Haverford Township and the 7th Ward Blog

Defeated but Defiant!

2011-11-09T22:12:00.000-05:00

With a big voter registration disadvantage and an entrenched incumbent, I knew going into this that I was unlikely to win the election for 7th ward commissioner. But I wanted to raise some important issues and shine a light on how things are done in Haverford Township, and I did that. I wanted to give the voters a choice - between a candidate who took no contributions from people who do business with our township and McGarrity, who has accepted many such contributions. (Note: I spent about $4000 on this campaign, and McGarrity spent about $16,000 as of the last report ending Oct 24, likely to be about $20,000 after final expenditures are reported.) It was a choice between someone who would support the anti-discrimination ordinance, and McGarrity, who fought against and voted against it. It was a choice between a new person with new skills and an old-style machine politician who focuses almost entirely on constituent services.

At the end of the day, I understand that McGarrity is a life-long resident who many people call on him to take care of things – and that wins local elections. Unfortunately, with that narrow focus, many “big picture” things are left undone or are done by other commissioners.

McGarrity is quoted by the Haverford Patch saying I made “false accusations”. Let’s remember two things. I didn’t just make stuff up - I did the work to document the statements I made. I got the public records about McGarrity’s expense reports and campaign finance reports and put them online (see http://www.larrychrzan.com/voterinfo and http://www.haverfordblog.com/.) McGarrity had the opportunity to participate in the League of Women Voters debate, where he could have disputed these facts, and he refused. Tax-paying citizens should be concerned that neither the Delaware County District Attorney nor the past or current Township Auditor have looked into the expense issues that I brought to them almost two years ago. When a citizen / taxpayer raises an issue like this and is ignored, we all are disenfranchised.

Accountability, transparency and making information public and easily available is critical to democracy. Never again will a commissioner in Haverford Township file an expense report to request reimbursement money and think it won’t be looked at by the taxpayers. Never again will campaign contributions be left un-scrutinized in the file drawers of the Delaware County Bureau of Elections.

I’m proud of the campaign I ran and accomplished what I set out to do. I thank the many people who volunteered, contributed, put up lawn signs and voted for me - your support is very much appreciated!

Last Chrzan for Change newsletter - the Choice is Clear!

2011-11-07T11:17:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the 20 or so volunteers who helped distribute the final 7th Ward Extra newsletter throughout the 7th Ward this past weekend. The flier provides a side by side comparison - Jim McGarrity vs. Larry Chrzan - on the issues, on past actions, and on planning for the future.

There is huge contrast and this flier certainly demonstrates that!

You can download the PDF from http://www.LarryChrzan.com or directly from this link to the PDF.

Thanks to the many volunteers who helped with this lit drop and throughout the campaign.

Remember to get out and VOTE tomorrow, Tuesday Nov 8!

Final Pre-Election Campaign Finance Reports Posted

2011-11-06T18:26:00.000-05:00

I filed my report for period ending Oct 24, 2011 last week. I returned on Friday Nov 4 to collect the reports of all the candidates and committees. My reports and McGarrity's are available on http://www.LarryChrzan.com/VoterInfo. The others are posted the Haverford Blog

The report of my opponent Jim McGarrity shows more contributions from people who do business with the township, including $300 from Charles Catania of Catania Engineering, and another $100 from Pat Larkin of Brokerage Professionals, a repeat contributor who provides insurance to the Township. Another $100 comes from another outside PAC, the Upper Darby Republicans committee.

So far in this 2011 campaign, McGarrity has spent almost $16,000. I've spent about $4000. I've run a pretty good campaign on a fraction of what my opponent spent and I'm the ONLY candidate who take no contributions from people who do business with Haverford Township. I think this gives you a good indication on how I can better oversee the finances of the Township than my opponent.

McGarrity Refuses to Debate Chrzan

2011-10-28T08:33:00.000-04:00

According to Haverford Township's League of Women Voters, and as reported in the Delco Times, 20 year incumbent Jim McGarrity has refused to participate in this election year's debate between Commissioner candidates. Voters of the 7th Ward will not get a chance to hear their candidates talk about the issues.

I was available and willing to debate at any time or place. Earlier, I challenged Mr. McGarrity to a 7th-ward-only debate, but he did not reply to my requests.

Why won't McGarrity debate me? I'll tell you why - he is afraid to answer the tough questions on why he has done nothing about taking care of the township assets in 20 years. He doesn't want to answer questions about his exorbitant expenses and campaign finances. He doesn't want to answer questions about the many controversial things he has done and the things he has failed to do.

This is a travesty. McGarrity snubs the LWV and thumbs his nose at the American democratic process. I trust the voters will keep this in mind when they go to the polls!

Taxpayers in Haverford Township Continue to Pay for Decades of Neglect

2011-10-24T22:20:00.000-04:00

This Oct 18, 2011 story was in the Haverford-Havertown Patch Broken Sewer Pipe Costs $1.3 Mill To Repair. It says that a "sewer pipe along Naylors Run Creek broke two weeks ago", behind Kohl's department store. In our Township, where the annual budget is just over $30 million, $1.3 M to fix this is HUGE hit!

Why do you care?
Emergency repairs always cost substantially more than preventive maintenance and timely replacement when required. But for decades, our elected officials have let our Township's valuable assets fall apart. The 1988 master plan called for many assets to be replaced, but little has been done to address these problems. Things get fixed when they break. Energy spews out of our buildings. And the taxpayers pay extra because of this neglect.

It's time for a 7th ward commissioner who understands economics and planning, has the skills to work on this stuff and the guts to get it done.

That's what I'll do if I'm elected - work for the taxpayers and take care of our community assets.

Ruling Suburbia Author McLarnon to Speak Oct 30, 2011 at Swarthmore

2011-10-16T11:41:00.002-04:00

I mentioned John McLarnon III, Ph.D.'s 2003 book “Ruling Suburbia” in my comments at the October 2011 Haverford Township monthly meeting. (View previous post.) Dr. McLarnon will be speaking at Swarthmore College on Oct 30; see announcement below.

