Tag Archives: main line media news

pay it forward: the jim mccaffrey fundraiser

Posted on by

mccaffreyIt started simply:

We hope you remember former native son Jim McCaffrey who for years covered our news up and down the Main Line and in Philadelphia via Main Line Times, Wayne & Suburban, Main Line Life and The Bulletin.
He helped give our local world and issues a voice and now he is facing a health crisis of some enormity and it is very serious. He has been diagnosed with MDS or Myelodysplastic syndrome. MDS is a malignant disorder of the bone marrow.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), approximately 18,000 people develop MDS each year. MDS can affect all of the cells in our blood. MDS used to be called preleukemia due to the progression that is sometimes seen from MDS to leukemia.
Jim is going to need a  bone marrow transplant. When he finds a bone marrow match he will go to Stanford University Hospital and live near the  hospital for up to a year during treatment (chemotherapy, etc.) and recovery.  He will require an aid to help him day in, day out – transportation, housecleaning, and so forth and so on.
His friends are paying  it forward for Jim and a fundraiser to help him with the enormous costs he will be facing.  The event is being held at 23 East thanks to the big heart and generosity of Joe Rufo. The event will be Feb. 28 (snow date March 7) at Ardmore’s 23 East. We will have the place to ourselves from 6-9 p.m with DJ Kevin Murphy. The doors open to the public at 9 p.m. for the band, which begins at 10 p.m. There will be food and discounted drinks. $20 per person. Cash or checks only please. Hope to see you there!

If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail friendsofjimmccaffrey@gmail.com
http://www.jimmccaffrey.com/

Today a most fabulous article has come in Main Line Media News out written by my friend Cheryl Allison.  Much like Jim has over the years, she has given many of our issues a voice.
When I read the article today I started to cry.  It is just so amazing how wonderful people can be.  This article is exceptional.  It captures the essence of the person we are working on this fundraiser for, and the goodness that exists in people.  As a breast cancer survivor I know all too well how your friends literally buoy you through many difficult days.
If you would like to attend the fundraiser, the more the merrier.  Today we learned, pending his doctor’s approval, Jim will be joining us for the fundraiser! If you would like to make a contribution, you may send a check payable to “James McCaffrey” to James McCaffrey, P.O. Box 11, Devon, PA 19333-0011. Or to Main Line Media News, Attn: Pete Bannan, 311 E. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore PA 19003.  The deductions are not tax-deductible – they would constitute a gift.
Jim has a website:  http://www.jimmccaffrey.com/ – you can contact friendsofjimmccaffrey@gmail.com with questions about the fundraiser. friendsofmccaffrey@gmail.com  also works. Friends of Jim McCaffrey can also be found on Facebook. There is also a flyer for the event: The-Jim-McCaffrey-Fundraiser
Special thanks to my friends in Ardmore, especially Joe Rufo owner of 23 East for opening his doors and allowing his space to be used for this fundraiser.
Please take a moment to read this article.  Thank you for reading this post. Jim says on his website simply and eloquently “I can’t live without you.” He has been our friend for many, many years and we can’t live without him either.  If you can help, please do.

Main Line Times > Life

Community rallying around an old friend in dire straights

Published: Wednesday, February 13, 2013

By Cheryl Allison
callison@mainlinemedianews.com

Broad-shouldered, standing well over 6 feet, gray hair pulled back in a ponytail, reporter Jim McCaffrey was an unmistakable presence at meetings and events from the Main Line to Philadelphia City Hall for nearly two decades.

Unmistakable, too, was his voice as a writer, whether he was sorting out contentious community issues or telling the human stories of the area.

When he returned to his home state of California in 2008 at a time of family loss, he left behind a wide circle of friends, some of whom may not have had much in common besides their appreciation for his keen insight into local politics, his generous nature, or his wicked sense of humor.

Now those friends are rallying to his aid, from the other side of the continent.

McCaffrey, 58, was diagnosed last year with a rare and life-threatening blood disorder, MDS, or myelodysplastic. Its aggressive advance in the last several months puts him at high risk to develop leukemia.

A bone marrow transplant is a potential cure, but it comes with side effects and risks….The Jim McCaffrey Fundraiser will take place Thursday, Feb. 28, at 23 East on Lancaster Avenue in Ardmore. Joe Rufo, owner of the club, is making it available from 6 to 9 p.m. for the event. Local restaurants are coming on board to provide food, and local businessman and resident Kevin Murphy will serve as DJ. Tickets are $20 per person at the door for the 21-and-over event.

At the same time, funds have been established at Bryn Mawr Trust to receive donations, mirroring arrangements on the West Coast.

“Jim has helped a lot of people, and now it’s our turn to help him,” said Dawn Blake, a former co-worker and one of the organizers of the Feb. 28 event.

“He helped give our local world a voice.”

Born and raised in the San Francisco area, McCaffrey began working for weekly newspapers in Oregon and Idaho after attending the University of Oregon. He relocated to the East Coast in 1986, taking a job with a legal publications firm in Berwyn. He began reporting for the Suburban and Wayne Times three years later, moving on in 1994 to become one of the original staff of a new weekly, Main Line Life, later one of the papers that merged with the Suburban and the Main Line Times under the umbrella of Main Line Media News. He lived in several Main Line communities over those years, eventually settling in Ardmore.

