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As 2016 comes to an end I want to write about the first year of what I have often referred to as, “The New Council” in West Easton.

The new council was new for a number of reasons. Councilman Dan DePaul was appointed Council President, replacing Kelly Gross, who failed to win re-election. It was new, in that two residents, those being myself and Bob Lewis, were elected to Council as, “Freshmen,” having never served on Council before. Newly elected Councilman Henry Nodoline had only served for one year, decades earlier as an appointee, when there wasn’t all the bureaucracy there is today. It was also new in that, with the exception of one member, those on council were determined to change the way borough business was conducted in the past.

Scorched Earth

The transition in 2016 for the New Council wasn’t made easy. There was no passing of information regarding what was needed for the Borough in the coming year, reports to be filed, agency contact lists, or other items that would be helpful to a new Council President and other council members. While West Easton isn’t Washington, DC, the passing of information from the outgoing to the incoming is no less important, especially when so much of the information was kept from the public.

Literally overnight, a power shift had taken place on West Easton’s Council and the ones coming up short in that power shift made the changeover as difficult as possible. Old computers had hard drives drilled and were removed from borough property for disposal, their replacements were either removed “for repair” or locked out with passwords not provided, the shredder worked overtime, emails of the previous council president were missing, the temp agency office staff was dismissed, and another worker told he would be fired by the incoming Council by a sitting councilman, no doubt hoping that last employee would quit before the Reorganization Meeting in January took place. Even the official borough seal stamp disappeared and had to be replaced.

I called it the “Scorched Earth” policy.

West Easton came close in failing to meet deadlines from State entities that required information from the Borough, because it wasn’t readily available. Much had to be reconstructed from paper files that could be located. The amount of past borough business and records that will never be recovered is still unknown.

Noses To The Grind Stone

Council meetings in the first months of 2016 sometimes lasted 3 1/2 hours. We considered it a short meeting if we finished in less than 2 1/2. We met twice each month during most of 2016, setting a record of 20 Council meetings in a single year to deal with problems created for us, unresolved problems that may never be satisfied, and to get the Borough operating as it should. It has only been the latter part of 2016 that the length of meetings and the dates we meet are becoming more “normal.” The audit of 2016 will be far easier than it was the previous year.

There are two people who can be given most of the credit in keeping our ship upright in a that s*** storm created for the new council, by a couple of individuals not pleased with the previous November election results.

As mentioned previously, the new Council appointed Dan DePaul as Council President. He had the experience, the available time required, and had stood out as one who argued against bad policies of the previous leadership, often standing alone and being chastised for the attempt to correct matters that the new council would ultimately correct in the coming year. DePaul, like myself, isn’t loved by every resident, but he has done the job that, in my opinion, nobody else on Council could have taken on in those first 6 months.

Mr. Pete Rossi is the other outstanding positive factor. He was made Interim Borough Manager until a person was found to fill the position permanently. His experience and knowledge of what to look for and where it might be found was instrumental in taking care of borough business for 6 months and he remains as a consultant to the borough, providing assistance when needed to Ms. Joan Heebner, who replaced him as our permanent Borough Manager. Even after his departure and being consulted on occasion, he has not submitted a bill to the Borough for his time.

Borough Employees Deserve Thanks

Sr. Clerk David Gehman was returned to employment after being unceremoniously told his services provided by a temp agency would no longer be required only days before the new council was seated. We hired him back immediately, removing the temp agency in the process. He performed the hands-on work those first weeks of 2016, as we had him running ragged searching through paper files for information and manually writing checks when there was no access to the AMS program on the computer.

Ms. Heebner, who came out of “retirement” to help the borough as our Borough Secretary, also deserves accolades and recognition. She, along with Dave Gehman, did the legwork that Mr. Rossi asked of them. She is now not only the Borough Secretary, but as mentioned previously, was eventually given the added responsibility of being our Borough Manager. She also serves as our Right To Know Officer and for what she is currently dealing with in that position, she deserves a parade.

I also don’t want to forget Dane Thatcher, our one-man Road Department. While I know that some residents have complained about grass trimming, leaf pick up, and other details, it should be weighed against the fact that he is usually the only person our borough has to do the work required. He is the one sent to remove the illegal dumping, does minor repairs and maintenance of borough vehicles, and had spent nights sleeping on a cold council room floor during major snowstorms because he was too tired to drive home, or roads couldn’t be traveled.

It was only this past year that the new council authorized him to purchase some type of portable bedding in the event he has to remain in the borough due to snow events that might occur this winter. It was only this past year that he actually had a part-time assistant during a couple of the summer months to work with him, and it was only this past year that he received a pay raise after 4 1/2 years without one.

West Easton is lucky to have employees who care about West Easton.

Not Always Unanimous

Of course, being on the 2016 Council, it could be argued that my opinion is biased regarding the new council. We have had bumps in the road along the way and there will always be more to come. A number of us Councilmen butted heads on occasion over policy, office responsibilities, and procedure during the first few months, but differences of opinion are to be expected and I, for one, have reconsidered certain intended votes after hearing input and discussion from other council members before the vote actually took place.

I also listened to my neighbors and the rational residents who spoke during public comment sessions. If I voted “No” on a matter, the public knew why, because I gave my reason for it during the discussion opportunity offered to councilmembers on a motion presented. Discussion and majority decisions is how local government is supposed to operate.

Most times my differences of opinion in voting “No” has been over money to be spent. Having declared a personal bankruptcy about 25 years ago, which I never made secret (I often tell people how to rebuild bad credit and cite my own experience), I not only clawed my way back from it, but realized that all money spent is something you may wish you hadn’t spent, if the day comes that things go horribly wrong all at once.

Being responsible for taxpayers money makes me even more “frugal” toward expenditures. There is a difference between spending money on things you need, versus things you want. A budget is something I didn’t take seriously decades ago.

The Scorecard

So, how has the new council done in the first year? Not everything was roses, but all things considered, I’m proud to be a part of it. You will find the list of items accomplished in my next post.

A Final Thought

While I am seeing some new faces attending council meetings (Thank you for coming!), I hope to see more. Rational comments at meetings give me and others on Council insight into the borough concerns that is important to you, hear opinions on matters relating to borough business, and to possibly address any misinformation you may have received elsewhere.

One thing that I think all Council would like to see is more participation from residents to get involved for the betterment of our community. We have Boards that need members and alternates, we would like to create sub-committees, get the Community Block Watch active, and would like to see more positive interaction. If you want to get involved, or even start your own Committee (Beautification, other?), let our Borough Manager know what you are interested in and that you are available.