On Sunday October 30 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM John Morrison McLarnon III, associate professor of history at Millersville University, will lecture at Swarthmore College on the fascinating (and little-known) history of Delaware County politics. McLarnon, author of Ruling Suburbia: John J. McLure and the Republican Machine in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, will discuss one of the United States' only suburban political machines and one of the few to survive the New Deal reforms. The intent is not to vilify any particular ideology or party but simply to examine the requirements and implications of one-party rule. McLarnon's lecture will be followed by Q&A and free pizza and salad. The event is open to the entire community: students, faculty and DelCo residents. The event will be held at the Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility (headed by Joy Charlton) and is sponsored by Project Pericles and Professor Ben Berger's 'Engaging Democracy Project.'"

McLarnon is along a contributor to The Political Express, run by Franklin & Marshall's G. Terry Madonna.

Haverford Republican Political Machine - Comments at Oct 11, 2011 Commissioners Meeting

2011-10-12T18:07:00.002-04:00

In his 2003 book “Ruling Suburbia”, John McLarnon III, Ph.D., describes the stranglehold that the Delaware County Republican machine has had on Delaware County for over 100 years! The Republican machine has also ruled Haverford Township for decades.

The book describes the machine’s recipe for power:

Contributions
Contracts
Jobs
Controlling Services

Why do you care?
Because the machine exists to feed itself first. And that costs all of us more money.

Contributions and Contracts
To understand the contributions, I’ve recently re-launched the Haverford Blog at www.HaverfordBlog.com to serve as a publicly available source of campaign finance reports. The reports of Republican candidates and the Haverford Republican Party show the records of thousands of dollars in contributions from people who do business with Haverford Township. These include 3 solicitors, the Township’s insurance provider, engineering services providers, and various outside political action committees (PACs). In commissioner races, a few thousand dollars makes a big difference. I’m the only candidate in the 7th Ward race who takes no contributions from people who do business with the Township, and if elected, I never will. Mr. Wecshler has indicated he self-finances his campaign. Everyone else? Check their reports and judge for yourself. Remember that Commissioner candidates and District Judge candidates often get contributions from their local party too.

Jobs
Haverford Township voter registration is almost equally divided; I believe it’s now about 46% Republican, 45% Democrat, 9% Independent or Other. Party affiliation data is public information, though most people not involved in politics don’t know how to access it.

The biggest budget items in the Township are for staffing, but the jobs don’t match the registration split.

I preface my next remarks by saying that I’m not personally identifying any individuals, nor am I blaming any individual employee for the current status quo - that the Republican machine controls the jobs.

As listed on the Township website, the Haverford Police have about 70 officers plus admin staff. Of these, 52 are Republicans, 3 are Democrats, 4 are NP/Other, and the rest, about 23 more, are either common names where registration could not be determined or they are from outside Delaware and Montgomery Counties.

Why is this? The Civil Service Commission is all Republicans and Jim Knapp, the Haverford Republican Party Chairman, is also the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission that recommends police appointments. What kind of message does that send to an applicant? I call on Mr. Knapp to give up his seat when his term expires at the end of this year.

On the Township Admin staff, 41 are Republicans, 6 are Democrats, 1 is NP, and 7 could not be determined.

Further, if you look at the various boards, particularly the powerful Zoning Board and Planning Commission, there is an overwhelming majority of Republicans.

Obviously these lopsided numbers are no coincidence. Jobs feed the Republican machine and help them maintain control.

Services
The Republican strategy is to control the services that the residents receive. They have taught their constituents to call their Commissioner to “get things done”, especially in the 7th ward. Sometimes it’s just an extra step to get the services that taxpayers have coming to them, because they already paid for them. Other times, Commissioners work outside the system to get “free” services for favored residents. Except this stuff isn’t free - we all pay for it. Either way, Commissioners can claim credit for providing services.

I propose a centralized system where all residents are treated equally and fairly and no one gets services that they are not entitled to and the rest of us pay for.

Conclusion

It’s no coincidence that the Haverford Blog logo is a flashlight. It is my sincere hope that by shining a light on the workings of the Republican machine in Haverford Township, the residents will see what’s going on and elect representatives who serve their interests only. The machine cares most about keeping itself in power. Why do you care? Because we all pay for it with our tax dollars that feed the Haverford Republican political machine.

(As written, there may have been slight variations in delivery.)

Haverford Blog / Campaign Contributions story in DelcoTimes 2011-10-11

2011-10-11T22:25:00.000-04:00

This story appeared in the DelcoTimes on 2011-10-11:
Dem commissioner hopeful relaunches ‘Haverford Blog’

By LOIS PUGLIONESI, Times Correspondent

HAVERFORD — "Democratic candidate for 7th Ward commissioner Larry Chrzan has fired the first salvo of campaign season with the relaunched Haverford Blog, www.haverfordblog.com.

The former online community bulletin board, which Chrzan operated from 2003-2010, has been repurposed to feature Haverford Township Republican Party and Republican candidates’ campaign finance reports with commentary.

A Democratic committeeman and ward leader making a second attempt to unseat longtime Republican Commissioner Jim McGarrity, Chrzan said he obtained the reports from the Delaware County Bureau of Elections, where they are publicly available upon request in print format."

More on DelcoTimes.com...

7th Ward Extra newsletter - Early October issue

2011-10-07T14:04:00.001-04:00

7th Ward Extra newsletter - Early October issue

Read the 7th Ward Extra Early October newsletter (PDF)!

The Early October issue of 7th Ward Extra newsletter is now being distributed throughout the 7th Ward. It contains opinions on the lack of action on the Township Master Plan, a piece on "Constituent Services Stories - Who’s Paying?", along with info on "McGarrity ExpenseGate Issue Still Unresolved".

