(for your amusement)
Kenneth D. McCrea
[former]
Write-in
Candidate
For
East Cocalico Township Supervisor
Now that the 2009 election is over, I want to thank all of my supporters who voted for me. The voter turnout in this off year election, while still only a small fraction of what it would be in a year with an election of either a president or governor, was higher than in many of the previous elections. One of my goals was to increase participation in this most important aspect of democracy.
I will continue my efforts to get the existing supervisors to make changes in how they keep the residents of the Township informed about their activities. My next "campaign" will be to get the supervisors to post a draft agenda for their meetings on their web site prior to the meeting. The hope is that if the public knows what is going to be discussed at the meetings, there will be an interest in coming to the meetings and participating in the discussion of important issues. Votes taken by the supervisors can have a big impact on all residents and taxpayers lives. The citizens have a right to participate, but they can't do so if they are unaware of the supervisor's activities. I will also continue to try to keep the citizens informed through my web sites and through letters to the editor in the Ephrata Review.
I would encourage everyone to come to supervisors meetings when they are able. Right now, out of a population of nearly 10,000 people, there are only two residents who routinely attend the meetings as a visitor - Bob Roggenberg and myself. This is a sad situation, and I believe the reason why so many decisions are being made that will have long term negative consequences for the current residents. The continued march towards a densely populated bedroom community will have detrimental impacts on our lives and on the amount of taxes we have to pay. That change is coming, but with a few minor changes in the existing zoning regulations the impact can be significantly lessened. The future of our community makes this worth fighting for. We need YOUR participation.
Ken McCrea, unofficial East Cocalico Township watchdog, November 10, 2009
Announcement of
my Write-In Campaign for the
November 3rd General Election
New Information
on the Impact of
Future Growth in the Township
As there seems to be a false rumor
floating around, let me correct that.
I have never said or written that I would close the Township's pool.
What I want to see is it run in a responsible way so that it
is not losing $60,000. or more per year.
The links below are campaign information from
the May Primary,
all of which still apply to my current campaign and positions
Why I Am Running for Supervisor
Controlling Growth and Planning for the Future
My Vision for the Future of East Cocalico Township Government
East Cocalico Township is at a critical point in time. We need to act now to manage future growth responsibly. Decisions are being made by the Board of Supervisors which impact our future in negative ways, leading us towards rapid changes away from the rural character we currently enjoy towards a high density bedroom community. This trend can still be stopped, but not without immediate action. This can only happen with appropriate long-range planning and changes in our zoning ordinances.
East Cocalico Township has been in a period of relatively slow growth for years, due in large part to the the limitations of our current water supply. Although the housing market is currently severely slowed by the economy, plans are still moving forward for new large residential housing projects. Significant expansion of the water system is coming soon, removing the only factor preventing rapid development. The number of new housing units currently proposed in the Township is nearly 1200. While not all growth is bad, uncontrolled growth in population without being balanced by growth in employment opportunities will have a negative impact on the community. The 1200 new families will also probably cause us to need new schools.
Most of the new residents
will have to commute out of the area to find jobs, changing what has been a real
community to a bedroom community of people commuting out of the area.
Many of the proposed developments are very high density, and several of these
are adjoining. The result will be that
the rural character of the Township will be lost forever. Much of
the proposed development is already too far along to stop, but if we act now, we can
still protect much of the rural character of our community for future
generations. [Link
to new information on our township's growth]
The Polls open in:
If we are going to protect the rural character of East Cocalico Township, now is the time to act. On November 3rd, vote for Ken McCrea. The current board of supervisors continues to take actions that encourage rapid unbalanced growth. A change in leadership is the only way to protect our future.
© 2009 Ken McCrea