SHARE THIS

There is no avoiding the fact that what occurred last night, between myself and Councilman Robert Lewis was anything less than a loud argument over the spending of money on Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs (PSAB) webinars and their worth to those on Council.

PSAB offers webinars and conferences each year to elected officials.

Webinars are offered online and they can range in price from $0 to $90, depending on the subject matter. Conferences are held twice each year and are the more expensive to attend, especially considering the added travel, food, and lodging reimbursement that a Council member will receive.

While I believe some webinars are worth paying for because the subject matter is on point for West Easton Borough, there are others I balk at, such as “The Benefits of An Effective Planning Commission.” West Easton has no Planning Commission and has no need for one in its almost completely developed status.

I don’t believe that every Council member should attend a Conference, like the upcoming one in May in which former baseball player Cal Ripkin is the Keynote Speaker on the subject of “Keys To Perseverance.”

The reimbursement for each Councilman if they chose to attend: 180 miles round trip @ .54/mi. = $97.20. Lodging $209.79/per night. 3-day Conference cost = $260 (if registered by April 7th). All paid for through the courtesy of the taxpaying residents of West Easton. I won’t be attending.

I don’t believe any Councilmember should try to shame the rest who don’t watch a webinar that the one Councilman thinks they should all watch.

And I certainly don’t believe that any one Councilman should decide what webinars to order for the rest of us, or the employees, without approval of others on the Council – if the Borough has to pay for them.

But, you will have to excuse me now, as I’m actually going to watch a webinar. It’s a FREE one.