Monday, April 28, 2008

Mayor Scoda, VETO the Parking Authority!

Against all logic.

Against all argument.

Against all commonsense.

5 to 3, Phoenixville Borough Council voted to create a Parking Authority.

Henry Wagner, President, Michael Speck, Michael Handwerk, David Gill, and Carlos Ciruleos, are those who voted for the establishment of the authority.

Jeff Senley, Richard Kirkner, and Ken Buckwalter voted no.

A call to bring to discussion the financing of the Parking Authority failed and was tabled.

During the next 14 days Mayor Leo Scoda has the lawful ability to veto the ordinance creating a Parking Authority.

Please call Mayor Scoda at 610-933-1727 or email the Mayor at leoscoda@hotmail.com and let him know exactly how much you would appreciate his use of the veto powers of his office.

Mayor, please VETO the Phoenixville Parking Authority!

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would think financing this disaster would have been something they might have wanted to discuss, no? If there is a charge to park in the downtown, you can bet you will never see my car there.

Anonymous said...

Is there some reason the Mayor has no email link on the Borough's web site? Other than snail mail, is there no way to contact him in writing? Perhaps you could find us an email address so we can ask him for his veto.

Karen said...

Anonymous 10:36, I respond to your question of financing a boondoggle by asking who knows what lurks in the minds of the majority down there?

If facts and reasoning don't work in staving off risky business I'm about run dry of ideas as to why they wouldn't discuss the throwing of taxpayer money into this gaping pit.

Anonymous said...

RE: Throwing taxpayer money away...lets use the TRASH COLLECTION fiasco as a baseline for the decision-making skills of Phoenixville's elected officals to measure just what to expect from a parking authority. God help us all.

Karen said...

Anonymous, 12?17 p.m., if the Mayor has a public email address I will post it in this thread.

Karen said...

Anonymous 3:47 p.m., Mayor Scoda is a reasonable and thoughtful man.

I'm hoping he's taking his time to draft a position paper for a veto to bury this idea once and for all.

Karen said...

Mayor Leo Scoda's email address is:

leoscoda@hotmail.com

Karen said...

Anonymous 11:26 p.m., I can't publish your comment in the current form.

Perhaps you could present your thoughts in a manner that avoids an accusation?

Karen said...

I need to publically thank Council Members Kirkner, Buckwalter, and Senely for their vote against the Parking Authority.

I know some votes come easy and others require quite a bit of intestinal fortitude.

Thank you for taking a stand against the motion.

The Constant Weeder said...

As a former member of the Phoenixville Parking Authority, disbanded in the 1980s, I can't BELIEVE that ANYONE would think it's a good idea to create a Parking Authority again. All this will come to, will be to chase away all the people enticed to come to the borough now that it's become a great destination. You folks in council, you really should think again! And Mr. Mayor, if you have the chance, I suggest you use that veto power of yours.

The Constant Weeder said...

As a former member of the Phoenixville Parking Authority, disbanded in the 1980s, I can't BELIEVE that ANYONE would think it's a good idea to create a Parking Authority again. All this will come to, will be to chase away all the people enticed to come to the borough now that it's become a great destination. You folks in council, you really should think again! And Mr. Mayor, if you have the chance, I suggest you use that veto power of yours.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the email address....here is what I sent the Mayor....

Please veto the Parking Authority ordinance passed by Council this week. There is absolutely no financial justification for paid parking, a parking garage or an authority. If paid parking revenue just goes to sustain a Parking Authority and it's probable employees, why does the average home owner need it? As far as a parking garage that ONLY benefits downtown borough businesses, it cannot be self sustaining and it is only a matter of time before a parking authority would require the Borough and its property owners to bail it out. No one has presented even an inkling of a financial analysis or financial justification. If one were done and presented and it demonstrated irrefutable evidence that an authority and garage will be self sustaining, go for it. But nothing should be done until that is done first. I know some have suggested establishing a BID area for funding and maybe that should happen. But if that's a step toward a solution, it should be done first. Barry Cassidy has publicly stated that there isn't enough appraised real estate value downtown to generate more than about $14,000 a year. I hope he's wrong but if he's even close, maybe they can at least fund a financial analysis/study of paid parking, a parking garage and perhaps an authority. Please do what is right for the people who really made Phoenixville what it is, the average home owner who invested everything they have into their property and who are here for the long term, not just to make a buck and run. Thank you for considering my input.

Anonymous said...

Take that $14000 and turn some of the ppg property into a parking area. Three or four acres shouyld be more than enough to support downtown business. It doesn't take a parking authority to do this, it takes fiscally sound decision-making by men elected to solve the immediate parking problem.