Two updates to this newsletter (after printing)
Regarding the McGarrity ExpenseGate issue, I just received a call from the Detective at the Delaware County District Attorney's office, and I again provided the requested information, specifically the campaign fliers issued by McGarrity that use his Township-reimbursed phone number.

And on that topic, I wrote in this newsletter that there was a McGarrity campaign flier that was distributed in September that used a different phone number. A new flier, marked Paid for by McGarrity for Commissioner, was recently distributed that goes back to using the same phone number.

Chrzan's comments at Sept 12 Haverford Township meeting

2011-09-24T15:22:00.001-04:00

I was a speaker in the public forum part of the September monthly Commissioners meeting. Here are my comments:
******************

I’m Larry Chrzan, 408 Strathmore Road and Democratic candidate for commissioner in the 7th ward.

In June, Commissioner Seigel provided the report of the Property Committee.
The report said:
“Physical infrastructure is deteriorating and has been for many years.”
“Decades of recommendations have been ignored.”
“Years of deferred maintenance, renovation and replacement”
“Buildings are not code compliant”
“Make it difficult for employees to perform their jobs as efficiently as possible.”
And finally, that “It’s time to put the plan into action.”

This Property committee report did not include parks, utilities infrastructure and storm water management. And I'm sure that many people are concerned right now about storm water management!

After the report, Mr. McGarrity, who was on this Property committee, commented that our township buildings are a “total joke” and should be replaced, but now it is not the time, because we can't afford it right now.

Why do you care?

Because as any homeowner or car owner knows, the long term costs of not fixing things is always more than if you take of things in a timely manner. Our Township assets are worth many millions of dollars and we’re not taking care of them. And we, the taxpayers, bear the burden of this neglect.

These same recommendations were in the 1988 master plan but were not acted on. And Commissioner Seigel also said that some of these recommendations were also made prior to 1920 and have not been acted on. That's 90 years!

My questions are:

Will this board act on these recommendations, and when? If so, what has been done in the 3 months since this June report?

Will this board be another board that says “Make-Do” with what we have? Or will this board and maybe the next board adopt a “Can-Do” attitude and do the right thing for the taxpayers of the township? Is our town worth investing in? Or are incumbents too worried about getting re-elected to do that?

******************

PS - Why do we call these meetings the "Commissioners Meetings"? I think they should be called the monthly Township meeting.

7th Ward Extra newsletter - August issue

2011-08-27T17:45:00.001-04:00

Read the 7th Ward Extra August newsletter (PDF)!

The August issue of 7th Ward Extra newsletter is now being distributed throughout the 7th Ward. Page 2 has a copy of the ViewPoint op-ed piece that Larry wrote that was published in the Thursday Aug 25 issue of the News Of Delaware County - Haverford Township Edition. The article is not online, but you can download a the 7th Ward Extra August newsletter (PDF) and read it there. The piece talks about the three main jobs of a Commissioner - Planning, Fiscal Oversight and Constituent Services and how they can be done better.

I'll give you a hint - the first two are NOT things that 20-year incumbent Jim McGarrity has been working on. And for the constituent services, he's been doing it backwards.

2011 Haverford Towship 7th Ward Commissioner Campaign

2011-08-14T22:25:00.001-04:00

Well, here we go again! I'm running again for 7th Ward Commissioner in Haverford Township. 20 year incumbent Jim McGarrity, the grizzled veteran of the Republican political machine is running again too.

In 2007 we had a wonderful display of democracy in the election for Commissioner. It was Chrzan for Change vs. McGarrity for More of the Same. Voter turnout was huge! More of the Same won out, as we have typically seen in many elections in Haverford Township - that a well-funded machine politician from the majority party can win out over an upstart from the minority party.

Why try it again? As I sat in the audience in during the Commissioner's meetings in early 2011, I watched Jim McGarrity do everything he possible could to try to delay or defeat the anti-discrimination ordinance that was under consideration. And I realized I wanted better representation than McGarrity can provide, that his views are not mine and I don't think his views represent the majority of people in Haverford Towship or the 7th Ward.

It's time for progress and the future, not conserving the old and past. If you are with me, I'd appreciate your help in this campaign. Thanks!

Comments on McGarrity ExpenseGate Issue

2010-03-04T16:35:00.003-05:00

I had signed up to speak at the Haverford Township commissioners meeting in Feb, but unfortunately I was not able to go to the meeting. Below are the comments I had ready for that meeting. The short story is that nothing has been done to look into the Jim McGarrity ExpenseGate issue. I recently obtained McGarrity's expense reports for Sept to Dec 2009, which are now on my Voter Info page.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Remarks on McGarrity ExpenseGate
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A few years ago there was a redistricting dispute over a gerrymandered plan that was backed by then commissioners Moran, Twardy, McDonald, Kelly and current commissioner D’Emilio. The reapportionment was obviously rigged for political gain – the map’s infamous hockey stick demonstrated that to even the casual observer. The case went all the way to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, (at great expense to us taxpayers,) and the so-called Moran-Twardy plan was deemed to be legal. And the supporters of that Moran-Twardy Plan touted its legality in the face of the obvious injustice.

That redistricting battle was orchestrated by the so-called reformers – Pat Biswanger, Jeff Heilmann, Andy Lewis, and Jim McGarrity, all of whom parlayed that activity and the later grand jury investigation into the Haverford State Hospital misdeeds into better political positions. And among the charges that later came out of that investigation was a charge against Moran for submitting alleged fraudulent expenses. I sat in the courtroom when that charge, I believe it was termed “theft by deception”, was heard and reviewed.

Now fast forward a few years, and we now have the McGarrity ExpenseGate controversy. And those former reformers, joined by our current Board of Commissioners President Weschler, are now circling the Republican Party wagons to defend McGarrity for the large expense amounts that he has submitted, including reimbursement for a phone line he used for campaigning, and about 200 miles per month supposedly on township business submitted without documentation.