“My beat was politics and police, so I really did cover the Main Line,” he said in a phone interview this week. “Eventually, it narrowed to Lower Merion Township.” ….Rufo was one who knew him during those years. “He would pop in once in a while” to what was then known as Brownie’s 23 East. “He would come in Thursday nights to hear Splintered Sunlight,” a Grateful Dead tribute band. “It was great to chat with him about music. I took a liking to him – he had that kind of personality,” Rufo said.

But the club owner said he also had a reason to appreciate McCaffrey as a journalist. In 2003 and 2004, when Lower Merion Township’s plans for a new Ardmore Transit Center and downtown revitalization contemplated taking and demolishing some Lancaster Avenue business properties, stopping just short of Brownie’s, Rufo said he was concerned along with the owners of potentially targeted businesses. “If it could happen to them, it could happen to any of us,” he reasoned. The township later renounced any plans to use its eminent domain powers for the still-emerging project, but in the heat of controversy, Rufo said, “Jim wrote honestly and openly about it.”

Others who appreciated McCaffrey’s work from different perspectives are former Tredyffrin Township Supervisor Bill DeHaven of Berwyn and state Rep. Greg Vitali of Havertown….Vitali said he met McCaffrey 20 years ago, when he was launching his legislative career. They became friends. …Later, McCaffrey took a new job as part of the start-up team of a new Philadelphia daily newspaper, The Bulletin, where he covered City Hall and the Philadelphia school district. “I loved it,” he said of those assignments. But in 2008, a younger brother and sister died of cancer within two weeks, and he decided to move back to his hometown of Petaluma, to be with his elderly parents….. Late last month, McCaffrey received some potentially promising news: his surviving brother, Chris, has been identified as a donor match.

“The tantalizing thing about this is it offers a ‘cure,’ but the problems that go along with it are huge,” he said. Those include the risk of infection – prior to the procedure, he would receive intensive chemotherapy to destroy his own marrow, leaving him with no immunity.

The procedure would be done at Stanford Medical Center, about an hour-and-a-half from Petaluma. After the hospital stay, he would need to live near the medical center for about three months. During that time, he would need 24-hour monitoring and help from a caregiver, who would take him to daily appointments. It could be a year before he could return to work.

McCaffrey said medical insurance will cover the procedure and some other costs, but not the caregiver and other living expenses. His company has assured him he can come back. “I know I have a job, if I can make my way through this,” he said….McCaffrey had not told many about his diagnosis until recently, but he said he knew he had to ask for help “when I realized the kind of trouble I was in.” That meant reaching out back East. “My support system is on the East Coast,” he said. “That is where I spent most of my adult life.”

And that is why the words “I can’t live without you” are at the top of a website, www.jimmccaffrey.com …The response here has been quick and broad, even from community members and business owners who have never met him. [Dawn] Blake and another former coworker from Main Line Life days, Susie Bell, got to work planning the benefit. A friend from his Ardmore days, Carla Zambelli, is reaching out to media.

For those who cannot attend the Feb. 28 event, McCaffrey’s financial advisor here, Chris Stevens, and another friend, Bryn Mawr Trust President Ted Peters, have set up an account to which contributions can be sent. Checks should be made out to James McCaffrey, and mailed to P. O. Box 11, Devon, PA, 19333-0011.

Rufo readily made 23 East available as the benefit venue. The club will be open exclusively for the event until 9 p.m., when the doors will open to the public an hour before the band for the night – Splintered Sunshine, as it happens – will perform.

A number of Main Line restaurants and stores will provide food, and 23 East will offer discounted drinks. The list includes Firinji, Gillane’s Bar & Grille, Ardmore Pizza, Sodexo Inc., The Ultimate Bake Shoppe (Ardmore Farmer’s Market at Suburban Square), ACME Markets and McCloskey’s Tavern and Jack McShea’s. Bella Italia and Jeannie’s Deli have made monetary donations. More restaurants are needed and welcome; any who would like to participate are asked to e-mail friendsofjimmccaffrey@gmail.com.

McCaffrey is planning to come to the event.

west chester court scandal: district justice mark bruno caught in philly fed probe

Posted on by

courthouseThis morning news broke of a Federal probe that basically indicts a boat load of judges. This all has to do with ticket fixing, and apparently has been this huge ongoing probe.  Well Main Line Media News and The Daily Local are reporting that West Chester District Justice Mark Bruno is one of the judges caught up in this HUGE scandal!

Judges above the law?  The list of names indicted is quite astonishing and sad for our judicial system if this proves true. Wow, just wow.

Daily Local: West Chester DJ named in ticket probe is suspended 

By MICHAEL N. PRICE mprice@dailylocal.com

bruno1A Chester County district judge was one of 12 people named in a federal indictment Thursday for allegedly “fixing” Philadelphia traffic tickets for those with political and social connections.

Magisterial District Judge Mark A. Bruno, who presides over District Court 15-1-01 in West Chester, was one of nine elected judges and three others who were named in the now unsealed indictment from the United States District Court in Philadelphia. According to the indictment, the accused conspirators used the Philadelphia Traffic Court to give preferential treatment to certain ticket holders, defrauding the city and commonwealth of revenue.

