Post by Spin Doctor on Mar 24, 2014 13:31:47 GMT -5
I read with interest Gettysburg Council President Mike Birkner's op-ed in today's edition of the Gettysburg Times.
Mr. Birkner defends the borough's tax increase, noting that it's "only twenty dollars a household." He relates the tax increase to a "dinner for two" anywhere in Gettysburg.
He accuses Gettysburg Times columnist Fred Snyder of reporting misinformation and misleading the citizens of Gettysburg. The council is "not dysfunctional" and Birkner is "respectful to everyone." "Most of the votes are unanimous," he says.
Birkner continues to defend the 3rd Ward Triumvirate, claiming that they do wonderful things for the community.
He also continues to blame previous administration for the borough's financial woes.
I'll sleep better tonight knowing that the borough is under good leadership with President Birkner.
www.gettysburgtimes.com/opinion/staff_columns/article_299f8b52-3e29-5ef5-90dd-60fbda77d1a4.html
Mr. Birkner defends the borough's tax increase, noting that it's "only twenty dollars a household." He relates the tax increase to a "dinner for two" anywhere in Gettysburg.
He accuses Gettysburg Times columnist Fred Snyder of reporting misinformation and misleading the citizens of Gettysburg. The council is "not dysfunctional" and Birkner is "respectful to everyone." "Most of the votes are unanimous," he says.
Birkner continues to defend the 3rd Ward Triumvirate, claiming that they do wonderful things for the community.
He also continues to blame previous administration for the borough's financial woes.
I'll sleep better tonight knowing that the borough is under good leadership with President Birkner.
www.gettysburgtimes.com/opinion/staff_columns/article_299f8b52-3e29-5ef5-90dd-60fbda77d1a4.html
"Gettysburg Going Strong"
If you have been following local news coverage in the Gettysburg Times, you noticed that the past year was a home run for Gettysburg, headlined by the biggest story of all, the sesquicentennial commemoration of the Battle of Gettysburg. Many stakeholders, including the Borough Council, the college, the Park Service and our business community pitched in. Gettysburg put a fine face on to the world. To judge by visitor comments about their experience, many of them will be coming back. We'll welcome them.
The sesquicentennial was only one piece of a larger constellation of good news stories in the past 12 months. Gettysburg borough has been cooperating with its neighbors on a comprehensive plan for the future that will build on strengths and addresses problems in the way we zone property and do business. The Bicycle Inner Loop project continues to progress, with significant funding streams in sight. Thanks to a state grant, the former social service buildings just north of the railroad tracks have been razed, the property thereby made more attractive to developers. Elm Street and Main Street have continued their valuable work. The Steinwehr II project is progressing. Last month, the borough sold the Lincoln train station to the Gettysburg Foundation, generating a $200,000 windfall and at the same time insuring that the building will be appropriately maintained and marketed as a Gettysburg attraction. And just this week, the Borough Council has announced the hiring of a new manager, Charles Gable, who will be joining us full-time in early May.
I list these accomplishments and ongoing enterprises with pride in our borough. Funny thing, though. If you read a weekly columnist for the Times, Fred Snyder, you would not know that the Borough Council had anything to do with the positive developments as reported on the news pages. And that's a concern that I feel a need to address.
For months now, readers of Snyder's commentaries about the Borough Council have gotten a warped view of how business is conducted and how effective the Council has been. Short of libeling people, Snyder is entitled to his strong opinions. A free society encourages free and vigorous debate. No argument from me about that.
The issue at hand is responsible commentary. Over the past years, as a radio personality and now a newspaper columnist, Fred Snyder has periodically asked me questions about borough issues, either on the air or via email. I've always answered him forthrightly, to the best of my ability. Until now, I have chosen not to respond to his various jibes and more objectionable statements, among them his consistent belittling of our Third Ward Council members, individuals who have worked diligently and effectively for this borough's betterment. Snyder's polemics say more about the writer than the people being demeaned.
