Meet the Independent Lansdale Council Ward One Candidate

Jason Van Dame, 42, is in a league of his own on council. 
The Independent candidate for Ward One is currently serving out the term of former councilman Paul Clemente, who left the borough in the midst of his tenure on council. Van Dame was appointed by council to sit in Clemente's seat, chosen over Democratic candidate Jeff Howard.
Van Dame is vying with Democrats Howard and incumbent Mary Fuller for one of two open seats in the ward. All three are being challenged by Republicans Jean Fritz and Michele Coyle.
Read about the Democratic candidates here.
Read about the Republican candidates here.
Van Dame strives, if successful in his bid to council, to be an independent voice for Lansdale.
"I will seek out the information and resources needed to make responsible decisions, and not rely on advice or hearsay from a party leader," he said. "I will not attempt to mislead or divide the borough through incomplete information or inaccurate details.  I will show respect for the constituents that I am elected to represent.  I will welcome the opportunity to work with each member of council in a constructive manner to produce effective results for the borough."
Van Dame is a fourth-generation resident of Lansdale Borough and resides in his great-grandmother's home with his wife, three children and rescued boxer Lucy. Van Dame graduated from North Penn High School in 1988 and earned a business administration degree from Temple University. 
In 2000, Van Dame began his independent carpentry contracting business. He has coached for then-Lansdale Little League and is now an assistant pack master for Cub Scout Pack 62. Van Dame was the vice president of the Iron Eagles Motorcycle Club in Lansdale for five years.
Van Dame said he became involved in borough politics when talks began on the condition of borough hall and the police station.
"My concerns were based on actions of a previous council which brought us all of the problems associated with the well-documented performing arts center. I did not want the borough to be saddled with another project that was poorly planned and financially senseless.  And I did not want to rely on second hand information and political misinformation to get my facts, so I got involved," he said.
Van Dame said the rebuilding of the police station and borough hall was an obvious solution to anyone during Spiezle Architects' presentation on the assessment of both properties.
"I was relieved to see the comprehensive approach taken by our current council members to this problem, and felt this issue was on the right track," Van Dame said.
Revival of 311 Arts at 311 W. Main St. is another major issue that needs to be dealt with in Lansdale, he said.
"It is a project that the borough has a significant amount of money sunk into already, and we are on the hook for even more with grant money that was used to get the building up and running initially. Unfortunately, the building currently sits empty as the result of safety and liability issues," he said.
Van Dame said 311 Arts is something that should and can benefit residents, as the feasibility and desirability for the project exist.
"This means a place that will offer a wide variety of entertainment, education, and enrichment programming at affordable prices, in a building that is well thought out and accessible, without offsetting the costs at the expense of the Lansdale taxpayer," he said.
Van Dame also cherishes solutions to another issue in Lansdale: traffic, particularly that which uses neighborhoods as shortcuts at unsafe speeds.
"Parents of young children worry for the safety of their kids, and rightly so.  We need to develop a way to enforce our speed limits throughout all of our neighborhoods before something tragic occurs," he said.
Van Dame found out many things in talking with residents and knocking on their doors during his campaign. Some loved the infrastructure improvements, some felt infrastructure has not been improved in 10 years. Some loved the lower property taxes than a place like Jenkintown and others loved the events offered in town.
"Which brought me to the realization that each resident sees things through a different set of eyes," Van Dame said. "Each resident has issues and concerns that are important to them, and while many may have the same concerns, there are others with exactly opposite viewpoints. The job of borough council is to weigh these issues and consider solutions to best suit the needs of everyone."
He said, in many cases, complete information is all that is needed for a given situation.
"Education and communication needs to be a priority in the future to help disseminate accurate information," he said.
In campaigning, Van Dame has noticed groups of opponents taking a team approach to issues, and he said that is exactly how government has failed the people.
"A council functions best when its members can present individual opinions and challenge each other, to push for solutions to current problems and to plan for the future," he said. "We need to show that we can think for ourselves, and not rely on others to make decisions for us."