Category: TTDems

The Real History of the Tredyffrin Library Rescue

10/31/07 | by Mister Tredyffrin [mail] | Categories: Campaign, Board of Supervisors, TTGOP, TTDems

Remember those silly little yellow signs the TTGOP put all over our township? I wrote a bit about them last week? Well I didn’t drill too hard into the silliest ones - about the Tredyffrin library - because I didn’t know much about the story.

Well go figure, someone over in TTDems land does know the real history and put together a very nice summary of the sordid tale. I highly recommend it.

At the top of the bulletin is yet another rendition of the yard signs:


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Excellent job! Better than I did…

Someone suggested in a letter that I post a blank sign so that folks can come up with their own things the TTGOP can take credit for. Sounds like a good idea. Blow them up big and bring them to the polls with you on Tuesday. Let them all know it’s time for a change!


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Four letters that encapsulate your local political parties

10/21/07 | by Mister Tredyffrin [mail] | Categories: News, Campaign, TTGOP, TTDems

I’d like to review a thread of four letters to the editor. It is a story of contrasts.

First, review the “hooray for us” campaign piece printed in both local papers by C.T. Alexander on September 27th. In short, the TTGOP wants you to think that there is nothing wrong in Tredyffrin, nothing that could be improved, everything that is good and mighty is due to Republican leadership, stay the course, and Democrats are all whining jerks. I may have paraphrased a bit. I wasn’t terribly impressed by his letter, and wrote at length about this Republican rah-rah speech.

A far more level-headed Democratic spokesperson, Maria Micolucci, Chair of the Tredyffrin Democrats, responded to C.T. in the next issue of the local papers, October 4th.

To the Editor:

If I were a Republican in Tredyffrin, I would be alarmed by C.T. Alexander’s smug, self-congratulatory letter in this newspaper (Tredyffrin GOP doing the job, Sept. 26 2007). While it is true that there are many things to be proud of about our community, our successes are not simply a product of the Republican leadership. There are a number of challenges and concerns facing our township that the Republican leadership is failing to address. Furthermore, there is emerging evidence that some of our Republican officeholders have made partisan politics and special interests a priority,at the expense of residents.

In the next couple of weeks, C.T. Alexander and his leadership will hand out materials and display yard signs that will ultimately boil down to “just vote for us because we’ve done it a long time and we know what to do".

But do they? The fact is, Republican leadership in Tredyffrin long ago stopped listening to residents. Instead they did what anyone too comfortable with their job does - they got lazy. They towed the party line. They are losing public trust.

These are not baseless allegations. You will find on our website(www.ttdems.com) well documented instances of this breach of public trust by Republican leadership.

I must take specific issue with Mr. Alexander’s claim of credit for the Tredyffrin 300 celebration. Like many Democrats and Independents in our area, I volunteered for the celebration. It was everyone who got involved, people that care about our community, that made the celebration a success. I also must object to Mr Alexander’s insistence that our schools are the product of Republican leadership. This assertion is particularly appalling. Mr. Alexander, may I suggest that it is a community of many people, of all political parties, that make our schools what they are - teachers, administrators, students, parents, and employees.

But, by far, the most ridiculous of Mr. Alexander’s comments came at the expense of the City of Philadelphia. Mr. Alexander appears to be trying to scare voters into believing that if you vote for Democrats in Tredyffrin, Tredyffrin will turn into “corrupt” Philadelphia. I find this to be a bizarre comparison, but if he insists on comparing Democrats in Tredyffrin to those in Philadelphia, shall I compare Republicans in Tredyffrin to Republicans in Harrisburg or Washington, DC? Where would I begin?

If you care about our community, please visit the TTDems website, and think hard about who you want making decisions about the future of our township. When it comes to local politics, we believe voters want elected officials who care about the things they care about and listen to their concerns. We are dedicated to helping to elect the best candidates for office, which is why this year we are supporting the historic, joint endorsement of a Republican and Democratic candidate for School Board: Kevin Mahoney & ArtPost in Region 2.

