May 22, 2008 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

From our readers

Breathalyzers for all moms?

From the May 8 editor’s column, “Bulldozed”: “Jain’s current quest to demolish 8524 Germantown Avenue to construct a new building and bring a café with a full bar that serves drinks to mothers while their children are tended elsewhere seems, at best, poor judgment.”

Since how I choose to raise my child and whether or not I consume alcohol in her presence is the business of the Chestnut Hill Local, why not just insist on breathalyzer tests for all the moms walking up and down Germantown Ave? Who knows what they’ve been drinking the privacy of their own homes? We certainly can’t trust adult women to make these decisions for themselves.

Nancy Sullivan
Chestnut Hill

Read my words: It’s the economy

I am writing in response to Ken Weinstein knocking Governor Ed Rendell, the best governor I have ever voted for in the last 50 years. It seems that Mr. Weinstein almost every week is in the Local complaining that he and the Trolley Car Diner are not getting any money from the state and Governor Rendell. Why should he?

At no time has your diner been completely closed off from traffic. Since the Germantown Avenue construction started, there has been access from Mt. Airy to your diner. When the work moves further up the Avenue in May, there will be access from the Chestnut Hill side. You have signs plastered all over Mt. Airy from Germantown Avenue to Stenton Avenue and Allens Lane to Willow Grove Avenue letting everyone know your diner is open. Do you know how many diners, restaurants and other businesses have gone out of business because traffic was rerouted permanently to another road? Did these restaurants and businesses receive money from the state? I don’t think so!

Let’s face it, if there was no construction taking place on the Avenue, you would be losing money because of the economy and rising fuel prices. People are not eating out as often due to the economy and not driving as far to dine. Should the governor of Pennsylvania pay for the loss of business due to the economy? I don’t think so. I would resent my state taxes going to the Trolley Car Diner for the bad economy and fuel prices. Let’s face, it Mr. Weinstein, it’s the economy and fuel prices. Live with it like every other business owner is doing!

Don Cameron
Mt. Airy

Disappointed in Avenue coalition

I am writing to express disappointment in the leadership of the Coalition to Save Germantown Avenue. Apparently their only concerns have been their own businesses and attempts to secure state grant dollars to subsidize them during the construction. Sadly, my attempts to contact Lizza Robb as a very near neighbor to the construction zone have gone unanswered and unacknowledged.

My neighbors on the 7400 thru 7500 blocks of Boyer, as well as neighbors on Roumfort, McPherson, Devon and Gowen, and especially Germantown have all been seriously impacted by this project. At no time has the coalition attempted to solicit our input on how the project impacts homeowners.  Traffic detours have turned our normally quiet residential streets into major arteries.  I have seen lost buses on Gowen, and many a car, including from the contractors driving the wrong way, on my one-way street. 

The same infrastructure that is in such terrible condition on the Avenue is the infrastructure our home and streets share.  We have had many infrastructure disruptions, including water main and gas line breaks, all due no doubt to the strains being put on our pipes and wires by the work one block away.

I and others have emailed and called the Coalition contact person to ask for advice and assistance.  Not even the courtesy of a return call.  My response will be simple; my family will never again eat dinner at the Cresheim Cottage.  Other coalition members would be well advised to reach out directly to the near neighbors to understand our frustrations. As the most loyal patrons of the businesses, which for us are just around the corner, you might consider some special promotions (discounts, specials) to the affected homeowners.  

Charles Bender
Mt. Airy

Simple solution

How unfortunate that, after noting in the page one article that there is no way to know if the “controversial” cash memberships were purchased by one person, [“CHCA election questioned,” May 15] the editor of the Local assumes as much and then suggests that there is an integrity issue with the CHCA [Editor’s column, “CHCA election rules need examination,” May 15]. In fact, only the most avid conspiracy theorist would jump to such a conclusion when one realizes that not only would the election memberships have to be “bought,” but that one would also have to buy the slate of candidates, deal with the staggered terms of the board (a minority of places at issue in the election), and buy off the LUPZ/DRC members to have any effect.

The solution, in fact, is quite easy, and requires no huge investigation into who paid for what. (Are we going to start requiring member affidavits that they are voting of their own volition? How community-oriented is that?)

Very simply, the CHCA is planning to require disclosure and recusal by any board member for any vote where such member is an interested party. True, this is kind of boring, and ruins the day for the conspiracy theorists out there, but it allows the association to continue to do work that is for the good of the community, which is exactly what we have been doing.

Edward Berg
Executive Committee Member

Editor’s note: My editor’s column argued that there are no apparent safeguards that would prevent someone from buying the election. It did not assume the election was bought. From that column: “Such a scenario is not necessarily what happened, but the fact that it is possible under the current rules is problematic.”

