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

Resume Required

How many times have you gone to the polls during an election or even a primary and done what I am guilty of, "eeenie, meenie minee, mo."  Part of the reason is that, believe it or not, I haven't had time to familiarize myself with the candidates, especially in the primaries.  Last night that changed for me.  Johnsontown Community Group had invited the candidates running for the open Borough Council seats, and we got much more than we bargained for.  By the time we all made it to our seats last night and the meeting was called to order 15 candidates or their representatives had come to present themselves to our group and the community residents who attended.  I was impressed with some, and others failed to make me sit up and want to give them my vote, so here are my impressions of some of the candidates that attended last night.

Judge of the Court of Common Pleas
Mark Tunnell-I honestly could not get a feel for him.  He's a quiet man and when speaking to him after the event he was a very cordial person. Mark Tunnell

Fredda Maddox-I was not impressed with Ms. Maddox.  While she is well spoken, she spoke mostly about Philadelphia and the challenges they face as opposed to getting down to brass tact's as to what she will bring to the table for Chester County.  Fredda Maddox

Ann Marie Wheatcraft-If she is as good as the representative that was there for her last night she has my vote.  I had heard of some of the programs that Ms. Wheatcraft had been involved in in Avon Grove, but did not know who she was.  Ann Marie Wheatcraft

County Commissioner
Kathi Cozzone-Most of us here in Johnsontown are familiar with Ms. Cozzone as she is an active member in the community of Downingtown, but her family also recently suffered a tragedy in our little area of the borough.  She was well spoken last night and I felt that I could easily vote for her if I were of her party.  Kathi Cozzone

Ryan Costello-For some reason this gentleman rubbed me the wrong way.  I don't know if it was how he carried himself or if it was the content of his speech.  He is presently filling the spot left open by Carol Aichele.  His firm is also involved in the case for Pennhurst Manor and was challenged during our question and answer period about said case by a council member from that area.  He is a former Recorder of Deeds so he is from the political world of Chesco.  Ryan Costello

District Attorney
Sam Stretton-I honestly expected more from Mr. Stretton.  I knew that he was the attorney of record for Ann Feldman and the Kardon Park issue, so I think I was expecting a little more flamboyant personality and a bit more well spoken.  What I took away from his speech was that at the end of the day while his experience is impressive he does not bring to the table what is needed to be the District Attorney for Chester County.  Prosecuting the crimes that are committed here in Chesco is not going to be an easy job because as those of us who live here know they range from the petty to the horrific and I did not see how Mr. Stretton had the personality to take on such a huge task. (No website available)

Tom Hogan-This candidate impressed me the most out of all those running for county positions.  At first when he got up to speak I thought to myself, "Here we go another arrogant candidate that thinks we are dumb." But Mr. Hogan proved me wrong.  Mr. Hogan is charismatic, his resume is impressive and he makes you feel that he wants to put away the "bad guys" as much as you do.  His experience in not only local prosecutions, but all the way to a federal level give the impression that he will make sure justice is served. Tom Hogan

Sheriff Carolyn Bunny Welsh (Sheriff Bunny Welsh) was her own bubbly, yet down to business self as she described the accomplishments of the Chester County Sheriff's Department which have been well documented thus far.  Russ Phifer, (Russ Phifer) running for the position of Recorder of Deeds appeared to have all his ducks on a row even with it being his first time within the political realm.  He wishes to make the office more service oriented for the public.  Judge Rita Arnold (Rita Arnold) also spoke briefly asking for our support as she rounds out her public service on the bench.

Now on to council for the Borough of Downingtown. 
Matt Zaun (East Ward)-Matt is a soft spoken gentleman, but does give you the feeling that he really cares what goes on in the borough.  He is a member of the Historical and Parks Commission and has a true heart for service.  He wants to see smart growth in Downingtown without emptying the pockets of the residents and preserving our rich history. (Matt Zaun)

Cara DeStefano-Cara is a leader and has headed up the IDEAL (IDEAL) group in Downingtown.  This group is residents and business owners in Downingtown who wish to see revitalization and growth in the borough.  IDEAL, while promoting all revitalization in the borough also went head to head with Friends of Kardon Park.  If you don't know the whole issue behind Kardon Park-in a nutshell the borough wished to develop the land west of The Ponds which is, in my opinion and many others, a former dump that needs to be remediated for it to be of some use to anyone in the borough.  Friends of Kardon Park have taken this to litigation and have said that the land west of The Ponds is still a park and therefore should not be developed.  At this time the head of Friends of Kardon Park, Ann Feldman is a member of Borough Council and is sitting until 2013.  This could be an issue for Cara as both women will have to work together and it may work against Cara in the polls. (IDEAL/Daily Local)

