Yes, you read that right. In a ballot question this past election day, Westtown residents voted 3,459 to 1,745 (67 percent) to approve a tax increase for the preservation of Crebilly Farms as one of Chesco’s major open spaces.
The earned income tax rate goes from 1 percent to 1.08 percent and the real estate tax rate increases from 3.5 mills to 3.92 mills.
Crebilly farms is the site of the Battle of Brandywine on Sept. 11, 1777, then the largest single-day battle of the American Revolution, which was won by the British/Hessian forces. This victory led to the British occupation of Philadelphia.
The estimated cost of the tax increase for a household earning $100,000 would be an additional $80 in local earned income tax. A household with an assessed house value of $250,000 would pay an additional $105 per year.
The Natural Lands Trust hopes to land about $2.5 million in grants, and says they are well on their way to doing that.
The Daily Local News of Chester County has been ovewhelmed with letters.
Unionville-Chadds Ford Agrees To Parents’ Vax Wording — Kathleen Carmody has let us know that the Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board, Monday, Oct. 17, voted to use wording that allowed for exemptions to immunization requirements due to religious grounds or on the basis of a strong moral or ethical conviction similar to a religious belief or moral/philosophical grounds or whose physician certifies that the student’s physical condition contraindicates immunization.
The board initially sought to remove the wording moral-philosophical as a reason for an exemption.
As importantly the board also included the phrase or in accordance withlaw, regulations, or a legally binding order from the PA Department of Health and/or Chester County Health Department as a reason to exclude a child from class. The initial wording sought was programs or guidance established by the PA Department of Health.
“Both of these improvements are a noteworthy win,” Mrs. Carmody said.
She said that board members Robert Sage and John Murphy appeared to have played “the most significant role in correcting this alarming situation.”
Chesco To Monitor Dropboxes; AFL Wins Suit — America First Legal has gotten a victorious settlement in a lawsuit against the Chester County, Pa. Board of Elections, Election Wizard tweeted this evening, Oct. 18. The agreement includes a requirement that all dropboxes to be staffed and have surveillance camera monitoring. Also ballots delivered by third parties, without authorization will be segregated and a criminal referral may be made to the district attorney.
The suit was filed Sept. 15. Sounds like they got everything they wanted.
Republican Squires Want Democrat Congresswoman — Not a dime’s worth of difference. Say it once then say it twice, the establishment is fighting for its bowl of rice.
And party labels are meaningless as the eternally tax-filled rice bowl is happily shared by the squire set.
Three former Chester County GOP chairman — Alan Novak, Joseph “Skip” Brion and William Lamb — have endorsed Democrat incumbent Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan in her 6th District race against Guy Ciarrocchi.
The district includes almost all of Pennsylvania’s Chester County and a part of Berks County.
The endorsement comes despite Chrissy calling Republicans “diseased” and voting 100 percent with Nancy Pelosi.
“I get that she votes with her leadership when she has to,” said Novak but he explained that she votes with Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-1), too.
For the math challenged, this means that Fitzpatrick, who is part of the establishment, votes with Pelosi at times.
Survival Mindset Should Be In Every Home — A retired Green Beret living in Chester County, Pa. has written a must-read book for all who are used to a corner Wawa open 24/7.
Peter Crittenden’s Survival Mindset, A guide on What to do When Things Go Wrong, Bushcraft/Survival, Emergency Planning and Situational Awareness focuses on the mindset.
Yes, it includes very good how-tos. It describes what plants can be eaten (dandelions, yum); and animals, yes the flesh of all frogs is tasty and wholesome. It tells how water can be purified in a clear plastic bottle left in direct sun for six-hours. There are directions on building fires, tying necessary knots, and other things.
Crittenden’s main point, though, is the mental aspects summed up by the acronym S.U.R.V.I.V.A.L: Size up the situation; Use all senses; Remember where you are; Vanquish fear and panic; Improvise; Value living; Act like the natives; Live by you wits/Learn basic skills.
Peter Crittenden as a security consultant in the Congo
He gives three real life examples of average people surviving likely fatal events by using parts of S.U.R.V.I.V.A.L.
Survival Mindset is unique among fieldcraft or survival guides in that the principles of emergency planning and priorities for survival tasks and preparation are identified and clearly presented
Crittenden retired as a sergeant first class after 25 years in the U.S. Army. He was a SERE school instructor; tracked war criminals in Bosnia and evacuated missionaries from Côte d’Ivoire during its first civil war.
Crittenden was born in Australia and grew up in ex-pat communities in Thailand, Indonesia and Bangladesh due to his father’s engineering jobs.
He described killing cobras — the little ones — in his backyard in Bangladesh, and experienced coups-d’etat and civil wars in Indonesia, Bangladesh and Thailand.
He emigrated to the United States and became a draftsman but didn’t see a future in it so he joined the Army in 1983.
“I found a home,” he said.
He started off in infantry in the 82nd Airborne Division, then Special Forces where he served as an engineering sergeant and then an intelligence sergeant.
After retirement, he worked as a security consultant. This is what inspired the book, which is based on military manuals and his experiences.
He says his clients often enthused about training sessions.
Survival Mindset is published by Blacksmith Publishing and can be found on Amazon. The Kindle edition is less than half the price of the traditional book but this might be a case where you want to splurge.
