$292,000,000 For Falls’ Future

     In August of 2005, Falls Township entered into a new agreement with Waste Management worth $294 million in host community fees and services.  The Board of Supervisors hired a team of professional negotiators which resulted in a new agreement that took the previous agreements done in 1995 and 2001 and built on those concepts.  With an eye to the future, provisions were put in place to ensure Falls Township’s financial, recreational and environmental well-being for many years to come.  Some of the finer points of the agreement are: 

• Falls is guaranteed minimum yearly payments of host community fees to ensure fiscal continuity.
• Free trash pickup for the life of Waste Management’s time in Falls at an average savings of approximately $75 per month per residence.
• Free trash pickup for a minimum of 6 months after Waste Management closes.
• Falls is guaranteed to receive the most in host community fees in the state.  Should any municipality get anything better in fees or services, Waste Management must match that for Falls.
• Future options to purchase 2 land parcels for $1 each, including a 3 miles of riverfront property.
• Waste Management’s Parent Company will be responsible for environmental management of all waste sites in Falls, instead of a subsidiary company.

 By negotiating this contract, Supervisors Snipes, Prokopiak and Harvie have provided financially for Falls’ future.  It’s now up to the voters to decide what to do with that opportunity.  Falls must have elected officials who are willing to look forward, not those who would stay rooted in the past.  We need officials who are willing to listen to all ideas, to be willing to compromise and to put the needs of Falls’ residents FIRST.   

  Making Progress and Protecting Taxpayers

Over the past two years, the Board of Supervisors has made real progress on issues that protect the taxpayers and build a brighter future. What have they been doing?

• Hired an independent accounting firm to come into the township last year and study how efficiently the township handled its finances. 
• For every dollar spent by the township, only 2 cents goes to legal fees!! . This is a far cry from the million dollar lawsuits of only a few years ago.
• Township property taxes were not raised, despite rising health care costs, fuel costs and salaries. Falls still has over $30 million dollars in its savings account.
• Decreased the number of change orders on the Road Program and got the Road program back on schedule.
• Began the process of revitalizing the Riverfront for future development.
• Not playing politics.  Despite the fact that Supervisors Snipes, Prokopiak and Harvie are Democrats, they chose to hire Republican attorneys and accountants to work for the township.  And people have been chosen for Township Boards and Commissions regardless of their party affiliation.
   

Self-Defense

     For years now the members of the Falls Township Democratic Club have been attacked, ridiculed, bad-mouthed and lied about by certain individuals in the township.  Who really are the members of this organization?  What do they do?

     The Falls Township Democratic Club is the official Democratic Party organization for Falls Township.  It is open to the public and meets monthly in the Township Building where it discusses township issues and organizes various programs such as family picnics, activities for charity and voter registration drives. The members include people from all over Falls Township and from all walks of life. Many have a long history of volunteer service to the township.

     John Cardinali, Chairman of the Democratic Club for the last 7 years, has served on the Falls Township Planning Commission for a total of 10 years including 5 years as Chairman.  He has lived in Falls Township for 60 years and, together with his wife, has raised 3 children in Falls Township, and has 4 grand-children.  Tom McGoldrick worked for Acme markets for 46 years and was one of the first Chairmen of the Democratic Club back in the 1960s.  Bill Wamsley and his wife raised 2 children in Falls Township and have lived here for 44 years.  In addition to being a Little League coach he has served on the Park Board, Zoning Board, School Board and as a Supervisor. 

     Arlene and Dick Goulding have lived in Falls Township for 45 years, raising 3 children.  Dick worked for US Steel for over 30 years in Central Maintenance and Sheet & Tin and was also on the Board of Supervisors.  As Supervisors, Dick Goulding and Bill Wamsley together are responsible for the renovation of Three Arches and the construction of the Senior Citizens Center. They also were the ones who began the road program in the township and they were the first board to make Waste Management pay for the right to dump trash in Falls Township. Before them, Waste Management wasn’t paying the township a dime.   Arlene Goulding served as President of the Pennsbury School Board when the district was awarded the President’s Award for Excellence in Education. She has been a Democratic committee-woman for 35 years and for the past 25 years has served as the Chair of the 140th Assembly District - a position voted on by committee-people from Falls, Bristol Township, Bristol Boro, Tullytown and Morrisville.  She was also the Chair of the Falls Tricentennial Committee and serves on the Technical School Authority - which was responsible for the construction of Bucks County Technical High School.

     These are just some of the members of the Falls Township Democratic Club.  There are other members of course; they are nurses and landscapers, retired businessmen and secretaries.  They are ordinary people who have dedicated time and energy in an attempt to make Falls a better place.  They should be applauded, not insulted.  They should be thanked, not lied about.

Bob Harvie