Election: Fully legitimate

I feel compelled to address Mr. Mazzaccaro’s concern about the past election.

The election was fully legitimate. Our judges of election, past editor of the Local Katie Worrall, past board members Carol Hausserman and Mary Cunningham, along with others approved at the board meeting in March, have completed this thankless task of counting, over and over during the years. They are thorough, they are honest and they are adept in the methodology that has been developed over time. Election procedures were also approved by the board. Those were provided to the judges as well.

It’s a shame that Mr. Recko did not use the procedure set out at the Executive Committee meeting in April and decided instead to use the CHCA’s own newspaper to stir the pot, as it were.

Lastly, there are major privacy issues involved here. I do not wish to have anyone examining my choices other than the judges of election and I am sure that most of the 500-plus people who voted, feel the exact same way! One can only imagine the gossip and innuendo that would be spread if people other than the judges were to be allowed to “examine” the ballots. 

Dina Hitchcock
VP/Operations
CHCA Board of Directors

Voice of Dissent

Subject — The Nominating Committee’s recommendations for officers of the CHCA and my objection to their choice of Dina Hitchcock as vice president of operations.

Facts — (1) Dina was instrumental in voting against and bringing about the dissolution of the Oversight Committee which I, as president, had put in force for a two-year period.

(2) Dina opposed and swayed the board in not accepting my recommendation to audit CHCA’s financial statements of March 31, 2005, at no cost to the CHCA.

(3) Dina prepared a bogus power point presentation, trying to indicate that the Chestnut Hill Local has lost money for the last 10 years.

(4) Dina has violated election procedures by not keeping the ballot box in the CHCA office for 30 days after the election.

(5) Dina was disingenuous in her communication with Harrisburg by not fully disclosing the altering of documents regarding a $10,000 DCED grant.

(6) Dina made no attempt to recover a $3,250 payment to Legacy Real Estate for services for which there was no contract.

(7) Despite my efforts in elucidating these and many other issues to Stewart Graham, he steadfastly refused to bend on the endorsement of Dina as vice president of operations.

Opinion — Regarding the facts presented, do I feel with Dina as vice president of operations we’re going in the wrong direction as far as transparency is concerned? Absolutely!

Do I feel that the president was misled by Dina as vice president of operations? Absolutely!

Do I feel that without oversight you have no accountability? Absolutely!

Conclusion — If this is the “democratic process” according to Stewart Graham, let us hope that arrogant, controlling, manipulative behavior will ultimately lose out to justice.

Ron Recko, immediate past president and chair of the
Nominating CommitteeCommunity

manager already?

No new board, at its first meeting should be asked to vote on the employment of a new community manager when it has received no prior information from the Search Committee, has no knowledge of the issues currently under consideration, and has had no opportunity to discuss these issues with other board members.

The new board at the June 2005 organizational meeting (it was a month late that year) was also asked to meet and approve a new community manager.

There was, at the time, no board-approved job description. There was not then, nor is there now three years later, in the Personnel Guidelines any grievance procedure for an employee, though this continues to be a serious issue.

Have all current board members received copies of the job description? Have all newly elected board members received copies? Was it revised after the departure of our most recent person filling that position? Did all the applicants receive copies? How many applications were received? Where were ads placed? Over what period of time? We have been told nothing to date except for an announcement in the CHCA Agenda of last week’s Local, “Community Manager Search Committee report/ new Community Manager introduced.”

No doubt the board will be told “The bylaws require us to have a community manager.” But this is premature!

Ann Ward Spaeth
Board Member, CHCA

Commercial lawn signs

Lately I have seen way too many lawn signs for free and landscape companies. Some lingering for a month or more. Isn’t that just a big billboard? A bit too commercial for residential Chestnut Hill?

Ann Williams
Whitemarsh

Intrusions are everywhere

I enjoyed Hugh Gilmore‘s heartwarming and funny column, “Television in Waiting Rooms: a Reprise” [May 15, 2008].  Despite the ordeal the family went through with his son’s health scare, Hugh’s observation about TVs in waiting rooms and elsewhere was priceless. Hugh is a real hero for pulling the TV plug in the waiting room. Now I’d love to see Hugh write a column about another assault on the senses: blaring music. I thought about that recently when I went shopping in the CVS for a greeting card. The music above my head was so loud that I couldn’t concentrate. In fact I was so distracted that I bought a feminine birthday card intended for a very macho male friend, (sorry if someone is offended) just to get out of the store and away from the noise. This mind numbing intrusion is everywhere, including supermarkets, airplane cabins, restaurants and department stores (even Bloomies!). And in case anyone hasn’t noticed, the problem has hit home on the Avenue near Bethlehem Pike. If you stroll in that area in the evening, you will be treated to music blasting from dueling loudspeakers at Cosimos on one side of the Avenue and Cuba on the other. If Hugh doesn’t care to write a column about this community annoyance, then maybe at least he can figure out a way to pull the plug(s)!

