Editor’s comments: Below I have reprinted the text from Katy Jackson’s heartfelt speech with my thoughts. Love her or hate her, Katy cannot be accused of taking the path of least resistance. The time Katy has put into trying to make Pottstown a better place is enormous. There are plenty of other things she could be doing with her time. Katy gets no pay, Mr. Toroney yet she puts in countless hours working toward the betterment of Pottstown and has plenty to show for her efforts, it in terms of accomplishments. Yes, I know you work full-time.
It angered me that Katy was interrupted and told to “wrap it up” at only 4 minutes. It showed a complete lack of respect and civility. Mrs. Jackson is WELL AWARE of the time limit for citizen comments. She was reading a prepared text, which she timed. That fact that she was the ONLY person interrupted tells me her words hit too close to home. The truth hurts.
All this blustering and obfuscation needs to stop, along with blaming the taxpayers. It pisses them off as you were told last night. I hope you heard that loud and clear.
Mr. Toroney, you know being a Councilor is time-consuming, yet you keep running for re-election. You know it pays virtually nothing, yet you keep running for re-election. Either the job is your joy and sacred duty or a time-sucking pain in the ass, it cannot be both.
After introducing herself as a representative of the Citizens Action Committee of Pottstown, Katy said:
Mr. Toroney, you’ve taken the path of least resistance in your lengthy term (15 ½ years) on council. Art Markman, PhD, a professor of Psychology at the University of Texas and Director of the Program in the Human Dimensions of Organizations, writes ‘the path of least resistance’ as “The psychologist Tom Ward points out that when we think about anything, we follow the path of least resistance. Without realizing it, we instantly and automatically categorize every situation we see based on our previous experience. So, despite our best efforts to do something bold and new, our memory drives us back to things tried and true. Our efforts at creativity are thwarted before they get on track.
Several years ago, you made a comment to a council person that “you don’t get paid enough”. Yet, you have vied to retain your seat and you’ve accepted the position of Council President, more than once. Have you failed to understand that serving as an elected official is not about the money? Or is it…? Mr. Toroney, if being on council is your “sacred duty” as you professed last night, then may I suggest you actually do something. Last night would have been the perfect opportunity for a list of accomplishments that you, as Council President, achieved which propelled Pottstown forward.
Given that the process was in place and, taxpayers covered the costs to seek a qualified outside borough manager, you took the path of least resistance. This is the $120,000 question. If Pottstown Borough government operated in the real world, a more experienced person would be Borough Manager and making a more reasonable salary considering the size of the local government. Also, a more experienced person would have realized if you spend more money than you bring in, you create a deficit. There is no “extra” money in the budget to reward our friends with promotions and raises, to buy a new car, to hand out iPads, or spend money on consultants that we planned on ignoring all along. Taxpayers are smarter than you think.
When it was time to select a new Police Chief for Pottstown, you made no pretense about choosing the path of least resistance. Again, in the real world, people are held to metrics and performance goals. I supervised people for over 20 years and wrote countless performance appraisals. Employees were ranked according to their achievements. If you failed to meet goals such as quantity and quality, your performance review reflected this. Your raise, or lack of a raise was dependent upon your results. Your customer service skills, ability to work and play well with others, your attendance, punctuality etc… were all measured. When my people missed their goals, I heard about it from my boss. Had I told my V.P. that my goal was to increase productivity by 1% I would have most likely been demoted, once he stopped laughing.
Each month when the expenditures for the borough are approved by council do you read the line items and scrutinize the spending or…do you take the path of least resistance? I will say Pottstown’s finances improved greatly due to Jason Bobst, Janice Lee and Dan Weand. However, if we allow the borough manager spend money we don’t have, whose fault would that be? In the real world, his supervisor. In Pottstown’s case, that would be borough council, headed up by El Presidente, Steve Toroney. The borough manager needs supervision, sorry. Inaction makes you complicit when overspending occurs. Just say no.
Do you believe that upper management requires exorbitant salaries, top of the line new vehicles, iPads for officials, costly analysis of the codes department, bullet proof surround for upper management while taxpayers and residents of Pottstown watch in disbelief as our community deteriorates before our eyes. Diligent public employees struggle to do their best with chaos but others could care less about their jobs. You have taken the path of least resistance, Mr. Toroney. See above commentary…this also falls under reigning in your employees.
You appointed an ad hoc committee to vet prospective engineer firms who ultimately chose Remington, Veronica and Beach, in March 2012. It is evidenced that you were aware of impropriety in that process yet, you did not speak up. You went on to support a hasty, questionable expenditure of unbudgeted tax payer money of around $33,000 for an analysis of the codes department by Remington, Veronica and Beach. Again, I ask, was this the path of least resistance? This debacle is just unbelievable. No words.
I believe this poor, struggling community cannot afford you, Mr. Toroney. Your selective interest and support of worthy organizations in Pottstown appears to be based on your personal approval or disapproval of the individuals that comprise their groups. Despite your disdain, these organizations forge ahead in the challenging roles they have accepted to make Pottstown a better place for all residents. Why has it been difficult for you to offer encouragement and take an interest in your community? In this, you have again chosen a path that may have been easy for you but you have made it difficult for many others. Mr. Toroney’s irrational fear of a certain non-profit organization in Pottstown is just maddening. This organization can actually list substantial accomplishments that have made Pottstown a better place. This mentality is very junior high school. Stop the madness and grow up.
You have failed to advocate for the taxpayers and good citizens of Pottstown and in doing so, you condone the rising crime and disintegration of our community. Rather than using your position, as Council President, to communicate with Montgomery County and State officials, to keep the concerns of this community in the forefront of their decision-making, you have engaged in conspiracy theories about the Counties intentions toward Pottstown. And we have been further isolated in our efforts to revitalize. Pottstown’s potential is enormous. As I drove down High Street last night from McDonald’s to borough hall I remembered what drew me to live in Pottstown all those years ago. I like towns better than “burbs”. I like the hustle and bustle, the diversity, the architecture, the history etc… When I first moved to Pottstown in 1983 I lived in Valley View Apartments in North Coventry Township. Less than two years later I moved into the borough and lived on the 200 block of Walnut Street, followed by the 100 block of King Street, the 1400 block of Queen Street and the 900 block of Hale Street. I CHOSE to live in Pottstown. Sadly, in 2012 I CHOSE to move out of Pottstown because of crime, blight and the cost of living.
We’re asking you tonight to step down from service to this community so that an “individual” among you, that council deems qualified, can pick up the pieces, and lead. We desperately need real leaders in Pottstown. Lead or get out-of-the-way, Mr. Toroney.
Mr. Toroney are you proud of what Pottstown has become? John Potts is rolling over in his grave on a daily basis over what has been done to his town.
It’s not too late to save Pottstown but the residents need to start driving the bus and stop being taken for a ride. Power to the Pottstown People!
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