Petty, backroom politics blamed for holding up Morrisville public works projects
Posted: Friday, April 12, 2013 9:30 am | Updated: 5:14 pm, Fri Apr 12, 2013.
Posted on April 12, 2013
Morrisville residents were oh, so close to having $1.4 million worth of public works improvements started in their community.Petty politics got in the way, though, one official said. Another believes backroom dealing might be going on.
A loan proposed by TD Bank was voted down last month.
Borough Manager Tom Bates said a bickering council is the reason.
“If you want to fight among yourselves all the time, that’s what council does here,” Bates told the council last month. “All you do is three no votes, five yes votes. And now somebody is mad at another council person and they are going to vote no. If that’s what you want to do, hurt the people of Morrisville, God bless you. God bless the people of Morrisville.”
Councilman Victor Cicero, who has been in favor of the project all along, voted against the loan proposal, creating a 4-4 tie, which was broken by Mayor Rita Ledger, a Democrat not seeking re-election. She said the loan terms would have “tied the hands of future councils.”
Cicero said nothing more than the years of the loan was behind his vote. He said paying a loan for 15 to 17 years is too long in his “personal opinion.”
“I didn’t agree with the structure of the loan,” Cicero, a Democrat, recently said. “I’m not against the project. I think it’s a positive move for the borough.”
Rivella, a Democrat running for mayor, on Wednesday said there’s more to Cicero’s no vote than he’s admitting. Rivella said that he believes political backroom deals are being made involving the upcoming election to the detriment of Morrisville residents.
“I don’t want any part of it,” he said Wednesday. “I’m disgusted by it all.”
Bates and Rivella still hope the project can move forward if the council thinks about the residents and approves a loan this month. Bates expects to have two more offers from banks at the next council meeting on Monday.
“We’ll see what Tom has for us,” Rivella said of the manager. “Maybe we’ll be able to resolve this issue once and for all.”
For nearly a year, Morrisville officials worked with consulting firm Johnson Controls on plans for environmental improvements such as lighting at the library and public works facility, streetlights and traffic lights, as well as the first upgrades to borough hall since it was built in 1948.
In recent weeks, Bates received a promise of a bank loan from TD Bank to pay for the $1.4 million project. The interest rate on the loan would have been 2.46 percent, and there was an option to negotiate the rate during the 16th or 17th year; or pay off the entire loan at the end of the 15th year, but no sooner, without penalties. The total loan estimate included fees.
Bates said if the project goes through, taxpayers won’t have to pay a dime directly toward the loan.
The improvements would bring in $2 million in utilities and operating cost savings to the borough, he said. Those savings would pay for the loan. And the remainder would go to the borough’s savings accounts ideally, he added.
Bates obtained four bank loan estimates, but only needed the one, he said.
“All the other banks told me this is the best rate,” Bates said.
The council voted down the TD Bank proposal late last month, though.
A bank loan is needed at this point, considering the borough has already agreed to the project, with the condition of having a viable loan. The borough had that with the TD Bank proposal, Bates said, but that deal won’t be valid when the council meets next.
At that time, Bates warned the council that Morrisville had signed a contract with Johnson Controls, which has contacted contractors, who have reached out to suppliers already. Contractors and suppliers would be in their legal rights to sue the borough for breach of contract, he added. Borough solicitor James A. Downey III agreed.
If one of the two other loan offers aren’t approved, the planned projects can’t go forward.
That would mean no upgrades to the borough’s 632 streetlights by converting them to cost-saving LED lamps, Bates said. It also would mean lighting upgrades won’t be made to the interior and exterior at borough hall. A boiler won’t be converted to natural gas, and new heating and air-conditioning system plans would be axed.
Additionally, windows and doors won’t be replaced in borough hall, or new insulation put in the upstairs council chamber, without the loan money.
Bates has warned the council that, without improvements, repairs will be costly if the boiler and air-conditioning system break down.
