I know for a fact several members of the school board and the borough council are repeat readers and contributors to this blog, some openly, and some anonymously.
Here is a comment that was entered last evening that deserves its own posting. No one expects our elected leaders to be perfect. We just expect them to do what's right.
Some town in Virginia is going to be mighty lucky very soon. And the loss is all Morrisville's.
George Bolos has left a new comment on your post ""Pretend this meeting never happened"":
Peter,
I voted for you last year and I would support you for school board again! As you said a few days ago, we may not have always agreed with one another (although, I have come to better understand, appreciate and agree with most of your positions on the school)but we were able to communicate constructively and without animosity or hard feelings for one another's position. We both found that we did not have to rip each other's throats if we disagreed with each other's ideas. We talked, listened, evaluated and then decided if it made sense. As a community, all our leaders seem to know how to do is "slash and burn", crush each other and take no prisoners in the name of control and power. It's not working.
The responsibility for the governing and building of our community's future by both the school board and borough council has descended to what I consider to be an all-time low. Whatever happened to people with optimism, vision and most of all, leadership skills. Currently, we have very few leaders and mostly retreads from the past. It didn't work with them at the leadership helm then and it certainly is not working now. We do have a small nucleus of elected leaders to build from who are willing to work together, but overall I give most members on both boards a vote of no confidence. I am extremely upset to see what is happening to our borough schools and the lack of business development in our community. As long as we have people who bully, who proclaim to know what is in the best interest of our community, detracting from smart, steady growth, our community will be deprived of a business base and void of well-paying jobs. We will continue to lag behind the rest of the region, sooner or later falling into decay and becoming one large blighted borough; never to recover.
The problem is and has always been simple-It's not the teachers, the administrators, the students, our borough employees or the borough manager. It's the elected officials who were voted to represent the borough and the leadership left in charge to make these things happen! It's our lack of any semblance of a local economy or people with enough horse sense to make it happen. Borough Council has had the ultimate responsibility of generating the opportunities to bring in business and have failed miserably at this task, period! They have scared away most viable opportunities and are too stubborn to accept this responsibility. Without the needed tax base achieved by supporting our current business owners and developing a more vibrant, robust business community, both the borough and its school district will soon not exist.
The residents of Morrisville should evaluate the people who have been elected in these past elections. There are two options: If you are satisfied with the direction in which the borough is going, then simply keep the same people that currently hold leadership roles in place. If you have decided that you have had enough and want to start with some fresh faces and ideas, ones that better represent your vision, then find residents who will better represent your wishes and organize now!
Good luck and Godspeed!
-George
Sunday, July 13, 2008
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19 comments:
That was superb, and pretty much sums up everything I’ve been thinking. I believe this town would be in much better shape if there were more people like George on council and the school board. I hope the visionary leaders of which George speaks emerge and get some good organization behind them. The major challenge is that the status quo/retread machine is extremely well-entrenched, seems to have lots of time on its hands, and is admittedly excellent at squashing anyone it perceives as a threat to its dominance, real or imagined, like a bug.
I’ll miss you George - good luck and Godspeed to you. I can’t wait to see who gets installed as your replacement - my hopes aren't high.
Below is from today's Trenton Times. Well whaddaya know, that much-maligned Capitol City across the river has a plan. Do we? I know I've filled out several surveys over the 10 or so years I've lived here. Usually Jane Burger is handing them out at the 3rd ward polls (poles?). That probably creates the illusion in a voter's mind that something is actually being done. Maybe something is, maybe not - who knows? University of Penna. students presented some redevelopment plans for Morrisville too, about a year-and-a-half ago. Some later pooh-poohed them as the dreams of kids ("I had dreams once too" - did you really, Mrs. Robinson?).
Plan envisions a bustling capital
City officials hope to bring about new era of development
Sunday, July 13, 2008
BY ANDREW KITCHENMAN
TRENTON -- State Street bustles with newly opened restaurants and shops, residents stroll along the Delaware River and state workers walk to work from attractive new townhouses.
