In the seven (7) and a half years I have been fortunate to serve on the Council, the one thing you can be sure of is that I will be in attendance at the meetings. In that time the borough held 178 Council meetings, of which I have been present for 173 of them.

On average that’s less than one meeting a year.

Over the past few years, the Borough Council has, and rightfully so, taken criticism for cancelled meetings due to a lack of Quorum. For those who don’t know, Council needs at least four (4) or seven (7) Council Members present to hold a meeting. If three or fewer are present, the meeting has to be cancelled.

On multiple occasions over the last two (2) or (3) years there have been three (3) Council Members sitting in Council Chambers awaiting one (1) more of the other four (4) to show so a meeting could be held. This is a problem on so many levels.

• It’s unfair to the attendees who are present and waiting to know more about how their local government is being run.
• It’s unfair to the staff who have worked tirelessly to put together that night’s agenda for Councils consideration and action.
• It’s unfair to the taxpayers of the Borough for the expense to advertise the meeting, pay our Engineers and Solicitors to be present.
• It’s unfair to residents who have items on the agenda that affect their daily lives.
• It’s unfair to our department heads who take time away from their families to be at required meetings that do not happen.

I truly wish that this post didn’t have to be made. I wish that attendance at meetings in the range of 95%+ was normal. When you put your name on the ballot, you’re making a commitment. A commitment to the residents that you will be involved, a commitment that you will research and review all topics and agenda items before you, and a commitment that you will make the most informed decision you can. All these commitments require active participation.

I promise I will continue to be present at as many meetings I possibly can. I promise to continue to educate myself in new ways to improve the borough and the lives of its residents. I promise to research and make the best-informed decisions I can. They may not always be the correct decisions in the end, but they will be made with all the information I can gather at the time.