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I’ve always believed in the power of voting.

According to the official results, West Easton had a turnout of 26.01%.

191 out of 733 registered voters went to the polls in West Easton. Not exactly a claim to fame, but better than the 21% reported overall for Northampton County.

To all those who took the time to vote yesterday I want to thank you using that power, which many countries don’t enjoy. That “thank you” goes out to all of you, not just those who voted for me.

However, I’m especially grateful to those of you who voted for me to serve as your new Councilman next year.

To those of you who didn’t vote for me, I hope that my performance over my term of two years will convince you to reconsider, should I decide to run for re-election.

Believe me when I write that I’m expecting the new council and myself to be faced with some difficult tasks over those two years. I’m not expecting it to be a simple matter of showing my face at a council meeting once a month. Though this may not be a metropolis, we are a borough that is coming to a crossroad.

There will be changes and issues have to be addressed.

Local police protection, a Borough Manager, the budget, government transparency, costs of services, quality of life issues (ordinance enforcement), and so much more that, in many cases, has been ignored or not adhered to properly.

What I’m hoping from the residents, which would be a benefit to all of the council members, is participation. Not just participating in the annual Halloween Parade, but participating in contributing some time to the community.

I realize that finding time can be difficult.

Yesterday, I would have liked to have spent the day at the polls, greeting all of those who voted, but I have a job. Normally, I have a few hours in the middle of the day, but yesterday was one of those that kept me working for almost 12 hours.

Some of the problems that occurred over the past years happened because for the longest time the council meetings were virtually empty of residents. There were only a couple of regulars when I first moved to West Easton and went to the meetings. There seems to be an increase in the numbers lately, but I’m hoping all the seats will be filled at every meeting.

Committees normally consisting of residents are almost non-existent, or only exist with council members serving on numerous ones.

Our Zoning Hearing Board is lacking a full compliment of members.

One idea your just-elected ballot is bantering around is the re-birth of a Neighborhood Watch Program, but that requires more than just a few people. It requires Block Captains and a good amount of residents to actively participate, if our borough is to put out money for signs and other needs a Neighborhood Watch Program requires.

While a Neighborhood Watch Program doesn’t replace a police presence, it does serve as a reasonable deterrent to those who think they may be seen and challenged, if they enter our community with questionable intent.

If you would like to get involved on a committee, a board, or even volunteer on occasion, please contact me. I’d like to have a list of people by January, to present to other council members. Your party affiliation is of no concern to me.

Again,

Thank you for voting.

Matthew A. Dees