I believe all of our local Democratic candidates this year are committed to serve in the interests of residents, and I ask you to consider voting for all of them: re-elect Paul Drucker, Supervisor District 3, Eamon Brazunas & Jerry Henige for Supervisor at Large, Ellen Brotman-Austin for Supervisor in District 1, Glenda Yu for Township Auditor, Karen Cruickshank for School Board in Region 1, and Art Post for School Board in Region 2.

Maria Micolucci

Chair, Tredyffrin Township Democratic Committee

Clear enough? Of course it is. But the Republicans continue to press their myth onto the people of Tredyffrin. In typical blindered TTGOP fashion, Ed Sweeney contributed this the following week, October 11th:

To the Editor:

I write in response to the letter of Tredyffrin Township Democratic Committee Chair Maria Micolucci.

Boiled down, the Tredyffrin Republican message is simple: Tredyffrin Republicans have delivered an area where a middle class population can take advantage of top flight schools and good services. We put forward leaders who have delivered real and major accomplishments, yet who are extremely mindful of the need to continue to safeguard taxpayer money. These leaders have carried “heavy water” in public life before and have ideas for taking Tredyffrin and our schools to the next level.

The Democratic leader has not put forward one idea to better Tredyffrin in her letter … except, not surprisingly, elect local Democratic candidates to office. Why should we elect local Democrats? According to Ms. Micolucci, we should elect local Democrats because local Republicans are “not listening” and “they are losing the public trust.” These “one size fits all” political spins are probably being used in every southeast county to capitalize on national woes. But as applied to Tredyffrin, I would submit that they are fundamentally way off base. Our Republican leaders follow the successful example of Carole Rubley: unquestionably honest, extremely hard working, and innovative in their attempts to better Tredyffrin while keeping taxes restrained.

How can anyone deny that the one-of-a-kind Republican-led public private initiative to renovate the Strafford library that saved the taxpayers $3.7 million dollars was not an unqualified success? How about the township’s new Model Sound Ordinance? How can one argue with a township that has not raised taxes in six of the last eight years and puts Radnor, Easttown, Upper Merion and Lower Merion to shame in level of taxation? What about our innovative trails and sidewalks initiative? How can anyone say that Wilson Park was not an amazing success? What about our efforts to reduce storm water? What about the fact that our award-winning Conestoga is ranked by Philadelphia Magazine on its Web site as the best high school in the Delaware Valley, yet our level of school taxation in comparably reasonable?

Learn about the success of our township and school district and the accomplishments and ideas of our candidates at our web site. We support extremely competent candidates who are ready now to lead, because they have led before in public life, community service, or business affairs.

Ms. Micolucci says the local Republicans have committed violations of public trust, but has not gotten around to articulating them in her letter, indicating that to learn about them we should “check the Democratic party Web site.” Come on, Ms. Micolucci, everyone knows that Tredyffrin is a model for clean government and is held up as the “gold standard” by other townships and school districts, and our local government employees are honest, efficient, and apolitical. While we read about public scandals endlessly in Democratic controlled Philadelphia everyday, our local governments are top notch. No one has accused the local Democratic candidates of scandal … what Republicans accuse them of is a failure to engage in a real policy debate and to make the case that they can improve on our progressive efforts to improve government and keep taxes affordable for middle class citizens.

Edward C. Sweeney Republican Committeeman, M-3

Ubelievable. There are so many outright fabrications and misdirections in this letter I am amazed that it was published. If only the Republicans in our township would allow themselves to see the truth despite their leaders. If only.

Until then, though, all we can do is provide a rational, almost parental voice for reason in our community. In that calm and patient voice, Kathleen Keohane put Sweeney and his Republican cohorts in their place in a letter run by the Main Line Life last week. Rational, well reasoned, solidly supported, calm, collected - all the opposite of the letters of Alexander and Sweeney.

