Letter to the editor 08/23/2004

The Aug. 17 "special public meeting" in Sadsbury was a sad perversion of the democratic process. After a year and a half of giving residents the minimum amount of information required under the law, township supervisors mutely observed the final public hearing regarding zoning for Arcadia’s planned high-density residential development.

For two hours, residents sounded off about the two development options presented to them: a high-density housing development, or apartments and industrial buildings. Some people favored the housing development, some favored the industrial option; most felt that neither option was a good one for the township, and that the entire plan should be reworked.

Then, perhaps 45 seconds after the last resident finished speaking, the supervisors voted in favor of the new zoning ordinance written by Arcadia for its own development. Not only were the supervisors clearly not interested in the comments or feelings of the residents, they didn’t even pretend to care. Without a word of discussion or deliberation, they handed our township’s future to Arcadia on a silver platter.

Arcadia has spent months actively working to turn neighbors against each other in this debate, and the supervisors just let it happen. Many residents chose not to attend the meeting at all, commenting that "It doesn’t matter what I think - the supervisors will do what they want, regardless."

What a sad commentary on politics in our township; unfortunately, those residents were correct.

The only way to effect the change in attitude and ethics that this township deserves is for residents to educate themselves on the issues and cast informed votes in the May 2005 primary and the November 2005 general election.

Victoria Horan

Sadsbury

©Daily Local News 2004

Reader Opinions: 

Name: Lem Mason

Date: Aug, 23 2004

How correct Ms. Horan !! And to counter another Local Editor's opinion stating that people get interested in this way too late, the amount of citizens who have been in Sadsbury for years, those with real vested interest in the community have been speaking out against the Ar Qaedia / Supervisor rape of Sadsbury for years. How could all this outrage not have been noticed or taken into account? An open plea to ANY honest, well intentioned State Rep., Ethics Commission investigator, or any other ranking PA official to come here and investigate this sham starting with the Ar Qaedia Land Co. / Chester Co. Planning Commission connection and following the trail of influence all the way down the Darwinian ladder to the bottom rung where the Sadsbury Supervisors reside. Everybody got something out of this backroom dealing...Ar Qaedia got their zoning, and Sadsbury gets North Philly West. Whatever the supervisors got, I hope they can look at themselves in the mirror every morning and like what they see after selling out a whole community of their friends and neighbors to a carpet bagging developer.

Name: Lucy Chavez

Date: Aug, 23 2004

Why is it that when we cast our votes for politicians and they win - we all of a sudden lost all say. Why is it that once these politicians do the opposite of what we voted them to do - our hands are tied. Why can't we impeach these people and make an example of them for the future.? Can anybody answer this?

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Last modified: 12/01/07