Get Out The Vote Tomorrow, Bucks County Dems!

Tomorrow is it for Steve Santarsiero and Diane Marseglia against Jim Cawley and Charley Martin in the election for Bucks County Commissioners; all of the blood, sweat and tears, as they say, comes down to one day on the calendar, so let's wrap this up the right way.

And by the way, is it even worth pointing out that, on October 30th, the Inquirer endorsed Cawley and Martin? I mean, after all, these are the same geniuses who gave the nod to Mike Fitzpatrick last year along with Joe Pitts (ugh).

Borrowing almost verbatim from the Guest Opinion in the Courier Times written by Cawley and Martin on the same day, the Inky endorsed the Repug incumbents because, under their watch, Bucks has earned its highest bond rating in 20 years and kept taxes comparatively low. However, as noted here, the county budget has risen $109.7 million since 2002, more than $47 million in the last two years (the linked post also describes the sordid dealings of Jim Cawley and Charles "I Have A Semi-Open Mind" Martin with George Komelasky of Paist and Noe of Richboro and County Solicitor Guy Matthews...this describes some of the "quid pro quo" antics of Cawley and Martin with the Langhorne law firm of Begley, Carlin & Mandio,).

And as far as the bond rating goes, I guess that's partly because that's the only method by which Cawley and Martin know how to preserve open space. Well, suppose the county, for whatever reason, ends up defaulting on those bonds over time due to adverse economic conditions? In that sad event, that rating won't mean anything (yes, I know I'm a cynic - call me "Mr. Worst Case").

But really, let's step back here and ask ourselves a question; are taxes and bond ratings the real reasons why people move to counties or municipalities?

No (although nobody wants to pay high taxes, I'll admit, but it depends on what you get in return); I can tell you right now that the people I know look to move to certain areas because of the schools first and foremost and other quality of life issues. And the county schools are, in many areas, highly rated and the school taxes reflect that (again, if the money is being spent on teaching your kids, that makes a difference).

And as I've said in the past, another big quality of life issue in Bucks is that of sprawl, and Cawley and Martin, though they've preserved 10,000 acres of open space over the last 10 years by floating bonds, have permitted development of 34,000 acres over the last six years (here). What kind of a tradeoff is that?

Also, Cawley and Martin have done nothing but continually scoff at Steve and Diane for their efforts to combat sprawl and advocate for efficient land use by encouraging Bucks municipalities to come up with their own plans, to say nothing of the calls for more open government by Cawley and Martin's Democratic challengers (and remember, you two clowns, the "ic" is part of "Democratic" also). Part of that includes Steve and Diane’s call for a citizens board to review all county appointments and contract awards, as well as publishing county budgets online.

And finally, as noted here by eRobin, we will be "blessed" with the fandango of dealing with the Danaher touch screen voting machines in Bucks for the foreseeable future because of Cawley and Martin's boneheaded refusal to purchase optical scanning machines with paper ballots to ensure voting accuracy.

These are but a few of the reasons to elect Steve Santarsiero and Diane Marseglia as Bucks County Commissioners tomorrow.

And by the way, don’t forget to vote for Matt Maloney and Deb Wachspress for Lower Makefield Township Supervisors also.