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    Friday November 15, 2024

    Unconstitutional utilization of SPOT ZONING

    The Upper Gwynedd Township Republican Committee continues to closely monitor the Township Board of Commissioners' efforts to actively promote the development of subsidized housing in our Township.

    In August 2023 the Commissioners over the objections of multiple packed room(s) of opposition approved a text amendment to the Township's Zoning Code that will permit high density, federally subsidized housing in our Township. This action is designed to help alleviate the housing crisis that exists in Norristown, Pottstown and other far more urban communities than Upper Gwynedd. The Commissioners ignored the advance warning given to them by an attorney engaged by a group of concerned residents that their action was wrongful, illegal and the unconstitutional utilization of SPOT ZONING. This legal brief was intended to prevent the Township from approving a legislative action that would likely end up in unnecessary and expensive future legal litigation. Despite the best of intentions on the part of the concerned residents the Commissioners bowed to the wishes of a very small group of people and agencies from OUTSIDE of the Upper Gwynedd Community and they approved the Zoning Code Amendment.

    We are closely monitoring the Township's announcement of a Conditional Use Hearing wherein the final plans of The Walters Group, a New Jersey based developer will be presenting their final development plans. IT IS VITAL THAT AS MANY CONCERNED RESIDENTS AS POSSIBLE BE PRESENT TO OPPOSE THE PROJECT. The UGT-RC will do its best to keep you informed.

    In other developments the Township Board of Commissioners have resumed the practice of holding Monthly Workshop Sessions. These meetings for the second consecutive year were suspended during the summer for what appeared to be no reason other than the personal convenience of the Commissioners. These Workshops have for decades been held by previously elected Commissioners as a way to help residents to stay informed as to the pending actions being considered by the Commissioners. The practice of suspending these workshops is not a proper reflection of a Board who takes every opportunity to attempt to persuade you that transparency is a primary goal.

    The Upper Gwynedd Township Republican Committee hopes that everyone had an enjoyable summer.

    Flag Day

    Despite the wind, rain and hail on Flag Day, attendance for our ceremony to honor Old Glory was remarkably strong. Just look at the picture attached!

    The inclement conditions were no match for your indomitable spirits as we convened upon the Gazebo across from the Township Building to pray, salute and sing.

    Most impressively, the turnout was bipartisan! Republicans and Democrats joined together in a show of unity to give thanks to God for the freedom He has graced upon America.

    2024 Sanitary Sewer Cleaning/Televising Project

    Upper Gwynedd Township's 2024 Sanitary Sewer Cleaning/televising is currently underway. This project is part of the ongoing maintenance of the sanitary sewer system throughout the Township.

    Upper Gwynedd Township's 2024 Sanitary Sewer Cleaning/televising is currently underway. This project is part of the ongoing maintenance of the sanitary sewer system throughout the Township. We are cleaning and utilizing a TV camera system to identify defective areas of the sewer lines so they can be replaced or repaired. This will help the Township with keeping rain and groundwater out of our treated sewer system.

    • Blue Fox Drive
    • Hartley Drive
    • Collins Avenue
    • Shepard Drive
    • Tranquility Lane
    • Grissom Drive
    • Whittaker Place
    • Eva Drive
    • Aldrin Avenue
    • Eagle Lane
    • Armstrong Drive
    • Dehaven Drive
    • Borman Lane
    • Dunleavy Place
    The crew will be working on this project for the next few months. All this work will be taking place in the street, so please use caution when our crews are at work.

    Grant Award

    Upper Gwynedd Township is excited to announce that we have been awarded with $421,231 in grant funding from the PA Small Water and Sewer Grant Program. The funding will be used for the Township's Inflow & Infiltration (I&I) Program's Sanitary Sewer Repair work. I&I is when clean groundwater and stormwater enter into the sanitary sewer system. Reducing I&I allows the Township to maintain pipe capacity to convey sewage, decrease sewage treatment costs, and protect the environment from sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs).

    YOUR KIDS/GRAND KIDS EDUCATION & YOUR TAXES ARE AT STAKE.

    IF THE SCHOOL BOARD DOES NOT HEAR FROM YOU - THEY WILL DO WHAT THEY WANT - NOT WHAT YOU WANT!!!!!!

    Summary Information:
    There is a very important Community Forum at North Penn High School that will offer the community the ability to tour the high school in a group - and then is followed by a board meeting where the community can ask questions about the two (2) proposals that have been put forward for consideration.

    There are a few things you should know about the proposal as its been presented so far - things the "slick flyer" you received from the NP School Board did not mention:

    • Taxes will likely rise 20-25% over the next four (4) years. So whatever your current school tax bill is now - multiply that by 1.20 to 1.25 to get the new tax figure.
    • FYI When taxes go up ...THEY NEVER GO DOWN . please keep in mind Federal Income Tax was supposed to be a temporary thing.
    • The estimates in the "slick flyer" you received from the board was not only under-stated the amount of the tax increase related to this renovate project - BUT used "housing values" from 2018!!!! Has your house increased in value since 2018?? If they reassess your home to it new correct value in the future your tax bill will sky-rocket!!
    • The "open concept learning" the School Board is recommending is not proven. There are no studies showing this will increase the quality of education - it's completely NOT PROVEN.
    • The Open Concept learning format - WOULD REQUIRE A NEW CURRICULUM ... THAT WOULD NEED TO BE DEVELOPED (MORE COST!)
    • The Open Concept learning format - WOULD REQUIRE ALL TEACHING/SUPPORT/SECURITY STAFF TO BE RE-TRAINED (LOTS MORE COST!)
    • NP School Districts academic ranking has fallen dramatically over the past 7-8 years. So the solution proposed by the board is to invest 400 million dollars in renovations, commit to a completely unproven high-school education format, with no curriculum, and no staff qualified to teach in this format - ISN'T THERE A VERY GOOD CHANCE THIS WILL HARM OUR STUDENTS MORE AND WE WILL BE FACED WITH SPENDING A TON OF ADDITIONAL FUNDS CORRECTING THIS MISTAKE - WHILE STILL SERVICING THE INITIAL 400 MILLION INVESTMENT???
    The vote on January 16th is obviously being "rushed" so the community has little time to ask questions about it - or its effect on our kids' education and futures. And vote is middle of the winter, not on election day with the hope (and expectation) of a small turnout.

    Actions Requested:
    We want you to read information put out by NP School Board to familiarize yourself with the proposals and so you can be prepared to ask questions. NP School District Web site: www.npenn.org


    Poverty Rate Soars In U.S.: See Latest Data For PA

    Seems like the Committee could craft some talking points about the current Democratic controlled government and the quality of life in our area.

    The U.S. Census Bureau released new numbers showing how many people are living in poverty in Pennsylvania, and outlines national trends.

    For More Information: Poverty Rate Soars In U.S.: See Latest Data For PA

    In Europe, opposing mass migration can be a crime

    It is eight years now since The Spectator sent me to Lampedusa to see the boats coming in. That was at the start of the 2015 migrant crisis. The island, which is home to just 6,000 locals, had just buckled under the weight of another 1,300 arrivals. I followed them to Sicily and then on up and across the continent. If I may be self-referential for a moment, it was on Lampedusa that I realized the scale of the problem and got the opening lines of my resulting book, The Strange Death of Europe: “Europe is committing suicide. Or at least its leaders have decided to commit suicide. Whether the European people choose to go along with this is, naturally, another matter.”

    My prediction then was that the people of Europe would try to make their voices heard by electing more and more anti-illegal-migration politicians. And they did so. With few exceptions, Europe responded by electing politicians who were more restrictionist when it came to illegal migration. Italy ended up electing Giorgia Meloni, the most right-wing politician the country had seen in some while.

    Yet last week, Lampedusa’s local population was, in just forty-eight hours, dwarfed by the arrival of roughly 7,000 illegal migrants. Meloni visited, along with a smiling Ursula von der Leyen. Meloni has complained that Italy is being put under “unsustainable pressure” and that the EU is not doing enough. Eight years on from 2015, and less than nothing has changed.

    Perhaps it is time to add a further chapter to my already dire prognosis. Europeans will vote for politicians who want to stop the migration. Those politicians may even come into office but the situation will not change. How can this be?