Bruno was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, one count of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, and aiding and abetting. According to a statement from the Justice Department, if convicted Bruno could face up to 60 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $750,000 fine.

On Thursday, Chester County President Judge James P. MacElree II ordered that Bruno be relieved of his duties presiding over District Court 15-1-01, which handled cases from the western wards of the borough. He is also not permitted in the court until the case is resolved.
Bruno’s charges are just one small part of a sweeping 77 count federal indictment that accuses Philadelphia ward leaders, local politicians, and associates of the Democratic City Committee of contacting defendants who were seeking preferential treatment. The defendants also allegedly “fixed” tickets for family members and friends, the indictment said.

 

Judges, Others Caught In Philadelphia Ticket-Fixing Probe

January 31, 2013 11:45 AM

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) –- Several former and current judges of Philadelphia Traffic Court, plus judges in Bucks, Chester, and Delaware counties, as well as local businessmen and others associated with the Philadelphia court system, were surrendering to federal authorities today after being caught in a wide-ranging probe of ticket-fixing in Philadelphia.

The accusations are contained in a 77-count indictment plus three “informations” (indicating that those three defendants may intend to plead guilty).

According to a statement from US attorney Zane Memeger, “The defendants participated in a widespread culture of giving breaks on traffic citations to friends, family, the politically connected, and business associates.”

Investigators say the judges acted on requests from Philadelphia ward leaders, local politicians, associates of the Democratic City Committee, as well as family, friends, and other associaties.  Philadelphia Traffic Court handles moving violations, not parking violations, in the city.

Read the Indictment (.pdf format)

…

The US attorney’s office in Philadelphia today issued the following list of defendants:

  • Michael J. Sullivan (sitting judge, Phila. Traffic Court)

  • Michael Lowry (sitting judge, Traffic Court)

  • Robert Mulgrew (former judge, Traffic Court)

  • Willie Singletary (former judge, Traffic Court)

  • Thomasine Tynes (former judge, Traffic Court)

  • Mark A. Bruno (Chester County Magisterial District)

  • H. Warren Hogeland (Bucks County senior magisterial district judge)

  • Kenneth Miller (Delaware County senior district judge)

  • Fortunato N. Perri Sr. (senior judge, Traffic Court)

  • William Hird (former Director of Records, Traffic Court)

  • Henry P. Alfano (local businessman)

  • Robert Moy (local businessman)

 

 

final bell “tolls” for foxcatcher farm

Posted on by

Main Line Media News: Historic DuPont mansion goes under the wreckers ball

Published: Thursday, January 24, 2013

By Pete Bannan
Pbannan@Mainlinemedianews.com

tollMotorists along Goshen Road in Newtown Square may have seen the final act of the John DuPont saga, as it appears his family home Liseter Hall is being demolished to make way for over 400 homes in the new Toll Bros. development of Liseter Estates.

The house was built by his grandfather for his parents wedding and DuPont grew up in the mansion. When his mother died in 1988 he turned the property into an amateur sports training mecca called Foxcatcher Farms….DuPont died in prison in December 2010 at Laurel Highlands in Somerset County, Pa.

A movie is in the works called “Foxcatcher” starring Steve  Carell as John DuPont.

 

Boom, crash, bang, groan, squeal,thud.  Those are among the sounds structures make when they are being demolished.

John DuPont’s former Foxcatcher Farm on Goshen Road and 252 is basically a big pile of rubble now.

Thanks to Toll Brothers coming in to essentially takeover whatever the last development plan was and “improve” the area with a plan more grotesque than Byers Station or Applebrook Meadows, nothing shall stand in the way now of a Stepford wife development of plastic Tyvec wrapped Barbie’s dream carriage homes, right?

Do I sound harsh? Sorry, am feeling harsh, because although it is not a surprise that this land would be developed, one would have thought that Newtown Township would have had a couple of brain cells left to better manage a plan that is not what this is, which is a total cram plan. But then again, isn’t this the municipality that used to let crazy John DuPont run around and play cop years ago?

I am somewhat irritated by the lack of land stewardship on the part of the DuPont family when it came to Foxcatcher Farm.  All that land stewardship and historic preservation from Winterthur to Longwood Gardens to Fair Hill there is this giant legacy of preservation in the DuPont family.  But not with this property.  Of course, that deal which leads to today’s development seems to have started when John DuPont was in prison.  I think it’s a shame the family couldn’t have stopped it then..  It wasn’t like it wasn’t a known fact that he was crazy as a hoot owl, right?  (However what is happening here should be a lesson to those in Radnor Township with regard to The Willows  and Ardrossan – but heck maybe they will just rename the township Holloway Township, right?)

Anyway, sign me disgusted on this one.  And hope Newtown holds them to good stormwater management, right?  And good septic if they aren’t on public sewer (Byers station reeks sometimes, doesn’t it?)  And did I hear right that Toll is sniffing around some giant land parcel in West Vincent or someplace around there?  Is that true? Lock up what is left of the open space people. That’s all I am saying.

Once the land is gone, it is gone. Once historic homes are gone, they are but salvage and rubble.

development glory in chester county pa

 

 

every parent’s nightmare (updated)

Posted on by

missingWhen I heard this news break I was in the car this afternoon, and I immediately thought well there it is:every parent’s nightmare, a missing child.  And that is exactly what is unfolding in Radnor Township.