From the Delco Times article:
Wechsler maintained that it was “very premature and irresponsible” for Chrzan to publicly make allegations about McGarrity since there’s been no determination he committed any crime.
Regarding his colleague’s car expenses, Wechsler said he’s seen McGarrity drive the entire 7th Ward, checking roads and street lights.
Additionally, “I think we need to revisit the issue and re-evaluate the expense program, which goes back 20 years,” Wechsler said, when prior boards “were told they were entitled to $400 per month in expense money.”
“(McGarrity) hasn’t done anything outside the guidelines of the system he’s operated under. It’s time now we fix the system, rather than accuse someone who’s operated under it for years of committing illegalities.”

In the news story, Commissioner Jeff Heilmann said he did not believe McGarrity knowingly did anything wrong. Heilman also wrote on the Save Ardmore Coalition blog, “This was wrong, but not criminal. It is an election law violation with a fine and a slap on the wrist.”

It sounds like the Moran-Twardy Plan defense – Let’s all say that maybe it’s not illegal by the letter of the law.

But the real question is: Are McGarrity’s expenses right or wrong? Not do you think it was legal or do you think it’s the system’s fault. Is it right or wrong? And what is this Board of Commissioners going to do about it? What is the DA going to do about it? What is the Township Auditor going to do about it?

And it’s not the campaign or election law that we should be concerned about. I’ve already brought numerous campaign law issues regarding McGarrity to the Delco Election board. In fact, McGarrity refused to have a 7th ward debate with me in 2007, saying, “You've had me so busy trying to answer all your questions on my financial statements, I haven't had much time.” I didn’t feel it necessary to raise those issues publicly – no taxpayer money was involved. The McGarrity ExpenseGate question is whether this is a misuse of public funds to request reimbursement for these expenses. That’s what Moran was charged with for submitting alleged non-legitimate expenses – theft by deception, a criminal charge.

Specifically to Commissioner Heilmann, you said you think it’s wrong, so why are your defending McGarrity instead of looking out for the taxpayers?

And Commissioner Weschler, do you think it’s okay for McGarrity to drive around the 7th ward to check roads and street lights and then charge it to the township? Don’t we have a Public Works department that gets paid to do that? Is that a commissioner’s job and should the taxpayers subsidize that?

I would remind Commissioner Weschler and the other members of the Board that you can’t blame an outdated system or what prior boards were told by people that are long gone. YOU are the system now. YOU are in charge of updating the system and the ordinance that currently says $50 is the monthly expense limit. YOU are the stewards of our taxpayers’ money. We elected you to make sure that our tax money is well spent. In fact, Mr. McGarrity has been on the board for 18 years, why hasn’t he tried to fix the system?

It was two months ago that I raised this issue and brought the FACTS, not “premature and irresponsible” allegations, to this board. I brought in the facts, I said I think it’s wrong, and I’ve asked for it to be looked into. That’s a legitimate taxpayer request. Many people have called me, emailed me or come up to me on the street to thank me and encourage me for speaking up for the taxpayers. And if you check the comments by readers on the Delco Times website or the Haverford Blog, you’ll see that many taxpayers are upset that their money is being used like this.

Two months ago I asked the Township Auditor to look into this and have been told that he’ll get to it. I asked the Delaware County District Attorney’s office to look into this and been told the matter is “under review”, but no further action has been taken. And two months ago I asked this Board to fix the broken system and revise the ordinance regarding Commissioner expenses, which still sets a $50 per month limit. To the best of my knowledge, nothing has be done except removing the Contributions line from the Commissioner expense report.

So, instead of attacking the messenger for speculative political reasons and trying to limit the political bad press, I ask this Board of Commissioners to call on the Township Auditor to look into this matter. Call on the District Attorney to investigate it. And stop using the same faulty reasoning that Moran and Twardy used to defend their gerrymandered legal plan. Apply the rules of right and wrong to protect the taxpayers, as these commissioners swore to do, rather than worrying about the politics.

Returning to this McGarrity ExpenseGate issue, I’ll answer that question I posed - is it right or wrong - just as I was quoted in the paper. “I think it’s wrong that our taxpayer money is spent this way.”

Now, let's fix this system!

- Larry Chrzan

Comments at Haverford Township Commisioners Meeting, Dec 14, 2009

2010-01-04T17:15:00.002-05:00

Haverford Township Commissioner Meeting Remarks by Larry Chrzan, Dec 14, 2009
Written version, shortened for delivery in the Citizen’s forum.
Visit www.LarryChrzan.com/VoterInfo to view copies of these reports.

A couple weeks ago I resigned my position as a Library Board Trustee. I thank the community for allowing me to serve for the past 6 ½ years. As this is a critical time for library funding, I reluctantly needed to disassociate myself from the library as I today bring public attention to one of the decision makers on that funding.

At the first budget meeting in November, 7th Ward Commissioner Jim McGarrity brought up the notion that the Township administrators review their own salaries in light of the Township’s financial situation. Then there was some discussion about some possible savings on Commissioners’ expenses. At that point McGarrity turned red and got unusually quiet. I had checked his expense reports in 2007 when I ran against him for 7th Ward Commissioner and all those reports were close to the maximum $400 per month. So I again did a review of all Commissioner expense reports for the last few years.

The Township code authorizes reimbursement of expenses “actually incurred in the performance of duties”.

There are two commissioners who have submitted no expense reimbursement requests in the last two years. While there is certainly nothing wrong in being reimbursed for legitimate expenses, Commissioners Weschler and Holmes have in effect made a contribution to the township by not requesting reimbursement. Others submit only minor expense reimbursements. Thank you to those Commisioners for your contributions to the Township.

On the other hand, Commissioner McGarrity continues to submit requests for reimbursement that are almost always close to the maximum $400 per month.