    At this stage the online know-alls will claim that Meloni has been “bought” and become “a shill.” They will claim that she has sold out and become a “puppet” of the EU. These explanations — such as they are — are ridiculously comforting as well as wrong. The reality is infinitely worse. Let me throw out two names that explain why.

    Matteo Salvini — a political rival of Meloni’s — also made a political career out of talking tough on the issue of the illegal boats. As Italian deputy prime minister and interior minister, he did a great deal to stop the flow. Specifically, he refused to allow boats to land. Various open-borders NGOs and others had been testing Italian law for years. Salvini worked out that if you said the illegal boats couldn’t dock, then the flow might stop, or at least slow down.

    In the years since, Salvini has faced repeated attempts to prosecute him for this “crime.” In 2021 he was dragged through the Italian courts on a charge of “kidnapping” migrants (the “kidnapping” being not allowing illegal migrants to land in Italy). When that case fell apart, the Italian Senate of which Salvini was a member voted for a new trial to take place. Once again he was charged with “kidnapping” for blocking the arrival of the NGO Open Arms ship with 147 illegal migrants on board.

    For his part, Salvini has said that he did what he did for Italy and would do it again. But it is a heck of a warning to other politicians, in Italy and beyond. Allow the daily erosion of your borders and you’ll be just fine. Keep allowing people with no discernible asylum claims to land by the thousands, from a continent with hundreds of millions more to come, and you will be fêted. Stop the law-breaking and you will find yourself prosecuted.

    In case you think that is a one-off case, let me raise that of another politician who is perhaps less well-known in Europe. Inger Stojberg is one of the most successful Danish politicians of recent times. This I know will not excite everybody. But Stojberg should be a modern European hero. Her country was lucky enough to have her as immigration minister in 2015 at the height of the migration crisis. She served in that role for four years and — with great popular support — managed to stop Denmark becoming a priority destination for illegal migrants. If there is a reason why modern Sweden has such an upsurge in violent crime and other disorders, it is because of the vast number of illegal migrants the country foolishly took in during the period Stojberg was being a more sober player in next-door Denmark. Her country owes its comparative peace to her.

    As immigration minister, she instituted deliberately off-putting policies, such as a law threatening to take possession of a migrant’s belongings up to the sum the migrant cost the state after breaking into it. This law was used a handful of times, but it gave off a signal: Denmark was not going to be the welcoming welfare farm for anyone in the developing world in search of a better lot. Although Stojberg was a member of Denmark’s Liberal Venstre party and decidedly mainstream, she was repeatedly lied about in the liberal press. But she stuck to her position: Denmark’s borders must hold.

    Stojberg too has been chased through the courts in recent years. One of her policies stated that if a couple arrived at an asylum center and one of them was underage, they should be separated. Stojberg’s opponents said this went against the European Convention on Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In 2021 the Danish parliament (including her own party) voted to impeach and try Stojberg for her “crime.” She was sentenced to sixty days in prison and ended up wearing an ankle bracelet in order not to actually spend any time in jail.

    So when people ask why our politicians are unable to do the right thing on the migration issue, this is one of the reasons. Because if you allow laws to be broken, then nothing will happen to you. You will serve your retirement in peace. But try to defend the laws, and the peoples of Europe, and you will be hounded. During Europe’s strange death, only doing what is right is punished.

    This article was originally published in The Spectator’s UK magazine.

    For More Information: In Europe, opposing mass migration can be a crime

    The Youngkin blueprint

    If you have the time I urge you to read this article. I think the “blueprint” is workable and can be tailored to local elections.

    For More Information: The Youngkin blueprint

    How Spyware and Social Media Threaten Democracy

    From Foreign Affairs:

    The world is undergoing a “spyware revolution,” with advances in surveillance technology enabling states and private actors to surveil almost anyone, anywhere in the world, through their mobile phones. Autocratic regimes increasingly use spyware to spy on citizens, neutralize political opposition, and suppress dissent—but the use of such technology is not limited to authoritarian governments. Many democracies have started to use advanced spyware technology, as well. What will happen if the adoption of predatory spyware continues to grow unchecked? The proliferation of this technology threatens to erode many of the institutions, processes, and values on which the liberal order depends.” If elites in any country can wield spyware technology to consolidate power, then the future of democracy “may soon be no more secure than the passwords on our phones.”


    The Twitter Files are damning to the Government

    The Deep State in Action

    They show a coordinated attempt to suppress speech and cover up Hunter Biden’s laptop

    There are two pieces of deeply disturbing news to emerge from the “Twitter Files” released by Elon Musk. The first is that Twitter, under its old management, was not the open, politically neutral platform it pretended to be. Journalist Bari Weiss has shown that Twitter had secret “blacklists” and related methods specifically designed to limit the reach of conservative commentators. When Twitter’s old management denied that bias, as it did repeatedly, it was lying.

    Second, we are learning that Twitter worked closely with like-minded government bureaucrats to squelch legitimate news, information, and discussion. They did so to protect favored candidates (Democrats) and political positions (progressive). We will undoubtedly learn that Facebook, Google and other media giants had similar ties to Washington. We certainly need to know.

    The government’s role here is damning. Its primary job under the First Amendment is to protect free speech, not to kill it. It botched that vital job, and it did so deliberately to increase its own control over private speech in public fora and, apparently, to promote certain political views.

    The only good news here is that Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, is exposing the old management’s efforts to suppress speech and promote political bias on its platform. To expose those malign efforts, he ordered some of Twitter’s internal documents be given to two journalists: Matt Taibbi (who quickly published some of his findings as tweets) and Bari Weiss (who is beginning to publish some findings and promises to publish a longer analysis).

    We have now learned that some of Twitter’s holdover executives worked secretly to prevent the transfer of those documents to Taibbi and Weiss. The key figure here seems to be Twitter’s second-ranking attorney, James Baker, who came to the company from his post as the FBI’s top lawyer. When Musk discovered Baker was undermining him, Musk fired him immediately. We don’t know if Baker was trying to shield bad behavior by Twitter’s old management, or by the FBI and CIA, or by all of them. In any case, Baker seems to be one of those swamp creatures who routinely slide through revolving doors, forging profitable links between their private employers and government agencies.

    As bad as Twitter’s old management was, the reaction of left-leaning journalists to Elon Musk’s efforts has been frankly astonishing. Instead of seeking full disclosure, as reporters normally would (and should), they have attacked Musk for trying to ensure it. Instead of demanding free speech, as honorable journalists would (and should), they have demanded even more censorship to stop legally permissible content from appearing on the social media platform. They believe in “free speech for me, but not for thee.”

    Their distorted priorities are the hallmark of today’s media and another reason why the public no longer trusts journalists or their mates in the government bureaucracy. They are why the New York Times and Washington Post didn’t mention the “Twitter Files” story when it broke last Friday night or Bari Weiss’s bombshells when they broke Thursday night. “Nothing to see here” is the message from the paper that carries the banner “All the News That’s Fit to Print.” The Washington Post, which proclaims “Democracy Dies in Darkness,” went dark over the story. They are precisely what they warned us about.

    Private companies, like the Times and Twitter, are perfectly free to publish — or refuse to publish — whatever they choose. They are free to blacklist and “shadow ban.” They are free to lie about it. They are free to collaborate with other private entities, like the Democratic National Committee. Private organizations can weigh in with publishers and make their case, as the DNC did so often and so successfully with Twitter. The public can then render its verdict on whether to trust them. That verdict will be far better informed if the backroom dealings are exposed, as Musk, Taibbi, and Weiss are doing.

    Amid this pushing and shoving, our Constitution protects free speech not by requiring every media outlet to be fair and balanced but by letting each one make its own choices. Different outlets will make different decisions about what to publish, what to emphasize, and what to investigate, ensuring citizens have enough information and varied viewpoints to decide for themselves.

    But that pushing and shoving applies only to private entities. The government, with all its regulatory power, is different. What is so troubling about the Twitter Files is they show how government agencies worked hand-in-glove with Twitter to prevent the publication of legally permissible material and suppress the readership of stories they didn’t like.