If the borough is sued for breach of contract, tax rates might go up to cover legal expenses, he said.
“Don’t blame me. I tried to help you. I tried to make this town nice,” he’s told council. “Your air conditioning sucks. It’s terrible. It doesn’t even work.”
If all that is put aside, the project can still be saved if the borough council approves a bank loan to cover the costs.
Borough Manager Tom Bates said a bickering council is the reason.
“If you want to fight among yourselves all the time, that’s what council does here,” Bates told the council last month. “All you do is three no votes, five yes votes. And now somebody is mad at another council person and they are going to vote no. If that’s what you want to do, hurt the people of Morrisville, God bless you. God bless the people of Morrisville.”
Councilman Victor Cicero, who has been in favor of the project all along, voted against the loan proposal, creating a 4-4 tie, which was broken by Mayor Rita Ledger, a Democrat not seeking re-election. She said the loan terms would have “tied the hands of future councils.”
Cicero said nothing more than the years of the loan was behind his vote. He said paying a loan for 15 to 17 years is too long in his “personal opinion.”
“I didn’t agree with the structure of the loan,” Cicero, a Democrat, recently said. “I’m not against the project. I think it’s a positive move for the borough.”
Rivella, a Democrat running for mayor, on Wednesday said there’s more to Cicero’s no vote than he’s admitting. Rivella said that he believes political backroom deals are being made involving the upcoming election to the detriment of Morrisville residents.
“I don’t want any part of it,” he said Wednesday. “I’m disgusted by it all.”
Bates and Rivella still hope the project can move forward if the council thinks about the residents and approves a loan this month. Bates expects to have two more offers from banks at the next council meeting on Monday.
“We’ll see what Tom has for us,” Rivella said of the manager. “Maybe we’ll be able to resolve this issue once and for all.”
For nearly a year, Morrisville officials worked with consulting firm Johnson Controls on plans for environmental improvements such as lighting at the library and public works facility, streetlights and traffic lights, as well as the first upgrades to borough hall since it was built in 1948.
In recent weeks, Bates received a promise of a bank loan from TD Bank to pay for the $1.4 million project. The interest rate on the loan would have been 2.46 percent, and there was an option to negotiate the rate during the 16th or 17th year; or pay off the entire loan at the end of the 15th year, but no sooner, without penalties. The total loan estimate included fees.
Bates said if the project goes through, taxpayers won’t have to pay a dime directly toward the loan.
The improvements would bring in $2 million in utilities and operating cost savings to the borough, he said. Those savings would pay for the loan. And the remainder would go to the borough’s savings accounts ideally, he added.
Bates obtained four bank loan estimates, but only needed the one, he said.
“All the other banks told me this is the best rate,” Bates said.
The council voted down the TD Bank proposal late last month, though.
A bank loan is needed at this point, considering the borough has already agreed to the project, with the condition of having a viable loan. The borough had that with the TD Bank proposal, Bates said, but that deal won’t be valid when the council meets next.
At that time, Bates warned the council that Morrisville had signed a contract with Johnson Controls, which has contacted contractors, who have reached out to suppliers already. Contractors and suppliers would be in their legal rights to sue the borough for breach of contract, he added. Borough solicitor James A. Downey III agreed.
If one of the two other loan offers aren’t approved, the planned projects can’t go forward.
That would mean no upgrades to the borough’s 632 streetlights by converting them to cost-saving LED lamps, Bates said. It also would mean lighting upgrades won’t be made to the interior and exterior at borough hall. A boiler won’t be converted to natural gas, and new heating and air-conditioning system plans would be axed.
Additionally, windows and doors won’t be replaced in borough hall, or new insulation put in the upstairs council chamber, without the loan money.
Bates has warned the council that, without improvements, repairs will be costly if the boiler and air-conditioning system break down.
If the borough is sued for breach of contract, tax rates might go up to cover legal expenses, he said.
