Should Citizens' Views Count?

Some may have noticed that I was not in attendance at the Council Meeting on Tuesday August 8,2017.  It was my Anniversary and to me family takes precedence over political activities unless there is some state of emergency.

At September's meeting I moved that Pam Simpson fill the vacancy created by Karl Boyd's resignation.  Before I proceed with my views on the outcome it is important for all Citizens of Delmont to know that the Borough Code only states time frames that vacancies are filled and does not have have any procedure that must be followed.  Council is free to choose whatever method they wish in filling the vacancy as long as it is accomplished by the time frames established.  The second point I need to make is when I nominated Pam to fill the post I was basing it on results that were printed in the Newspaper.  After Council decided to to wait thirty days I looked up the election results on the Official Westmoreland County website.  I found there that Mike Marx actually had more votes when the write ins for both parties were added together.  So, technically my motion should have been for Mike to fill the vacancy.  I apologize for this error.

This vacancy offered a unique opportunity for Council to use the views of the Citizens to fill the position.  I often have referred to the Citizens' of Delmont's votes to represent " the will of the people".  It is my opinion that when a vacancy occurs before terms expire that Council ought to try and fill the position with the candidate that would best represent the people.  When I applied for vacancies prior to winning the election I included with my materials a petition, not required or expected, when filling a position.  I thought this would let the Council of the time that I had enough people that thought I could adequately represent their interests.  This made absolutely no difference to that Council of which two will remain after this election with one being up for re-election this November.  It was my opinion that that Council did not take into consideration the will of the people.

During my push to have Pam fill the vacancy I was told, "The will of the people has nothing to do with filling vacancies."  It is my opinion that the will of the people is the heart of Democracy and especially in a Commonwealth where power is derived from the people that their views must count.  In every decision I make the will of the people is fundamental in my decision masking process.  Please keep in mind that their are always conflicting views and I strive to do what is best for the community.  I realize that not all citizens will feel that I acted in accordance with their will, but I do consider all possibilities.

In my opinion, Council totally disregarded the will of the people by appointing Stan by the results at the Primary Polls.  I have nothing against Stan and told him that.  If you agree with my position, you do have the power to ensure that the Will of the people is taken into account by Council in the future on Election day.