    The FBI and others were apparently careful to avoid any direct statements like “don’t publish this.” Instead, they said something like what King Henry II said when he effectively ordered the execution of Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Henry asked his knights, “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?” The king’s retainers did not mistake his meaning. They rode to Canterbury and murdered Becket in the Cathedral. The king’s indirect request was enough to communicate his clear purpose.

    That seems to be how senior FBI officials communicated their desires to Twitter (and presumably Facebook and others). That’s how the Bureau seems to have killed the distribution of the damning story about Hunter Biden’s laptop. US law enforcement and intelligence agencies knew the New York Post was about to publish that story. Knowing that, they told social media giants, including Twitter, that the Russians were about to dump some disinformation. When the Post story appeared immediately after that FBI warning, Twitter connected the two. The link was even clearer when 51 former high-ranking intelligence agents publicly stated that the Hunter Biden story had “all the earmarks of a classic Russian disinformation operation.” But the laptop story was not disinformation. It was true and well vetted when America’s fourth-largest newspaper published it. Hunter Biden himself never denied the laptop was his. Nor did he deny the contents in the newspaper story. Years later, mainstream media outlets have confirmed the truth of the New York Post story. But at the time, thanks to the government’s false narrative connecting the laptop with Russian disinformation (repeated for years by Democratic representatives, led by Adam Schiff), the story was suppressed on social media. The New York Post’s Twitter account was blocked. Private users were blocked if they tried to circulate the story. Twitter’s rationale for this suppression was that the laptop was “hacked material.” It wasn’t, and they knew it. Even Twitter insiders were troubled by that threadbare rationale.

    We need to know everyone who was involved on the government side of this shameful exercise. We need to know what they knew, when they knew it, and what they secretly communicated to the media. We need to know if other social media sites besides Twitter were involved in this operation. And we need a few journalists with the backbone to stand with Elon Musk, Matt Taibbi, and Bari Weiss to expose this malfeasance.— The Spectator

    Judicial Abuse

    “Democrats have decided that state courts are friendly terrain, and so they now argue that ballot deadlines are discriminatory, along with signature verification for mail votes, and who knows what’s next. Unless the Supreme Court clearly narrows the prerogatives of state judges, the voting laws will be up for grabs from now until weeks after Election Day 2024, with damaging consequences for democracy. “

    From WSJ: How to Calm Election Law Before 2024 in Moore v. Harper.

    The Most Dangerous Man in America

    Because he will say whatever he is told to say and espouse whatever doctrines his handlers put before him.

    What’s wrong with this picture?

    From the Spectator– Biden declares Republicans are “An extremism that threatens the very foundations of our Republic.” Whoa! There are a couple of things to bear in mind about the initiatives that Joe Biden hinted at in his comments about “the entire philosophy” that motivates Trump’s supporters. One has to do with arithmetic. At least 74,000,000 people voted for Donald Trump in 2020. Trump still vastly out-polls any other Republican candidate. What does it mean that Biden and his masters have demonized half the country? And what does it mean that in a few short years we have seen Democratic rhetoric proceed from describing Republican voters as an “irredeemable” “basket of deplorables” to describing them as believers in a “semi-fascist” form of “extremism” that threatens the very foundations of the American republic?

    The other thing to contemplate is the statist nature of the forces fueling this white-hot assault. In the late 1930s, the Germans mounted a campaign of Gleichschaltung, a statewide program to bring all aspects of life into alignment with the governing philosophy of the party. The essentially Marxist idea of political correctness aims at the same thing: the insinuation of politics into all aspects of life and the utter subordination of the individual to the ideology.

    In the American context, we have come to the point where, for those controlling the levers of power, “democracy” means “rule by Democrats.” One corollary is that power must be increasingly concentrated in the hands of the governing elite. In the Soviet Union, the nominally independent republics that constituted that empire were in fact all controlled by Moscow.

    Something similar is happening in the United States. In Federalist 46, James Madison raises the specter of “ambitious encroachments of the federal government, on the authority of the State governments,” but explains that that is unlikely to happen. Why? Because any move by the federal government to overstep its authority would spark a “general alarm.” Every state would rise up. “Plans of resistance would be concerted. One spirit would animate and conduct the whole.”

    Madison entertains what he calls the “visionary supposition” that the federal government might accumulate sufficient military power to subordinate the states. That won’t happen he says, because “the State governments, with the people on their side, would be able to repel the danger.”

    Does that make you feel better? Remember, the Soviet Union had elections. Their leaders assured the populace that they were on the winning side of history, that they were creating a heaven on earth, that Marx’s vision of a society in which one could be a “hunter in the morning, a fisherman in the afternoon, and a critical critic at night,” was just around the corner. Meanwhile, their “basket of deplorables,” i.e., anyone harboring “bourgeois” or “counterrevolutionary” sentiments, must be ruthlessly purged in order to make way for utopia — a nation that is “free and fair, just and strong, noble and whole.”

    We Are Not OK

    The prosperity enjoyed by Upper Gwynedd residents is in peril, and we know it. Small talk at community events has moved beyond gas prices and the cost of groceries. Polite conversation has moved into something more urgent: survival. Recent studies paint a gloomy picture for the future. With dwindling savings, most suburbanites (Upper Gwynedd families included) are only two weeks away from a bad day. Study respondents cited gas and groceries as the primary concerns, but the largest sticker shock came from utility bills. That means that our households, with median incomes 40% higher than the state and national averages, are anxious about our ability to heat our homes heading into this winter. In turn, we are fundamentally changing our spending habits. In the recent studies, half reported that they simply stopped buying stuff. Thanks, Brandon! Thanks, Madeline!

    Consumer sentiment stands at its lowest point since the 2008 financial crisis. Two-thirds of Americans believe that the country is on the wrong track. A recent poll by ABC News/Washington Post revealed that suburban congressional district voters are favoring Republican candidates by over 20 points. Are we in Upper Gwynedd content to be abused by progressive power structure? The midterms will be the first opportunity for Upper Gwynedd voters to express our discontent.

    Lies and Damned Lies

    It is important to discern the difference between facts and Fake News. Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Budget Chair John Yarmuth (D-KY) are proponing false claims such as “Republicans are so hellbent on gutting social security and ending Medicare, as we know it, that they are willing to risk economic catastrophes to get it done.” Risk economic catastrophe to get it done? Speak for yourself, Rep. Yarmuth.

    In this Congress alone, Democrats have passed scathing spending legislation, including $19.2 billion on the recent Continuing Resolution, $5.5 trillion on Woke infrastructure, $3.5 trillion on the “Inflation Reduction Act,” $1.9 trillion on the “American Rescue Plan,” $52.7 billion on the CHIPS Act, and over $54 billion on foreign aid to Ukraine.

    It’s one thing to read the title of a Democrat bill before you vote on it; it’s entirely different to read the legislation itself. The American Rescue Plan will not rescue America. The Inflation Reduction Act will not reduce inflation. Spending money on other countries will not help our economy nor the well-being of American citizens.

    Trillions of the Democrats’ spending bills signed into law by Joe Biden have created the inflation and ensuing recession we are experiencing today. When Progressive Democrats like Madeline Dean claim that Republicans are creating an economic crisis, they need to look at the facts and reconsider such remarks. Time to vote her out of your life.

    Without Double Standards, DOJ would have no Standards

    Not a single arrest has been made in the more than a dozen attacks on pro-life organizations across the country claimed by left-wing pro-abortion group Jane’s Revenge.

    Despite numerous follow up requests and demands for justice, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has failed to make the Biden administration Justice Department take action to prosecute Jane’s Revenge members for the wave of attacks. No wonder trust in government is at an all time low. This November let’s send Oz and Nascimento to Congress. They’ll put the fire out and bring order to the chaos in DC.

    Biden’s Attacks on ‘MAGA Republicans’ Are Dividing The Country

    According to a survey of 1,277 U.S. adults, conducted by I&I/TIPP US President Joe Biden speaks about the soul of the nation, outside of Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 1, 2022.

    “What we’re seeing now is either the beginning or the death knell of extreme MAGA philosophy,” Biden said at a closed-door meeting with donors in August. “It’s not just Trump, it’s the entire philosophy that underpins the — I’m going to say something, it’s like semi-fascism.”