Each month McGarrity submits 2 phone bills - a residential land line and a cell phone. Only one other commissioner does this. But McGarrity is the only Commissioner who submits a bill for a phone line that he not only uses for Commissioner business, but is the same phone number that he puts on campaign literature. The taxpayers should not be paying for McGarrity’s campaign activities.

For travel expenses, McGarrity regularly submits mileage reimbursement requests of about $80 per month. Almost every mileage submission is exactly 200, 210 or 220 miles. It’s hard to believe that McGarrity drives 200 miles on Township business every month when his home is about a mile from the Township building. And it’s impossible that each month’s mileage is exactly a round number like that. The Township Manager has noted on McGarrity’s reports that no support or mileage logs have ever been provided for these large mileage submissions.

Next is postage. McGarrity has submitted a total of $882.60 in postage in 33 months. That’s about 2100 letters - over 2 letters a day every day for 33 months - hard to believe that McGarrity writes this many letters. I’ve lived in the 7th ward for 10 years and have never received a letter in the mail from McGarrity. Were these stamps used for campaign letters? (Note: newsletter mailings are paid for and mailed by the Township, not part of this expense.)

Finally, McGarrity makes contributions to various fundraising and charitable activities, then submits those for reimbursement. Over the past 3 years McGarrity’s contributions total $935, funded by our taxpayer dollars. While many of these are submitted without documentation, some of the larger documented contributions went to the Grange, Msgr. Bonner Football, Veterans groups, American Legion, and various medical charities. In addition, we taxpayers paid for a banner to hang at the little league field with McGarrity’s name on it. No other commissioner submits such contributions for reimbursement.

I’ve posted copies of McGarrity’s expense reports on my personal website at LarryChrzan.com, or you can request your own review of the records.

I ask the Township Auditor to investigate these expenses. I call on this Board of Commissioners to tighten up the rules and processes for their own expenses. And I will contact the Delaware County District Attorney’s office to ask them to investigate. Taxpayers, please contact your commissioner - especially if you live in the 7th ward - to ask for an investigation.

We can’t afford to have our hard-earned money spent like this in these difficult economic times…or at any time.

Thank you.
- Larry Chrzan

Haverford Township 2008 Budget

2008-01-02T07:01:00.000-05:00

The 2008 Haverford Township budget was passed on December 10, 2008 at the regular monthly meeting. Here is a copy of the budget that was approved (which was version 2.)

There were only a few printed copies available at that meeting. The documents below are scanned in to PDF format from the paper copy that I picked up at the meeting.

Cover and summary page (2 pages total)
Fund 1 (General Fund) Revenues (4 pages total)
Fund 2 (Sewer Fund) Revenues and Expenses (3 pages total)
Fund 1 (General Fund) Expenses (24 pages total)

Available from the Haverford Township website is the slide presentation that was given at the meeting. It's on this page: http://www.haverfordtownship.com/budget, or download directly from http://www.haverfordtownship.com/files/HavTwpBudget-2008.ppt.

The day after - No regrets, many supporters

2007-11-07T23:44:00.000-05:00

Of course I’m disappointed that I didn’t win this election. But I have absolutely no regrets. I ran a hard hitting campaign, we got the message out and raised enough money to do everything we wanted to do and then some. I’m proud of the campaign that was devised and well executed by a great team with many volunteers and contributors. Dozens and dozens of people helped on this campaign and that by itself is encouraging and inspiring.

It was clear going into this campaign that going up against a 16 year incumbent with a 28% registration advantage would be difficult.

I proposed drastic changes in what a commissioner should do and not do, how our Township would be run and what our Township might become. This message of progress and reform did not win the day in yesterday’s election. Unofficial approximate vote count was 889 to 1269 with a turnout of about 58% of the registered voters.

I’m only sorry that I won’t have the opportunity to serve the community in this capacity.

The choices were clear. In the end, the voters said they wanted more of the same instead of change.

Many thanks to my volunteers, contributors, supporters, and those who voted for me!

McGarrity tries to rebut the facts I've presented

2007-11-04T11:21:00.000-05:00

Jim McGarrity has recently sent out a letter attempting to characterize the facts I've documented and presented as false allegations.

First, this letter proves one of my allegations, that he uses the same phone number for his campaign and for commissioner business. Here's the top of the latest letter:

And here's the top of a recent 7th Ward newsletter, paid for by the Township:

Obviously, the campaign phone number and the commissioner line are the same phone number. On my website's Voter Info page I have posted McGarrity's Commissioner expense reports from February to July 2007 showing phone bills ranging from $167.33 to $193.47 per month. These bills are outrageous!

Debate
His letter states that I said he would not debate me. I had challenged McGarrity to a 7th Ward-only debate, and 11 days later he declined to participate. Yes, he did decline to debate me in an in-depth session in the 7th Ward. He participated in the LWV candidates forum where there were 10 candidates and 2 hours.

Cronyism
McGarrity disputes the cronyism regarding the Recycling Coordinator and Highway Inspector jobs. I stand by my comments that both of these employees are friends of McGarrity, that one at least of them has been a paid campaign worker for him, and that McGarrity was involved in both of these personnel decisions.

On the Highway Inspector job, there is a pending federal discrimination lawsuit that the Township is now defending itself against at great expense because of this hiring. This is a fact.

The Recycling Coordinator was an unbudgeted position. It was not in the 2006 budget passed in December 2006, and the job was created in January 2007. This is a fact.

Farmers Market
McGarrity denies that he is against the Oakmont Farmers Market (started by my wife Janet) and says that he "is working with School Board Director Joe Martin, to investigate the possibility of using the rear of Oakmont School for next year." This is not true. And he has not spoken with any of the Farmers Market organizers about any of this. So he isn't "working" on anything here. Previously McGarrity stated that the farmers market should get a storefront. And his comments at various Commissioners meetings have been very antagonistic. He has repeatedly demonstrated that he just doesn't understand the whole thing.

What McGarrity is trying to do is save his political skin and undo the anti-Farmers Market comments he has previously made because he sees that the Farmers Market is so popular.