A missing teen.  Now I have just heard Radnor might be calling another press conference for 9 pm, so I hope it is good news and the girl is found.  She’s young – 13.

And this is some guy who is 20, and who appears to have multiple Facebook pages, along with Twitter and god knows what else.

This is the stuff that makes your heart sink like a stone to your stomach.   I guess there were creepy people out there when I was 13, but maybe because there was no Internet and I had parents who were actively involved in my life (sometimes much to my chagrin), the seemy side of life didn’t touch me. Thank God.

Being a teen can’t be easy today, even if the technology is zippy.  And young teens like this 13 year old missing girl want to be treated like grown-ups but they are still children.

It’s hard to figure out as parents where you draw the line isn’t it?  You want them to be safe, yet you can’t wrap them up and keep the world at bay. And they don’t want to be babied even if they are your babies.

But given the age of this missing girl I am sorry, but I think it is important to keep an eye on the kids, who they are Facebooking, Face timing, tweeting at, texting.  I think part of that has to be limits when it comes to the smart phones and computers.  I think computers should be in a common area.

Talk to your kids.  They might not want to talk to you all of the time, but better to know what is up.  Yes I know, everyone wants to be a friend to their children, but sometimes you just have to parent.

Savanna Marie MacMullett is the name of the missing girl.  I pray she gets home safely.

Makes you wonder what caused her to reach out to someone as screwy as they are saying she ran away with doesn’t it?

As of 9 pm There is a rumor running around she has been found in DC alive and the guy is in jail but I have no formal confirmation.  I hope so.

Police: Radnor Girl Missing

Savanna Marie Macmullett, 13, disappeared from her Radnor home Monday.

BySam Strike  Email the author  2:27 pm

Radnor Teen Goes Missing After Meeting Man Online

Police say Savanna MacMullett, 13, of Radnor participated in online chats with Ashley Hareford, a 20-year-old man from Grottoes, Virginia.

By  David Chang|  Tuesday, Dec 4, 2012  |  Updated 6:10 PM EST

Police are searching for a missing teen girl as well as the man who they believe took her after they met on the Internet.

Police say they spotted Ashley Hareford, 20, of Grottoes, Virginia standing outside the Radnor Township home of 13-year-old Savanna MacMullett on Sunday. Police say he looked suspicious and they stopped him while he was on foot to question him. However, after he was questioned, they let him go because they could not find a reason to hold him in custody.

On Monday police say MacMullet left her home around 4 p.m. and has been missing since then. MacMullet’s father told police his daughter met Hareford online and had conversations with him. Police believe MacMullet is with him.

9:15 PM : my source was correct – Savanna has been found in Washington DC:

Missing Radnor Girl Found in D.C.

Savanna Marie MacMullet went missing Monday afternoon.

BySam Strike Email the author

9:08 pm

13-year-old Garrett Hill resident Savanna Marie MacMullet, who went missing Monday afternoon, was found by U.S. Marshals in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday.

With her was Ashley Ryan Hareford, 20, who Radnor Police said met MacMullet online and traveled to Pennsylvania from Virginia.

Radnor Township received an anonymous tip that the pair were arriving on a Mega Bus in Washington, D.C. around 7 p.m. Tuesday. Hareford was taken into custody without incident, said Lt. Christopher Flanagan.

MacMullet is being evaluated by medical staff and will be interviewed by police. She may return home tonight.

Hug your kids, people.  That is all I have to say.

UPDATE DECEMBER 5th 2012

I have decided to update this post yet again.  Why?  Because of something I read in Main Line Media News where the father of this girl named Thomas MacMullett is quoted.  I find it all disturbing.

First of all, the father apparently ALSO spoke to this kid outside his home.  Did he know the creepster was there for his kid?  If he did, why didn’t he call the police THEN?

But what really got to me was reading where the father remarks that Savanna’s older sister took off with a 28-year-old guy when she was 14? I am sorry, but does that make the proverbial  hair on the back anyone else’s neck go up ?  Am I missing something where 13 and 14 year old girls routinely take off with 20 and 28-year-old guys respectively or is this a GIANT red flag that something might be wrong at home?

I am glad this girl is home safely.  It could have ended quite differently.  But does the story end there with that guy being arrested or was this really a girl running away with the wrong person because something isn’t right at home?

I am trying not to be all judgey here, but you read the article and decide for yourselves:

UPDATE: Radnor girl found by U.S. Marshals in Washington, D.C.

Published: Wednesday, December 05, 2012

By ROSE QUINN
rquinn@journalregister.com
@rquinndelco

RADNOR — A missing 13-year-old township girl was found in Washington, D.C., traveling on an inexpensive Megabus with a Virginia man authorities believe she met online, possibly Facebook.

Shortly before 8 p.m. Tuesday, a team of township and county detectives were on their way to escort Savanna MacMullett back to Delaware County.

in case you thought things couldn’t get more strange in tredyffrin….

Posted on by

So in the end will we discover that John DiBuonaventuro had the approval of all his fellow supervisors regarding his infamous September letter in Tredyffrin?  Will he write a personal note back to Sam Stretton who is representing Pattye and sent Tredyffrin a letter ?

