Happy Autumn, friends and neighbors,
As we move into the end of the year, there are many exciting and important events and actions happening the end of November and into December.
Election
First of all, congratulations to all of those who stood for and won election this past November 7th and also to acknowledge those who ran and did not win. Not only is Election Day is a great day to see all our neighbors in Lansdowne, but also the process of voting and having competitive elections helps our democracy to thrive. Above all else, thank you to the many folks in our community who worked the polls as precinct workers. You are the frontline workers that make our elections and our government free and fair. Thank you for the work that you do.
Veteran’s Day Dinner
On Saturday, November 11th, American Legion Post 65 and Aldan Legion Post 1000 hosted an excellent Veteran’s Day Dinner at the Twentieth Century Club. Lansdowne Borough Council is pleased to support the Legion Post and the fundraising for the Memorial Day Parade. Thank you to Commander Michael Bair, Legion member Bill Horton, and the whole Legion Post 65 for organizing the event and Officer Larry Albertoli for presenting on his time in the Coast Guard. Mayor Magda Byrne, Council President Benjamin Hover, and Councilmember Jayne Young all attended. The American Legion Post was founded in 1919 and this past year was the 104th anniversary of the Post. Next year, the post celebrates its 105th Anniversary and the birthday of the American Legion is on March 15th. With this in mind, it seems only fitting that we are working towards the improvements of Veteran’s Park to happen next year. Lansdowne Borough Council anticipates completing the Veteran’s Parkway project next year. Please seen the plans here.
Budget and Taxes:
On November 15th, 2023, Lansdowne Borough Council voted to advertise a draft budget for the 2024 year. Council anticipates voting Also, Lansdowne Borough Council voted to increase the Earned Income Tax from .5% to 1%. By passing the increase, Lansdowne Borough can satisfy the payments for the increased Minimum Municipal Obligation to the Police Pension Fund, satisfy the obligations to fund the contract with Narberth Ambulance, and plan for building a new library. Lansdowne Borough Council does not increase taxes lightly and recognizes the need to be prudent stewards of Borough funds and also pay for improvements in the Borough and for maintaining the services for our residents.
Comprehensive Plan:
At the Council meeting on November 15th, Lansdowne Borough Council voted unanimously to adopt the Lansdowne Borough Comprehensive Plan that has been over two year in the making. I want to thank the members of the ad hoc Comprehensive Plan Committee for their work over the last two years to prepare the plan. Thank you to the many members in our community who provided feedback in focus groups and at all of the meetings and public to bring the plan to this final draft. Special thanks to former Council Vice President Janet English, former Councilmember Kellie Bowker, Vice President Sinoe Naji-Taylor, and Councilmember Carol Martsolf for serving on the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee.
Hoffman Park Mural:
Also, at the Borough Council meeting on November 15th, Lansdowne Borough Council voted unanimously to approve the final mural design for Hoffman Park. After the initial design and several opportunities for community input, Lansdowne Borough Council voted unanimously to support the new design by E Gram. The design honors several individuals in our community who were national and international sports heroes. Please see the design here.
Please see the list here:
- Leroy Burrell--gold medalist, Penn Wood High record holder, current Auburn University Head Track Coach
- Dawn Burrell--Olympic medalist, Penn Wood High State Champion, currently a chef in Houston
- Rap S. Curry-- St. Joseph' University Hawk record holder, Penn Wood High record holder, long time coach and athletic director Penn Wood.
- Afia Lewis--Temple University Hall of Fame, Penn Wood High State Champion, long time educator and coach in WPSD
- Eddie Collins Jr.--Professional baseball player, Lansdowne Aldan High graduate, long term teacher at Episcopal Academy.
- Karen Anderson--Olympic medalist, professional golfers, graduate of Lansdowne Aldan High
- Eddie Coyle--longtime Lansdowne resident paralympic silver and gold medalist, Bonner grad, PhD West Chester.
The community is invited to participate in a Community Paint at Hoffman Park from 12:00-2:00 on December 2nd with the muralist.
Council News
Congratulations to Councilmember Carol Martsolf on being voted as the Chair of the Delaware County Sustainability Commission. Also, Congratulations to Carol for being nominate by Dr. Monica Taylor to the PECO Environmental Justice Advisory Committee.
Resolution Condemning Attacks by Hamas
Last month on October 7th, the world witnessed the horrific attacks by the terrorist organization Hamas on innocent Israeli citizens and international travelers to Israel: Jews and Arabs, Christians and Muslims, Druze and men, women, and children were killed or taken hostage. Since the events occurred we have seen the rise of escalating tensions and rhetoric and threats of violence towards members in our community. In Wallingford, a bomb threat was called in to Congregation Ohev Shalom. Jewish students at UPenn and Drexel have faced antisemitic attacks. And there are numerous reports of anti-Semitic threats in stores and schools in Delaware County. At the same time, a mosque in South Philadelphia was vandalized. And our neighbors in Upper Darby had real memories of Islamophobic violence revived after the murder of one of their community at their doorstep. On November 15th, Lansdowne Borough Council voted unanimously to reject the antisemitic actions and rhetoric in our area and Islamophobic statements and actions. We remain No Place for Hate. Please see the resolution here.
Upcoming Events:
We wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!
Lansdowne is on the Move. Go Birds!
Sincerely,
Benjamin Hover
Council President