He appears to be trying to coopt the popularity of the market and control the same farmers market that he has been hostile to. Anyone who has heard him at the Commissioners meetings know this is a complete flip-flop.

Campaign Finance Ethics
Finally, McGarrity fails to adequately address a major issue that I have documented, that he has taken significant contributions from people who do business with the Township. (I have posted the proof on the Voter Info page of my website.) His letter says, "I am not beholding [sic] to ANYONE." The facts are that people who have contributed to McGarrity's campaign have gotten business and contracts with the Township.

As I continue to say, I am the ONLY candidate the does not take contributions from people who do business with the Township, and I never will. The residents of the 7th Ward have heard this message loud and clear, and it's up to them to decide.

Haverford LWV debate, Wed Oct 24, 2007 - Recap and Comments

2007-11-03T12:23:00.000-04:00

I watched a replay of the debate recently. It was kind of weird watching myself on TV like that.

I wanted to make sure I had captured some of the things that Jim McGarrity said correctly before commenting.

McGarrity stated at the debate that he had created additional parking at the library. He's also been quoted in the paper in a candidate's statement saying the same thing. I'd really like to know where that extra parking is! Last time I check there were still 17 parking places there.

On the issue of the pension fund, the Dem team worked very well together to explain the situation and describe the steps in figuring out the problem and coming up with a solution. I had the first comment and described the situation with the huge deficit last year with the resulting 4% tax increase, and the anticipated deficit this year. We all commented on the various aspects of the fudiciary oversight duties that had been neglected.

Mr. McGarrity laid the blame squarely on 8th Ward Commissioner Tom Broido. He said, "We put Tom Broido in charge of that, and Broido happens to be a Democrat. ... And if there's a problem I guess we have to talk to Mr. Broido about the problem, because he hasn't talked to us about it." Larry Abel rebutted this McGarrity later, saying, "Broido uncovered the problem and reported it to the Board of Commissioners. ... I don't know what Mr. McGarrity is talking about when he says the commissioners don't know about it.

Also, Mr. McGarrity took a shot at our State Representative in an off-topic response. The question was on the taking of the health benefits, and the commissioner salary of $3000 per year. Most people said they did not need and would not take the benefit. McGarrity said he would take it as he has been doing. McGarrity said, "There's 9 of us here, $3000 a piece, that's $27,000. That's only 1/3 of what Vitali makes. I think if we eliminate Vitali and his salary, that will save the Township a lot of money."

There are so many things wrong with this comment, I'll just let it stand as it is and say I completely disagree.

LWV debate on Wed Nov 24, 2007

2007-10-28T14:36:00.000-04:00

Many thanks to the League of Women Voters for organizing and hosting the debate this past Wednesday and for publishing their Voters Guide. Each requires a considerable amount of effort and they do a great job. Pure democracy in action!

I believe the debate showed the clear contrast between me and Jim McGarrity, and between the cohesive Democratic team and the Republican candidates. The choice is now up to the voters.

The replay of this debate has been showing on the local cable channel 10 for the past few days. There are 3 replays remaining to show: Today (Sunday 10/28) at 6 PM, and Monday 10/29 at 6 PM and 8 PM.

Below are my opening and closing remarks (as written). Each was limited to 1 minute.

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Opening remarks
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There are about 1750 homes in the 7th ward, and in a few days I will complete my 2nd visit to each of them, knocking on 3500 doors in the process

The comment I hear most often from the residents is “It’s time for a change.”

Jim McGarrity represents “business as usual”. I’m the choice for change.

What kind of changes?

1 - Better Planning
There has not been a comprehensive master plan for our township in 20 years!

2 - Better Fiscal Oversight
I have a proven track record of keeping our library on budget. Meanwhile, McGarrity has repeatedly added his friends to the bloated township payroll while deficits from our pension funds skyrocket.

3 - Cleaning up how we do business in our township.
Finally, I am the ONLY candidate in this 7th ward race who does NOT take money from people who do business with the township, and I never will.

Only the Democrats have a clear plan of action to move our township forward and prevent future abuses.

Yes, it IS time for change!

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Closing remarks
==================
Many people ask me why I want to be the 7th Ward Commissioner.

There are two reasons.

The first is that I believe I should to use the talents I’ve been blessed with to serve the community.

I have a proven track record of doing that as a library trustee. Working with that team, the library has prospered, we stayed on budget, and we are now implementing our plan.

The second is that I’m sick and tired of watching our hard-earned tax money wasted on patronage jobs, favoritism, cronyism and pay-to-play. I've documented these problems. Meanwhile, the critical big picture items like planning and fiscal oversight are left undone.

I bring new ideas, new skills, and new leadership.

I’ll help create a good master plan and make it happen.

I’ll watch our tax money better.

As the 7th Ward residents have been telling me, it’s time for a change.

The Indirect Contributions and Business with the Township

2007-10-23T18:20:00.000-04:00

In previous posts I've documented the direct contributions to Jim McGarrity's campaign and those contributors who got Township business.

With the INdirect contributions, it's a little harder to track. You cannot draw a straight line between the contributor and the business. But the connection is there. And I suggest that the influence is just as strong. And the amounts are bigger too.

A few months ago at a commissioner meeting, Pat Larkin from Brokerage Professionals in Media PA said that he was proud to have the Township's insurance business for the last 27 years. I wondered - how does he have such a lock on this business?

Pennsylvania's Campaign Finance Reporting website has rich search functions so that you can look up contributors, committees, etc. (I believe PA Rep. Greg Vitali was the driving force in the establishment of this web resource.)

I checked out contributions from Larkin. I transcribed the contributions from both Pat Larkin and his wife Susan Larkin, who is also listed as being from Brokerage Professionals. (CLICK HERE to download the report in PDF format.)

From 2004 to the latest report in June 2007, the Larkins contributed over $43,000 to various Republican committees and candidates, mostly in Delaware County.