To the Editor:

In their recent letters to the editor, Tredyffrin GOP Chair John Alexander and Committeeperson Ed Sweeney made sweeping claims to Republican “results” and suggested that no Democrats need apply. Perhaps this partisan rhetoric is to be expected as election day closes in. However, only the most self-deluded believe that we have the local Republican Party and no one else to thank for all that is good in Tredyffrin. As for Sweeney’s account of past accomplishments, here are a few additional facts from the “No-Spin Zone:”

  • The sound ordinance was researched and written by a number of people, including Democratic supervisor and attorney, Paul Drucker, and Great Valley Association attorney, Dave Moskowitz – not just Republican officials.
  • Keeping taxes low has become an excuse for the township to shift the cost of infrastructure (stormwater improvements, trails, libraries, emergency services, etc.) to the future. As a result, costs will be higher. Democratic candidates have affirmed their commitment to fiscal responsibility and using taxpayer dollars more wisely.
  • Wilson Park is a wonderful township asset, but was completed significantly over budget, and is not a unanimously supported use of open space or tax dollars.
  • The trails and sidewalks initiative is a plan – a distant vision at this point, not an accomplishment. And it is long overdue.
  • Tredyffrin Library is a much-appreciated resource. However, the Republican claim of “saving” the taxpayers $3.7 million is an illusion, as it includes grants from other public (taxpayer-funded) sources. Meanwhile, costs increased and engineering details were compromised in the two years it took to raise private matching funds. Our township should have contributed more and sooner.
  • Efforts to reduce stormwater problems in the township have been limited and very recent. Stormwater issues have needed attention for a long, long time.

TTDEMS Chair Maria Micolucci was chided for her claim that Republican officials have violated the public trust. In what ways? (Mr. Sweeney, wondered). Here are just a few:_ Backroom discussion and appointments of Republican cronies to board/commission positions without public notice of openings, discussion of candidate qualifications or reasons given for Supervisors’choices. Democrats believe selection should be made on the basis of qualifications and reflect the demographics of the community.

  • 2006 purchase of a virtually unusable piece of land bordering Route 202 for $825, 000 – despite questionable appraisals, and without disclosing the fact that the sellers were major Republican Party contributors.
  • Under a Republican-run board of supervisors, no recommendations have been implemented to tighten security and accountability among township employees, even after two separate embezzlement incidents.

The TTGOP has challenged local Democrats to improve on the Republicans’"progressive efforts."We welcome that challenge. When elected, residents of Tredyffrin can expect Democrats to:

  • Bring more open debate to public meetings, and work to end backroom decisions made without public knowledge or input. In short, more transparency.
  • Take partisan politics out of the board/commission appointment process
  • Offer different perspectives to the management and direction of the township and school board, putting more focus on long-range planning and resident input
  • Wait until long-term comprehensive planning has been finalized before approving any development that requires zoning changes
  • Approve a master development plan that is supported by residents and doesn’t negatively impact their quality of life
  • Make decisions in the best interests of residents, not special interests
  • Place a higher priority on stormwater management and sidewalk development_ Push hard for sound walls along both sides of the turnpike
  • Develop an emergency and fire protection plan that improves safety and response times throughout the township
  • Explore options for expanding Paoli Library
  • Respect and encourage more resident involvement
  • Hold public officials accountable to the highest ethical standards

Reasonable people – no matter what their political affiliation, recognize that we need more openness and accountability from our elected officials. We need public servants who serve in our best interests and no others. It involves a full airing of the facts, open debate, and most often, compromise, in order to come to a consensus in a healthy, two-party system. It is the kind of government we deserve.

In several weeks, voters will have the opportunity to participate in setting the direction of both their local and county government and school board for the next four years. Democratic candidates offer a different way forward – more attuned to residents’concerns, more committed to careful planning for smart growth and development in the future. Go to the local Democratic Web site: www.ttdems.com to find out more about our local candidates and the issues we care about, and to www.chescodems.org for information on the county-level candidates.

Make a difference. Vote on Nov. 6.

Kathleen E. Keohane
Committeeperson, W-1

I love how those bullets stand out. The Tredyffrin Democrats could not have been more clear in their articulation of not only the problems that the Republican leadership has brought to our township, but how they can fix it. It is crystal clear in the white papers on their web site. And yet C.T. called it “vague". Maria responded, clarified, pointed them to the web site. But Ed continued the local mythology by blithely claiming “everyone knows” and “gold standard” and “top notch". Sheesh. Talk about vague. Ever patient, though, Kathy steps up and specifically spells things out for Ed, C.T., and their Republican sheep.