These are scenes that haven't been common in downtown Trenton for decades, but they're envisioned by the crafters of a master plan that officials hope will guide a new wave of development in the city.
In the era after World War II, historic buildings were demolished and replaced with parking lots, downtown shops closed and Stacy Park was eviscerated by Route 29. The master plan's goal is "undoing the mistakes of 40 years ago," Mayor Douglas H. Palmer said.
Striking features of the plan include a mix of new houses, offices, shops and parking garages in nearly all of the six areas studied, as well as a ribbon of parks that would curl through the downtown.
Palmer has emphasized that the plan "couldn't happen at a better time," thanks to Gov. Jon Corzine's focus on advancing plans for Route 29 and a new park by the river. Escalating gasoline prices are encouraging those who work in Trenton to live in the city, Palmer said.
"It's important that private developers know exactly that there is a real plan that is thought out," Palmer said.
The plan covers an area stretching from Calhoun Street to the portion of Hamilton Avenue closest to the Trenton Train Station. It incorporates state plans to turn Route 29 into a boulevard and build a new Capital City State Park on the land where the downtown portion of Stacy Park once sat.
The plan, which was ordered in 2003, was recently completed by URS, a San Francisco-based firm with four New Jersey offices. It draws on many earlier studies, beginning with the last major blueprint for the downtown area, the Renaissance Plan of 1989. It cost more than $400,000, most of which was covered by state grants.
While the plan is being released at a time when the bleak real estate market makes a downtown renaissance seem unlikely, a leading planning expert said now is the time to lay the groundwork for future growth.
"I think builders are much more confident in making a substantial investment if there's a plan," said James W. Hughes, dean of Rutgers University's Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.
Hughes noted the biggest economic success story in a New Jersey city in recent decades was Jersey City's Hudson River waterfront, which drew on the work of the city's planning department.
The value of the Trenton plan won't be clear in the short term, he said. But if it is successful, it will be reflected in new developments over decades, Hughes said.
The 116-page plan is brimming with maps, artist renderings and a timeline that spells out the steps needed to complete each piece.
Nearly every parking lot in the downtown is seen by the plan as a potential location for a new set of townhouses, offices or shops.
Hughes said they are an ideal target because they allow the city to preserve undeveloped land and are cheaper to remove than bulldozing buildings.
New housing would be situated near the Route 1 bridge by the Hughes Justice Complex; on West Hanover and Belvidere streets alongside new parks; and at the former Miller Homes public housing project, near the train station.
The plan refers to findings by real estate research firm RES Advisors that there is a potential market for downtown residents.
"Top candidates for the new downtown residents, according to RES market segmentation research, could include upper-income singles and married couples, highly educated 'bohemian' middle-income singles and racially diverse middle-income urban households," according to the plan.
Office sites would be near the train station, where three office towers have been proposed; near the new Route 29 boulevard with first-floor retail; and along Route 1, behind the fire department and at The Times' Perry Street location.
In downtown Trenton, 90 percent of office space is currently leased by government agencies, according to the plan. To attract private tenants, the city must promote available facilities, business-support services and new amenities for workers, the plan suggests.
The displaced parking would be moved to new parking garages scattered throughout the downtown.
One focus of the plan is to link nearly all of the parks around the township with walking paths, from long-planned parks along the Assunpink Creek and Northeast Corridor railroad tracks to the Delaware & Raritan Canal, weaving through industrial neighborhoods and using an abandoned railroad bridge across Route 1.
A prominent park could be added between East Hanover and Academy streets, behind Mercer County Community College, giving the Kerney Campus a more collegiate atmosphere.
Getting from where the city is now to the version sketched in the plan will take at least until 2020, but Palmer said he is "focused as a laser that this is not a plan that sits on a shelf or is debated to death."
The plan itself contains some suggestions for future steps, pointing out a variety of state programs that could be tapped for funds. Palmer plans to announce a steering committee in the next two months that would aid the plan's implementation.
The timeline in the back of the plan breaks each project into short-, medium- and long-term time frames, and links local, state and private participants for each project.
