Archives- Election 2007

I received this scan today along with the reminder that the election for the new school board, the one that the Emperor threatened the late Ed Frankenfield with, is fast approaching.

They suggested that this could be added to our collection of memorabilia from 2007 to eventually see if the candidates, indeed, are keeping their word.

Does anyone have items from the 2005 election cycle? These are the same people whose seats would be up in 2009.

Now appearing: The Democrats

Reithmeyer for school board; Panzitta, Rivella, and Sherlock for borough council.

Gateway Vote Tonight. Call your council member.

Below is an email I received from Dan Jones, the developer of the Gateway project. While it was not asked of me to forward this, I believe it is important for everyone to understand the level of commitment Mr. Jones has for the project and for Morrisville.

Call your council member and let them know you want the Gateway project to continue.

Ladies and gentlemen –

Monday evening, May 19, 2008, 7:30 PM will be a pivotal and historic moment for the Borough of Morrisville. Don’t miss it.

After two years, the Borough Council will vote “yes or no” on the Gateway Center. I truly believe that a “yes” vote will mean a historic turning point for the Borough. But it will only happen if those who support the project are at the meeting.

Attend Monday night’s meeting. If you feel comfortable speaking at the public comment, do so and make a difference. If you do not feel comfortable speaking, cheer on those that do, and make a difference.

For the first time in two years the goal line is in sight. Be a part of this historic moment. In five years when you look at a wonderfully transformed Bridge Street, be able to smile and say,” I was there and I made a difference.”

Thanks to all for their continued support of the Morrisville Gateway Center.


Dan Jones
Penn Jersey Real Properties, LLC
56 E. Bridge Street, Suite One
Morrisville, PA 19067

(267) 799-4481 (O)
(267) 799-4482 (F)

danieljones@pennjerseyproperties.com

And another letter I received

Tonight at Boro Hall, council will be voting to show their interest (or lack of) in continuing to move forward with the Gateway project. Please come out and support this project and consider speaking at the mic. As many of us are busy with our daily lives, if you can't make the meeting, please call your ward officials and the ones outside of your ward too.

This will be the night when the naysayers will be strong. Don't let them outvoice us and allow them to force us to be silent once more. If you have never spoken before, now is especially your time to speak up. The more different faces and voices we have only show the support is larger than the usual suspects (on both sides of the fence).

Meeting starts at 7:30. Interviews for the Economic Development Council begin at 7:00.

Phone numbers to call:

MAYOR
Tom Wisnosky: 215-295-0439

COUNCIL MEMBERS 2008

President:
Ward 2: Nancy Sherlock 215-736-1264

Vice President:
Ward 2: Kathryn Panzitta 215-295-1264

Ward 3: George Bolos: 215-428-0667
Ward 3: Jane Burger: 215-736-1321
Ward 1: Eileen Dreisbach: 215-295-1914
Ward 1: Rita Ledger: 215-295-4344
Ward 4: David Rivella: 215-295-5030
Ward 4: Stephen Worob: 215-736-2987

Gateway Discussion at Agenda Meeting Tonight?

I received this email from a trusted source and would like to ask everyone who supports the Gateway projects to contact their borough council members. Let them know you support Gateway and that you expect their affirmative vote in council.

Go to the borough website from the link on the sidebar to the left and find your council members. Let them know you support Morrisville.

MAYOR
Tom Wisnosky: 215-295-0439

COUNCIL MEMBERS 2008

President:
Nancy Sherlock 215-736-1264

Vice President:
Kathryn Panzitta 215-295-1264

George Bolos: 215-428-0667
Jane Burger: 215-736-1321
Eileen Dreisbach: 215-295-1914
Rita Ledger: 215-295-4344
David Rivella: 215-295-5030
Stephen Worob: 215-736-2987

Heard that Gateway will be discussed this evening during the agenda meeting tonight at Boro Hall. Meeting begins at 7:30.

Also heard that a conversation was held with Jane Burger and that Ms. Burger mentioned that she CAN'T think of any reasons to support this project!!!

To put it simply, this could be the end of the Gateway project.

Please make an effort to attend and voice your opinion and call your ward representatives.

Gateway

While this does not directly apply to the current issues with our schools, it certainly does apply to the level of taxation in the borough.

Right now, the same people who stopped the school, supposedly to lower the taxes, are also opposing the Gateway project, which would generate tax revenue, lowering the tax burden on all of us. The logic seems sound. Up is Down, Good is Bad, Black is White. Paging George Orwell: It's 1984 in Morrisville and doubleplusgoodthink is alive and well.

Here is an email that I received covering some of the background on the project. I also have a Power Point presentation with more information on the project. As soon as I can get it posted somewhere I will, but if you want to see it ASAP, drop me a line and I'll email it to you.

(You asked for information on the Gateway Center. Please share the enclosure and this e-mail with those you think may find it of interest.)