    If this was just hyperbole it wouldn’t be so damaging to our Republic, but as the fool says “I give my word as a Biden.”

    Paraphrasing Niemöller: First they came for the Republicans, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Republican… Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

    Guest Editorial: Election reforms by the people, for the people

    Sen. Mike Regan represents Pennsylvania’s 31st Senatorial District covering parts of Cumberland and York counties.

    In this nation one of the most sacred rights is the principle of one person, one vote. It’s the bedrock of our democratic process upon which more than two centuries of freedom, progress, and stability have flourished.

    But lately, it seems confusion and distrust have eroded that foundation, leaving the people that my colleagues and I represent in the Senate desperate for restoration.

    In May, a Franklin and Marshall poll found more than half of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with the way Pennsylvania conducts elections. A survey from the same college conducted six months earlier found that 40% of voters supported an election audit.

    No matter where you stand on election integrity, these polls are quite telling. There’s an old adage that says avoiding the appearance of impropriety carries as much weight, if not more, than the impropriety itself. It’s clear the public perceives wrongdoing in our electoral process, and it’s vital that we restore their trust.

    That’s why I proudly supported a bipartisan package of election reform legislation approved as part of the 2022-23 budget process, which includes two constitutional amendments that – if approved again in the next legislative session – would ask Pennsylvanians to decide whether ID be required in order to vote and whether the Auditor General should conduct post-election audits.

    As I pointed out in my remarks on the Senate floor during final passage of the bill, my career as a criminal investigator taught me that individuals who conceal their identities typically have nefarious motives for doing so.

    Beyond that, identification provides access to every facet of modern life – from signing a lease, to securing a mortgage, to applying for medical benefits, buying cough medicine, donating blood and adopting a pet, to name a few.

    One of my personal favorites is the municipality in my district that requires photo identification for recycling yard waste and debris at their compost facility.

    Showing ID is not a controversial topic for any of these ordinary activities, so why is it for exercising one of our fundamental constitutional rights?

    This constitutional amendment regarding Voter ID is a step toward protecting our voting system, to preserving the right to vote and to making sure our elections are fair. This is exactly what Pennsylvanians asked us to do.

    Another constitutional amendment within the legislation would give the independently elected auditor general the authority to conduct more thorough audits of election administration, instead of the existing questionable and inadequate process that’s led by the governor’s politically appointed Secretary of State. It’s a valuable reform that would provide an added layer of transparency and ease voters’ concerns about the way elections are conducted across 67 counties.

    Because, after all, elections should function identically across all jurisdictions, given the precedence of state law. As we all know, that’s not what happened in November 2020.

    In addition to court decisions and Department of State advisories leading some counties to implement different practices, in the months leading up to the general election the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) granted $22.5 million to 23 counties to assist in election administration amid the pandemic.

    Some local officials called these donations “life-saving” in multiple media reports.

    However, just one-third of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties seemed to know about the grant program, despite all of them facing budget constraints brought on by the COVID-19 response. Even the Department of State took a $2.4 million donation from the CTCL.

    The organization awarded roughly $350 million to more than 2,500 jurisdictions across the country for election administration costs in 2020. The vast majority of that money came out of the pocket of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

    If CTCL truly cared about helping local officials conduct free and fair elections amid the unprecedented conditions of the pandemic, there’d be no ambiguity around the application process. We wouldn’t be learning about these dark money donations after-the-fact, as was the case in 2020.

    That’s why Act 88 of 2022 garnered bipartisan support when being voted on by the legislature. This new law bans unscrupulous funding from influencing the outcome of our elections and instead implements a state-based funding mechanism.

    This levels the playing field for all counties and ensures every single one can access the resources they need to keep the ballot box free and fair for all.

    These first steps we’ve taken will begin to shore up the foundation of our democracy once again, but we are far from done.

    After all, we have a responsibility to ensure faith, trust and integrity in all aspects of government, most importantly in how we choose those who govern us. We need these reforms to ensure that trust is never eroded again.

    Gotcha- Residents Challenge the UGT Board

    UPPER GWYNEDD — A pair of lines in a county document approved last month have spurred a lengthy debate, and quite a few questions, for township officials.

    Township residents grilled the board Monday night over a proposed project on Pennbrook Parkway that’s been on the drawing board for much of the year, and its recent inclusion in a county plan.

    “Those things that are going on with that project, with the county, with applying for grants, that has nothing to do with this board’s approvals, which are land development-related,” said Township Manager Sandra Brookley Zadell.

    Starting in March the township staff have given updates on the early stages of a project on Pennbrook Parkway, where an applicant has proposed expanding the township’s transit overlay district for a project that, at least in the early stages, has been described by staff as containing 44 housing units.

    Throughout that discussion, staff have said that only members of the township’s internal plan review committee have been part of those discussions, and no formal plan has been submitted for land development approval, while the applicant — named by staff during prior meetings as The Walters Group — has discussed applying for a zoning change first before any formal plan.

    Those talks continued Monday night, with several residents noting, and querying, the board and staff on recent references to that project in a county document. On July 21 the Montgomery County commissioners adopted a 2022 update to their Housing Action Plan spelling out how roughly $11 million from several federal grant programs would be allocated to projects across the county, including two references to allocations totaling $1.3 million for a project listed as the “Cornerstone at Pennbrook Station” in Upper Gwynedd.

    “Basically, the county seat is acting as a middleman between you, the board of commissioners of our township, and the federal government, which is bringing money from the government to us by using the Walters group,” said resident Carl Smith.

    “The name ‘Cornerstone’ is interesting to me. That indicates a building block, a fundamental component to building a building. It’s the first thing you put in place. Is this the first thing that’s being put in place, and do we have more of these building blocks to look forward to?” he said.

    Smith then asked if the commissioners or township endorsed “any grant application submitted to any funding source” by that developer, and board President Denise Hull said she or staff would reply to both questions, directly to Smith and in public at a subsequent meeting. Zadell then added that “the township has nothing to do with the name of the parcel, or of the development, and we are not in control of which projects come toward us.”

    Linda Smith asked if the project would be considered “subsidized housing,” and Hull replied that no specific plan has been presented to the full board.

    “They’ve given us preliminary ideas, we have sketch plans. We’re at the very introductory part. In this phase, things change all the time, so for us to comment on any specific of that plan is just premature,” Hull said.

    Hull added that more specifics would be available once the ordinance is “more nailed down,” to which Linda Smith asked when that would happen, and Hull answered that it would be dependent on the developer.

    “When and if it comes in front of the board, it’ll be advertised, the property will be posted, public notice will be provided, and I’m sure there’ll be announcements by the board. It has not been scheduled for a public hearing,” said solicitor Lauren Gallagher.

    Resident Karen Verrillo asked for more information on the township’s comprehensive plan, which was updated in 2021, the surveys included in it, and how that plan set forth goals for future development. Commissioner Liz McNaney answered that the plan update started pre-COVIDand was meant to gather as much community feedback as possible and set goals for upcoming years, while she had heard little, and not seen any plans or the county information, about the Pennbrook project.

    “What Carl said about ‘Cornerstone,’ I haven’t even heard that yet. That’s news to me,” she said.

    “With the Walters group, I still don’t have all the answers. I know they went from 60 down to 44, and from what I read, I think they said they wanted four units to be affordable housing for people. Is that correct?” McNaney said, and Hull replied, “That’s why we shouldn’t really be talking much about it, because it’s very preliminary,” before McNaney added “There’s a chance that I might vote against it, too. I am learning with you.”

    Zadell added that the report from the county about their housing priorities and funding decisions was separate and distinct from any action at the township level.

    “We’re not the same organization, we’re a completely different governmental unit. So if the county is giving grants to an applicant, yes, we might write a letter of support. In this case, we did not,” Zadell said.

    Fred Hencken asked if the board or staff knew why the Walters group had applied for the funding, and Zadell said she had “no idea why the applicant is applying to the county for funding, when they don’t have approval” from the township for any plans or the zoning change.