The difference between the visions of our two local political parties is remarkable. Actually, what’s remarkable isn’t so much the difference of those visions, as the amount of eyesight they actually have. Your local Democrats see the problems, see the solutions, and see the path forward. Your local Republicans won’t let themselves see anything at all, even when it is shoved in front of their noses. Don’t let them put the blinders on you, too.

An Editorial Decision

10/02/07 | by Mister Tredyffrin [mail] | Categories: News, Campaign, School Board, Board of Supervisors, TTGOP, TTDems

This post is part of a series dealing with decisions made by our local newspapers this week:

Art Post and Kevin Mahoney’s Press Release?
Not News.

On Sunday the TTDems announced in a press release that Art Post and Kevin Mahoney, a Democrat and a Republican, have endorsed each other for School Board in Region 2. One would think that this would be Big News. Of the three candidates running, only two get a seat. Two of those three candidates are Republican. And yet, the Democrat and one of the Republicans have decided that they will support each other, to the exclusion of the other Republican, Debbie Bookstaber. What’s more, the TTDems announced that they will support Kevin Mahoney, a Republican, in addition to Art Post. That’s a big thing, right?

Well, apparently not, according to Main Line Life and the Suburban and Wayne Times. They both eagerly accepted this press release, and yet the story does not appear in their papers. Huh? Rumor has it that these two papers were unable to reach Kevin Mahoney for confirmation of the press release.

They couldn’t contact Mahoney? Baloney. They had several days, and their crack staff couldn’t track down the president of the school board, the Senior VP and Chief Administrative Officer of the $3.4 billion organization Pensylvannia Health System? Give me a break.

The TTGOP Blog

I am simply floored by the papers this week. In spite of all the hard work of the TTDems in rooting out the problems and bringing them to light, educating themselves and the community, bringing excited, energetic and eminently qualified candidates to the table, and building bridges between the parties and with the local newspapers - in spite of all of this, we find ourselves stymied by the fourth estate. Actively impeded. It’s downright un-American.

One thing is clarified by the actions of our newspapers. Many months ago the TTGOP’s web site inexplicably went off the internet. Most of us just assumed that a new, improved site was in the offing, and it would appear shortly, probably with great fanfare. It never arrived. Then we began to wonder if the TTGOP would bother to respond online to the harsh facts presented by the TTDems web site and this blog. That never happened, either.

Well, if we weren’t convinced before, it is certainly clear now. The Main Line Life and the Suburban and Wayne Times are the blog of the TTGOP. The TTGOP web site is the newspapers’ web site. Why don’t they just install a domain redirect and be done with it? Maybe a real paper which has not abandonded its roots in objective journalism, like, say, the Philadelphia Inquirer, will notice this travesty in reporting and help shine a light on the problem. The public definitely needs to know.

Wake up, people! Is this the kind of “totalitarian democracy” you want to live in?

It’s almost like George Orwell’s Animal Farm, isn’t it?
Republican Candidate Tom might like that.

Debbie Nails Yale

09/30/07 | by Mister Tredyffrin [mail] | Categories: News, Campaign, School Board, Board of Supervisors, TTGOP, TTDems

This post is part of a series dealing with decisions made by our local newspapers this week:

Debbie vs. the Taliban

So a concerned mother writes with a very reasonable request:

I have been pondering the up and coming election for the Tredyffrin/Easttown School Board. Debbie Bookstaber states on her blog: “If I were to be elected, I would represent all households – not just the Republican households. I don’t believe partisanship belongs in a school board campaign.” I think our voters should be aware that Mrs. Bookstaber has past ties with a group that proudly called themselves “Give Yale the Finger.”

Along with another former Yale alumni, Mrs. Bookstaber wanted to rally to have a certain student deported and thrown out of Yale for his beliefs, as they opposed her own.

Mrs. Bookstaber rose to immediate prominence in right-wing circles when John Fund of the Wall Street Journal published a letter she sent to Yale. That letter was published by Michelle Malkin, and the rest is history.