Betty Shingle(West Ward)-Betty is a long time resident of Downingtown and of Johnsontown.  She has headed up several car enthusiasts clubs and is a doting grandmother.  Betty was a former Executive Council member of Johnsontown, but resigned late last year after a personality conflict with other members of the group.  Betty also recently (March 2011) changed party affiliations to run as a Democrat against Nick Winkler for the seat being vacated by Bob Smith.  While Betty does have the borough's best interest at heart I cannot see what skill set she would be able to bring to the table as a council member.  I, myself sometimes get lost in the quagmire of local politics and I have been following it quite closely for the last few years, so I am not sure what skills Ms. Shingle feels she has to contribute to the twists and turns of running the ever growing and changing borough. (No website available)

Alex Rakoff-Mayor Josh Maxwell represented Alex.  I could not really get a feel for Alex from Mayor Maxwell's talk other than he seems to be a very involved citizen and resident of Downingtown.(http://www.alexrakoff.com/)

Nick Winkler-I may be a bit bias when it comes to Nick as I have worked closely with him for the past two years on the Johnsontown Community Group.  Nick ran for mayor in 2009 and was narrowly defeated by Mayor Maxwell.  Nick is well spoken and has a true heart for service in his community.  He is involved, as proven by the time he gives to JCG and does indeed love the town he has chosen to call home.  When I am not sure about an issue that has come before Borough Council most times Nick will have an answer for me or knows who or where to go to get the answer.  His clear concise answers to questions at times can appear that he knows too much, but Nick does his research so that he can answer the question that is asked of him.  He brings a great deal to the table as he ran a campaign for Mayor of Downingtown and while he was defeated he did have a fantastic showing and he ran the re-election campaign for Curt Schroder for State Representative. He tries to have his finger on the pulse of Downingtown and that is what I seek in a political representative. (Nick Winkler)

So there you have it...my impressions of those who wish to represent you in the next election.  Take what you like and leave the rest, but make sure you get out and vote so that your voice can be heard.

The Candidates Come to Johnsontown

Here ye here ye...come one come all to the Johnsontown Community Group meeting on Tuesday May 10, 2011, 7:30PM at St. Anthony's Banquet Halll on Church Street.  The meeting will kick off promptly at 7:30 with our special guest, the County Dispatch Officer, followed by candidates in the following categories (as of Friday May 6th):

Scheduled to appear:
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas
County Commissioner
District Attorney
Sheriff
Prothonotary
Recorder of Deeds
and of course the candidates for Downingtown Borough Council.

We encourage everyone to come out and meet the candidates as these people want to represent you.  Hope to see you there!

A Royal Pain In The Butt

I'll admit I watched a part of the Royal Wedding this morning.......15 seconds of it because I clicked a link that I didn't want to.  There was no way I was going to rise an hour earlier than I already do to watch an event that has absolutely no significance for me other than it's a nice thing for a couple to pledge their allegiance to one another for the rest of their lives.  Then again for the English Monarchy we know about how well that works.

I asked a few people what the big deal was since I did not see the reason for all the hype and one of the answers I got was, "It's history."  No it's not.  History is a life altering event within the infrastructure of a country or world that forever changes how we perceive things and how we react to them.  This is a wedding, and while it's a happy and joyous occasion for the couple and their friends and family, it will not cause a wrinkle in many people's days for years to come.

While reading the updates and wall posts on Facebook today I also came across someone indignant over some of the negativity of a few people.  The person said that the last time we had something like this was when Diana died and that it was such a happy occasion we should be rejoicing.  I found the irony of this statement quite funny.  Why and how did Diana die?  The paparazzi were chasing her in a car because ordinary people can't seem to keep their noses out of public people's lives.  Yes, I understand that if one becomes a politician, actor/actress, public speaker and the like you have opened that can of worms, but there are just some things we don't need to know, nor do I want to for some things.  So for all intents and purposes we nosy Nellies killed Diana with our ever growing obsession with people in the public eye.  Yet people got up at 4AM, are having wedding parties, and talking incessantly about the "new" royal couple, who has had and will continue to have the public crawling into their bedroom just to get a glimpse into a life that when you take away all the flash is not all it's cracked up to be.

Always A Rebel

"We're from Columbine couldn't be prouder and if you can't hear us we'll yell a little louder!"  This is a chant that I heard at many football games during my three years at Columbine.  For so long it when you mentioned you went to Columbine people looked at you like you were the luckiest person in the world......twelve years ago that look morphed into pain and surprise.  Twelve years ago two young men decided that they had been bullied beyond repair and that they were going to seek retribution for the wrongs they felt had been done to them.  Were they both a bit unbalanced?  Most definitely.  Was the bullying out of control?  No more so than for any other students.  Was this act of terrorism necessary?  In some forms it was.  Not that lives were lost and hearts were shattered, but for the very fact that on that day people came together, friendships were renewed and we became aware that it could happen in our own backyard.