    “That’s their prerogative, as the property owner, to do whatever they want with their property. And that’s all I can say. But it has nothing to do with the approvals that this board will render, or will not render,” she said.

    Resident Roger Hammond said he didn’t understand “how one-point-something million dollars can be approved by anybody, without a written proposal, approved at the local level. That tells me that the county is pulling strings — which means politics — the state is pulling strings, or the federal government is pulling strings,” he said.

    He and Gallagher then engaged in a back-and-forth, with the attorney reiterating that no formal plan has yet been proposed, and any decisions would be made after public discussions.

    “If that application is to move forward, it requires several different approvals from this board. Right now, the only thing that has even been suggested is zoning amendments,” she said.

    Tom Borneman asked again if the township knew why the project was included in the county plan update, and Zadell answered that the board has, in the past, applied to the county for funds for its own projects, but knew nothing about that specific application.

    “We did not apply for any grants on behalf of the Walters Group. The board of commissioners did not authorize a letter of support on behalf of the Walters Group,” she said.

    “I welcome you to submit an open records request, and I will gladly fill it for you very quickly, because I’m certain — unless some staff member did something here without telling me — that we did not do that,” Zadell said.

    Borneman answered: “I just want to be clear … the people in this township do not want this.” McNaney countered, “They don’t want what? They don’t want affordable housing in Upper Gwynedd Township?” spurring another back-and-forth on definitions of “affordable.”

    After the close of the hearing, Zadell gave a detailed presentation outlining the steps needed for any project going through the land development process versus any zoning change. Assistant Manager Megan Weaver filled in for planning and zoning officer Van Rieker, who was absent, to give a brief report on planning and zoning projects.

    “I know we discussed this in detail tonight, but on Van’s report is the proposed zoning map and text amendment for 1500 Pennbrook Parkway, the proposal for approximately 44 dwelling units in the transit overlay district. And that draft is still being reviewed,” Weaver said.

    Call some friends and exercise your 1st Amendment rights when the Upper Gwynedd’s commissioners next meet at 7 p.m. on Aug. 16 at the township administration building, 1 Parkside Place. For more information or meeting agendas and materials visit

    For More Information: Upper Gwynedd Township

    Not With Our Children

    Insanity! Pennsylvania Dept. of Education Provides Students with Preferred-Personal Pronouns ‘Ne, Ve, Ze, and Xe,’ and Asserts that Even 3-Year-Olds Can Identify as Transgender

    “According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, children as young as three years old can identify themselves as transgender, and the department recognizes the pronouns “ne, ve, ze/zie, and xe” as valid options for use.”

    “As stated on the Department of Education’s website in the section titled “Creating Gender-Inclusive Schools and Classrooms,” teachers are urged to inquire as to their students’ preferred pronouns to prevent making inaccurate assumptions about their gender identities.”

    “In addition to the traditional pronouns (he/him, she/her, they), some people prefer to use gender-neutral pronouns, such as ne, ve, ze/zie and xe,” according to the website. “If you don’t know a student’s preferred personal pronoun, it’s always best to ask.”

    The website also provides a definition of “binary gender” as the “faulty concept that there are only two genders: male and female.”

    From Pennsylvania’s Department of Education:

    Gender Diversity: Words You Should Know

    • Assigned Gender: The gender a baby is given upon birth, usually based on the child’s birth sex.
    • Binary Gender: The faulty concept that there are only two genders: male and female.
    • Birth Sex/Biological Sex: A specific set of genetic, chemical and anatomical characteristics that we are either born with or that develop as we mature.
    • Cisgender: Describes a person whose birth sex and gender identity align.
    • Genderqueer: A broad descriptor many people use to indicate a person does not identify as either male or female.
    • Gender Expression/Gender Presentation: How we show our gender to the world through external choices (e.g. dress, behavior, hairstyle).
    • Gender Identity: How we feel about our gender in our hearts and minds.
    • Preferred Personal Pronouns: In addition to the traditional pronouns (he/him, she/her, they), some people prefer to use gender-neutral pronouns, such as ne, ve, ze/zie and xe. If you don’t know a student’s preferred personal pronoun, it’s always best to ask.
    • Transgender: Describes anyone whose gender identity and birth sex do not align. The word should be used as, “transgender,” not “transgendered.” For example, “My brother Sam is transgender. His birth name was Samantha.”
    The definitions on the education department website were cited from a 2013 article by Carrie Kilman called “The Gender Spectrum,” which claims that “some kids know their gender identities and birth sexes don’t match almost as soon as they begin to talk” and that kids are capable of identifying as gender-fluid as young as 3.

    “This article shares research and insights on how gender identity differs from biological sex, and how educators can help support students who are gender non-conforming or gender expansive,” the PDE website says about Kilman’s article.

    The education department webpage, which is intended as a resource guide for educators, also includes a lesson guide for teachers to host a “gender-neutral day” in their classrooms for grades 3-12.

    The guide says that as part of the activity, students should pick two to three ways they will reject gender stereotypes for the day, and the teacher should make specific commitments to challenge gender norms in the classroom.

    Soure: The Gateway Pundit

    Democratic Double Speak

    “Call it a re­ces­sion or stagfla­tion or a slow­down or a tran­si­tory blip or even Ethel or Fred—how­ever you name it, the U.S. econ­omy de­scribed in Thurs­day’s GDP re­port for the sec­ond quar­ter is strug­gling. That’s dis­tress­ing for the Amer­i­can fam­i­lies and busi­nesses liv­ing through it, and a po­lit­i­cal li­a­bil­ity for the De­moc­rats pre­sid­ing over it. No won­der they want to pre­tend it’s not hap­pen­ing.” WSJ

    Upper Gwynedd Commissioners Ignore Community Concerns- Again

    Residents grill board on project proposal early in the process

    In a demonstration of their power over the Community, the Commissioners disregard the concerns of traffic congestion, water run off, pollution & urbanization of our Township despite campaign pledges to conserve open space & claims they wanted to improve the quality of life in Upper Gwynedd.

    From the Sunday, July 24, 2022 Reporter:

    “UPPER GWYNEDD Residents are continuing to sound off about a proposed project on Pennbrook Parkway in Upper Gwynedd. Several residents continued to ask for specifics on that proposed project, and township officials continue to say there’s nothing specific to discuss yet.

    ‘It has not been presented to the planning commission yet. I don’t have a date for you, because I’m not sure where we are in the process — we’re still reviewing the draft,’ said township Manager Sandra Brookley Zadell.” But the Commissioners and the Solicitor seem dazed and confused about transparency and process. They continue to put the quality of life of Upper Gwynedd Township residents in jeopardy. For the full text follow the link below:

    For More Information: Residents grill board on project

    Democracy is Dying in Pennsylvania

    Elites Implement Global Progressive Agenda

    The administrative state is overriding the democratic process here in Pennsylvania by enacting an authoritarian carbonpricing program that imposes an unlawful tax. Residents of Upper Gwynedd Township along with the other Pennsylvanians are going to have their utility rates raised by these unlawful regulations. Roughly four dozen power plants in Pennsylvania must buy hundreds of millions of dollars in carbon credits annually and you will have to pay more for electricity and natural gas. It’s going to be much worse if the progressive Democrats win the Governorship and the Legislature. The candidates we support will put a stop to unelected progressives working in State agencies from ruining your quality of life.

    For More Information: Democracy is Dying in Pennsylvania

    Call to Action- Defend Your Community

    Press Release

    Upper Gwynedd Commissioners consider amending the Township’s Zoning Code. This action will unnecessarily contribute to the Township’s population density.

    At this meeting the Township’s Planning Consultant will be presenting an explanation of the rationale behind the Commissioners intentions.

    In recent months Upper Gwynedd Republicans have been tracking this initiative. We Republicans have yet to receive anything from the Board of Commissioners that remotely justifies the introduction of high density housing in a neighborhood where it does not belong. The site currently Zoned Light Industrial (LI), and is located off Pennbrook Parkway and Church Rd.

    This action appears to be yet another example of our Township Commissioners falling in line with other Democrat controlled municipalities behind a national progressive political agenda that will contribute to the transformation of Upper Gwynedd in the direction of undesirable urbanization.