While East Ward Councilman Gino Melone has expressed concern that not enough neighborhood residents and businesses were involved in writing the plan, Palmer said those who worked on the plan, including himself, have heard from residents what they want downtown.
"It meets all of the needs that neighbors have talked about for years," Palmer said.
Sasa Olessi Montaño, city director of housing and economic development, noted the plan is up to date, including the recently opened Broad Street Bank apartments, but can be changed.
"This is a live and breathing document that will guide us as we move forward with opportunities," she said.
Palmer recalled attending a state office opening in the 1980s and thinking that changes made in the past to the downtown area weren't done to benefit the city.
"It was planned on what the state's needs were, not what the city's were," Palmer said of past state-backed construction. He noted that state office buildings that include cafeterias reduce the amount of business that downtown restaurants receive.
However, times have changed. State union leaders have expressed a desire for new downtown shops and restaurants, Palmer said.
Contact Andrew Kitchenman at akitchenman@njtimes.com or (609) 989-5706.
I like George Bolos and wish him luck but his parting shot at Morrisville government sounds like sour grapes and was below him and unnecessary. I understand his frustration over the Gateway project but like it or not, the deal consisted of 2 years of private negotiations where borough council was left in the dark but that was not the reason why the project failed. It was simply a grandiose idea the bit off more than it could chew. Being a visionary leader does not mean haphazard approval of projects just for the sake of DOING SOMETHING/ANYTHING. The Gateway project was a zoning and planning nightmare whereas if it moved forward, put council in the conflict of interest position of approving 2 brand new acres of impervious surface for borough owned but leased park land. Morrisville could have lost funding if such land didn't comply with stringent new storm water laws. Possibly, about a million dollars worth of public land and public funded land were to be exclusively dedicated to one developer for about $100,000. This is how the old school board did business, not the council. Lets not forget how that board nearly sold our buildings to the same developer so they could lease then back to us.
George Bolos was adamant and angry over the new school until the access road was moved and someone dear to him got a job then George went quietly into the night.
Finally, the above doesn't detract from the fact that George had a passion to see Morrisvile flourish. I believe that George and council agreed on just about everything and worked well together on everything except for Gateway. The one time we disagreed George, didn't deserve your sour grapes response. Best wishes for you and your family.
Sometimes it's not sour grapes - it's the unvarnished truth, and I think George's post is closer to the latter.
The points you mentioned may sound good, especially to an uniformed citizen, but upon closer examination they generally don't ring true.
This town is way too small and interconnected for me to believe that council was totally in the dark for 2 years while George and the EDC negotiated with the Gateway developer. Heck, I'm just a regular citizen and I knew about the Gateway Project. Not all the particulars, but I have to believe that council knew negotiations were occurring and could have asked George/EDC for updates or more info. Maybe George/EDC could have done a better job keeping council in the loop, but you'll have to provide more evidence to convince me that council begged George/EDC for info, and they told you to go pound sand. It sounds awfully convenient to say that council was kept totally in the dark.
Plus, I think the planning/zoning/stormwater issues you mentioned were entirely resolvable by reasonable people and/or modern practices/technology. But 6 out of 8 council members voted to not even study it further.
I disagree that the school board almost sold our buildings to the same developer so they could lease them back to us. Yes, the developer made a presentation to the board (I believe this was at the developer's, not the board's request), but it never got as far as even a motion, let alone a vote, and I don't think the idea had anything close to majority board support. [Former board members who read this blog, please feel free to respond/elaborate].
Lastly, although your posting is toned down a lot from your typical posts, disappointingly, it included the low blow of unsubstantiated implied corruption (moved road + job for wife = acquiesence) that is one of your hallmarks.
Athough I haven't spent much time on this blog, it seems to have more action sometimes than a NY Times bestseller. Even when the dialogue is driven by controversy, it proves that this town is well-loved by many and that what everyone really wants is to take care of their hometown. The views on just how to do that are different. I have a couple thoughts I'd like to share.
