old school dirty radnor doings: will it be eminent domain in wayne?

Wake up Radnor residents! Monday, October 28 it’s more tricks than treats on the schedule for the commissioners’ meeting at 6:30 PM. These commissioners with ONE exception do not know their arses from a hole in the wall. The one exception is Commissioner Jake Abel who had the courage of his convictions to say NO to eminent domain as Radnor Township’s arsehole purported “negotiation” tactic….with a church.

That “negotiation” tactic is eminent domain against Wayne Presbyterian Church because they had the temerity to want more money after faithfully renting their land to Radnor since circa 1954. That means they went decades without really wanting much more, correct ? I mean that’s really nice isn’t it?

But noooo, Radnor Commissioners, seemingly led on an eminent domain field trip by cranky unpleasant to the plurality commissioner with an odd looking pallor, Jack Larkin, who seems to have morphed into a cold unfeeling jerk who seems to wish to punish the world and why is that? Is his life outside of being a commissioner a little messy? And why does his bio at Radnor still say how many years later he is still at a certain law firm yet LinkedIn and elsewhere indicates somewhere else? Does he not want people to know about working for that billboard company?

Oh and Radnor and commissioners? I am entitled to my opinions.

I think potentially Radnor hasn’t been so sleazy since the days of Bashore, and I am not even sure most of these commissioners actually know what happened then because most of them seem to know so little about Radnor’s political and other history as in the past 30 – 40 years since that matters just as much as the historical origins of the township.

The board sat there at the last meeting and were kind of horrible to a church and their members. They all tried to say eminent domain is a “negotiation” tactic. It is not. It’s a greedy, nasty, bullsheit bully tactic. And the Wayne Business Association is supporting stealing from a church? If this happens you betcha a lot of people will boycott Wayne.

Radnor, I know first hand what eminent domain for private gain does to a community. I was part of a group that fought it until we won in Ardmore PA with the help of the Institute for Justice in Washington, DC. And this might be something that you try to couch as eminent domain for public purpose, but since you’re doing it really for the Wayne Business Association businesses, isn’t it really eminent domain for private gain? My opinion is it is. And actually, it doesn’t really matter what it is categorized as, it’s still wrong. That is the beginning and end of it.

And Wayne Presbyterian Church? The lawyer who you really want for this is Philip Rosenzweig. Phil is the one who as a newly elected commissioner wrote the resolution in Lower Merion to end eminent domain in Ardmore.

And Radnor residents, that’s the other thing that we at the Save Ardmore Coalition did because of the threat of eminent domain: we replaced half of the board of commissioners in one election cycle because of it.

Radnor residents you have the power you don’t use enough, and I suggest you get busy and replace some of these toadstools at your earliest opportunity. You deserve better commissioners and a better manager. Who would think after years like 2010, Radnor Township would find itself in odd situations again?

Oh and for those who live near the center of Wayne do you know to add insult to injury regarding the upcoming development involving that AT&T lot is also on the agenda? I mean, imagine the parking you might have available in Radnor in Wayne if this site was not going development? (Just sayin’)

So here’s the link to Radnor’s agenda:

The meeting starts on Monday, October 28h at 6:30 PM.

Stealing land from a church is just so ugly.

#StopTheSteal #NoEminentDomaininWayne

radnor township want to exercise eminent domain for private gain over wayne presbyterian church. that’s bollocks.

Heavy handed leverage. That’s what a retired real estate lawyer said.

And Radnor Township is trying to wield the ultimate thug tool against with Wayne Presbyterian Church, eminent domain. And given this is for the Wayne Business District, this in my humble opinion, this makes it eminent domain for private gain. That’s bollocks.

Can we talk about how combative and rude Commissioner Jack Larkin is? I guess his life experience over the past couple of years has not taught him to be kind or humble. He should discover both qualities, after all pride goeth before a fall, Commissioner Jack Larkin. Try being pleasant and not a bully.

If Radnor Township was acting in good faith, they would not have enacted an eminent domain ordinance, and it is pretty much that god damn simple. And they are doing this against a church.

I have not had such distrust of Radnor Township since Dave Bashore was the manager and that is saying something. Radnor needs to clean house again from commissioners to manager. There are few things that upset me more than eminent domain. I know the realities of it. First hand. We saw it in Ardmore. We saw it Coatesville. We saw it in Long Branch, NJ. We saw it in New London, CT. Just ask the Institute for Justice.

You know what is worse then eminent domain for private gain? Eminent domain for public purpose that really has private gain driving it. And THAT is what Radnor is attempting which is why I categorize as really being about private gain. And in Radnor’s meeting last week, the Wayne Business Association said they support the actions of Radnor Township.

I can tell you as long as an eminent domain ordinance lurks against a church in Wayne, no one I know will be going to Wayne to even buy a cup of coffee.

A relatively newer resident spoke up, after hearing this. Not sure why he was at the meeting, but hooray for common sense:

And then there was Commissioner Jack Larkin’s grandfather I guess it is. Even HE said eminent domain was wrong. So Larkin listens to no one except himself on this it seems, so will grandpa’s thoughts matter?

This is another bad plan from Radnor Township. They seem to be making these bad plans more and more consistently.

Radnor residents and supporters of Wayne Presbyterian Church and haters of eminent domain? The clock is ticking. get those card and letters and emails and calls going and attend the meetings. This is wrong, and what is not wrong after all these decades is the church wanting to see more revenue.

Here is Radnor’s staff directory: https://www.radnor.com/government/staff-directory

And oh by the way? This meeting also had some updates about the Willows? Radnor Township should take the neighbors’ noise concerns seriously and so should the caterer in residence. I don’t think much of them anyway. I won tickets to a pop up dinner with them once, and they never honored it. I won it during COVID, end of 2019, early 2020 and it ultimately got postponed and then they essentially ghosted me. Actually I think the Willows is a hopeless mess and that is a subject for another day and it is so sad. And what about the cottage? No one ever wants to talk about that debacle and waste of a one time restoration.

Back to Radnor Township being a municipal bully. Here is the SAVVY or it all plus an article from Main Line Times. Read both and remember: eminent domain is a thug tactic, not a form of negotiation. No more Wayne for me until this is settled. Eminent domain has no gain.

A separation of Church and State in Wayne? Radnor Township makes moves to seize Wayne Presbyterian Church property. But talks have resumed.

October 21, 2024 / By Caroline O’Halloran /

Radnor Township has taken the first step toward seizing by eminent domain the parking area it leases from Wayne Presbyterian Church (WPC), a sizable section of the large Station Ave. municipal lot.

Radnor Commissioners voted 4 to 1 at their Oct. 14 meeting to move forward with an ordinance (below) that would authorize the township to file a “declaration of taking” in the Delco Court of Common Pleas in November.

READ MORE HERE.