Council Meeting April 12, 2016

I was very pleasantly surprised and baffled by the outcome of the Bus Stop issue.  The agreement for the new agreement was sent to Council before I was sworn in as a council member.  The general attitude that I perceived from Council is, "Why should we pay when outsiders are using the service?" The political technique of tabling an issue is generally employed when you want to kill a motion without casting votes that could cause great discontent with a large portion of constituents.

I knew that parking was an issue, but at the meeting it being the only reason that the agreement was tabled was news to me.  It made it look like all the posts on social media and my blog post was a major over reaction by me.  It makes me feel like they may be trying to spin my demeanor as irrational and over the top.  It may be difficult with me to accept the image they are trying to create but the end result is the citizens of Delmont still have their bus stop for another year.  I hope that the majority of constituents realize that I will do whatever it takes to learn about an issue and if my actions appear "over the top" it is to fight for the issues that you tell me our important.  I remember very well the feeling of helplessness and frustration of not being listened to when I was sitting in the audience at Council Meetings.  The looks of total frustration and rejection to the point of not trying to approach Council for anything that I saw on several faces before being elected is burned into my memory and drives me to fight for what you want.  Going over the top is still not good enough for the Citizens of Delmont, but I will continue to do my best.

The garbage and recycling issue was a very hot topic at this meeting.  I am surprised how some of the members where giving the appearance of coming around to the will of many of the citizens of Delmont's demands.  There were three citizens who are against contracting with a single garbage/recycling pick up provider.  Two gave reasonable arguments that I truly empathized with and understood their position.  One of those almost mirrored exactly my personal hang up of being told who we must use for garbage. The third person just kept muttering, "Bull-shit! This is Bull-shit!" while walking around the meeting room.  I really wish this person would have expressed the reasons behind his conclusions.  It is hard as a Councilman to gain any useful insights from this type of comment.  Although, I fully empathize with the sentiments.  There is a lot of BS in politics, perhaps even more than other professions or daily activities.  Being on the sewer committee does add a different perspective on BS.  Well actually excrement of a  different type. In all seriousness, I appreciate the opinions of all those opposed and will continue to listen to the arguments against, but at this point I feel that Delmont will be best served by a curbside pick up recycling option.  I just hope that action will be taken.  I have learned that it is a better practice to watch what people do more so than what they say.  It is even better to find people whos' words and actions are in harmony.  The ultimate condition is one whose action and words are congruent in all settings.  I have not yet seen this in Delmont's situation, but I remain hopeful.  I have seen this integrity in officials in neighboring communities.  I admire and respect this integrity and will try to emulate it in my own behavior.

There are two other major happenings that deserve their own posts.  One is comming in next month's meeting to change the zoning ordnance so  that the Library can be built on the chosen piece of property.  I am for the Library in its proposed location, but t he method of changing the zoning causes me great concerns.  I will explain this in latter post.

After the executive meeting, we received some MS4 training.  The implications of the program will cost residents upwards of $5.00 month.  Now don't get nervous this is about 10-20 years out.  This is not a charge that I am looking forward to and it is not a charge I agree with.  I will write another post concerning this.

For those of you that have attended the meeting, thank you for cumming and participating in our government.  It is great to see so many citizens at the meetings.  If there is anything I can do for you, please e-mail me at david4delmont@gmail.com, or you could call me at (724) 552-9531.  I lso invite you to comment on anything I write in these blogs.  I will allow your comments to be posted even if they are in disagreement with what I write.  The only requirement is they be constructive and in good taste.

It is a pleasure serving you.