First, it is sad for us to leave Morrisville. It has been our home for 15 years. When we first came to Morrisville we were told to beware - that outsiders have a hard time becoming part of the fabric here. We found the opposite to be true. We have enjoyed wonderful neighbors, great friendships, and were welcomed into a town built by generations of families. Still, George and I have always planned to eventually return to Virginia. Heck, we're down there every month or two anyway. That's where our roots are. Our kids want to attend VA colleges and some of our family members with health issues could use us around ~ and we would like to be there.
As far as sour grapes are concerned, I've known George longer than anyone here. He generally says it like it is (at times even I don't want to hear it), but what he's trying to say is not a dig or insult. It's just how he feels about it. I'm not politically inclined, but I think he's on to something. We are living in times when change can be hard, but is often inevitable. I think it is going to be paramount to Morrisville's economic success to bring investors in. The Gateway vote was only to continue discussions about the project, not to agree to it. It is my humble opinion that agreeing to only CONSIDER the idea would not have been binding in any way, yet it would have given the community, as well as ALL potential investors a show of fair consideration and good faith. In the end, even if the project was shut down, all involved would have had confidence that the borough was WORKING toward an economic solution and would work until a suitable one was found. I do think that investors are more skeptical about trying to bring dollars here now because, while not intentional, a message went out that "it's not worth the trouble".
On another note, it appears that one reader suspects that my position within the school district during the past year had some influence over school board decisions regarding the new school. (I had to read that line a couple times, and that is the way I understood it ~ as hard it was for me to believe). First, I was hired as a teacher's aide. I got paid $11.42/hour. (I made more than that twenty years ago working a part-time job.) I got the job because I have a degree in elementary ed., had received nearly perfect scores on all the PA teaching exams, and I was aspiring to begin my teaching career. It was an opportunity for me to learn and prepare for my future and I am grateful for the experience. However, I don't think that I need to mention that there's not enough glamour or prestige in a teacher's aide position to wield influence over school board officials and policymakers. In fact, I showed up to work every day to help the 3rd and 4th graders, never once feeling inclined to seek out a school board member during bathroom break (or at any other time) to ask for special consideration regarding school construction or any other board issue.
Finally, George doesn't really go anywhere quietly - not into the night or the day. He changed his position on the new school largely because there had been so much money already spent that the cost comparison of building new vs. renovating had diminished. We both struggled with the issue because we both felt that the success of the new school project depended on tax revenues from a larger business base in the borough. Still, I think that it's fair to say that any community member should make his or her own decision about these issues without having to apologize or explain why.
This is a great town. I wish people outside of it knew that. Generally, to enjoy the small town atmosphere we have here, you have to live out in the hills somewhere. We have conveniences, nearby jobs, and major city access all right here, along with great neighborhoods and local small town pride. I hope that the right formula is found so that the town can be at peace. We'll miss it.
It waddled like a duck and looked like a duck, but Jon argued it was an elephant. It looked up to me, but Jon said it was down. I said black,Jon said white. I said bad, Jon said good. I said good, Jon said bad.
Jon missed his calling where he could have been a famous defense attorney. Johnnie Cochran had nothing on Jon.
Mrs Bolos is a gracious lady who served the students well for peanuts however, no one can say that once Geoege got his way, that he didn't go quietly into the night over his stance against the new school. Except for Jon of course.
One undeserved criticism of council is the Dan was jerked around for two long years then dumped. That's not true however, continuing talks on a project that was not to be for possibly another two years would have been wrong. By the way, Dan has his new plans for another project that looks pretty good at this point. Morrisville must be doing something right by Dan Jones. Is that right Jon.
Why does EVERYTHING have to be an argument! Good GRIEF!
IS THERE NO MIDDLE GROUND ANYMORE!
Damn..I just feel prey to the anger monster...I'm sorry...
I wish common ground was possible, but I've found that it's hard to achieve common ground with extremists. I don't think of myself as an extremist, but maybe I am in some peoples' opinions. I think maybe I'm more of an anti-extremist, which leads to disagreements with extremists. If there's a vast middle out there that's tired of the way things are going, you gotta come out and let your voices be heard.