As a mother of three children in the district, I personally wouldn’t want someone with such strong ties and beliefs representing our youth. It would be an unbalanced representation on the board. It is a direct lie for Bookstaber to state that she is indeed representing all households. Her ties to Michelle Malkin and Steve Doocy are hardly open-minded. Our board needs a balanced board that serves the hearts and minds of not only our children but our educational staff. The balance of our board is imperative if we want to keep TE schools at the top and in a forward direction.

Having someone with such extreme thoughts and ties represent our board is not in the best interest of this school district. I’ll agree with Mrs. Bookstaber she is right – politics has no place on the school board.

Kelly J Hudson

Well done, Mrs. Hudson. The issue is a right-wing politico, who by the way served as a face for the university interviewing high school seniors, turning against the administration to air her own extreme views.

I honestly don’t know how evil this kid was. But we’re not talking about admitting him as an undergraduate, allowing him to matriculate for a degree, or anything like that. He wanted to take some courses, study, talk to people. Urged by an American friend at CBS, he explored the possibility of studying at Yale. After a lot of consideration, the University made a decision to allow this to happen.

No question that the Taliban are bad guys. It is a horrible, oppressive regime reknowned for its horrid treatment of women. So some, understandably, did not understand why the Yale chose to let this person study at the university.

So Clint Taylor and some of his friends, including Debbie Bookstaber, started a campaign to get rid of this Rahmatullah guy. As part of that campaign, they encouraged everyone to send red press-on nails to the university, recalling the alleged Taliban practice of yanking off the fingernails of women who wore nail polish. Many went further and sent in real human fingernail clippings. Disgusting.

The University responded by restating its goals and philosophy behind the admission:

Yale has allowed Mr. Hashemi to take courses for college credit in a part-time program that does not award Yale degrees. Contrary to what has been reported by some in the media, he has not been admitted as an undergraduate to Yale College or to any of the other schools at Yale.

We hope that his courses help him understand the broader context for the conflicts around the world. We acknowledge that some are criticizing Yale for allowing Mr. Hashemi to take courses here, but we hope that critics will also acknowledge that universities are places that must strive to increase understanding, especially of the most difficult issues that face the nation and the world.

According to the State Department, Ramatullah Hashemi was issued U.S. visas in 2004 and 2005, first on a tourist visa and then in 2005 on a student visa. The mandatory procedures were followed, which, in his case, included vetting through an interagency security clearance process. He was cleared by all agencies.

That didn’t stop Debbie. She essentially threw her alma mater under the bus for an education/administration decision, all because it went against her personal political beliefs. She made all the papers, was quoted in all the conservative blogs, was interviewed on a conservative Fox News program by Chris Wallace. Ann Coulter watch out! Here comes Debbie.

Agree with her or not, her methodology is extremely suspect. What will happen if she found something politically objectionable to her in a T/E school? Will she fly off in a similar manner and start a national Nail TE campaign? In the face of her fellow school board members and established education philosophy?

Yeah, that’s what we need. Her sense of priorities is clear. Politics first.

But enough about Debbie. How did the TTGOP-controlled Main Life Life respond when they received this letter? Well, let’s see. There’s a letter from Debbie about the issue right under Mrs. Hudson’s. She complains, “I understand that my involvement in that Yale Taliban protest is being misrepresented.” No one else has mentioned Nail Yale that I know of. A wild coincidence? Nah… I think they gave ole Debbie a call and let her know that there was a letter that she might not like was going to be published. And, by the by, would she like a chance to respond? In the same issue of the newspaper? What a joke. This kind of partisan journalism is simply an insult to our community’s intelligence.

So, just how did she respond? She avoided the issue and instead talked about how evil and bad Rahmatullah is. Whatever. Not the point, Debbie. And then she told people to google “Nail Yale” to get the real story. I, too, encourage folks to do just that. Go ahead. Go. I’ll wait. Did you take special notice of who’s web sites you end up at? What other stories are there? Hmmmm? It’s a virtual Who’s Who of right-wing nutcase blogs. “Nail Yale” was picked up by all those ultra-conservative web sites because it is an ultra-conservative story about ultra-conservatives.