“Don’t blame me. I tried to help you. I tried to make this town nice,” he’s told council. “Your air conditioning sucks. It’s terrible. It doesn’t even work.”
39 comments:
Morrisville at its best!
Nice work, Asshat Cicero and the gang that can't shoot straight. Bunch of embarrassing ButtClowns!!!!!! You Dimwits (Cicero, Sanford, Ledger, Dreisback, and other puppets) bring shame to our community, whether you have any of your own or NOT!
I'm tired of our town being hijacked by their stupidity. They are so dumb and yet so self-righteous. Guess what, you ain't all that. You ain't even a bag of chips. You're a big fat sack of chit.
You all voted them in. Stop complaining.
My conscience is clear. I didn't vote for any of them.
I did vote for Vic Cicero. I was warned about Vic but I couldn't let Steve Worob keep that seat. It was either Vic or Steve & Vic was the best of the worst.
Rita, Eileen, Debbie, & Todd must love it that even though they voted no for this right along with Vic, he's the only one getting the heat (deserved though it is) while they can just sit back & watch. They have no idea that people have given up on expecting anything positive from them, while there was still hope that Vic would do the right thing for the town.
Vic Cicero is working on his third story about why he didn't vote for this project. The day after the vote he told the borough office that it was because Dave Rivella wants the project & Vic doesn't want him to have it. A couple of days after that, it was because TD bank is a Canadian bank & he doesn't want them to have our money. He was reminded that the MMA (in which Vic is a board member) uses TD bank. His latest reason is because he doesn't like the length of the FREE loan because it ties future council's hands to a FREE project. Keep in mind that if the loan is shorter, taxes will have to go up to pay for the difference and it will no longer be a FREE project.
Only an idiot would vote against this amazing project during a time when they are asking to be re-elected.
I believe this may be voted on (again) at the next council meeting to give anyone who voted no a chance to vote for it this time.
The next council meeting is at Borough Hall, upstairs, this Monday, 4/15, beginning with the hearing of the public at 7:30pm.
Think about letting these people know what you think about their voting no to moving the borough forward with this project.
If enough people speak out about this it may force Vic's vote in favor of financing the project.
Come on Old Vicco change your story again to how you understand what you should have understood before and vote yes an old schmuck like Regis uses TD bank call a friend use a lifeline is that your final answer? You douchewhistles are so annoying I wanna Ripa new one for youse.
A sign of a dim and shortsighted mind is the inability to understand how a practical investment now will save money later. Boro Council currently is afflicted with a few too many dim and shortsighted minds. There is no glee in writing this. It is sad.
I hate reading this embarrassing stuff in the papers about Morrisville. It unfairly makes us all look like morons.
Oh good. It's not just petty politics. It's union bashing too.
Eileen Dreisbach · Morrisville High School
I feel that the reporter should have gotten both sides of this vote. This article only has councilman Rivella and manager Mr Bates, both of which are in favor of this. They are also associated with the IBEW (electrical union)269, of which will more than likely be involved with this project! I have no problem with unions, but I do have a problem with the way this who contract transpired. When the contract was put on the agenda, and voted on, council did not even receive a copy to look at. However, the motion was passed and the contract was approved. An incomplete copy of the contract was in our packet of information, the Friday after the vote. I don't understand how anyone can vote on a contract they never saw, or had a chance to read. Shame on them!! I did not vote for this contract, and neither did two other council members. Why would we vote for a loan for 1.4 million dollars?
Yesterday at 4:30pm
Fine. Read the whole damn contract 100 times before next month's meeting and then vote on it.
Is she right that "When the contract was put on the agenda, and voted on, council did not even receive a copy to look at. However, the motion was passed and the contract was approved. An incomplete copy of the contract was in our packet of information"????
Why do I ask? Because it's hard to believe people who are normally incoherent and all over the map even when what they're saying is true.
Chances are, you could satisfy anything she brings up and she'd just bring up something else. It's always something. Never satisfied.