Before I get to the crux of this post, as far as background check out  article by Rich Ilgenfritz of Main Line Media News on November 5, 2012, and post by Pattye on November 2nd.  Also check out post by Pattye on November 4th.

So Tredyffrin has as their mouthpiece it seems the solicitor Vincent Donohue, who paints such a rosy picture of Tredyffrin and how the residents are treated that many can’t help but wonder has he actually been there? I also wonder why we have not heard from Tredyffrin resident/Radnor Township ex-pat/Tredyffrin Manager Bill Martin?  Where is he on all of this or is he somewhere in the Tredyffrin Township Building hiding under his desk? (Don’t laugh, I heard a story once of someone in Tredyffrin hiding under their desk and why couldn’t it happen?)

Anyway, my eyes are popping because of this article I just finished reading in Main Line Media News:

Majority of Tredyffrin supervisors may not have approved DiBuonaventuro letter posted to website

Published: Thursday, November 08, 2012

By Richard Ilgenfritz
rilgenfritz@mainlinemedianews.com

It might appear that a majority of the Tredyffrin Board of Supervisors did not see or approve a controversial letter that a Tredyffrin Township supervisor posted on the municipal website in September, according to an open records request made by a local media outlet.

Crikey!  They aren’t riding the train to a new station in Paoli, these people seem to be riding the un-sunshine friendly crazy train don’t they?

So what does that mean if this was not in fact approved by a legal quorum/majority of supervisors?  What are any additional implications involving the former Tredyffrin Township Manager ?

How does John DiBuonaventuro get away with something like this?

Sign me confused.

Here is Pattye’s post on the topic.  She continues to be a lady about this.  I bet Tredyffrin wishes this would go away, but what is that phrase? Truth will out?

Re Personal Letter on Government Website — Did Tredyffrin Supervisor DiBuonaventuro receive approval from his fellow supervisors?

Posted on November 8th, 2012   5:32 PM  by Pattye Benson

Did John DiBuonaventuro actually have approval from fellow supervisors before using government resources and government letterhead to post his personal letter of September 5 on the government’s website?  The answer to that question is not entirely clear, and the answer also depends on whom you ask.

As the resident targeted in DiBuonaventuro’s diatribe to the citizens of Tredyffrin Township, I was very interested to read the Main Line Media News article, “Majority of Supervisors may not have approved DiBuonaventuro letter posted to website”.  In the article, Rich Ilgenfritz explains that the newspaper filed an open records request with Tredyffrin Township asking for all information pertaining to DiBuonaventuro’s letter on the township website.  However, it is interesting that MLMN only received one record; an email from DiBuonaventuro to Patricia Hoffman, executive secretary for Tredyffrin Township….

One of several troubling unanswered questions in regards to DiBuonaventuro’s personal use of the township website, is did he act alone?  Or, … was there discussion (approval) from the other members of the Board of Supervisors.  In her response to my question on this matter, Gleason stated the following in her email dated September 7:

“ … In answer to your question, it is unusual to post a statement from an individual Supervisor, but given the inaccurate and derogatory statements and innuendo publicly made about John DiBuonaventuro, I decided to approve the posting of the letter on the Township website.  In this case, he was the subject of baseless public speculation simply because he is a Tredyffrin Supervisor.  The circumstances justified the use of the website to publicly defend him, carrying with it the implicit endorsement of the Township to the accuracy of his statements.  The Chairman of the Board of Supervisors and the Township Solicitor agreed that it was appropriate for the letter to go on the website.”

Gleason’s email states that the use of the government’s website by DiBuonaventuro carried with it the “implicit endorsement of the Township”.  She further states that the Chairman [Kichline] and the Township Solicitor [Vince Donohue] agreed the letter was appropriate for the website.  But did Kichline really see the actual letter?…Subsequent to DiBuonaventuro’s letter going on the website, there has been no public statement from the other 6 supervisors on this matter, except by Kichline who said that the Board would work on a website policy.  Why the silence from the other supervisors?  Privately, some of the supervisors have told citizens that they never saw the letter and some have stated that they would not have approved of the letter on the government’s website.  Why don’t the supervisors own these opinions in public?….Another interesting thing to note on this email is that there was a private meeting of 3 supervisors – DiBuonaventuro, Kristen Mayock and Kichline.  Why was Mayock involved but none of the other supervisors?  As chair of the BOS, I understand the rationale behind Kichline attending the meeting but it is unclear if she actually attended or not.  Mayock and Kichline are the two attorneys on the Board – was that the reason behind their request to attend this meeting?  And it should also be noted that DiBuonaventuro states in this email, that he has approval from the solicitor Vince Donohue for the letter on the website. Everyone seems to be in agreement that Donohue saw and approved the letter – DiBuonaventuro, Kichline and Gleason all state that Donohue approved the letter.  Interesting that this short email is all that is contained in the files in regards to DiBuonaventuro’s letter.  Just interesting…..Supervisor Mike Heaberg read a statement in regards to the website policy which suggested that there would be a policy presented at the November 19 Board of Supervisors meeting.  It was unclear whether or not the public would be permitted input into the website policy.  Public input could prove important when you read the response from the township solicitor Vince Donohue to my attorney Sam Stretton… (click here to read all of Pattye’s post)

This whole scenario still smells rotten.  What else can you say except are the residents of Tredyffrin REALLY being served? Seems to me this twisted Chester County Kingdom needs an overhaul, doesn’t it?  Darn good thing that Tredyffrin and West Vincent aren’t next to each other, right? (But if Tredyffrin was it would just be more opportunity for certain people to accuse more people of being “Chickenman”, right? After all, as I here told you aren’t anyone until you are accused of being Chickenman, huh?)