    Denounce the NEA

    The National Education Association’s (NEA) annual conference is underway, and the teachers union is voting on calling for a national policy of mandatory masking, creating an enemies list, and rejecting the words “mother” and “father.”

    “NEA is a social justice union that is a majority female and trans and gender non-confirming folx,” calling to “publicly stand in defense of abortion” and calling abortion limits an attack on “students, families, and communities.” The NEA will publicize its commitment to “young people’s right to learn about and develop their own sexual orientation and gender identity.”

    Time for the North Penn Education Association and Pennsylvania State Education Association to denounce the NEA.

    For More Information: N.E.A.

    We the People

    Time for a constitutional amendment on abortion?

    America can now rejoin the ranks of nearly every other developed democracy, placing basic, democratically enacted limitations on when in a pregnancy an abortion may occur. Instead of a debate shrouded in legal jargon, we can finally have the necessary conversation about whether this is an acceptable practice in a civilized society.

    For More Information: It’s our Constitution

    More than 1 million voters switch to GOP in warning for Dems

    Pennsylvania is turning RED and Upper Gwynedd is the vanguard.

    A political shift is beginning to take hold across the U.S. as tens of thousands of suburban swing voters who helped fuel the Democratic Party’s gains in recent years are becoming Republicans. And in Pennsylvania, the Republicans went from 58 to 63 percent of party changers.

    “The party itself is no longer Democrat, it’s progressive socialism …”

    For More Information: Progressive Socialism

    Don’t believe your lying eyes
    (Election Integrity)

    In another documented case of voter fraud, “A former congressman from Philadelphia pleaded guilty Monday to charges related to fraudulently stuffing ballot boxes for Democratic candidates between 2014 and 2018.”

    When the media and other propagandist tell you there is no such thing as ballot harvesting or tampering with the voting process they either are delusional or deliberately manipulating you. A corrupt media corrupts the integrity of elections, and the constant flow of negative stories from journalists out to get Republicans undermines public faith in their ability to report basic facts.

    How to Avert a 2024 Election Disaster in 2023
    (Election Integrity)

    One of the many threats to election integrity.

    “Pennsylvania lawmakers in 2019 decided to allow mail-in voting for the first time. They enacted a statute providing that “a completed mail-in ballot must be received in the office of the county board of elections no later than eight o’clock P.M. on the day of the primary or election.” In 2020 the state Democratic Party went to court, arguing that in light of the Covid pandemic, the deadline “results in an as-applied infringement” of the right to vote.

    The Democrat-dominated Pennsylvania Supreme Court—its members are chosen in partisan elections—sided with the party and ordered a deadline extension, even as it acknowledged the statutory language was clear and unambiguous. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal, so the 2020 election was conducted under this and other new, judge-imposed rules. The U.S. Constitution mandates that state legislatures [not the Courts] make the laws governing federal elections for Congress and the presidency. The Pennsylvania ruling was therefore unconstitutional.”

    For More Information: How to Avert a 2024 Election Disaster in 2023

    Another Push Poll
    (Gender Identity)

    UNITE or DIVIDE? Spinning contentious political issues to separate Pennsylvanians.

    Despite the best efforts of Berwood Yost, director of the Center for Opinion Research at the Lancaster college to spin the results, “the survey shows that 64% of registered voters approve of passing the law [prohibiting men identifying as women in female sports], with support coming from 80% of Republicans, 53% of independent voters and 30% of Democrats.

    Yost said the findings of the poll were revealing, especially for state lawmakers who are currently debating these topics. Yost believes that these questions of DEI/CRT “are cultural wedge issues designed to generate support among particularly the Republican base.” No, Berwood, these are not Republican wedge issues, they are issues Democratic Socialist are using to normalize progressive dogma.

    So Madelene, What Do You Really Think About Your Constituents?

    Revealing herself to a sympathetic woke base, Progressive lawmaker M. Dean calls her republican constituents ‘the mouths of a cult’ that has no agenda. Echoing the bigoted “clinging to their guns and bibles” slurs against Pennsylvanians in past Administrations, Madeleine Dean continues to demean the people she disagrees with. Along with smearing others she agreed that Democrats need to scare voters about democracy being at stake in order to be elected. The media and the Progressive machine all chant the same cult like fear mongering mantra.

    “They have to scare the crap out of [the Democratic base] and get them to come out, “[The Democrats] can’t motivate them on the basis of hope or their pocketbooks or any of these accomplishments. They have to scare the crap out of them.”

    According to Dean, all those who don’t agree with her “… do is whine and wallow about the things they are against, they never lift up anything that they are for. They only want to make you afraid of it. They only want to demonize the other. They have no plan. And I say this sincerely. I wish they had a plan. I wish they had an agenda. But this election is going to be clear, and we will retain, and I believe grow the majority both in the Senate and in the House,” she said.

    She is detached from the reality of every day life in her district. She knows the people in Montgomery County believe in the Constitution, the separation of powers, equal rights under the law, justice in the application of the law and the right of self-determination. We are against Dean-like progressives and their attempts to deny us our rights.

    Woodson Center’s 1776 Unites Movement

    The Fever of Identity Politics Drives Black America to the Republican Party.

    “Low-income Black Americans don’t share elite definition of diversity.” – Bob Woodson

    Elites called out by African American Leaders for destroying culture and economic opportunities in America:

    ”It’s not only intolerant, but it’s insulting … they’re using the black issue about justice as the reason for the need for it [diversity], and I’m saying, that is just not shared by the majority of Black Americans. So, Black America, low-income Black Americans, do not share this passion for ‘racial diversity’ that is being thrust on down by Black and White elites.” They don’t identify as victims. The main beneficiaries of ‘diversity” hiring and training are already members of the elite and elite wannabes. The Code Switchers fooling the public. Whenever you hear “Diversity Inclusion Equity” (DIE) think grifter or “snake oil” saleswoman.

    To borrow from President Obama’s lexicon, their peddling ”trickle-down snake oil” and the gullible can’t get enough.

    News You Can Use

    “Historically Asians, at least Asian parents, are more interested in making a living and getting their kids through education than politics … But what we see is the dismantling of the education system and the parts of it that work. We have great schools. Schools that work really well. And they are just dismantling it. That is wrong. And that is why Asians are coming out by the thousands to volunteer, to campaign, to donate and to change the landscape.”

    For More Information: Asian Americans are leaving the Democrats

    Let the Sun Shine In
    (Transparency)

    Upper Gwynedd Republican Committee Salutes the Lansdale Reporter During Sunshine Week.

    In a March 13, 2022 editorial the Lansdale Reporter talked about the challenging issues facing those seeking transparency in government: “Each year in March, news media organizations across the country highlight the importance of transparency in government and the work of journalists to ensure openness among elected officials.”

    “The Pennsylvania News-Media Association, of which this newspaper [Lansdale Reporter] is a member, is the state sponsor of Sunshine Week to draw attention to the Sunshine Act and Open Records Law in Pennsylvania. These laws together guarantee the public’s right to access government information at public meetings and through public records, allowing the public to witness decision- making so that the democratic process functions properly — and to be made aware when the doors are closed.”

    We, at UGRC, share the concern that “… the ability of officials to manipulate what reporters can see is a real danger, and the local press must be vigilant and the laws to ensure sunshine must be enforced.’ We are also concerned about the authoritarian response of local leaders when questioned.

    As I’m sure many of you know, the NPSD has been challenged by the community at action meetings. Typically, during the public comment section, people who are exercising their rights and franchise are being called “obstructionist” because they follow the science. We all know the folly in mandating masks for children long after the science has shown masks don’t work. The speakers are being call “obstructionist” because they question the application of Marxist critical theory in the North Penn School District. It has gotten to the point that expressing your concern about an official you elected is called “abuse.” It’s clear that elected and appointed officials are abusing language and gas-lighting their own constituents. When they can’t defend their positions, they call us names. Many of those parents slandered by the rhetoric from the progressives on the Boards are intimidated and feel disenfranchised. They feel abused by the ad hominem attacks from the bully pulpit. Of course, that’s what the bullies want. When one person speaks up they are labeled a “crackpot,” when two speak up they are labeled “conspirators,” when three people speak up they are labeled “insurrectionists.” So we need to help these every day residents feel supported and let them know we appreciate everything they do for our community.

