Municipal Elections In Pottstown, November 5th

Tuesday, November 5th, is Election Day.  There are many options on the ballot which will directly impact everyday life for Pottstown Borough residents.  The people running for election tomorrow will be determining things like how much tax you pay and the direction the school district and borough take over the coming years.  The four school board candidates are all running unopposed but there are choices for two council seats and the mayor.

If you aren’t satisfied with how the borough spends your money, then tomorrow is your opportunity to vote for positive change.  Do you want to live in a safer environment?  Do you want your taxes to stop going up?  Do you want to see more economic development in the borough?  Do you want the elected leadership to actually have a plan of action instead of just “keeping a lid on the power keg”?  Do you want to see the leadership work together for the betterment of the community instead of in-fighting and having personal agendas?  Are you tired of seeing For Sale signs every where you look?  Are you tired of Pottstown being Montgomery County’s dumping ground for social services and Section 8 Housing?

We are officially endorsing the following candidates for mayor and borough council:

 

Sharon Valentine Thomas, Mayor of Pottstown

Running against incumbent Bonnie Heath

 

 

 

 

Sheryl Miller, Pottstown Borough Council, Ward 3

Running against incumbent Jeff Chomnuk

 

 

 

 

Cindy Conard, Pottstown Borough Council, Ward 7

Running against incumbent Joe Kirkland

 

 

 

 

Here is the latest map of polling locations in Pottstown Borough:

Pottstown Primary Candidates – Out With The Old And In With The New. Part II

Roy’s Rants spent a few hours this afternoon talking with two Pottstown Borough Council candidates and a Pottstown mayoral candidate running in Tuesday’s Pennsylvania Primary Election.  We would like to share some of this information to help voters carefully weigh their options.  The outcome of this election will be crucial in either moving Pottstown down the road to revitalization or allowing it to continue in a downward spiral.

Cindy Conard is running for 7^th Ward Borough Councilor against incumbent Joe Kirkland.  Cindy and her husband moved to Pottstown several years ago.  They chose to buy a home and invest in Pottstown.  After sitting on the sidelines and watching the direction Pottstown has taken and the machinations of council, Cindy saw a leadership vacuum existed and wanted to do her civic duty by getting involved.

Cindy brings considerable management experience to the table.  She is paid to solve problems and look for solutions to problems that aren’t readily apparent.  Critical thinking is something Cindy excels at as well as her ability to ferret out the root cause of a problem rather than to simply address the symptoms.

Cindy would like to be part of a council that would: create a shared vision for Pottstown, be fiscally responsible, collaborate with the community, encourage economic development in downtown Pottstown, reduce crime and reduce “red tape” for residents to improve their homes and properties.  And most importantly, Cindy will strive to get people working together to produce results!

Former 6^th Ward Councilor and “man of the people” Jody Rhoads has officially endorsed Cindy Conard!

You can check out Cindy’s official campaign Facebook page here:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cindy-Conard-for-Council-in-the-7th-Ward/232676780206363?fref=ts

 

Sheryl Miller is running for 3^rd Ward Borough Councilor against incumbent Jeff Chomnuk.  Sheryl grew up in Pottstown and graduated from Pottstown High School.  Sheryl moved away for a few years but yearned return to the “town she loves” to live.  Sheryl and her husband bought a home in Pottstown and she has watched her hometown deteriorate.  She also feels compelled to do her civic duty and run for borough council.

Sheryl holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Albright College in Crime and Justice.  Sheryl wants Pottstown to be a safe place.  She would be tough on crime issues if elected to Pottstown Borough Council.  She advocates community policing and wants to promote police visibility by utilizing foot and bike patrols.  She also promotes police officers getting to know residents the community.

Sheryl is concerned about neighborhood safety, clean streets, property maintenance; she advocates responsible spending and supports open government.  Sheryl wants to create policies to improve the quality of life for borough residents.

Sheryl wants to improve communication and cooperation between borough council and the community which would encourage citizen engagement.

You can check out Sheryl’s official campaign Facebook page here:

https://www.facebook.com/SherylMillerForPottstownBoroughCouncil?fref=ts

 

Ross Belovich is running for Mayor of Pottstown against former Mayor Sharon Valentine-Thomas on Tuesday.  The winner of this primary contest will go up against incumbent Bonnie Heath in November.