Anyway, to a large extent, anonymous Steve is right - I do tend to see things differently than he does. I feel somewhat compelled to refute many of the things he says because I find that they often reflect a biased and misguided viewpoint. I like that this blog exists because it provides a forum by which to do this. Before, I felt that too many statements from Steve and others aligned with him went uncontested, and myth became fact.
I'm not ashamed that I do this. I try not to be disrespectful to people in general, but there have been times when I've made pointed remarks about certain individuals when I felt that they had done or said something to warrant a sharper response. Even then, I try to stick to truth and facts - lying and making things up out of whole cloth bothers me. I use humor and sarcasm to try to keep it entertaining. Not everybody has a sense of humor that aligns perfectly with mine. I can't really help that.
I don't think Steve has a great track record. I think he's done quite a bit of damage to the school district and, in turn, the town and its reputation. He's a grown man, and he can defend himself. But he can't seem to do it for very long without resorting to volcanic anger, personal attacks, and blaming everybody but himself for things. These aren't qualities I look for in an elected official, let alone an ordinary citizen.
Seems 25% of this blog is Jon said-Jon said-Jon said. Jon has said a lot but what (since 1998) has Jon done? It's starting to get boring, Jon said-Jon said-Jon said. You know save the school, when you said you won't freely plug my b--k anymore, and thought it was humorous when I offered that you promote my b--k, well it just makes me wonder. I see a blog with bright people and potential that is getting stagnant. Jon said-Jon said-Jon said. You do not have a large interactive readership and I believe that some of the fictitious names also use anonymous and make the numbers look larger than they really are. You simply don't get diverse opinions (except me from boredom) because most people don't read this blog. Now here you were given a unique opportunity to promote a b--k that could expose the shortcomings in government while having statewide implications. Boy, wouldn't your blog become famous then? Which leads me to wonder, just who is plugging who? It's your choice "save the school" statewide recognition or Jon said-Jon said-Jon said!!!!!!!!
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...Huh? Sorry, I nodded off there.
Comment as you will, Steve. I'll approve or reject based on what you say, but I just don't have the enthusiasm to really care that much about you anymore.
Steve, there are quite a few of us here, and I for one am still awaiting your response to the disparity between the Municipal millage for Morrisville in comparison to the surrounding municipalities. Why is Morrisville's millage so high in comparison to these other areas? It's a far greater percentage higher than the School millage is in comparison to the surrounding districts. There must be someone in the Borough getting rich. A few other questions. How much do we pay the Borough Manager? and how do we know we're getting a square deal from him? Why do Councilpersons get paid when the town is struggling? I would think civic minded individuals like yourself would be proud to volunteer and allow the money you could be paid to be put to better use for the community. Why do we pay such high taxes AND have to pay for services many communities include without extra fees? Do you get kickbacks for these contracts? Why did you need to re-open the budget this year. Did the Manager forget about some "EXTRA" funds that were required for the right palms? When was the last time you audited the Borough's expenditures? I'm willing to bet there are a lot of questionable charges in there we would like explained. If you would like to see some more discourse in here and probably at your meetings, answer these questions. Jon isn't the problem, just a frequent submitter with a sense of humor. The problem I see from you is that you won't answer these questions. As noted, if you are a man of integrity, you'd be treating the Borough council the same way you treat the school board, with cynicism and suspicion. So what gives? One can only assume you've got something to hide over there.
I also would like answers to those questions Steve.
I think we are loosing a great representative when Mr. Bolos goes.
I also like John's posts. Some of them actually make me laugh out loud.
Careful anonymous, Dorothy Vislosky was righteous in her speech when she mentioned kickbacks but that cost her 100k. You can be tracked down you know. To bad I hate lawyers. Now let me try to answer your questions. George Mount as far as I have seen is the epitome of integrity and a long term resident of Morrisville. I still cant figure out how he manages to do two full time jobs for the salary of one. Wait till he retires and you'll see.
We reopened the budget because something unforeseen happened but this was made well known at a public meeting. You know, when this happened under the old school board, they would secretly play the money transfer game and you knew nothing about it.