Pattye, keep on keeping on.  Truth will out. Truth will out.

another fairy tale for malvern? proceed with caution.

Posted on by

Sorry, jaded skeptic checking in.  I just saw an article about Malvern in Main Line Suburban Life  and “train station redevelopment”.

And yes the loyal friend TOD (transit oriented development.) TOD is not a one-sized fits all band-aid  in ALL areas.

OMG already have the t-shirt on what THIS does to an old-fashioned  main street oriented community.

Malvern Borough residents be watchful and not too gullible.  Once upon a time they told this tale in Lower Merion Township for Ardmore, PA.  Flash forward  about ten years and what do they have? Nothing.

No train station (although Jim Gerlach gave them $6 million towards it)

Ardmore DOES have a confounding zoning overlay that cost a pretty penny but really has not gone anywhere called must (Mixed Use Special Transit often nicknamed More Unfair Special Treatment.)

Ardmore has a redevelopment plan of mythic proportions and a developer to build…only years later the developer’s contract keeps getting extended, this all costs loads of taxpayer monies (although there has never been a very specific accounting), and there is nothing to show for it.  Many file this project which grew out of the defeat of eminent domain for private gain as a failure, government waste and boondoggle.

Malvern has already bit off a rather large project on East King (I have written about Malvern development before including HERE). This is not an economy for full steam ahead, it is proceed with caution.  In this economy you do not necessarily make money to spend money. You need to be careful and realistic.  Saying residents of rural areas and exurbs will suddenly forgo their cars and SUVs to take public transit  out here is inconvenient at best is just silly. Are all people going to take the train or walk to the farmers market being discussed for 2013 in Malvern?

So my thoughts (in part having lived through this garbage where I used to live) is not to throw the baby out with the bath water, but to go SLOWLY.  Finish one project at a time.

New Urbanism Utopia for Malvern is a little too much of a fairy tale for me. And Malvern had better figure out if it can handle the density when the East King Street project is complete versus just layering more on.

Let us be real: Malvern in a small community not too far away from what could be considered rural.  People need their vehicles.  I do not see Paoli local stops on roads like Swedesford and 401 and Pottstown Pike or Phoenixville Pike.

You will never see the  communities out here  turn into ones that don’t use their cars and the trade-off near the already congested town center of Malvern Borough for increased density is not worth it in my humble opinion.  You keep adding people, they aren’t going to live out here without a vehicle.  Where will everyone park?  I don’t see that the redevelopment in progress addresses the need for parking sufficiently.

And learn the lesson of insufficient ratables from the East King project.

Residents of Malvern Borough, now is the time to pay attention.  For some reason your community seems to be easy pickings for new development. I am not saying progress is bad, but you need to remember what kind of town you are and that is not Wayne and not West Chester.  Malvern is small, like Narberth.  Look to a community like Narberth.  Or even Ambler.  Embrace the small town of it all. Don’t let people talk you into what you never successfully will be.

Here is the article:

Train station redevelopment project pitched to Malvern residents

Published: Monday, October 01, 2012

BY Brent Glasgow
bglasgow@journalregister.com

MALVERN – Residents had a chance to provide input on the borough’s future on Tuesday, at an informational workshop on a transit-oriented development plan that could eventually alter the landscape of the community.

Sponsored by Malvern Borough with support from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the workshop introduced the concept of redeveloping the area within a half-mile radius of the Malvern train station.

Presenter Jeff Riegner, from the design firm of Whitman, Requardt and Associates, defined transit-oriented development as “compact, mixed-use, walk-friendly development around a train station.”

The project could include retail, residential and office development.

Allowing residents to leave their cars at home is a priority in TOD plans. Riegner said doing so leads to fewer roadway expansion projects, while giving commuters more options and raising air quality and home values.

“It really is a small-town idea and fits really well in a community like Malvern,” Riegner said.

There is no TOD plan currently in place for Malvern.

burglar on the loose in chester county

Posted on by

Willistown Police have released a sketch of a burglar on the loose in Chester County.  If you have seen this person, please call police.

Main Line Suburban Life > News  Willistown Police search for burglary suspect

Published: Friday, September 21, 2012

WILLISTOWN- Police are investigating a burglary in progress which occurred Thursday September 20, 2012 at approximately 2:35 p.m.
According to a press release from Willistown Police, a homeowner witnessed a white man leaving the rear of a residence on Hilldale Road. The man was reportedly wearing a single black glove, and might have been armed with a small pocketknife.
The burglary suspect is described as being in his mid 30’s to early 40’s, with short dark hair, about six foot tall, and weighing approximately 200 pounds, with a muscular build, according to police.
According to the release, the man was wearing a black T-shirt, black pants, and black boots and he had a noticeable scar on the left side of his neck.

The suspect was last seen fleeing the area in a dark blue or black Jeep Liberty, with an unknown Pennsylvania license plate number.
Anyone who recognizes the subject in the sketch or has any information concerning this investigation, please contact Willistown Detectives at (610) 251-0222 or (610) 647-1440.

