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.

An Apology to Delmont Salem Rotary

Delmont-Salem Rotary Club

 Delmont Salem Rotary does many great things for our Borough.  When I attended the Rotary meeting following their annual Steak-Fry, I was appalled to hear the condition of the kitchen at New House Park.  Evidently there was ice left that melted and produced mold and the kitchen sink was backed up.

I realized it was not the money as much as the stress of a small group of volunteers trying to pull off a successful event.  Delmont has two public works employees who do an amazing amount of work all around the Borough.  One of the employees was off the day before the event.  I know that just prior to the event they were very busy with some sewage repairs.  

I am not trying to make excuses for the conditions of the Park.  Perhaps this is a wake up call that the Borough ought to hire another Public Works worker at least in the summer to adequately care for Shield's Farm, New House Park, The Wigfield parklet, Borough Building property, Sewage Issues and other duties.

I am deeply sorry for all the inconveniences you suffered, because we did not have the Kitchen ready for your event.  I hope you will continue to hold Delmont Community events within our Borough.  I realize that there are other venues that could accommodate this event, and appreciate you choosing to keep it here.    

Why Blogs have not being made

It has been a very long time since I posted an entry.  There are many reasons: 1)  I was working diligently on the promise I made after being elected to office.  The above picture is the completion of that promise were I invested approximately $3,000 of my own money to earn the Certified Borough Official designation.  The photograph is of PSAB President Chuck Mummert presenting me the award of completion on June 9th at the PSAB annual conference.  Unfortunately, I had to leave the conference early because of pregnancy complications: which leads 2) Caring for Children and Pregnant wife occupied a lot of time. 3) There were no overly pressing issues that demanded Blog space based on other priorities.

Well, all that has changed and I am going to restart blogging efforts to keep you all informed.

Memorial Day

Two days of training for Borough Secretaries- Administrators ended on Thursday afternoon. I attended the last Westmoreland County Association of Boroughs meeting until September Thursday night.  I spent a several hours this holiday weekend reading back issues of the magazine Borough News.

The most important thing that is happening in Delmont is tomorrow 10:00 AM at Twin Valley Memorial Park. It is the service where we thank all who serve and especially honor the men and women who paid the ultimate price serving in the armed services to protect our Freedoms.  It really use to bother me when I see people disrespect, destroy, or burn our Flag because I always thought about those who gave their life for this Country, and those who put themselves in harm's way defending our way of life. Now, I just feel sorry that those people who engage in such activities are so ignorant that they don't realize they are destroying the symbol of all the people who fought and died to give them the ability to express these views publicly.

From the bottom of my heart a most sincere thanks to all who died that I may live in Freedom today: to the families that had to endure the loss of loved ones: and, those who have suffered great personal, mental, and physical losses in service to our Nation. Thanks to all who serve. God Bless you one and all.

Update May 24, 2016

I am waiting for the start of two day administration class.

I met with my advisor-Mentor for three hours last Wednesday. He gave me great advice.  I have started to act on some of it, but there is still so much to do.

I am going to the County Association of Boroughs tomorrow night. I am very interested in the speaker who is the Director of Emergency response. There have not been many comments or responses to the post I made about gas pipeline explosion.  I heard that there may now be ground water contamination. I can't wait to discuss some issues with the other County leaders.

I have been meeting with Scouting leaders about reestablishing Cub Pack. There is a new part to Cub Scout Program called Lions.  It is pilot program for Kindergarten age 5 boys. Not only looking into this piolet program but looking into having a special needs Den.

Responded to some residents on storm water issues, but haven't got the response hoping.

Any concerns, feel free to contact me. It is a pleasure serving you.

Gas Pipeline Explosion

Many of you who are citizens of Delmont Borough may be wondering why I would include this post under Delmont Council Activities.  I hope all of you are aware prior to my election to Council the Borough granted easements to Sunoco for the Mariner 2 Pipeline to pass through our Borough.  My original position is there is not much that can be done with pipelines because these are Federally Regulate and the transmission of oil and gas throughout the Country can be claimed a National Security issue.  When I attempted to attend the Town Hall Meeting in Salem Township when I arrived there was no room to even enter the building.  There was an activist there who tried to tell me that new lines could be fought because there is enough infrastructure to support movement now that the oil and gas companies just want their own lines so they don't have to pay to use what is there.  I have not researched enough to comment on that claim, but it was interesting.  I even talked a little bit with one of Keith Rothfus staff members about some of what you will find in this post.