Borough taxes were capped for many years and we either borrowed money or did without. That cap was raised a few years ago and more money was spent on aging equipment and sorely needed extra police protection. Relative to our proximity, police protection is costly but you vote, you make the choice. Dollar wise, borough taxes are not nearly out of the norm as school taxes are.
George comes up with a budget that is scrutinized by eight of your elected officials plus the mayor before it is passed. If something is wrong then hopefully the Auditor General will catch it. So far everything has been honky dorey.
Salary? I've paid 120k doing the right thing and fighting for people like you. Do you think I've been overpaid?
I hope I answered your questions anonymous but then I'm just an arrogant high public official that you won't listen to anyway but I did my best.
And to you "save the school" zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.... what's that, reading your own blog again? I'd lose enthusiasm too. Good thing you've got me to keep things interesting but you're running out of gas. Jon said-Jon said-jon said. Last chance on my b--k offer.
I agree with anonymous Steve on this - the unsubstantiated allegations of impropriety and kickbacks have to stop. If you can't prove it, you've got nothing but slander (per se) and a lot to lose - just ask Dorothy and Steve. They lost about 2 Goulds between them (a Gould being a unit of monetary measure I just created, equal to approximately $100,000-120,000, or the approximate salary of former Morrisville Superintendent Dr. John Gould).
I'm disappointed that after all this cajoling about Morrisville Boro's high millage rate, the answer is ...."Dollar wise, borough taxes are not nearly out of the norm as school taxes are". That's not what I think of as penetrating insight.
There were no unsubstantiated allegations, just questions. Given the pallor of suspicion that is cast over the schools and the hard working people who try their best to keep them functional, I merely wondered why this same didn't extend to the Borough council. I will say I find the answers insufficient. Just as Mr. Mount accomplishes the work of two, I could easily make the same argument for Dr. Yonson or Reba. Yet, somehow these two individuals are not worthy of certain people's esteem, just their scorn. I don't believe anyone in a small town like Morrisville is getting rich or kickbacks or bribes. I wonder why Some people always think so though. Finally, the question about the comparison to other Municipalities remains unanswered. So, I'll ask it again. Why is the Muni millage such a great percentage higher than the surrounding areas? Percentage wise, it's far greater than the comparison between schools. Dollar wise has nothing to do with this question.
So it looks like we got some new equipment (what was it?) and more police, and I noticed quite a few streets were paved a few years back, but that seems to have slowed down a lot last year and into this year. There is a new welcome to Morrisville sign at the corner of Penna. & Trenton Aves., but that couldn't have cost more than 0.0003 mils. I'm still not sure how that translates into Morrisville's 2008-09 millage (35.9) being higher by far than all Bucks municipalities except Bristol Boro (49.9). All the others are 18.5 mils and under.
Are we purchasing large amounts of new equipment in 2008-09 and maintaining a very large police force compared to the others? I'm interested in hearing more details.
Does anyone have a copy of the 08-09 budget? I'm curious, too, what the changes are.
Also, I took a look at the top 10 and bottom 10 on the millage rate chart (wish they had published this in a table and not an image!) and have the following questions/comments that I'm hoping someone can answer. (Note: All questions/comments are related to this sample of 20 towns)
1- Why don't the boro + school columns add up to the total mills column? Where's the rest go? This difference is between 8.9 and 20.3%.
2- Morrisville Boro, as a percentage of its whole, is second highest at 14.64%, and is almost twice the average of 8.28%. (Bristol is way off at 26% -- what's the deal there???)
3- Morrisville Schools, as a percentage of its whole, is 6th LOWEST at 76.39%, slightly under the average of 77.84%
Peter: I think the total mils is off because of the 21.94211 mils for the county
Thanks STS, that makes total sense and is an obvious oversight on my part. I hate it when someone (the Bucks County Board of Assessments, in this case) helps you make a fool of yourself by omitting "inferred" information. At least the link you supplied shows this missing number, although the table *still* omits it.
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