What Main Line Life did was just plain wrong. Normally the object of a letter gets to respond in the next week’s paper. The TTDems were not called and invited to respond to T.C.’s blither. The candidate that J.D.’s campaign was horsing around with (down, Tom…) was not invited to make a response. A couple weeks ago I wrote about how Ellen Brotman Austin couldn’t get the paper to publish her letter. And she actually addressed the issue at hand and had a good point! But the rules are different for the Republicans. Warren Kampf was given advance notice of letters about him. And Debbie the Taliban Slayer had to be given a chance to assert herself, too. On the very same page. Right under Mrs. Hudson’s thoughtful letter. What a crock.

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
The TTGOP are About to Speak!

09/30/07 | by Mister Tredyffrin [mail] | Categories: Announcements, News, Campaign, School Board, TTGOP, TTDems

This post is part of a series dealing with decisions made by our local newspapers this week:

All Hail C.T.!

Second is the paper’s decision to give John C.T. Alexander, Chairman of the Tredyffrin Township Republican Committee, yet another chance to brag about the TTGOP’s so-called accomplishments. Far too often C.T. gets to stick his thumbs behind his suspenders, tilt back, and say, “Ayup, ayup we’re doin’ durn good, huh? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” It’s one thing to make space for a message from the chair of one of the local political parties, but C.T. gets far more than that. It must be part of the contract between the newspaper and the TTGOP. Oh, make that plural - newspapers. You see, C.T.’s schtick is in the Suburban and Wayne Times this week, too. I guess they also are under contract to run his letters.

Anyway, along with the generic horn-tooting for the Republican candidates, C.T. spends some time denying the township’s problems.

The literature handed out by the local Democrats this year claims vaguely they are “restoring public trust.” Really? In what way? Ask them.

While he goes to the trouble of mentioning TTDem literature, he obviously has not read the extensive accounts of corruption, cronyism, and pay-for-play reported therein, or within detailed white papers on the ttdem website, or on my blog here or here or here or … well, you get the picture. There’s nothing vague about the TTDems observations and discoveries. Plenty have asked, C.T., and all, Democrat, Republican, and Independent alike, have left with raised eyebrows, sharing a knowing smile.

They have heard about the problems with detailed cases of transparency issues, of cronyism, and of the lack of reaction in the face of embezzlement. They have noticed how, for example, storm water problems at long last are finally getting addressed by Democratic supervisors. And far from taking responsibility for their active ignorance of the problem, the Republicans cast themselves as champions of the issue! As if the public didn’t notice their deaf ears for thirty years!

No, it is far easier to just not see the problems than to try and address them. The local Republican “leadership” motto would seem to be, “Ignore as long as you want, as long as later you say you’ve been paying attention since the start.” One has to wonder if the typical Tredyffrin voter ever really buys into this garbage? Does he really think we are just sheep? (Steady, there, Tom) No, the facts are clear: the Republicans have become lazy in their leadership, and are corrupt, inattentive to the needs of the community, and need to be called to account.

Taking the prize in this column, though, is the most illogical comparison he has ever attempted, and that’s a low limbo bar, folks…

Tredyffrin is the polar opposite of the Democratic-run, inherently corrupt, Philadelphia.

Um, are you absolutely sure you want to go there, girl? Just how much bathroom stall tapping goes on during your monthly TTGOP meetings? How many young male interns have you molested lately? Will the local madame’s black book list all the names of your officers? Will you see to it that your Republican township supervisors vote themselves a pay raise like their brethren in Harrisburg did?

Or, hey, C.T. - are you going to lie to get us into a war with Easttown? The TTDems have nothing to do with the Democrats in Philadelphia. Nothing at all. And yet the TTGOP actively campaigned for and elected those two nightmares of social conservatism Senator Rick Santorum and President George Bush.

Those kinds of comparisons are ludicrous, C.T. Get over yourself.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed herein are solely the authors' and should not be attributed to the Tredyffrin Democratic Committee. It is the hope of the author that the blog will be informative and entertaining. Mr. Tredyffrin is a nom de plume. Any similarity to persons living or dead is unintentional.

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