I did an extensive interview with Ross which you can click on here:

https://roysrants.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/pottstown-mayoral-candidate-ross-belovich-a-breath-of-fresh-air-on-the-political-landscape/

If you have not read this I would ask that you to take a few moments and read the article.

You can check out Ross’s office campaign Facebook page here:

https://www.facebook.com/MayorofPottstown

Ross is an articulate individual with many excellent ideas on how to move Pottstown forward.  The mayor oversees the police department and acts as an official representative of the Borough of Pottstown.  To many people, the mayor is the face of Pottstown.  It is important that this individual present themselves in a dignified and professional manner at all times.

The mayor can be involved with PDIDA, PAID and other boards/entities in Pottstown that promote economic development and revitalization.  The office of the mayor could be used as a force to help affect positive change and present council with researched ideas for their consideration during the monthly Mayor’s Report.

The mayor acts as a tie-breaker in the event a vote on council ends in a draw.  The mayor should be well versed on all matters on the agenda and be able to make an informed decision if called upon.  When only six councilors are at a meeting, this scenario could happen.

Roy’s Rants officially endorses these candidates!

Pottstown Primary Candidates – Out With The Old And In With The New. Part I

It’s time for Pottstown voters to purge local politics of the ostriches on council and replace them with outside the box, critical thinkers who actually have a plan for Pottstown (other than status quo).  In case you haven’t noticed, Pottstown is teetering on a precipice.  Depending on which way the wind blows will determine if Pottstown rises from the ashes like Phoenixville or becomes the next Chester or Camden.

Frankly, I would hope residents would choose the revitalization option.

My BFF, the one and only Missy Mayor Bonnie Heath thinks Pottstown is all sunshine and puppies.  Anybody who dares to pull back the curtain and expose the truth is labeled a trouble maker, malcontent etc… and accused of casting Pottstown in a negative light.  I think that impression has already been seared on the minds of most people and they have their opinion about Pottstown.  Rampant crime, drugs, a Section 8 housing/social services overload, slumlords and a shrinking tax base speak for themselves.  You can’t put lipstick on this pig and make it look good.  Even with glitter and puppies.  People say things like, “If you have to drive through Pottstown, roll up the windows, lock the doors and pray you don’t break down”.

The current crop of bobbleheads on council and their fearless leader Steve Toroney seem to think all is peachy is Pottstown.  Look at the decisions this body has made in the last year.  Look at the crime rate, look at the “for sale signs” all over town, look at your tax bill, look at the state of the downtown (it would be worse if it weren’t for a few brave souls like ArtFusion, Steel River Playhouse, the Brick House and Sheila Dugan) and the list goes on and on.

What vision has this auspicious group proposed for the betterment of Pottstown?  Insert cricket sounds here.  Although, if you read Evan Brandt’s interview with Councilor Kirkland you would think Pottstown is a “boom town” with new businesses springing up like mushrooms and borough council is just one big love fest of unity.  For these reasons and other equally laughable ones, he thinks the incumbents should all be reelected.  Councilor Kirkland can’t seem to wrap his mind around why anybody would run against him on the Democratic ticket???  Talk about a WTF moment.

If you think your vote doesn’t make a difference, you are very wrong.  Sharon Valentine-Thomas lost to Teflon Bonnie by a few dozen votes.  Indifference and apathy are what keep these people in office.  If you would like to live in a revitalized community, a safe community and a community with an excellent quality of life, you should see what the challengers in these races are all about and what they are proposing for Pottstown.  Look at the track record of the people on council.  Are you better off today than you were four years ago?  Are you proud to say you are from Pottstown?  Can you afford to pay your property taxes?  Do you feel safe walking the streets?

These are all things you should ponder before pulling any levers on Tuesday.  Your well-being depends on it.

Farewell Sharon Valentine-Thomas

Pottstown Mayor Sharon Valentine-Thomas made her farewell address to Council this week.  Mayor Thomas will be missed!  She brought class and diginity to the office of mayor and made her presence known at countless events in the life of this town over the last four years.

I had the opportunity to get to know Mayor Thomas over the last year and found her to be a very pleasant person who cares deeply about Pottstown.  It’s a shame that the pathetic voter turn out in the last election caused her role as mayor to come to an end by a few dozen votes.

I think the incoming mayor and new council have A LOT of work to do.   I sincerely hope that you all get your act together and get ‘er done!  We need more people on council like Jody Rhoads who will work for the citizens of Pottstown instead of their own special interests.

I will be watching and reporting as we move forward!