I have seen nothing to substantiate Snyder's claim that some council members treat other with "condescension." As Council President, I have treated every member of the Council with respect, no exceptions. All have had the opportunity to speak their piece at meetings when they have sought the floor. I have witnessed spirited debate in our monthly meetings, but always within the realm of fair play and reasoned argument. I should add that most of the votes that the Council takes are unanimous or in a few instances, involve one dissent. The notion that the Council is "dysfunctional" and failing to do the public's business effectively is not backed up by the facts.
Fred Snyder's narrative about our Borough Council-which, I might add, is not based on his attending a single meeting in my seven years on the Council-further conveys the impression that the council is not looking out for taxpayer interests. To the contrary, we have been prudent in our management of borough funds. The money allocated to organizations like Elm Street and Main Street is an investment in our community, one that in Main Street's case is returned many times over through grants initiated and a more vibrant borough business environment.
The tax increase this past year will cost the owner of a home valued at $200,000 approximately $20. That's right, less than a dinner for two at a local restaurant. By authorizing this increase, we were able not only to invest in our borough by adding a position to a staff that is stretched to the limit, but also were able to enhance our capital reserves, something strongly recommended by the Pennsylvania Economy League's consultant Gerald E. Cross.
Any community is going to have differences of opinion about whether and how much taxes should be raised. But railing at the council as misguided for raising taxes by one-tenth of a mill suggests an exceedingly crabbed view of how government can best serve the interests of the people of this borough.
Mr. Snyder has criticized the council, and me in particular, for changes made in the Finance Department. Let me be crystal clear about several points. First, the department was not being run transparently or effectively. When Councilwoman Rebecca Brown and I together began asking about certain financial transactions that seemed problematic, good answers were not forthcoming. There was no vendetta and no micromanagement. There was, instead, a resignation and subsequently, the hiring of a new and very competent Finance Director.
Mr. Snyder is free to say what he wishes in defense of a friend, but he has not taken up my invitation to speak with our new Finance Director who could lay out what condition the Department was in when she was hired and what she had to do to get things on a better footing.
I ran for office with no illusions that serving in borough government was a simple or carefree task. Taking criticism is a natural part of serving in elective office. I've kept my peace for many months about Mr. Snyder because I did not want to say anything negative in print about anyone in our local government, or for that matter, about him. But when he suggests in a recent letter in the Times that no one has challenged his version of the way things are working in the municipal building, I think it is time to speak up. What I have just said is hardly the last word, but I think it is a necessary first word from inside the Council.
In closing, I want to thank the Gettysburg Times news staff for its informative and fair-minded coverage of borough affairs, and express my gratitude not only for the privilege of serving the people of Gettysburg but having the opportunity to work closely with smart and engaged Council people and a highly dedicated staff. They're just one of the reasons why Gettysburg is going strong.
If you have been following local news coverage in the Gettysburg Times, you noticed that the past year was a home run for Gettysburg, headlined by the biggest story of all, the sesquicentennial commemoration of the Battle of Gettysburg. Many stakeholders, including the Borough Council, the college, the Park Service and our business community pitched in. Gettysburg put a fine face on to the world. To judge by visitor comments about their experience, many of them will be coming back. We'll welcome them.
The sesquicentennial was only one piece of a larger constellation of good news stories in the past 12 months. Gettysburg borough has been cooperating with its neighbors on a comprehensive plan for the future that will build on strengths and addresses problems in the way we zone property and do business. The Bicycle Inner Loop project continues to progress, with significant funding streams in sight. Thanks to a state grant, the former social service buildings just north of the railroad tracks have been razed, the property thereby made more attractive to developers. Elm Street and Main Street have continued their valuable work. The Steinwehr II project is progressing. Last month, the borough sold the Lincoln train station to the Gettysburg Foundation, generating a $200,000 windfall and at the same time insuring that the building will be appropriately maintained and marketed as a Gettysburg attraction. And just this week, the Borough Council has announced the hiring of a new manager, Charles Gable, who will be joining us full-time in early May.
