Council-At-Large Candidates

Election Day is a week and a day away. Here is information about the candidates for Norristown Council-at-large. Two seats are up for grabs this time around and two candidates are on the ballot. If you live in District 1 or 3, you’ll also see your local district council rep on the ballot. All of them are running unopposed.

This doesn’t necessarily mean you ought to vote for them without giving any thought to their qualifications or experience. If you’re don’t think the incumbents have done a good job or don’t think the new candidate is qualified, don’t give them your vote. You can write in candidates for any office. Push the “Write-In” button in the far-right column beside the office (make sure you select the correct button ~ look at the numbers), then type in the name on the keypad below. Be careful you spell the name as close to correct as you can.

How do you know if the incumbents are doing their jobs? Here’s how I measure my council reps:

1. If I have a problem in my neighborhood, can I get hold of my council rep or one of the council-at-large reps? Does action follow my communication or do I just get unreasonable excuses? (I’m willing to consider reasonable explanations, but I can also recognize a run-around when I hear it.)

2. Does my council rep or any of the others make any kind of effort to communicate or get to know their constituents even when we don’t have a specific complaint? (for instance, well-publicized Town Hall meetings, social media communications (and not only the day before or day of the event), etc.) Do they show up at town events? Do they make a real effort to update us on big projects (and not only after they’re a done deal)? Personally, I prefer honest updates from the reps themselves, not dog-and-pony shows from developers where questions and concerns are always glossed over or even lied about.

3. Do my council reps ask questions at their meetings? Do they seem to make an effort to truly understand what they’re voting on? Do they educate the public about the issues? (Frankly, this current council, other than to put out meeting agendas (which are usually so late, you can’t plan to get to a meeting for an important issue)—no, they don’t always communicate what they’re doing and don’t try to reach the widest audience when they do try to communicate. I miss the days of regular 3rd district newsletters and meetings.) I want council reps who don’t simply allow non-elected municipal employees to dictate policy and tell them how to vote, but who understand the issues themselves and make up their own minds.

That said, here are the candidates for Council-at-large. They’re both Democrats. No Republicans ran in the primary. The information beside each candidate was gleaned from their remarks at a candidates’ forum last May.

DERRICK PERRY: Derrick is the current Vice President of Council. He would like to change the attitudes about Norristown, work on economic development, keep our AA Bond Rating, and get residents to be involved more, both in voting and in “showing up” (I think he meant for meetings). One thing I will say for Derrick, he’s one of the only council reps I can consistently get hold of. When I had 2 separate Public Works problems in my neighborhood the last 2 years, I let Derrick know and the problems were each addressed within 24 hours. He’s on Nextdoor.com and Facebook, and lets residents on both venues know he can help if they have a council-related problem. And I’ve frequently seen him (and his son) around town at events.

REBECCA SMITH:  She said would focus on development of vacant properties. She talked about creating a sustainable tax base and encourage homeownership by shifting taxes from residents to businesses, but then said she’d support small businesses (not sure how you can support them, yet raise their taxes at the same time). She said she supported safe neighborhoods through community policing, but then went on to quote crime stats that didn’t sound right, saying Norristown was one of the most dangerous communities in the country. I fact-checked her. One erroneous Patch article made this claim a few years ago, quoting questionable sources that didn’t cite their own sources. It’s fake news, but unfortunately, it's the first result you get if you google Norristown crime statistics. Ms. Smith apparently read only that article and never checked with Crime-Mapping (actually statistics, not hearsay) nor did she check Norristown.org which now lists real trends in our crime statistics based on Crime-Mapping, nor did she talk to Chief Talbot. My own opinion is that I don’t think I’d vote for anyone who repeats false rumors about Norristown at a public forum. We have enough trouble with our image.

There are your Council-at-large candidates. Tomorrow, School Board.