Countdown to April 29 to PERMANENTLY close M. R. Reiter. Ask the board to see the 6 point plan.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Food for fright

From the BCCT

Food for fright
Posted in Community on Tuesday, October 21st, 2008 at 4:31 pm by Gwen Shrift

The Morrisville Ambulance Squad has a deal for you - bring a non-perishable item for the Morrisville Presbyterian Church’s food pantry, and they’ll knock a dollar off the admission price before scaring you silly at their haunted house fundraiser.

The event takes place Oct. 24-26 and Oct. 31-Nov. 1, starting at 7 p.m. each date. Hauntings take place at 139 Washington St. Full admission is $3; with food donation, $2.

The church’s food center is open on Wednesdays from 9:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 7 to 8 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month.

Baseball or the People's Business?

From the BCCT. I wonder how the Emperor and his minions will approach this?

I figure the discussion, re-discussion, clarification, re-clarification, and re-re-discussion (followed by a Q&A session) over Grandview student safety on the roads will take a good amount of time alone. And that's just one piece of new business. There's a whole lot of old business to clog up anyone's night.


Officials hope to steal home from meetings
Others plan to keep track of World Series games during meetings with cell phones and other devices.
By JOAN HELLYER

Harry Kramer has his game plan set for the Bensalem school board meeting scheduled to begin tonight, less than an hour before the first pitch in the first game of the World Series.

“I am going to try to get through that meeting as quickly as humanly possible, because I know people really want to see the Phillies,” said Kramer, the board president. “They don’t want to see our smiling faces on TV.”

Kramer admits he wants to get home in time to cheer on the Phils as they take on the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1, but promises the district’s operations won’t be a victim of his game plan.

“We’re going to do everything by the book,” Kramer said. “All the business is going to be covered 100 percent. However, it’s going to be done in an expedient manner.”

No such luck for other local government boards, like the Buckingham supervisors, who also meet tonight, according to Chairwoman Maggie Rash.

The Buckingham board, which is known for meetings that often run late into the night, has a full agenda. The supervisors plan to keep track of the game’s score with their iPhones and other electronic devices as they work their way through the township’s business, according to Rash.

Despite Phanatic support for the Phillies during the team’s quest to win the World Series, area government boards are generally keeping to their meeting schedules this week and next, officials said.

Some, like the Bensalem school board, will be able to wrap up business quickly.

Others, not so much. This group includes the Horsham council, which gets its first look at the municipality’s proposed 2009 municipal budget Monday night, said township Manager Mike McGee. That’s when Game 5 is scheduled to be played.

“There’s no tax increase because we have a significant carryover of surplus funds to next year,” the manager said, adding that he doesn’t expect the Monday night meeting to be a long, drawn-out process.

“I can’t imagine the meeting going past 9 o’clock, especially if the Phillies are playing, because then we’ll have very few residents here. Maybe we should make the agenda longer then,” McGee joked.

The Penndel Council also will review its proposed 2009 budget Monday night, said President Ward McMasters.

“It’s the way it goes. I can’t not have it. We’re going for it. At this point of the year, you don’t have a whole lot of choice, because you have a lot of things to get done,” McMasters said. “Besides, there may not even be a fifth game. So who knows? We may not even have to worry about it.”

Borough Council Recap

From the BCCT.

First off, congrats and good wishes to Councilman Albertson.

Now let's check the box scores:
* Dems 6, GOP 2 (a big swing from the GOP control of a few months ago)
* Council 3, PJRP 0 (this most recent defeat for PJRP might be better to call a forfeit since the plans were withdrawn. Anyone know the scoop on that?)
* Citizens: zero tax relief (let's hope Councilman Albertson can help turn that around. Can we afford to wait another year to sweep out the do-nothing council?)

Memo to the Dems: The GOP may have ruled the roost for many previous years, but you're in charge now. If you don't get your collective act together and get new life in this town, you'll be tagged with the error on the play and be relegated back to minority status.

P.S.: Go Phils!


Council appoints Democrat to fill vacant seat

The Morrisville Borough Council appointed Democrat Edward Albertson to fill a council seat left vacant last month by Republican George Bolos.

Albertson, who works for the Public Service Enterprise Group energy company in New Jersey, Monday night edged out Fred Kerner, vice chairman of the Morrisville Democratic Club, for the Third Ward council seat in a 4-3 vote.

Council Democrats Eileen Dreisbach and Rita Ledger, as well as Republicans Jane Burger and Stephen Worob voted to nominate Albertson. Democrats Nancy Sherlock, Kathryn Panzitta and David Rivella voted for Kerner, who works in the mail room at Rider University.

The face of the eight-member board is now made up of six Democrats and two Republicans.

Albertson was sworn in by District Judge Michael Burns. He shook hands with his new colleagues and took his seat behind the council’s dais.

Bolos resigned last month because he moved to Virginia with his family.

In other business Monday night, the council unanimously denied preliminary plans for an office building at East Bridge Street and North Delmorr Avenue that was developer Penn Jersey Real Properties’ second attempt of sorts for a Morrisville Gateway Center.

The controversial Gateway Center proposal was killed in May by a lack of council support. A month later, Penn Jersey proposed an office building that was less than half the size of the Gateway Center proposal.

The council denied the second project because Penn Jersey withdrew its plans, officials said.

The newspaper was unsuccessful in reaching Penn Jersey officials for comment.