Let the Race Begin

Today begins my campaign for Mayor of Port Matilda, Pennsylvania. I went to the Centre Country Bureau of Elections and picked up my Candidate’s Nomination Petition Packet. I am permitted to begin collecting signatures in about two weeks. This is the first step in the process, whereby I will challenge the current Mayor in the Republican primary. The outcome of the primary will likely not only determine the Republican candidate for Mayor, but also the office of Mayor as an independent or Democrat is unlikely to defeat the Republican candidate.

Port Matilda is a pleasant rural town of about 650 residents, of which about half are registered voters. Around 60% of the registered voters are Republicans. Most people who live there work in one of the neighboring communities as there are few local employers. It is serviced by the Port Matilda Volunteer Fire Company (PMVFC), which also services the surrounding four townships. It operates its own municipal water service and water treatment station. The property values are quite high considering the median income of the citizens and many of those who grew up in the borough cannot afford to buy a home there themselves and either live in a neighboring community, with family or rent.

In the last election (Nov. 2004), 78% of registered voters came out to vote. However, that was a major election for President, a U.S. Senator and Congressman and several PA State offices. At the last Mayoral election (Nov. 2001), only 35% of registered voters came out to the polls. The current Mayor was the only candidate and she received 79% of the vote.

I decided to run for Mayor after several months of consideration. The driving force in my decision is that I don’t feel that the citizens and community organizations in the borough really have an advocate for them in the Mayor’s office. I feel that I could better represent the needs of the people and the community organizations. I believe that I could help set aside old grudges and work towards what is best for the community rather than just for those on one side of an issue.

Our current Mayor has not been a bad Mayor. She has done an adequate job. Under normal circumstances, I would likely vote for her. Unfortunately, these are not normal circumstances. During the time Vivian Duncan has been Mayor, a crisis has developed with the PMVFC. This crisis developed over time, but was not monitored by the Mayor due, I believe, to a somewhat adversarial relationship between her and the officers of the PMVFC that stifled open communication.

In June of 2004, the problems that had been growing for some time reached a crisis point with the closure of the PMVFC a strong possibility. In the eight months that have followed since that public disclosure, almost nothing has been done to solve the problem. A Task Force was set up, but it has no authority and its recommendations are more long-term in nature. In the mean time, the potential of the loss of service from the PMFVC continues to be a danger.

The five municipalities which the PMVFC serves jointly collect revenue for the support of the company. They do not turn over the money to the company, but rather make payments on their behalf. However, not all the money collected for the purpose of supporting the company is used for that purpose. Despite the severe financial situation of the PMFVC and the real threat of losing service, funds are still being withheld. I believe those funds are being withheld as a result of a power struggle between the various municipal governments and the PMFVC as to who should have control over the PMFVC.

As it stands, the PMVFC funds 70% of its operating budget on its own through fund-raisers, as well as providing all the labor and time both for responding to calls and for the training that is required. In addition to responding to many calls, the mere presence of the PMFVC and its equipment significantly reduces the cost of property insurance. That reduction is very important to the home owners in Port Matilda as the cost of property had already out-paced incomes. A significant increase in insurance costs due to the loss of the PMVFC or its equipment would be very detrimental to the existing home owners and would likely make it even harder for the average citizen to be able to afford a home in the future.

Currently, the various leaders of the five municipalities favor letting the PMVFC default on its truck loan and having that equipment seized, as they feel the structure and cost of the loan is too great a burden. That plan of action would be disastrous for not only the PMVFC, but also for the community due to the cost that loss of that equipment would add to property insurance. That plan is based on the notion that a new or restructured fire company could take the place of the existing, get new equipment and go from there. The time it would take to re-create a fire company and to obtain equipment is unsatisfactory. Further, the volunteers now servicing the area would be alienated by this de facto takeover and may not volunteer in the new version of the company. Finally, the money lost on payments already made, penalties and then the costs of re-structuring or making a new company, as well as down payments on new equipment would be far more expensive than simply solving the financial problems of the existing company.

I believe that, as Mayor of Port Matilda, I could serve as an optimistic and committed leader towards preserving and fixing our current volunteer fire company. I have not been a party to the political and, at times, personal fighting between the local government and the PMVFC. Like the majority of the citizens of the borough, I am concerned more with the preservation of the services and the cost of property insurance than I am in trying to prove who was right and who was wrong about something that happened in the past. We need to consider the future and not get mired in old grudges.

In addition to the mismanagement of the relationship between the borough and the PMVFC, I feel our current Mayor has not really tried to be an advocate for the community organizations that make Port Matilda more than just a collection of streets and houses. For example, the borough also operates its own water system and the Port Matilda Sportsmen’s Club asked for a rate reduction considering their status as a non-profit community organization. The decision to deny that request was not made solely by the Mayor, but she did not serve as a strong advocate for their needs. The Borough Council has the responsibility of making most of the decisions, so it should be the priority of the Mayor to serve as an advocate of the people and of the community organizations at the meetings of the Borough Council. The Mayor needs to consider the benefit to the community various civic, recreational, religious and other organizations provide and make sure that is weighed in the debate against the simple dollars and cents. If we fail to consider the intangible benefits of our community organizations in our decisions about the way in which to manage our community, we risk losing those organizations and their benefits to the community. At a time when new development and the need to travel longer distances to find a decent paying job are slowly eroding the sense of community in our borough, we need a Mayor who will work to see that we preserve and grow those organizations that still hold us together.

I do not belong to either the PMVFC or the Sportsmen’s Club, but I recognize that they, along with the many other organizations in the borough provide important services and fill a key role in the community. As a conservative Republican, I believe it is the duty of the local communities and not the Federal Government to improve the lives of the people. It is through our clubs, churches, businesses, youth leagues and other organizations that we the people work together to make our community and consequently our country a better place to live. That is why I am running for Mayor of Port Matilda.