Winds of change in Swarthmore?
By Bob Small
We attended a “meet and greet”, Oct. 19, for the two GOP Candidates in the Swarthmore Borough Special Election, Nov. 7.
This election was necessitated by the resignation of two Democratic Borough Council members, Sarah Graden and Francine Halderman.
It’s been many years since the Republican Party has meant anything in Swarthmore. There was an enthusiastic audience, despite the Phillies playing in the NCLS.
The Republicans are Rob M. Jordan and Bill Pearce. They explained why they were running in a letter published in the Oct. 20 Swarthmorean.
“Our Council’s financial decisions are causing great concern. Overspending, a draw down of reserves, and the Mayor’s ominous warning of a looming budget crisis have left us burdened with a 9 percent tax hike in 2022 and a 10 percent tax hike this year – with an even higher jump possibly to come shortly.”
They also mentioned “the erosion of civility and accountability in leadership”.
They noted that the GOP is not merely the “party of grievance”. The candidates said they want to “preserve our cherished Tree Canopy from PECO Deception”.
They said they also want to“increase the exceptional quality of life that defines our community,” and to embrace “intelligent zoning and forward thinking planning.”
They said at the event they feared Swarthmore would turn into Lansdowne if the current board’s agenda was not checked.
Rob Jordan is a Villanova University Economics Graduate and has worked as a senior healthcare executive. He is a member of the Don Guanella Park Master Plan Advisory Committee and is president of the Board of Directors of Saint Joseph Family Hope emergency housing center.
Bill Pearce is a graduate of Drexel in Chemical Engineering. He also has a masters of education from Rutgers, and an MBA from Tulane.
After a 35 year career in what he describes as “global business development”, he moved to Swarthmore. At the time of COVID, he joined the Widener University SBDC(Small Business Development Center) where he is a business consultant and international trade specialist.
He recently joined the Goldman Sachs 10 K Small Business Program at Community College of Philadelphia.
We’ve had two decades of one-party rule in Swarthmore. As long as there’s only one choice, whether Democrat or Republican, this feels more like dictatorship than democracy.
