What Will the Year Bring to Upper Moreland?

Upper Moreland board member seeking re-election
By: Jesse Reilly, Staff Writer
04/09/2009

No surprises here folks… Lisa is running again! I guess she still has more to say. Taking the meetings until 11:00 must not have been enough time.

Deciding to run for Upper Moreland Township Commissioner to spur change in downtown Willow Grove, Democratic incumbent Lisa Romaniello said her reasons for seeking re-election are the same.

Will this include more projects that will be funded with our local taxpayer dollars? This same tax base that is overburdened? We wonder if there were less dissention from self proclaimed advocates of “change” we might have developers ready to invest in the future of our township. Hold on, we forgot, we will be getting that snazzy fountain and granite curbing! Upper Moreland Township Taxpayers – are you getting your money’s worth? Maybe we can pull some pennys out of that fountain some day!

"We had two really productive years in 2006 and 2007. We had a lot of momentum as a board and got a lot accomplished," the Ward 1 representative said. "But we seemed to have lost in the past two years and I want to work to get us back there."

Teamwork means seeing all sides, not fighting to prove you are right. Team work is Compromise. Lesson of the day… There really is no I in team.

Hoping to restore civility and decorum to the council room, focus on economic development and create more jobs in the community and take the steps necessary to make Upper Moreland the leader in green technology are advancements that Romaniello said are crucial to the township's future.

Hold on, I choked on my gum – civility? Do you ever watch the videos of the commissioners meetings over the past 4 years? Glass house, let me introduce you to stone.

"If re-elected I would work to switch our HVAC system to solar or geo-thermal technology," she said. "I would update our zoning codes and make investments in improving the township's storm water infrastructure."

Too much here, just google geothermal – won’t vote to fund needed upgrades for our police but will talk about technology that potentially leaves a more detrimental carbon footprint. Talk green but do the research too. Oh and how much will this cost and how will WE pay for that?

Zoning code update? Is this the same one already under review and the effort, by the way, that she opposed favoring the establishment of traffic impact fees? Tax and Spend?

As a board member, Romaniello said the economy will be the biggest challenge that the board will face in the upcoming years.

"Our expenditures are currently $600,000 more than our revenue," she said. "We really need to tighten our belts, but realize that we need to be willing to go after economic stimulus dollars and make investments in our future. It is irresponsible not to try to go after the funds that are available to finance these types of improvements."

Next lesson: Stimulus money is a one time shot of funding for the commonwealth – you cannot count on this money as continuous funding stream. As one of 67 counties in this commonwealth all the money isn't coming here. But hey courting a few good developers might help build that tax base – or cutting some of the frivolous projects already mentioned. And the Grants or low interest loans? These still come with a price tag. We need to make good choices.

Acknowledging the difficult times ahead, Romaniello said she believes it is also a time of change."I think the status quo type of governing is not paying off," she said.

Change!? Your right - the last four years are not paying off.

The self-proclaimed bipartisan said her way of thinking could be an asset to the board. "I am able to cross political lines and work with people," she said, adding that her time on the township's advisory planning agency, the historical commission and the revitalization and redevelopment committee (is this one that ended over a porkchop?), as well as her professional experience as a business owner have afforded her the experience necessary to work on the board. Letting it go… Too easy…

"I have managed many big projects from start to finish and part of my job is listening to my clients, establishing a strategy and implementing those strategies," she said. "And of course, delivering the final project within budget." But are these team strategies or my way or the highway strategies? Compromise in goverment is essential too.

Re-establishing the spirit of political will on the board is what is needed as the township moves forward, Romaniello said.

"We need to bring back that spirit," she said. "We need to become a government that can do and accomplish things, not look at them as an impossibility."

Amen to that - Heres to alternatives!