Barbara Zamochnick
Wyndmoor        

Local note gets great response

Just a short quick note to let you know how pleased I am with the responses I have received from our community for the “plug” you gave me in this week’s Local for collecting audio books/tapes.

The first call came on Wednesday May 14 from Mount St. Joseph Academy in Flourtown and I picked up about 20 pounds of tapes/audio books, etc. on Thursday. The second call came from David who has several CD’s and tapes for me to pick up tomorrow in Chestnut Hill. The third call from a retired woman in West Mt. Airy whose cousin was blind and wanted to send a donation to help with shipping these items to St. Xavier’s College. The fourth call came this afternoon from Mary at the Chestnut Hill Senior Center who has several tapes of fictional books for me to pick up Monday. What a responsive and generous community we have. I feel elated and blessed with this work I got started.

Many thanks to you for making it happen.

Chuck Gupta
Chestnut Hill

The day a generation gap was bridged

They were in their mid-teens … it was obvious from the expressions on their faces that they would rather be somewhere else … but … they had promised their grandfather they would come with him to watch the ceremony honoring a group of his buddies … a ceremony not unlike thousands of others held throughout our nation on Memorial Day.

When the playing of the national anthem was announced their grandfather leaned over and whispered in their ears … their expressions softened … they looked over at their grandfather’s buddies … those in wheelchairs, those using walkers and canes came to attention the best they could … their grandfather was standing at attention ram-rod straight with his right hand over his heart … so they followed suit.

When the ceremony ended, the kids walked over to their grandfather’s buddies and shook hands with every one of them … when they walked back to their grandfather’s side, he asked them, “What was that all about, kids?” They replied, “Grandpop, when you whispered in our ears … ‘those fellows and millions more like them were only a few years older than you when they were called away to defend our freedom … to fight for our country … thousands of them never had a chance to have grandchildren to love like I do … for you see, they never came back’ … Grandpop … we knew exactly what you meant … we just wanted to thank them for all they did for kids like us … and thank you, Grandpop, for asking us to come with you today.”

As they walked away, arms around each other’s shoulders, it was obvious the love they had for one another could never be greater. It was the day the generation gap was bridged between a grandfather, his granddaughter and his grandson.

Tom Woodruff
Wyndmoor

Ballots were never removed

“CHCA election questioned” [Local, May 15] incorrectly attributes to me quotes that indicate the ballot box was removed from the CHCA offices.

Pete wrote that Ron Recko said, “The ballot box containing all the ballots cast was removed from the CHCA offices against election procedure.”

Ron actually said that his questions had to do with election procedures, that under item #26 of the procedures “all ballots will be kept for 30 days in the CHCA office.” Ron went on to say that the problem was that two weeks had gone by and that the ballots were not in the CHCA office. Ron never said “removed.”

Pete wrote: “Tolis Vardakis, CHCA president, conceded the point that the removal of the ballot box was a violation of the election procedures…” I never used the word “removal.”

Pete wrote: “Vardakis said the ballot box was removed shortly after Recko had asked to review the ballots on his own.” This statement is false in its entirety because I never said it. In fact, the box with the ballots has been with Katie Worrall, judge of elections, since the announcement of the results of the elections.

I said: The ballot box is with Katie Worrall. We need to safeguard the integrity of the ballots in terms of voter confidentiality, and that no one should remove any of the ballots from the box, so no one should handle the ballots but the judges.

The ballot box is a cardboard box. The CHCA office is not a secure place because there is too much traffic of people, and anyone can go through the ballot box. It is not the job of Noreen [the Administrative Assistant] to police the ballots. In fact, Noreen called me on the day of the Executive Committee meeting to tell me that someone was inquiring about the ballot box, and she expressed the same concerns that I had, and that she felt that only the judges of elections should handle the ballots.

I urged Ron Recko to put his concern in writing and give it to the judges of elections. The judges of elections could then evaluate his concern and respond to him in writing. His reply was, “You will read it in the Local.”

It is interesting that the word “removal” (which was never used during the discussion) appeared in two articles in the same issue of the Local – one by editor Mazzaccaro and the other by Ed Feldman, in his letter to the editor.

Tolis Vardakis
President, CHCA

Editor’s note: It appears I made an error. The word “removal” was not used in direct quotes but in paraphrase. I committed the journalistic sin of assuming the ballot box had been in the CHCA office since election rules required it to be, but it was never in the office after April 23.