Tell you what, lets spend $50,000 to put fancy rubber chips on the Manor Park playground. Will that make you happy? Whackass.
"Tell you what, lets spend $50,000 to put fancy rubber chips on the Manor Park playground. Will that make you happy?"
Hey Eileen, how's that Manor Park School working out for ya? Your buddy Steverino Worob voted to close it in the first place, and your buddies Hellman, Mihok, Stout, Buckman and Angry Al Radosti voted to kick out a paying tenant, so now it sits empty.
Have you paid your overdue back taxes yet?
Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
Romans 13:7
I have no idea what Eileen is rambling about.
The vote at the last council meeting was to take out a loan with TD Bank. A loan that would be paid back by the savings of the project, not taxpayer dollars. That is what she voted "no" to at the last meeting. What she is talking about has nothing to do with what I have just said.
Am I getting this right? Eileen is admitting that she is willing to screw the whole town, not only by not going with this FREE green project but also with lawsuits because she didn't get her a couple of months ago.
People of the first ward, take notice of this petty behavior. Eileen is asking for you to vote for her for Judge of Election. Todd, who also voted "no" is asking for you to give him another four years on council.
"Am I getting this right? Eileen is admitting that she is willing to screw the whole town, not only by not going with this FREE green project but also with lawsuits because she didn't get her (way) a couple of months ago."
Where did Eileen post those remarks on her vote?
I want people in office who are able to thoughtfully evaluate things based on facts and common sense. Incoherent statements and petty personal politics don't cut it.
Eileen posted her comments on the Courier Times website from Facebook.
http://www.phillyburbs.com/my_town/falls/petty-backroom-politics-blamed-for-holding-up-morrisville-public-works/phillyburbs.com/my_town/falls/petty-backroom-politics-blamed-for-holding-up-morrisville-public-works/article_dd366f0e-0cf2-58d4-a90c-686a16c9d6ec.html
I just read Eileens words again. I like her even less than I did before.
"They are also associated with the IBEW (electrical union)269, of which will more than likely be involved with this project!" What the heck kind of statement is that to make. Based on what? Eileen's dislike for them only? I am so offended by this statement. Idiotic comes to mind. I really need to learn the talent of just tossing something out there based on NOTHING. It seems to work.
Rivella has been on council for six years. I have heard this song from Eileen & her friends over and over again. I haven't seen where any of it has been true. It's my understanding that Johnson Controls were in control of the bids/contractors, etc, not Mr. Bates & why the heck would she put Rivella in the mix. He has nothing to do with any of that stuff, he's a councilperson. He has no control over how bids go through the office or how they are awarded. He has the exact same information as Eileen.
If Eileen's problem with this project really is that she didn't see all of the bidding contracts, specs, etc this tells me that she actually did her homework and looked at the paperwork, bids, etc for every other project that came before her in the years that she has been on council. If that is actually true, which I seriously doubt, then she knows that what she is saying about Bates & Rivella is a lie, that she is just making up another excuse for her obstructionism.
I am so tired of lies. Eileen knows what she saying isn't true. If she did her homework, then she would remember this example: the LED pilot program on Doloro. I know for a fact that the electrical contractor was not union and was a local Morrisville based contractor.
It sounds so stupid to toss around this union stuff all the time. Do these people not realize how many people in Morrisville belong to some type of union. I don't EVER remember her bashing her buddies Jane Burger, Ed Albertson & Steve Worob when they were on council for belonging to unions.
What I have to say to ANYONE sitting in an elected position in Morrisville Borough is this:
You are either helping the community to move forward, be stagnant, of move backward. If you are not helping the community to move forward, fill your ego elsewhere, step down and let someone who actually cares about Morrisville sit in your seat. We cannot afford you, not that you care.
THANK YOU to the more than 60 IBEW Local 269 members who came to Morrisville Borough this past Saturday (as they do every year) to help Ron Scheese with the annual canal cleanup.