    Committee Exposes UGT Commissioner’s Predisposition to Subsidized Housing
    (High Density Housing )

    After months of stonewalling by the Upper Gwynedd Board of Commissioners, the Upper Gwynedd Township Republican Committee has exposed the truth regarding the Commissioners interest and intentions regarding the introduction of High Density/Government Subsidized Housing in the Township.

    For several months’ representatives of the Upper Gwynedd Republican Township Republican Committee along with concerned non-Committee residents have been questioning the Commissioners about a proposal made by a for profit developer, The Walters Group. The Walter’s Group is proposing to build 44 apartment style dwelling units on Pennbrook Parkway off Church Road. The Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Development recently awarded two grant subsidies totaling approximately $1.3 million to the Walter’s Group to assist with this project.

    The Commissioners have refused to answer questions regarding the proposal stating that it was premature for them to comment as “no formal application was before the Township”. While it is true there is currently no formal Application before the Township for Land Development review, there is a written request before the Township to formally consider the approval of an amendment to the Township’s Zoning Code. A draft amendment and concept plan was written and submitted by the developer, The Walters Group, approximately 12 months ago. If approved by the Township Commissioners, this amendment would add high density residential development to the allowable uses within the Light Industrial (LI) zoning district.

    Information recently received from the Township via a freedom of information act, aka RIGHT to KNOW (RTK) REQUEST filed by the UGTRC reveals that the Township received a letter dated March 2, 2022 from the attorney representing The Walters Group. This letter requested that the Walters’ proposal for a text amendment to the Township’s Light Industrial (LI) zoning district be formally reviewed by the Township. The letter confirmed that appropriate review fees have been paid by the applicant. The Zoning Code as currently written does not permit any residential uses in the LI zone. The Walters Group proposal cannot move forward unless the current Zoning Code is amended by the Commissioners.

    The Commissioners want to us accept that the proposed amendment will only apply to the 4.0+ acre tract off Pennbrook Parkway that is currently under consideration. This amendment would be a clear example of illegal SPOT ZONING. The truth is the amendment as proposed by the Walters Group would apply to any (LI) zoned property within a .5-mile radius of the SEPTA Pennbrook train station. This amendment, if approved, would apply to a very large area in the Township that is currently zoned (LI). Further, a careful reading of the Walters Group’s proposed Text Amendment reveals that the amendment, if approved, could also apply to a .5-mile radius currently zoned (LI) around the North Wales SEPTA Station. This proposal over time could completely transform the Township we know and love into a community we would not recognize. The (LI) zoned area abutting Church Rd. and Beaver St. could be completely transformed into an unrecognizable urbanized area.

    At a recent Township Commissioners Meeting UGTRC representatives asked if the Township possessed any United States Census Tract data that supported the need for affordable or governmentally subsidized housing in the Township. The question was asked in order to gain an understanding of who currently living in Upper Gwynedd Township would benefit from this proposed action. The answer given by the Township Manager, Sandra Zadell, was that she did not know if such data existed. This answer prompted the UGTRC to file an additional RIGHT-TO-KNOW request. This information request was for:
    “a copy of any and all demographic statistics specific to Upper Gwynedd Township that justifies the need for high density, income restrictive, affordable or subsidized housing in Upper Gwynedd Township.”

    The response from the Township to the UGTRC was:
    “Your request is denied as no documents exist as described.”
    Therefore, it is fair to conclude that the Township is considering a proposal to increase the future density of the Township with subsidized housing that benefits no one currently living in the Township.

    The Commissioners have even gone so far as to ignore the opinion of the Township residents who responded to the Township’s own 2040 Comprehensive Plan surveys. These survey results revealed that 97% of all survey respondents believe that the current mix of housing types as permitted by the CURRENT ZONING CODE is a factor that makes Upper Gwynedd an “excellent to good place to live”, (see page 32 of the Township’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan). It is important for everyone to know the current Board of Commissioners inherited the current Zoning Code from the previous well experienced Republican Township Commissioners. The current inexperienced Board of Commissioners have even admitted that they have NOT conducted any studies that would measure the impact that this Zoning Code Text Amendment could have on traffic in our community. The UGTRC believes this to be an alarming reflection of inexperience. The voters of Upper Gwynedd need to know that none of the current Township Commissioners ever served or volunteered to serve on any of the Township’s land use related Boards ie, Zoning Hearing Board or Planning Commission, before being elected to the position of Commissioner.

    One has to wonder why an elected Board governing a Township that is now approximately 95% built out (developed) would even consider amending the Township’s Zoning Code with the intent to attract and allow the introduction of High Density / Subsidized housing to a potentially very large section of the heart of the Township. One must also wonder why the elected Board of Commissioners would place the interest of individuals who do NOT currently live nor have any vested interest in Upper Gwynedd ahead of all of us who have lived and paid taxes in our community for years.

    We believe that Upper Gwynedd is a very special community and should not be unnecessarily and permanently changed to conform to a political agenda to transform the suburbs. Given the lack of any substantiating statistics we ask this simple question; who currently living in Upper Gwynedd does this proposal portend to benefit? The Township Commissioners have been advised not to answer this question. They have in fact been advised NOT to answer any questions publicly.

    The answer lies in the UGTRC’s belief that the Upper Gwynedd Township Commissioners have politicized the management and future of the Township. They have held a predisposition to this initiative in order to satisfy a National Democrat Agenda. This agenda is based on a desire by County and National Democratic leadership to urbanize our suburban communities. The Commissioners appear to be taking their direction from above. This direction is perhaps coming from the County of Montgomery or from the County Democratic Committee. Upper Gwynedd is NOT alone. Concerned groups have been tracking this identical politically driven initiative in other communities throughout Montgomery County. This initiative threatens what has always been a Township where property values have always been strong. Strong property values, while more than satisfying any required legal mandate to provide a wide mix of housing types is one of the hallmarks of Upper Gwynedd Township. The Township more than satisfied these mandates decades ago. Previous Commissioners did so in a socially welcoming, sound and apolitical manner that encouraged sensible growth while promoting property values within ALL residential classes.

    What ever happened to the simple concept that local government is and always should be about doing the right thing for the current residents and voters of the Township without political agendas. To date, no one from the Township has been able to explain how this initiative benefits anyone currently living, paying taxes or voting in Upper Gwynedd.

    The Upper Gwynedd Township Republican Committee urges everyone in the Township to pay attention to what the Commissioners are doing with respects to this and many other issues. We urge everyone to attend upcoming Township Planning Commission and Township Board of Commissioner’s meetings to express your opposition to this initiative. Large, vocal, and informed opinions matter. The Township Commissioners hold public meetings the second Monday of every month as well as the third Tuesday of every month starting at 7pm at Parkside Place. Residents are urged to come to these meetings and listen for themselves how the commissioners want to radically change our beloved township.

    On Tuesday night, July 19, members of the UGT Republican Committee (UGTRC) Oversight Committee appeared before the Township Commissioners to voice their concerns about the consideration of adding high density income restricted housing into the Twp’s (LI) Light Industrial Zoning District.

    UGTRC Committee members Linda Smith, Carl Smith , Tom Borneman and others voiced their concerns and posed the following questions.