The enclosed is the materials that I presented to the Borough Council on October 2, 2007 – now almost four months ago. This provides some very interesting information which I would be pleased to discuss with you and others interested in the project.

To give you the brief update from October – nothing has happened! A slightly longer answer follows …

The basic issue holding up the project for the last year and a half has been acquiring the land from – 1) the Bridge Commission, and 2) the Borough Council.

If I understand the Borough Council’s comments on Tuesday, they implied that the Council cannot do anything until we submit a preliminary development plan. If this is what they said, it is misleading.

As I explained to the Council on October 2, October 9th, and October 15th there are two aspects of the proposal that impacts the Borough Council – 1) approval of a preliminary development plan, and 2) agreement to sell land for the parking lot.

Preliminary Development Plan

The first item – the preliminary development plan – is a routine but costly part of the development process. Once prepared the preliminary development plan is submitted to the Borough Planning Committee and Zoning Committee which upon approval would ultimately require the Borough Council’s approval.

The Bridge Commission asked PJRP to submit a preliminary development plan before they would agree to sell the Morrisville EDC (who would sell the land to PJRP) the Bridge Commission portion of the project land. The Borough also wanted us to submit a preliminary development plan before they agreed to sell us their land for the project. PJRP objected to submitting a preliminary plan before having a purchase agreement with either the Borough or the Bridge Commission for two reasons –

1) It is a very expensive process to go through – over $50,000 – without having a commitment from either land owner that they are willing to sell their land; and

2) It is illegal, which the Borough Solicitor agreed with at the October 15th Borough Council meeting, and which has since been communicated from the Borough to the Bridge Commission. PJRP cannot submit a preliminary development plan until PJRP has an “economic interest” in the property to be developed. The preliminary development plan must come after a purchase agreement.

So, the bottom line with the preliminary development plan is that we cannot present a plan until we have a purchase agreement with either the Bridge Commission or the Borough. (The purchase agreement, by the way, would be contingent on the approval of the preliminary development plan. If the plan is not approved – neither the Bridge Commission nor the Borough is obligated to sell their land and we are not obligated to buy their land if the plan is not approved.)

Agreement to sell (buy) Borough land

This brings us to the “Catch-22” that the Borough has us. One, however, they have the ability to fix. As noted above, the preliminary plan must come after PJRP has an “economic interest” in the land. One way that PJRP gets an economic interest in the land is that the Borough enters into a purchase agreement with PJRP to buy the Borough’s land.

The Answer to the Borough Councils comment

So … If the Council or anyone else says “we can’t do anything until the developer submits a preliminary plan.”

A good response would be, “Doesn’t the developer have to have an economic interest in the land before they can submit a preliminary plan?”

The appropriate response from the Borough Council would be, “uh huh.”

A good response to that would be, “then if the Borough Council enters into an agreement of sale with the developer wouldn’t the developer be able to submit a preliminary development plan?”

The appropriate response from the Borough Council would be, “uh huh.”

A good response to that would be, “then why doesn’t the Borough Council enter into an agreement of sale with developer for the Borough land so that the developer can submit a preliminary plan?

I haven’t been able to get an answer to that question for four months now …

Dan

Dan Jones
Penn Jersey Real Properties, LLC
56 E. Bridge Street, Suite One
Morrisville, PA 19067
(267) 799-4481 (Office)
(215) 378-6279 (Cell)
danieljones@pennjerseyproperties.com

Huh? We've got a chance for 400-600 jobs coming INTO the borough and an estimated $300,000 in tax revenue, and we're not showing interest in moving forward? Both the borough and school district budgets are in the toilet and here's a hometown group who want to improve Morrisville and bring money in? Why is anyone stalling on the decisions for this project?

You need to contact YOUR ward's council members and tell them to move forward with Gateway. It's that simple. Go to the borough website from the link on the sidebar to the left and find your council members. Let them know you support Morrisville.

MAYOR
Tom Wisnosky: 215-295-0439

COUNCIL MEMBERS 2008

President:
Nancy Sherlock 215-736-1264

Vice President:
Kathryn Panzitta 215-295-1264

George Bolos: 215-428-0667
Jane Burger: 215-736-1321
Eileen Dreisbach: 215-295-1914
Rita Ledger: 215-295-4344
David Rivella: 215-295-5030
Stephen Worob: 215-736-2987

Interesting Document

I wonder what the payback to the unions might be for these endorsements on Election Day 2007. Did anyone else see this? And why would Marlys Mihok and William Hellmann CPA be unworthy of this honor, but Bill Farrell, Robin Reithmeyer, Al Radosti, Gloria Heater, Nancy Sherlock, Kathryn Panzitta, and David Rivella would be?

I'm not against unions. I come from a long, long line of union members in my family. I just want to know if stopping the school and seeking to award reconstruction and renovation work locally are at all connected or not, either then, now, or in the future.