Eileen, I didn't see YOU there.
She's on one side. She knows who the people on the 'other' side are. She doesn't like the people on the 'other' side. Whatever it is that the people on the 'other' side come up with, she's automatically against it. It doesn't matter what it is.
She's not going to come out and say doesn't understand the nuance of this or the complexity of that. Nobody wants to broadcast that, but sometimes they don't realize that's exactly what they're doing when they open their mouths.
Instead she comes out with something that in her mind sounds well reasoned, but to a casual observer sounds like the petty unprepared drivel that it is.
Again it doesn't matter. She's for one side. She's against the other. That's what she knows. That's how she operates.
Only people living in Morrisville's Ward 1 can decide whether this is the kind of representation they desire. All too often in the past, they have decided that this is exactly the kind of representation they desire.
"All you do is three no votes, five yes votes"
Hah! That sums up council nicely. Total waste of time. A bunch of people who want to be in charge so they can feel like big important people, but they don't want to do any real work or make any real change or progress. People like these are the reason Morrisville has become so stagnant, and as long as they continue to be elected, nothing will change. We've already seen they are unintelligent, uninspiring, unwilling, and unpleasant. They've proven to have no shame, regardless of just how bad they are at their elected positions. I can't imagine how they can look in the mirror each morning. They are a disgrace, and by extension, they've made Morrisville a disgrace.
I wonder if this idea would work for the Morrisville Boro Council. How can nine people coordinate this much idiocy?
Senate hearing on immigration delayed for more review of bill: The Senate Judiciary Committee has delayed a hearing on immigration reform a day before a bipartisan bill is to be introduced.
The hearing was scheduled for Wednesday, but has been shifted to Friday morning, according to the panel's web site. A spokesman for Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said ******the delay was to give senators more time to read a bill***** Rubio and seven other senators are expected to introduce on Tuesday.
That might work if it was a matter of providing enough time to review the bill, ordinance, packet, letter, loan, contract, you name it. I don't know the facts in this particular Morrisville Boro case, but past experience leads me to think that Dreishbach's complaint is a b.s. smokescreen to make it seem like there's some other reason than she's with the Jane Burgerbots, they don't like the Rivellas, and vice versa. You can give her and Smith and Sanford&Son all the time in the world to review that loan, and they aren't voting for it. Cicero used to play for the Other Team, so maybe he'll flip again. All in all, an embarrassing spectacle.
Eileen is never prepared, never properly informed and shows no signs of any intelligent thought. She is like a 2 year old that only knows, "NO!" How the fark did she get elected? Is there something special in the water in ward 1?
"A bunch of people who want to be in charge so they can feel like big important people, but they don't want to do any real work or make any real change or progress."
Nailed it. Almost everywhere else their sheer incompetence would get them fired or render them unemployable. Win an election amongst an apathetic public and they can act like bigshots no matter how utterly incapable they are. I hate to dump on the not so bright because in some ways they can't help it, but for God's sake, do they have to hold public office with sway over people's lives and a community's well being?
"a bunch of people" are you talking about all of council?
No, just the Party of No, obstructionist wing. Dreisbach, Sanford, Debby Smith, Mayor Ledger.
Unprepared, incompetent and proud of it. WWJD (What Would Jane Do?).
Let's not forget their bloc of Intelligentsia that sits(has sat) on the SB as well.
No we must never forget them lest we make the same mistakes of the past yet again.
We can all do our part by not reeelecting Ron Stout for another 4 years on the SB.
I'm sorry I couldn't attend last night's Borough Council meeting. I must confess I haven't been following it as closely as I should. Was there another vote last night on the public works improvements project?
"We can all do our part by not reeelecting Ron Stout for another 4 years on the SB."