I list these accomplishments and ongoing enterprises with pride in our borough. Funny thing, though. If you read a weekly columnist for the Times, Fred Snyder, you would not know that the Borough Council had anything to do with the positive developments as reported on the news pages. And that's a concern that I feel a need to address.
For months now, readers of Snyder's commentaries about the Borough Council have gotten a warped view of how business is conducted and how effective the Council has been. Short of libeling people, Snyder is entitled to his strong opinions. A free society encourages free and vigorous debate. No argument from me about that.
The issue at hand is responsible commentary. Over the past years, as a radio personality and now a newspaper columnist, Fred Snyder has periodically asked me questions about borough issues, either on the air or via email. I've always answered him forthrightly, to the best of my ability. Until now, I have chosen not to respond to his various jibes and more objectionable statements, among them his consistent belittling of our Third Ward Council members, individuals who have worked diligently and effectively for this borough's betterment. Snyder's polemics say more about the writer than the people being demeaned.
I have seen nothing to substantiate Snyder's claim that some council members treat other with "condescension." As Council President, I have treated every member of the Council with respect, no exceptions. All have had the opportunity to speak their piece at meetings when they have sought the floor. I have witnessed spirited debate in our monthly meetings, but always within the realm of fair play and reasoned argument. I should add that most of the votes that the Council takes are unanimous or in a few instances, involve one dissent. The notion that the Council is "dysfunctional" and failing to do the public's business effectively is not backed up by the facts.
Fred Snyder's narrative about our Borough Council-which, I might add, is not based on his attending a single meeting in my seven years on the Council-further conveys the impression that the council is not looking out for taxpayer interests. To the contrary, we have been prudent in our management of borough funds. The money allocated to organizations like Elm Street and Main Street is an investment in our community, one that in Main Street's case is returned many times over through grants initiated and a more vibrant borough business environment.
The tax increase this past year will cost the owner of a home valued at $200,000 approximately $20. That's right, less than a dinner for two at a local restaurant. By authorizing this increase, we were able not only to invest in our borough by adding a position to a staff that is stretched to the limit, but also were able to enhance our capital reserves, something strongly recommended by the Pennsylvania Economy League's consultant Gerald E. Cross.
Any community is going to have differences of opinion about whether and how much taxes should be raised. But railing at the council as misguided for raising taxes by one-tenth of a mill suggests an exceedingly crabbed view of how government can best serve the interests of the people of this borough.
Mr. Snyder has criticized the council, and me in particular, for changes made in the Finance Department. Let me be crystal clear about several points. First, the department was not being run transparently or effectively. When Councilwoman Rebecca Brown and I together began asking about certain financial transactions that seemed problematic, good answers were not forthcoming. There was no vendetta and no micromanagement. There was, instead, a resignation and subsequently, the hiring of a new and very competent Finance Director.
Mr. Snyder is free to say what he wishes in defense of a friend, but he has not taken up my invitation to speak with our new Finance Director who could lay out what condition the Department was in when she was hired and what she had to do to get things on a better footing.
I ran for office with no illusions that serving in borough government was a simple or carefree task. Taking criticism is a natural part of serving in elective office. I've kept my peace for many months about Mr. Snyder because I did not want to say anything negative in print about anyone in our local government, or for that matter, about him. But when he suggests in a recent letter in the Times that no one has challenged his version of the way things are working in the municipal building, I think it is time to speak up. What I have just said is hardly the last word, but I think it is a necessary first word from inside the Council.
In closing, I want to thank the Gettysburg Times news staff for its informative and fair-minded coverage of borough affairs, and express my gratitude not only for the privilege of serving the people of Gettysburg but having the opportunity to work closely with smart and engaged Council people and a highly dedicated staff. They're just one of the reasons why Gettysburg is going strong.