    1. Why, when the Township’s very own newly adopted 2040 Comprehensive Plan conflicts with this initiative would the Commissioners give this proposal much consideration in the first place. The new Comp. Plan confirms that 97 percent of survey respondents believe that the Twp’s current housing mix is a factor in what makes UGT an EXCELLENT to GOOD place to live. This initiative seems to be in direct conflict with the Township’s own Comprehensive Plan.
    2. Linda Smith asked if the Board was considering this Zoning Amendment as a result of a filed Curative Amendment. The Township’s Solicitor confirmed that a curative amendment application had not been filed by the applicant, the Walter’s group.. A Curative Amendment proposal attempts to “cure” or remedy a deficiency in the Township’s Zoning Code. A deficiency related to housing types simply does NOT exist in the Twp’s current Zoning Code. This fact is supported by the wide variety of housing types anyone with a clear vision can see and is statistically proven in the Township’s own new COMP PLAN (see page 32 of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan)
    3. It seems that the Board of Commissions had a preconceived agenda to find ways of adding population and urbanized density to our Twp. This is reflected in their defiance of the opinions expressed by residents when they participated in the surveys that were a part of the public participation phase of the new COMP PLAN’s development . UGTRC President, Tom Borneman asked if this initiative was part of a National Democratic agenda to transform the suburbs. Mr. Borneman held in his hands a letter issued by the White House which espoused the virtues of high density, affordable housing and suggested that Federal Grants for miscellaneous municipal projects would be made available to municipalities that promoted this cause. No response was offered by the Commissioners.
    4. Committee members asked when this proposal was going before the Township’s Planning Commission for public review. No specific date was given by the Commissions or Twp. Staff.
    5. Carl Smith asked if a DRAFT ORDINANCE AMENDMENT had been filed by the developer (the Walter’s group) for the Township’s Consideration. The Solicitor confirmed that a DRAFT document had in fact been submitted. The UGT RC will be filing a Right to Know Request) asking for a copy of that Draft amendment.

    Senator Casey: Take Heed!

    “The late columnist Molly Ivins once quipped about the inhabitants of “the world’s greatest deliberative body” that “‘Get along, go along’ is not an inspirational philosophy, and only God knows how much moral cowardice it has covered up over the years. Serve your time, collect your chits, and cash ’em in for your home state? No, I’d say we could ask for more than that from our senators.” Stop enriching yourself and your family, stop pedaling your influence.

    Democracy Dies In Darkness
    (Transparency)

    Commissioners reveal their goals are not townships goals

    “What’s important to point out with these is that they’re not township goals; they’re our goals as a board,” said commissioner Liz McNaney.”

    “These are things that we, as a board, decided we want to focus on. It’s not something, necessarily, that everybody’s going to be in agreement with out there. It’s what we think is important,” she said.

    Resident Tom Borneman questioned the April 6 goals meeting during the public comment portion of the April 19 meeting, asking why it was not streamed online and why it was held during the afternoon instead of the usual evening hours. McNaney said the afternoon time “was done that way because we all have crazy schedules, and 2 p.m. seemed to work.” Hull and Zadell said the meeting was not streamed or broadcast due to additional costs, and limited availability, of the outside firm the board uses to do so.” Or are controversial topics discussed without community input? So much for transparency!

    Board of Commission consider the acquisition of the Martin Tract
    (Property Rights)

    Upper Gwynedd Township Board of Commission consider the acquisition of the Martin Tract located at Allentown Road and South Broad St.

    This press release is issued by the Upper Gwynedd Township Republican Committee (UGTRC). The Committee’s intent is to provide the residents and tax payers of the Township with factual information about this issue and to provide the voters and taxpayers an alternate view from the position held by the current ALL Democrat Board. The UGTRC believe that simple common sense should be considered on this issue and towards all other issues related to the management and operation of the Township.

    The residents of Upper Gwynedd currently enjoy an existing inventory of 830 acres of mixed use open space. This inventory was created through the vision and hard work performed by the previous Republican controlled Township Boards. Previous Boards carefully included ALL of the salient factors in the deliberations to preserve open space. Political gain was never considered. Over the years very few acres were preserved via an expenditure of tax dollars. The current Board proposes to spend millions of tax dollars to acquire the 33-acre Martin property.

    WHY ?

    The current Board wants Township tax payers to believe that their proposed purchase was a product of their recently approved (August 2021) 2040 UGT Comprehensive Plan. Township Minutes from 2017 reveal that this acquisition was really hatched by Commissioners Liz McNaney and Denise Hull when they were manufacturing issues for their 2017 campaign for Township Commissioner. In 2017 the previous Republican controlled Board of Commissioners explained to both then candidates McNaney and Hull that there was limited interest on the part of the Township in acquiring any part of the Martin property due to its market value. The law requires that fair market value determines what the Township would have to pay the owners to acquire the site. This expense, along with the current and future tax revenue producing potential of the property and other priorities made the acquisition unjustified. The position held by the previous Board of Commissioners yielded the construction of 26 high end tax yielding homes that were recently built on the portion of the Martin Tract located on the north side of Allentown Road. The position of the prior Board of Commissioners was formed and held in the context of a simple cost benefit assessment and was not driven by a means to gain political favor.

    Yes, this site was included in the Township’s 2004 Open Space Plan. Research reveals that all existing substantial tracts were required to be listed in the Plan that was mandated by the Montgomery County Open Space Initiative. Every community in Montgomery County was required to prepare a plan. It would be a factual statement to say that through Republican leadership and careful planning, Upper Gwynedd Township was a model for wise open space preservation decades before any member of the current ALL Democrat Board was elected and before Montgomery County created their Open Space Initiative.

    At the September 21, 2021 Board of Commissioners meeting the current Democrat Board came dangerously close to wasting nearly $ 3.0 million of your tax dollars to acquire this site through a process called Eminent Domain (Condemnation). If it were not for the objections of the owner and questions asked by

    Upper Gwynedd Republicans and others who were in attendance the action would have been approved by our current Board. Fortunately for the tax payers of the Township there was a Commissioner absent and the measure failed on a 2-2 tie vote. Prior to the vote it was revealed by the owner that he had previously expressed a willingness to donate a portion of his tract to the Township as part of a negotiated land development plan. The current Board found themselves in an extremely embarrassing situation. Apparently acquiring a portion of this property at NO COST was NOT good enough for the current Board of Commissioners. The current Board was fully prepared to condemn the entire tract at an appraised value of $ 2.9 million to satisfy a poorly thought out 2017 political promise made by Commissioners McNaney and Hull.

    In a recent Philadelphia Inquirer article (1-16-22) Commissioner Liz McNaney distorted the facts to advance the current Board’s agenda. In that article Commissioner McNaney stated that the Township owned “211 acres of municipal park space”. Her statement completely ignores the active open space owned by other agencies like the Wissahickon Valley Watershed (Green Ribbon Trail) and the expansive 240 acre Natural Lands Trust property (which includes a network of nature trails) located off Swedesford Road. McNaney further understates the recreation space available to residents in this neighborhood by ignoring Lansdale’s expansive Whites Rd. Park which is located within 750 feet of the Martin tract. Perhaps Commissioner McNaney does not know that the Whites Rd. Park is physically located in Upper Gwynedd Township. The previous Republican Board worked hard with both the Wissahickon Valley Watershed and the Natural Lands Trust organizations to advance the cause of open space protection and recreation, at ZERO cost to the Township tax payers. Prior elected Boards applied an efficient systems approach towards its Parks and Open Space strategy.

    The public should also be aware of the fact that under eminent domain law the Martin family has a right to contest the fair market value offer made by the Township. Through taking the matter to a Jury of View proceeding the acquisition cost to the Township can increase substantially above the currently held $ 2.9 million value. These costs do not include what the Township will spend developing and permanently maintaining the site in accordance with their unjustified vision.

    Lastly, despite continued requests made by Upper Gwynedd Republicans, the current Board and its staff have yet to produce or make public an economic impact study that would estimate the real estate tax revenue that will be permanently lost to the Township, County and the School District. Such a study will reveal the millions of dollars that will be lost once the Township takes ownership in perpetuity. Any clear minded individual realizes that this loss is increased exponentially when you factor in the value of the property after it being developed in a reasonable manner with community and neighborhood input. Upper Gwynedd Republicans would include public neighborhood input as to how this tract might be privately developed in the future.

    Upper Gwynedd Republicans propose a common sense view of this entire issue. The existing 830 ACRE inventory of mixed use open space disbursed throughout the Township represents an outstanding accomplishment for the residents, environment and for wildlife. The existing inventory is 7X the recommended inventory prescribed by several agencies including the Commonwealth of Pa. We simply do not believe that there is any justification for this acquisition. This belief is further substantiated when considering the use of the Township’s power of eminent domain and the associated expenditure of millions of precious tax dollars. The UGTRC believes that the use of the governmental power of eminent domain (condemnation) should be used exclusively for land acquisitions involving necessity not for the fulfillment of a frivolous political campaign promise.