How the hell did anyone vote for him in the first place? Have you ever talked to him? It's like you went back in time to the stone ages and are carrying on a conversation with some mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging cro-magnon man. I wouldn't put him in charge of mowing the grass, let alone overseeing education. With his election as evidence, I have little faith in the ability of the town to emerge from its current situation without some outside intervention.
Stout rode in on the coattails of Brenda Worob, Buckman and DeWilde in 2009. During the '09 primary election season, he was presented with a fake award by Marlys Mihok, one of his cronies who was on the board at the time. Political corruption at its most shameless and blatant. He's all by his lonesome now. No phony awards this time to bolster his rotten credentials. If he wins now it will be strictly on his un-dynamic and un-charming personality, and his un-thorough and un-engaging lack of preparation and participation: and the voting public's lack of knowledge or caring about it.
I thought Stout had really bad health problems that would keep him from running again. He coughs up blood. Is he cured???
Yes Jon there was another vote and the funding passed. A number of people came to public comment to encourage council to vote for the project. Mary Singleton was extremely well spoken as we Deborah Colgan. Both Mary and Deborah publically called Vic out on some of his backroom deals and Vic did not defend or deny what they said.
It's my understanding that after the March meeting, while in borough hall (in front of witnesses) Vic made it clear that he would only vote for the funding if Wayne O'Neal withdrew from running against him. Wayne did back out. I cannot blame Wayne, he's a good man. I'm sure he did what he thought was right for the town.
Have no fear that Vic will be re-elected. Upon hearing that Wayne had withdrawn from running against Vic, Mary Singleton has been agressively mounting a write-in campaign against Vic for his seat. Traditionally, write-in campaigns are difficult against someone who is on the ballot but in this case we are talking about Mary Singleton who is very well known throughout the 4th ward. Please feel free to help Mary in any way you can.
As far as the project goes,it is no surprise that there were three no votes for the funding. Once again, Eileen proved that she doesn't even understand what she's voting on. She read a ridiculous statement, part of which stated that if we took out the loan that the borough would have no money for the next 15 years for projects. We all know that this project is self-funding and that we will actually be saving money by doing it. Money that will allow the borough to do other projects. What an idiot. Likewise, Debbie Smith also made it clear that she did not understand what she was voting on. Mrs. Smith also spoke about how she intends to continue on has she has been, an obstructionist. Todd, well Todd was Todd. He complained about LED streetlights...again. Todd also read a letter from the head of the public works dept, Ron Scheese. In the entire letter, Ron praises the new street sweeper and its abilities. Directly following this, Todd complained about the new street sweeper.
I have no time for these people.
Before finishing this post I want to give some advise about the upcoming election. In the 1st ward there is one Dem & one Rep on the ballot. My advise is to find at least one 1st ward write-in candidate for council. Without this there is a realistic chance that, as a write-in, Rita Ledger or Eileen Dreisback will be back on council.
Does anyone know what the rules are for a write in candidate?
Hey Anonymous who put Romans 13:7 in a post; You obviously are showing your complete Bible ignorance. After cowardly failing to even quote Romans 13:7, you conveniently left out the next verse of Romans 13:8. I'll quote it for you in case you never read it. "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth one another hath fulfilled the law." From all your posts you clearly fail to grasp the meaning of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Take a look at what Jesus said about you in Matthew 7:22-23 as it might help you in the future.
Hey anonmyous coward of another mother, you're telling me that Romans 13:8 totally negates Romans 13:7? Just love one another and you don't have to pay your bills? First, I don't think you're loving me. Second, your reading comprehension leaves something to be desired, in my book. Pun intended. I don't want to go by your interpretation of God's Word, if that's all right by you, a mere flawed human being, like the rest of us.
Matthew 7:22-23
New International Version (NIV)
22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Right back at ya, Pharisee (sanctimonious, self-righteous, or hypocritical person).
Beware of self-proclaimed Bible experts, they tend to be bad trees bearing rotten fruit.
True and False Prophets
Matthew 7:15-20
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
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