These include the "Delaware Co Rep Finance Com" and the "Upper Darby Rep Campaign Com". Now the Upper Darby Republican Committee, headed up by John McNichol, gave money to Jim McGarrity. I can't track down any contributions from the Delco Republican Committee to "Friends of Andy Reilly" or "Friends of Andy Lewis", who also gave money to McGarrity, because I don't have their reports. They are not required to file them with the state since they are county-level candidates.

So Larkin gives money to the UD Repubs, and they give money to McGarrity.

I suggest that the indirect contribution can carry just as much influence as the direct contribution.

By the way, I spoke about this at the commissioner's meeting on Oct 9, 2007 too and handed out the contribution list from Brokerage Professionals.

--------------------------
The Township's finances are dramatically affected by the pension fund for the police and non-uniformed employees. Last year, the fund deficit was almost a half million dollars, which led to a tax increase of about 4% all by itself. So without even considering wage/salary increases or the rising costs of goods and services, there was a 4% tax increase just to fund this deficit.

Haverford Township has an interesting situation in that we use two different investment firms to manage the funds, then we hire a consultant to oversee them. This consultant is John Spagnola from PFM Advisors. If I understand things correctly, Spagnola/PFM is paid about $30,000 per year to watch these funds.

Spagnola contributes thousands to a political action committe (PAC) called Pennsylvanians for Higher Standards in Govt. This PAC then contributes to the Delco Republicans among others. (They have not filed a finance report since 2005, so it's hard to tell what they are doing now.)

Again, an indirect contributor gets business with Haverford Township.

------------------------------
What's the solution?

First, I take no money from any outside PACs for my campaign. As I see it, it's the only way to be impartial in making these decisions and getting the best deal for the taxpayers.

Second, there seems to be no reason to use another consultant to oversee the fund managers. So why not save the $30,000?

Third, we need to get the best deal for the taxpayers on the important contracts for professional services and make sure we are not paying inflated rates for services because the provider is a contributor. $43,000 is a lot of overhead and that has to come from somewhere!

McGarrity's Commissioner Expense Reports, Legal Expenses - Money Well Spent?

2007-10-17T22:53:00.000-04:00

I recently used the new process to request public records to obtain my opponent’s comissioner expense reports for the last 6 months. The rest were not available since the Attorney General still has them from the Grand Jury investigation. Click here to open/download these expense reports.

In McGarrity’s reports, there are multiple expense items that are labeled “Contributions”. If I understand this correctly, a commissioner can make a contribution in his or her name and then get reimbursed by the taxpayers? In my first meeting as commissioner I will put a stop to this practice.

Second, Mr. McGarrity reports monthly phone bills average about $174 for the past 6 months. And his total expense average is about $379/month, always close to the maximum $400 limit.

If I remember correctly, at Mr. Moran’s hearing, he was charged with theft by deception because he turned in phone bills that included land lines, cell phones and internet service, and it was approximately the same amount as Mr. McGarrity’s phone bills. And why is Mr. McGarrity’s published commissioner access phone number the same number as his campaign phone number? I’d like to ask our township auditor to look into this. We might also ask why McGarrity uses the same envelopes to hand out flyers for his fundraiser as he uses for official township business. Ah, the benefits of incumbency!

For the phones, I took a fast look online and you can get an individual cell phone plan with 2000 minutes (33 hours or almost 1 ½ days) for $99 per month. I suggest that we look into a comprehensive cell phone plan for all the commissioners (at least) and eliminate this costly individual phone expense entirely.

I also used the information request procedure to get the information that the Township’s legal expenses for the altercation between McGarrity and a former Haverford Township police officer. The Township paid about $22,000 in attorney’s fees in this matter. I have also requested but have not yet received the police report from this incident as well as the total cost to our Township in salary and benefits that was paid to the officer who was on paid leave for about 1 ½ years while this matter was being settled.

Your hard-earned tax money at work! Time for a change!

EPA meeting recap, Comment period extended to Oct 22.

2007-10-13T09:28:00.000-04:00

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a public meeting on Sept. 11, 2007, during which they provided evaluations of various alternatives and their recommendations for a Proposed Remedial Action Plan to continue the clean-up work.

The following documents were provided:

Flyer (PDF) - sent to local residents, has overview of the situation, history, recommendations and EPA contact info

Copy of EPA presentation (PDF) given by EPA at the meeting

Map of Superfund site area (click to enlarge, large detailed image, 7 MB)

Map of proposed excavation area (click to enlarge)
The recommended plan has two parts:

Operable Unit 3A (OU3A) “addresses the deep groundwater in the source area.” The recommended remediation plan includes an additional recovery well, upgrading the treatment plant to add capacity, and in-situ chemical enhanced flushing. (In situ means “being in the original position.”) The cost of this recommended solution for OU3A is estimated at $1,062,000 initial capital cost plus $151,000 per year, with at total present worth of about $3 million.

Operable Unit 3B (OU3B) “address the contaminated soil and groundwater in the Recreational and Open Space (ROS) area, which is located behind Rittenhouse Circle and adjacent to Washington Avenue.” The recommended remediation plan includes excavating a 50 ft x 50 ft area and a 200 ft x 20 foot strip along the abandoned sewer line, removing the remaining portion of the abandoned sewer line that was not previously sealed, backfilling with clean soil and replanting, and installing 3 wells. The cost of this recommended solution for OU3B is estimated at $4,371,000 initial capital cost plus $128,000 per year, with at total present worth of about $6 million.

The public comment period has been extended until Oct. 22, 2007. Comments can be emailed to Remedial Project Manager Jill Lowe at lowe.jill@epa.gov.

Haverford Township Day with the Chrzan for Change group

2007-10-10T08:26:00.000-04:00

The 2007 Haverford Township Day event was another wonderful event. Many thanks to all the people who put so much time and effort into making it a success.