Chesco Sued For Unmonitored Drop Boxes — America First Legal (AFL) and counsel Wally Zimolong, Sept. 15, filed a second lawsuit in Pennsylvania on behalf of registered voters in Chester County, Pa. against the Chester County Board of Elections and its board members to compel their immediate compliance with Pennsylvania’s election laws in connection with ballot drop boxes.
Chesco has 13 drop boxes authorized for usage in the November general election. Voter services, however, failed to monitor two of them during the primary, according to the suit, to ensure they were being used in full compliance with the Election Code, including Pennsylvania’s statutory requirement that only one person was delivering his or her own ballot.
Especially damning was that these boxes were open 24/7.
There were security cameras impotently watching which recorded 330 individuals depositing void, invalid, or multiple ballots at once without repercussions, according to the suit.
Chesco dropbox being stuffed on May 12
AFL seeks the court’s immediate action to enjoin the Election Board from accepting, counting, or canvassing any ballots that contravene the lawful use of drop boxes or to receive invalid ballots from drop boxes in Chester County and commingling these with validly cast ballots and to compel the County to put into place the following measures:
Drop boxes must be physically monitored in-person to assure that the person delivering the ballot is only delivering his or her own ballot or is an authorized agent of a disabled voter with the proper affidavit signed by the voter and verified by the election board.
Chester County Election Board shall otherwise fulfill its statutory duties to ensure that void and invalid ballots are not commingled and counted in all future elections.
Rick Loughery Has Young Republicans In Turmoil — ValDiGiorgio’s legacy is metastasizing as the Young Republican National Federation has succumbed to its poison.
DiGiorgio resigned as Pennsylvania Republican Party chairman in 2019 after a sex scandal. Before his unfortunate promotion to state boss, he ruled the Chester County GOP, also unfortunately as his friends were not the friends of the little guys and gals who depend on political leaders to watch their backs.
Rick Loughery
Val’s handpicked successor as Chesco party boss was Rick Loughery who was the county recorder of deeds, as well as head of the Pennsylvania Young Republicans.
Val’s fall, though, didn’t stop Rick from rising. He became chairman of the Young Republican National Federation (YRNF) in 2019.
And since then, the YRNF has been beset by turmoil. The Florida chapter — a state where Republicans have doing particularly well — has declared its intent to withdraw, and an insurgency is challenging the leadership team placed by Loughery.
Chesco Audit Finds Shortage Of GOP Ballots In Primary — The Chester County Election Board failed to comply with state election law in the May 17 primary, according to an audit performed by attorney Carmela Ciliberti.
Mrs. Ciliberti used the state’s right-to-know law to acquire primary ballot order spreadsheets, manuals, the ballot printing production proposal, and Election Day call logs and emails.
State law requires that every county’s board of election keep a supply of ballots at least 10 percent greater than the highest number of ballots cast in any of the three previous equivalent elections.
Voter Services was notified 6:30 a.m., election day that there were no Republican ballots at precinct 825 West Chester 2-W. This required ballots to be printed at 8:20 a.m., an hour and 20 minutes after the polls opened.
How many had to leave the line to get to work? Were they able to come back? How many were disenfranchised?
At precinct 410 W Nottingham, only 100 ballots were ordered for 959 registered Republican voters. The 100 ballots were used by 11:30 a.m. and voting couldn’t restart until 2:30 p.m.
The problem is serious and thank God someone is calling attention to it.
Chesco Audit Finds Shortage Of GOP Ballots In Primary
Unionville-Chadds Ford Ending Immunization Exception? —
UPDATE — At the recommendation of School Director John Murpny, the board tabled the motion due to confusion about the solicitor’s legal advice and public concerns.
We’ve been informed that a vote will be held tonight, Aug. 15, by the Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board to end the district’s moral-philosophical exemption from immunizations.
The meeting starts at 7:30 at 740 Unionville Road, Kennett Square, Pa. 19348.
A strong case can be made that the Covid-19 vaccine is more dangerous for the young than the disease itself.
Unionville-Chadds Ford Ending Immunization Exception?
Raffi Terzian Beats Establishment Incumbent To Take Chesco GOP Chair — Raffi Terzian overwhelmingly beat incumbent and establishment favorite Gordon Eck to win chairmanship of the Chester County Republican Party, Tuesday (June 28).
It was part of a Republican insurgency sweeping the Philadelphia suburbs as party bosses in Montco and Bucks had to pull all stops to save their jobs.
The success by the Chesco rebels can likely be laid at the brain-dead decision Eck’s faction made in May to accuse Ron Vogel of being a Nazi racist for posting a Downfall parody in 2012 to mock the Pittsburgh Penguins while a college student.
The winning team in Chesco
Vogel won 58-percent of the vote in a straw poll to get the party’s recommendation in the May 17 primary to take on against incumbent Chrissy Houlahan in the 6th District congressional race. The establishment, however, of which Eck is a part, wanted Guy Ciarrocchi. Vogel was smeared, and his name left off the sample ballot and the Chesco GOP website.
Ciarrocchi won the primary.
And the committeepeople remembered.
Winning with Terzian were John Emmons as executive vice chair, Paula Tropiano as vice chair, Norman MacQueen as treasurer, Barbara Spall as financial secretary, Ann Marie Franciscus as secretary, Patricia Milanese as assistant secretary.
Also, let it be known that the Chesco vote, unlike in Bucks, was by secret ballot.
Raffi Terzian Beats Establishment Incumbent To Take Chesco GOP Chair
