Saturday, May 14, 2011

Introducing Alex Rakoff

I have been in contact with each of the candidates running for the open positions on Council for the Borough of Downingtown.  Each candidate was given three questions and presented here are Alex's answers.  Alex is running for one of the two seats on the East End of the borough.

Q: Most residents know that one of the big issues in the East Ward is still the very contentious Kardon Park, but while that is tied up in litigation and will be decided as a matter of law what other issue on the East end of town is more pressing at this time?


A:One of the biggest issues we face in our borough is the empty store fronts on Lancaster Avenue. This deters people from traveling into our borough for their consumer needs. We need to fill these locations with businesses that will profit and generate revenue for the borough while directly assisting in keeping our taxes as low as possible.



Q:What skills/assets will you be able to bring to Borough Council?


A:I possess accounting, mathematical and business skills that will be vital in weighing budgetary options. I am a hard worker who does the necessary research in order to make informed decisions. I am dedicated to this town and the decisions I make will be in the best interest of our residents.


Q: Matt Zaun has outlined his goals that he has if elected, Cara DeStephano is a progressive growth candidate, Heather Bruno is against change in Downingtown, what three goals do you have that you would want to see accomplished if elected to council?


A:My first goal is to fill the empty stores on Lancaster Ave with the right type of businesses that will bring growth and longevity. My second goal is to create a voluntary clean up group of caring residents to clean up trash throughout the borough and I will see what can be done about littering fines in an effort to preserve the beauty of our town and generate revenue. My third goal is to find creative ways to alleviate the budgetary strains on the borough that will eventually cause an increase in the taxes we pay.


Hopefully this will give you a better idea of what Alex stands for and what he hopes to do for the borough.
Thank you Alex and good luck at the polls

8 comments:

  1. So, Alex came to me to get my vote and I asked him a simple question on growth in town...then I find out my friend over in Main Street Villiage got a completely different answer!! He looks well polished and together but I'm not buying it. His wife and him are both on IDEAL team. They say they want growth then he goes around saying we shouldn't develop. His wife's at everything saying Alex, alex, alex but doesn't even know what her husband stands for...what will Alex Rakoff really do if elected?

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  2. That is not true! Alex was very clear that he would build Kardon Ponds. I support Mr. Rakoff for Council. It's time to elect a pro growth, pro development, pro business council member.

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  3. Alex does have a website

    www.alexrakoff.com

    That might help answer any questions.

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  4. Kardon Park is currently in litigation. Once the courts issue a ruling on the appeal we can go from there. I am not a part of the IDEAL team, although there are a lot of things the group does that I do support. Such as being pro Downingtown business, supporting the Downingtown Main Street Association and the overall effort put into the town by its members.

    I cannot promise to know what is going to happen with Karon Park but I do promise to speak with all town members that want to have their voices heard. I promise to gather every bit of information and all facts in order to make informed decisions that will help our borough reach its full potential. I promise to never make unfulfilled promises.

    I do apologize if I did not make myself clear when I spoke with either of you and would welcome anyone to contact me at anytime if they would like to discuss what I stand for.

    You can reach me via phone or email and my contact information is on my website:

    www.alexrakoff.com

    Sincerely,

    Alex Rakoff

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  5. I understand where Alex is coming from. Although, I must say that is a very "political" answer. I'm not impressed with how dishonest he is to people he's talked to. When you tell someone something please tell another person the same thing. I was so close to supporting him until I found out he flip-flopped his stance on Kardon Park. Seems like he is very careful what he tells people to make sure he doesn't tick people off...ultimately it's all about votes. Sad but I guess that's how local politics work. Now I don't know what to do...there aren't any good candidates this year. I don't want to vote for any of them. I will have to find the lesser of all evil's...lol

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  6. DONT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!! Alex, is awesome. He is totally for big business and making sure we bring $ into the borough. I saw his wife for the first time at an IDEAL meeting. She was super nice. Alex's views seem to line up perfectly with Sarah Peck and the developers in town. It is time for borough counicl to start major growth. Let's make Downingtown more like West Chester. Come on business, development and big bucks. Alex you've got my vote!

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  7. lol, I know Alex! I remember him from West Chester U…lol If he ran for drinking, smoking champion he would probably win. Surprised he is running for council never knew he cared about anything.

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  8. If we want fair governance the average unqualified human likely needs to be designed out of the system.

    We have the testing and technology so that only qualified humans could vote on each and every nuanced law and issue rather than easily corruptible politicians. Look at the crowd sourced ranking on commenters on the Ted.com or YouTube. Doing something like that, we could interactively determine who's making the most salient points. They-we get ranked higher and we-they get to make crucial decisions instead of what we have now, a high school popularity contest based on mammalian and reptilian impulses. I believe the Zeitgeist Movement's Venus Project has some useful ideas on how to do this. Or in this example filmmmakers are calling for more specific ratings in YouTube comments. This same system could be used for self-governance.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FDkkEoHL6M&feature=player_embedded#!

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