And many thanks to the dozens of poeple who put on their Chrzan for Change t-shirts and marched in the parade. In the couple of days since then while door-knocking, a lot of people commented on the good showing of Chrzan for Change parade contingent.

After the parade, a group of Haverford High students came to the Haverford Dems booth and requested Chrzan for Change t-shirts. I only had a few left, but gave out what I had. Many thanks to this group for sporting their shirts throughout the day.

Also thanks to my son Jeremy, who drove the car in the parade and helped out with making sure things went off smoothly.

No 7th Ward Debate as McGarrity finally says no to the challenge

2007-10-03T22:49:00.000-04:00

In today's (Oct 3, 2007) News of Delaware County (Haverford Edition at least) is my letter to the editor about the 7th Ward debate that I proposed. 11 days after I initially attempted to contact him, including 4 phone calls, 3 phone messages, and 4 emails, McGarrity finally responded via email to say that he would not participate in a 7th Ward debate. He even drove right past me this past Saturday when I was out knocking on doors and I waved to him.

Of course, there is a candidates forum hosted by the League of Women Voters on Wednesday Oct. 24. In that debate there are 5 sets of candidates, so each candidate gets only a little time to talk about the issues. In wards 5 and 9, those candidates are participating in local debates in their ward only. This provides a good bit of time to get each candidate's views on many issues, and in detail.

Many thanks to St. Faith Church on Brookline Boulevard, who had said they would host the event, to Jim Taylor, who offered moderate the debate, and my campaign manager Judith LaLonde, who worked on the arrangements.

But finally, McGarrity said no.

Here's the letter:

To the Editor,
About 11 days ago, I called and emailed my opponent in the election for Haverford Township’s 7th Ward Commissioner, incumbent Jim McGarrity, to invite him to participate in a 7th Ward debate. Arrangements for a location, possible dates and a moderator were in place. Four phone messages and four emails later, I had no response from McGarrity. Finally, McGarrity declined the invitation today, saying, "You've had me so busy trying to answer all your questions on my financial statements, I haven't had much time."

It’s too bad that the voters of the 7th Ward will not get the opportunity to hear and see their candidates discuss the issues of the Township and the 7th Ward in depth, as some of the other wards are doing.

In this campaign I’ve addressed some troubling issues. I’ve talked about the patronage jobs that have gone to McGarrity’s friends. I’ve documented the thousands of dollars given to McGarrity’s campaign from people who do business with the Township and thousands more from players in the Delaware County Republican machine. And I've asked the Bureau of Elections to look into his campaign finance reports. These issues are discussed in my newsletters and on my website (http://www.larrychrzan.com/).

I am the ONLY candidate in this race who does NOT take money from people who do business with the Township or political action committees outside Haverford Township. And I never will.

With only a few hundred houses left to visit, I will have knocked on every door in the 7th Ward (about 1750 homes) twice by Election Day on Nov. 6. In my conversations, the residents and taxpayers of the 7th Ward want to know what their Commissioner will do and how their tax money is being spent. And they want a Commissioner who will represent their interests, not be indebted the contributors.

It’s a shame that McGarrity won’t provide that opportunity for the voters of the 7th Ward.

Larry Chrzan

Under my name in the print version of the paper, it says, "Democratic commissioner 7th Ward, Haverford Township."

This was an error on the paper's part. I had written, "Democrat for 7th Ward Commissioner."

Maybe they have a crystal ball and can see the future!

It was an interesting series of events in getting this letter in, then revised. I emailed the letter to the editor on Monday evening about 5:30 PM. I quickly got a response from the editor saying the letter would be in this week's edition. That letter said that McGarrity had not responded. About 3 PM on Tuesday afternoon, I got McGarrity's email declining to debate. I thought that the paper would be out to print at that point, but I figured I would try. I called the editor and she said the if I could revise it within 10 minutes, that could go in. So I quickly changed things to indicate that McGarrity had responded, said no, and commented about the time he is "so busy trying to answer all your questions on my financial statements." So the revised letter got published just in the nick of time.

You may be wondering what McGarrity was referring to about the campaign finance statements. A few weeks ago I sent a letter to the Delco Bureau of Elections pointing out many discrepancies in McGarrity's campaign finance reports. Among the problems were contributions that are listed with the contributor being a company or business, expense items listed without qualifying details, and some obvious errors like an amount listed with no contributor. Apparently the Bureau of Elections has contacted McGarrity to address these problems.

Obviously, it's not my problem that his campaign finance reports are not correct, and it's not a very good excuse to decline a debate.

Campaign Finance Reports for 7th Ward Commissioner Candidates

2007-09-30T21:55:00.000-04:00

I posted to the Voter Info page of my campaign website the campaign finance reports filed by me and by my opponent, incumbent Republican Jim McGarrity, in the last 4-5 years. The reports are all that are available; the Delco Bureau of Elections only keeps the last 5 years of records. I also did public records requests from Haverford Township to confirm that the McGarrity campaign contributors are indeed doing business with the township.

Here is a summary:

Larry Chrzan, 2007
$0 in contributions from vendors, contractors and attorneys who have done business with Haverford Township
$0 in PAC contributions from outside Haverford Township

Jim McGarrity, 2003-2007
$2,710 in contributions from vendors, contractors and attorneys who have done business with Haverford Township
$3,350 in PAC contributions from outside Haverford Township, most of which have come in the last year.

When I began this campaign, I stated on my website's contribution page:

Note on donations to the Chrzan for the 7th Ward campaign
If you are a vendor, contractor, or supplier of goods or services to Haverford Township, or wish to do business with the township, please do not contribute money to my campaign.

As you can see, I am the ONLY candidate for 7th Ward Commissioner that is not NOT indebted to campaign contributors who do business with the township and is NOT beholden to contributors from the Delaware County Republican political machine
I'll add one more thing to my voluntary campaign finance reform pledge.

I NEVER WILL take contributions from people who do business with our Township.