole Advaite of it all.. I wrote about Advaite (check out their press releases) again yesterday in conjunction with a new court case that is kind of adjacent related, right?

bring the popcorn to chester county….

Advaite is a Chester County COVID thing. And it seems along the lines of bad like Philly Fighting COVID was, doesn’t it? And it cost Chester County a big black eye and lots of money which affects taxpayers, residents, etc., right?

The National Whistleblowers Center has an interesting piece on their website that made me think about this again this morning:

Philly Fighting COVID fiasco highlights how fraud arises in times of crisis
by Nick Younger, Communications Associate

So Advaite. Remember the glowing press release in 2020? Here:

Advaite-Deploys-COVID-19-Rapid-Antibody…ia-Companies-To-Scale-Up-ManufacturingDownload

Then came the black eye and many other articles like:

Philadelphia Inquirer: Chester County spent $13 million on coronavirus antibody tests. Then it quietly shelved the program. by Marie McCullough and William Bender
Updated Sep 17, 2020

There are more articles on the topic. Until recently, I only read a couple of them. But then I started to read more about Advaite. And I began to wonder. Then came the whys without answers.

Marian Moskowitz was newish to her commissionership when Advaite happened, right? But where I am troubled is, WHY did she push so hard for this? Personal relationships? Glory? Trying to do right by big campaign donors to many politicians from Chester County and others including former Gov. Tom Wolf?

There is obviously some sort of a relationship because it seems to show up in emails released in a Right to Know over Advaite. Here to follow are some and I quietly suggest if Marian Moskowitz in running again and has been endorsed by the Chester County Democrats which seem as problematic right now as their Montgomery County PA counterparts, she needs to talk about this and explain her exact role, right? Just like she needs to explain why she has seemingly turned a blind eye to her constituency affected by pipelines, right?

Maybe just maybe in the end Advaite will be chalked up to a “mistake”, except this is a “mistake” that cost Chester County millions, didn’t it? And continues to grow legs seemingly? A reader sent me a comment about the company recently:

Advaite really is a company.  Innovative, therapeutic and healthcare solutions.

BUT the word “advaita” is totally ..something else

https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/5234/advaita

This one is worth reading more of.

What is Advaita? – Definition from Yogapedia

https://www.yogapedia.com › definition › advaita

Advaita is a Sanskrit word that translates as “not two” or “no second.” This gives the idea that the inner Self, or Atman, is the same as the Absolute Reality, that is Brahman.

The meaning of ADVAITA is Vedanta nondualism that denies the separateness of any aspect of reality from the impersonal oneness of Brahman.

Marian, come on now, you got to office as a Wolf gal, correct? Well now it’s time to stand on your own and not be a wheeler dealer of connections. That all has it’s place in this world, but Chester County needs and deserves answers. It can’t just be a continual inter-political party swirling mess of Democrat in-fighting and it can’t be the Hatfields and McCoys of it all, Democrats vs. Republicans. If you wish to continue to lead, lead by example: transparency, full disclosure, etc. How you act can also affect Josh Maxwell, who really does his best literally every day. So if you don’t provide clarity for the sake of the residents of Chester County, do it for your running mate.

Thanks for stopping by today to my ponder fest.

meanwhile…over in willistown

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and now an (official) word from east whiteland about data centers…and the media coverage (thus far)

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Photos used with permission from Ginny Kerslake

Sorry folks, it has been a busy day. Received official word from East Whiteland regarding the data center of it all. After that I will share the article that prompted this:

In response to recent articles in the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily Local News, where the Township was asked to provide comments and a status update regarding recent data center proposals, below is a statement from East Whiteland Township:

To date, no land development application has been received by the Township and there have been no revisions to the previously approved Zoning Hearing Board application to permit the data center usage at the properties located along the south side of Swedesford Road near the border with West Whiteland Township. 

Also, it is important to note to our residents and businesses that the Board of Supervisors of East Whiteland Township has no interest in entertaining a proposal for a hydrogen power plant within our Township. We are aware of the zoning activities in our neighboring Township and will continue to monitor the situation.

Scott Lambert, Chair of East Whiteland Township Supervisors

~EAST WHITELAND TOWNSHIP 1/19/2023

Philadelphia Inquirer: COMMERCIAL A cleaned-up Superfund site in Chester County could become home to a massive data center
Local residents and environmentalists are concerned about a developer’s plans for a two-million-square-foot data center in East Whiteland Township, Chester County.

by Kevin Riordan
Updated Jan 19, 2023

$6 billion data center proposed for East Whiteland

So to West Whiteland Supervisor Raj Kumbhardare, is a bit of a puzzle here. Supervisor Raj should have more to say more than his evasiveness in The Daily Local News about carts and horse, right? Supervisor Raj as a day job is in database administration so is there anything in this for him? Not being mean but does he care about all of his constituency equally? After all this issue is bigger than computer and database type professionals being excited that the data center is coming, right? And then there is the wondering if he really understands the zoning and how zoning doesn’t exist in a little bubble or vacuum and these changes could potentially have far-reaching changes for the township he is supposed to serve equally to his best efforts so??? I am not saying he’s not a good guy I am asking reasonable questions. I am also wondering how is feeling about carts and horse right now??

And my favorite angry lame duck supervisor is mums the word on this? Why? Rather odd considering….she’s always so pithy, yes?

Anyway, East Whiteland is not being shy about how they seem to be feeling, do they?

Also do not forget this hopeful piece from September, 2022:

Data Center Frontier: With New Incentives, Pennsylvania Makes Pitch for Hyperscale Business
Sept. 15, 2022
With the passage of new tax incentives for data centers in Pennsylvania, developers have announced plans for a hyperscale campus outside Philadelphia that could create 2 million square feet of data center space.
Rich Miller

Tonight class we re-learned a valuable lesson or two:

(1) Sometimes the peasants revolt.

(2) Carts and horses are funny things.

(3) Sometimes municipalities want the public to have actual clarity.

(4) This is an issue that grew legs this week.

(5) Get involved where you live.

buh buh byeeee ?

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BREAKING NEWS FROM WEST WHITELAND: Theresa Hogan Santalucia has announced she is NOT seeking re-election! However she is backing a pinch hitter. Sadly to me, that is the same as Theresa. Her name is Jo Ann P Kelton.

Pinch hitting for Theresa is a big “meh” – if I voted in West Whiteland, that would be a turn off.

So actual health issues or disdain for the plurality? Maybe that disdain for the plurality is a medical condition? Sorry not sorry, she’s not someone I have a great deal of compassion for .

Theresa Hogam Santalucia won’t go quietly into the night will she? Can we wonder how much havoc she will wreak between now and end of term?

She posted on her politician page a bunch of times. She means B-I-bizness. Thanks be to everything holy that she’s done. Here’s hoping she doesn’t get it into her head to run for State Rep if her gal pal Kristine Howard is indeed running for judge.

Let the (updated) games begin. Where is this one on the power plant/data center issue and pipelines?

Anyway, that’s all. Theresa Hogan Santalucia knows she can’t win another supervisor race, so she’s done.