I first heard about this with an alert from Malvern Patch.  Contained within the comments on the article on Malvern Patch, was a reference to another recent burglary on Duffryn Avenue. The Duffryn Avenue burglary is not believed to be related to yesterday’s Hilldale Rd burglary.

Here’s hoping local police close these cases soon.

chester county and development…not so perfect together?

Posted on by

Today when the news came that Brian O’Neill was continuing with Uptown Worthington’s next phase, I was not one of the ones cheering.  First I thought of my former township (Lower Merion) and the O’Neill projects in moth balls and sites looking shabby. Then I started to think about the development I have seen since I moved to Chester County, and I am concerned.

No one wants to turn their back on progress, but at what price comes progress?  For example, let us not forget Malvern Borough’s $60,000 mistake on East King Street. You know? Eli Kahn’s New Urbanism Fairy Tale?  In July, Kahn and his partners David Della Porta and Gary Toll did the old soft shoe and a rah-rah ground breaking.

With regard to Malvern, I will say again, You know what I think Eli Kahn and Jack Loew’s project is going to be like when it is done?  A super-sized Charleston Greene.  And over the years, how has Toll’s Charleston Greene worked for you ,Malvern?

A friend said to me a little while ago “You can’t spend other people’s money and
generate prosperity. ” 

There is food for thought.  Also to think about quite seriously is what Tredyffrin did last night other than not apologize for cyber-bullying the delightful and devoted and hard working community champion Pattye Benson.   They approved the C-1 Zoning Change. Now, basically, a LARGE death farm, excuse me, senior assisted living facility will grow on a rather SMALL site on Lancaster Avenue.  You know, where Jimmy Duffy’s Catering Company used to reside?

Interestingly enough, this new development is from a Tredyffrin resident who put the residents of Bala Cynwyd through the ringer for another awkward site senior assisted living facility around 2009. Main Line Media News said at the time:

Further township discussion of a controversial Bala Cynwyd development plan has been postponed until next month.

Developer Ed Morris of Traditional Properties LP had hoped to take his new plan for an assisted-living facility at 27-33 Old Lancaster Road to Lower Merion commissioners this week….Morris got zoning-hearing board approval in late July of a special exception to build a “home for the aged” on the parcels, which today are occupied by two single-family homes. The stone colonial houses would be demolished.

The plan was a switch from development plans approved by the township in 2006 for a four-story, 21-unit condominium building. Morris has said that marketing efforts to sell units in the proposed building were not successful as the housing market stalled….A number of residents in surrounding neighborhoods in Bala Cynwyd and Merion objected to the change in direction, saying that the assisted-living facility is a more commercial use, out of character with the area.

Oh my goodness!  Is this not an eerie sense of déjà vu?  Don’t I remember original plans for the Jimmy Duffy site being different, albeit equally unwelcome to neighboring Daylesford residents? (And Ed Morris like Brian O’Neill was featured in an article a few years ago in Main Line Today called Condo Mania)

How many developments do we need?  Does Chester County want to end up a congested mess with limited open space like much of the Main Line?

I noticed on Malvern Patch that a lot of people are excited by the idea of MORE mall at Uptown Worthington based upon the comments.  I, on the other hand, am concerned.

It wasn’t too long ago that this developer was embroiled in nasty, nasty litigation over this site.  And how will this phase of construction affect people? Remember the first phase? And look at the 100 year PennDOT 202 project right there right now. It really isn’t a 100 year project, but given how PennDOT does business it might as well be.

Then there is the thought of how many malls and mall like places do we need?   Exton is but minutes away with the Exton Square Mall, Main Street at Exton and the countless other smaller strip malls in and around it.  King of Prussia is also fairly close with the giant King of Prussia Mall and all the other various and assorted strip malls and sub-developments in the vicinity. (And don’t forget that charming casino because you know nothing says U.S. history like a slots parlor next to where George Washington literally slept.)

In addition to these larger malls and newer strip malls are all the other strip malls and often funky shopping centers on Route 30, Paoli Pike, Route 3, pick a road.

Really Chester County, how much development do you want? How much development do we need as residents?  Are we actually getting new stores or are businesses just hop-scotching between retail developments, moving every few years to whatever the next sweetest deal is? And do you want a steady stream of fill-in-the-name-big-box-retailers and chains?  What of the independent local business where they know their customer base and might be your neighbors?

I saw the development of Chester County in a most unusual way on my 9/11 hot-air balloon ride.  I saw the development from the air.  From high up in the sky it looked like miles and miles of Legos – developments all cookie cutter.

Chester County on a county level needs to get a real grip on the future.  The economy is not recovering, and still these developments proceed.  Developers will say they bring jobs, but once you get beyond retail shift work and minimum wage, what is there?  And you need more than that to fill up the condos, town homes perched on formerly rural highways, and the communities of McMansions. (Don’t forget about the fact they are trying to supersize Birchrunville in West Vincent. And then there is other potential residential development in the future, right?)

Once the open space is gone, it is not coming back. Once the charming cross-roads towns are gone and the farms are gone, they are also not coming back.  That’s all. Just think about it.

My wish for Chester County is a revolution of common sense.

just say no.