When I went to the meeting I was not overly interested in what the Gas company was saying about the incident.  My personal belief is that the information would be rudimentary at best and most of the "information" would be Public Relations sophistry to convenience everyone of how safe gas and oil pipelines are.  I just wanted to formally request a copy of the official NTSB report that would have all the facts in it.  The NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) is the Agency responsible for regulating the oil and gas lines.

Here is a list of my personal beliefs in case you feel that I am becoming too biased.

1. We all use either gas, oil, or both.  If we want these services the lines have to go somewhere. Nobody really wants them in their backyards.
2. In this incident the safety procedures worked well because the gas was shut off fairly quickly and there was no loss of life and limited damage compared to what could have been.
3. This incident should act as a wake up call to all the people who have fracking wells on their property or who are considering allowing wells on their property.  Yes, I know a transmission line is not the same as a fracking well but explosions and fires are possible at wells.  Why do you think they offer what seems like so much money when they are trying to start?
4. When any pipe is laid the company has a good idea of how long that pipe is going to last, but they make no effort to put money aside for replacement because they rather raise rates when the infrastructure needs to be updated.
5. Oil and Gas companies employ large numbers of actuaries to calculate the costs of damage and loss of life from accidents.  Sadly in some cases they may take the risk that leads to loss of life and property because it is so unlikely or would be cheaper to pay for it at some future time.
6. There is very little if anything that can be done to change locations of current pipelines.

I am not a big fan of more rules or regulations; however, when the bureaucracy is already in place and the life and property of citizens in our Commonwealth and Nation are in danger, it becomes necessary to make changes.  Yes, the gas and oil industry are in a bit of a slump right now, and some of the cost will probably filter down to us in higher utility bills because that is how the industry deals with cost increases.

Here is a list of points that I believe should be incorporated into Pennsylvania law at a minimum.  I would encourage all citizens to contact their State Senators and Representatives to push these initiatives.

1. If PA is going to be a major player in the Oil and Gas Industry the companies who are utilizing our resources ought to establish a HellFire response base somewhere in the central part of our state.  Gas and oil fires are special fire circumstances and beyond the capabilities of local fire departments.  We were lucky that the gas was able to be turned off.  Next time we may not be so lucky.  A lot of death and destruction is possible within the four plus hours it would take for the fire fighters to immobilize from Texas.  From a central location in PA it would be 2 hours max to respond to an incident within the State.
2. There should be accident scenarios developed for homes,farms, and business that could be damaged or destroyed by pipeline and well accidents to include worse case possible.  The results should be shared with the citizens that live in or have a business in those areas.
3. Gas and Oil lines are a necessary part of life.and they have risks no matter how small they may be.  In real estate transfers major pipe and well locations should be disclosed immediately along with the accident scenario so buyers can make informed choices if they want to assume the risk.  We make choices about risk everyday in driving and flying on airplanes.  Property owners have the same rights to make choices.
4. Gas and oil companies ought to be required to set monies aside for infrastructure repair to pipelines.  They know how much service life to expect.  Although these costs will eventually be passed on to the consumer, it will prevent the rate increases in the twelfth hour to ensure safe service.
5. The companies ought to be required to set up a found for people killed and property destroyed by pipeline and well accidents.  They may make safer decisions if they have large sums of their own money at stake instead of relying on insurance companies to pay all damages.

These are the points that I wanted to cover at the meeting.  Your comments are appreciated.
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Storm Water Post

Attention:  Residents of Delmont.  The weather has been wet and rainy.  Are you having trouble with storm water runoff?  The problems of interest include:  flooding basement (or large amounts of water in basement), water accumulation on driveways and sidewalks, and large amounts of water accumulating in yards.  The Westmoreland County Conservation District is interested in accumulating data and offering assistance in correcting these problems.  Delmont and some surrounding areas have been given a priority status because of development and location.  I have joined the Integrated Water Resource Plan (IWRP) Committee.  One task is to collect the address locations of problem areas in our Borough.  Depending on the severity of the problem, or multiple complaints in one area a representative of the Westmoreland County Conservation District will visit and give ideas of how to correct your problems.  There is no cost to you for the visit and advice.  You will also be provided a copy of the 25 page booklet  Southwestern Pennsylvania’s Homeowner’s Guide to Storm water: How to develop and implement a stormwater management plan for your property.  Please provide name, address or tax plot number, and a description of the problem.  Also, indicate if you want to try to set up an appointment with the representative of Westmoreland County Conservation District.

Please send information or direct questions to Councilman David Piper. E-mail david4delmont@gmail.com.  Send to the Delmont Borough Office: 77 Greensburg St. Delmont, PA 15626.  You can call (724) 552-9531.