I did not grow up in the Littleton School District like a lot of the kids I wound up attending high school with.  In fact I spent most of my life in the Norristown School District up until ninth grade.  We moved to Colorado in 1980.  We drove across country right after my mother was declared healthy enough to make the trip (she had had a heart attack three weeks prior) and we arrived two days before my 15th birthday.  My parents had finally found a house, but we could not go to settlement until July so we spent June in a hotel.  When we eventually got to move into the house I was told that I was going to be attending Columbine, a year round school.  Ummmm excuse me, year round?  That meant that I would be in school all year with breaks in between.  Because I was a new comer I was assigned to track "B", which meant my vacations were from the beginning of April to the beginning of June and October to December.  I was not too sure of this whole set up, but was willing to give it a try.  Honestly, it was the best experience of my life.  Not just because of the people I met, but because my education was well rounded, I had not burned out and lost a lot of momentum during the summer and I was really prepared to enter college.  Many times I have regretted that schools here in PA are not willing to give the concept a try when classroom sizes become a problem and teacher burn out escalates.

I was always proud of my diploma from Columbine and the accomplishments that I have achieved there, but on this day in 1999 that security that I had lived with was shattered.  Two young men decided that they had the right to enter the building with guns blazing and bombs planted to seek retribution for what they saw were egregious wrongs done to them.  My boys were three at the time and did not understand what mommy had suddenly started crying while listening to the news.  But there is always a silver lining for every tragedy, some we can't see and others are as plain as the nose on our faces.  Alumni that hadn't spoken in years reconnected, people scattered across the country came together through the wonders of the Internet and friendships were reformed.  We cried together, we railed at the injustice of a lives cut short and we made it known that even though it happened in our backyard we were going to do everything it took to not have it happen again to our kids.

Today my heart is heavy as I remember what was taken from all of us...a simple thought, "Not in my home, not in my town, not in my school." But what we gained was so much more than that and the tears will dry tomorrow and I can say once more I am a Columbine Rebel, Class of 1984.

So Tell Me What You're Hiding

During yet another D'town Borough Council Meeting the Sunshine Act was brought up again, and I have to tell you I am a bit tired of the whole thing.  The funny thing is I agree with Ann Feldman.  It all started back when Johnsontown Community Group was asking for Council to help, approve or change an ordinance that would allow one car parking permit per household on East Church Street.  One small request and a whole hullabaloo was started.  Some of the problem stemmed from the fact that some people on the Parking Committee were not pleased that we had figured out a solution to the problem ourselves as a community without their official input.  Good heavens not that!  Not a community that can band together and actually solve their own problems!  After a disastrous discussion at the presentation of the solution to council because no one wanted to stand up and say, "Yes this street is unique and we need to address this issue." our group asked if the Parking Committee held open meetings.  Boy the firestorm that has started!  I don't believe that a council meeting has gone by that it has not been revisited since.  I believe the sticking point happens to be, is that there are some on that particular committee that would like it to be a private fiefdom where no mere mortal shall enter and the second problem is that Ann Feldman has brought the Sunshine Act to the forefront and has pursued whether committee meetings should be open to the public or not.  I sat in one particular meeting and listened as council members tried to do an end run around it and suggested that the committee now be made an internal agency just so they did not have to face the fact that not only do they have to advertise the meetings, but they must be public.

What I'd like to know is what is being hidden that this has become such a HUGE issue.  I would also like to know why good people are throwing common courtesy out the window just because Ann Feldman is trying to hold our little government to the standards that have been set forth.  I am afraid that if Ann yelled "FIRE" and meant it it would be ignored just because people have a bee in their bonnet about her stance on Kardon Park and the East Caln parcel.  News flash people.....do I feel she is way off base on those issues?  Oh yeah!  Does the fact that she tends to nit pick EVERY issue get on my nerves at times?  Good gravy yes, but for the good of Downingtown get over yourselves people.  When someone has a good idea swallow your pride and give them the due they should get.  That and the unprofessional and unbecoming attitudes of some of the people we are counting on to represent ALL of us......I have to say I cringe at the tone of voice that I have heard from various individuals. 

Just because I like a certain politician does not mean that I will agree with that person on every issue.  The same is true in reverse......just because I feel that someone is not whom I would vote for, but the people have placed in office does not mean that once in awhile that person will not come up with a good idea.  Personally while I will fight Ann tooth and nail on development that will enhance any part of Downingtown, in my eyes, that she is against does not mean that I will not work with her on an issue we agree on and I think it is about time that council and other employees of the borough, committee members and other volunteers need to suck it up and put forth a more professional attitude.

Long Time No Words

Recently I was reminded that I had not had much to say here lately.  Part of the problem has been life interfering and the other part is that so many things have been going on that it is hard to pick one particular incident to discuss.

Our community group has been keeping me pretty busy as we are still working on the parking issues for East Church Street, we have several events in the making and we formed a few committees to tweak and enhance our ability to help residents in Johnsontown.  Also the president of our community group Nick Winkler announced his intentions to run for one of the soon to be vacant seats on Borough Council, for which I fully support him.

There has also been another surprise.....I have found myself in the position to work with Councilwoman Feldman.  She graciously offered to be a liaison between our community group and the council.  I have to say that while this does not change my position or thoughts on the Kardon Park issue nor the East Caln plot of land, I have been happy to have her assistance especially when dealing with individuals on certain committees.

As several of these events unfold I am sure that I will have more words and possibly more time to put "pen to paper" so to speak.....but for now life is getting in the way.