Posted on by

Oh good lord!  I forgot this guy was running for Congress in the 7th (that would be Pat Meehan’s current seat.)

George Badey thinks he’s a politician, or thinks he might want to be a politician (I’m not sure.)  His only appeal, truly, is with Radnor Township Democrats, and I hear they are pretty split on him. Truthfully, the Democrats in Radnor I know who think he is ineffectual and silly far outweigh those who are enamoured (and there is no accounting for taste.)

George Badey ain’t exciting and being a bigwig with the Radnor Democratic Committee isn’t enough in my book to consider voting for him. Yes , he lives somplace like  Chamounix Road so he must have a couple wooden nickels to rub together, but really?  What has he done?

Yawn.

He is like Vanilla Junket.  If you like Vanilla Junket, by all means, vote for him.

As for myself, a new voter in the 7th?  I don’t want this guy representing me. He doesn’t currently adequately represent a lot of the people I know in Radnor who are of a Democrat persuasion, so why would I extend that reach knowingly?

This is a Main Liner who needs to stay home.

The Democrats should truthfully be embarassed that this is all they can dig up to run against Pat Meehan.  And I thought who they run against Jim Gerlach is usually pathetic. And I am saying this as someone who doesn’t have a dog in the race.  Only met Meehan a couple of times and he would not know me from Adam’s house cat.

Look, it’s an easy choice: if you have loved the last four years in this country, think the economy is fabulous, and love big government getting bigger and up in your business while they contemplate their collective navels and get nothing done, well then, Badey is your guy.

I am an inveterate ticket splitter.  I will consider candidates because of who they are and what they have done, not because I am some zombie who does as they are told.  I form my own opinions, donate money to zero campaigns.

Some boring and bored Main Liner who has not been a shining light is just not someone I am going to vote for.  He’s concerned about jobs, healthcare, and the economy?  That is quite Obamariffic of him, but not particularly original.  And for the record, saying you are concerned about something and actually having a track record of doing things that are positive for the community is something entirely different. And as far as Democrats being a “majority” in Radnor Township, check the numbers – that distinction is not by a landslide, it is by but a handful of votes – a couple people dying or moving or whatever, could completely tip the political scale back the other way.

And there is a third person running in the 7th as far as I can tell.  An indie named Jim Schneller.  Also from Radnor Township.  Google him.

Of course, the other way to look at this is the choices are so pathetic that it will make it all the more easy for Meehan.

Main Line Suburban Life > News

Badey opens Congressional campaign office

Published: Friday, June 08, 2012

Democrat George Badey opened his Congressional campaign office at 711 E. Lancaster Ave, Villanova, on Wednesday night, with hoagies, cookies, bottled water and the latest polls that show Democrats doing well. Badey is running for the 7th District  of Pennsylvania seat currently held by Republican Pat Meehan.
Several dozen people filled the office’s three-or-so rooms, then listened as Badey as he discussed numbers and issues.
Badey, a lawyer in private practice, who lives in Radnor Township, has health care, jobs and the economy at the top of his list of concerns and on his platform. His Web site refers prominently to “the hopes and dreams of 7000,000 working people in the 7th District.”

devon horse show ladies’ day hat contest & tea 2012

Posted on by

Today I was a lady who lunched.  I went to the Ladies’ Day Tea at Devon Horse Show.  I arrived too late for the actual hat parade and contest, but the flora and fauna were out in fine feathers….some literally feathers, yes.

Enjoy the photos…I loved a lot of the hats, saw a lot of familiar faces, met some new ladies. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will admit that some of the fascinators were more than fascinating and a couple made me check the wall when I came home to see if that Pheasant was still hanging there.  I guess my issue with the birds of it all is that to me, a Pheasant is a fall bird, not a spring one. To me, those hats, were just taxidermy run amok.  But to each their own, perhaps my beautiful and more traditional black summer straw hat wasn’t to their liking, either.

There was also a tossed salad on a hat….and a very red cocktail dress before 5 p.m. There was a little bit of everything, and a dash of this and that.   Fun people watching.

We each got a nifty gift bag with a bunch of fun stuff, including cute earrings from Lisi Lerch.  The jazz ensemble is a group I actually heard in Sanatoga at a restaurant called Cutillos.

Saw society photogs doing their thing – Susan Scovill (and Susan’s photos from the preview of this event, held this past March, can be found HERE), Maggie Henry Corcoran, and Hugh E Dillon of PhillyChitChat who was there taking photos for Philadelphia Magazine. There were also a million other cameras there, some shooting for the Devon Horse Show and I am not sure where else. Bill Henley was there from NBC10.

It was like being in a room of exotic birds as there were hats and dresses of every hue and shade.  I ended up having a terrific time.  To be honest, I wasn’t so sure in the beginning because I used to attend a lot of things like this, but  I only go to occasional events now.  And when you are out of practice, it can be a tough room, especially with all that estrogen running around in a confined space.  But once the room settled in I saw many friends and had a delightful morning and early afternoon.

Photos will be loaded here, on mainlineclicks on Flickr and some on the Simple Shots Photography Facebook Page.

So yes, I came, I socialized, I lunched…and had a LOT of fun!

(And if you decide you like this blog, there is still time to nominate it for a Country Living Blue Ribbon Blogger Award!)