I’m Jack Hansen. I am seeking reelection to borough council along with my friend and colleague Rich DiGregorio.
We first started serving you in January 2008. We have answered the calls of our friends, and neighbors, with problems. We have been able to help many of you. It has truly been an honor and privilege to serve you over the last four years.
We have served on the Administration and Finance, Public Safety, Public Works, Electric, Code Enforcement and Land Planning, Police Chief Search, Appointments Committees, and the Vacancy Board.
We also served as President and Vice President of Council for Eight Months in 2009. In that time, we brought in $6.6 million in grant money. With the help of our good friend, Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz, we received $2.8 million from Washington for the streetscape project that is going on right now.
We received $3.5 million from PennDOT with the help of Governor Ed Rendell for the Vine/Wood connector project that will be under construction early next year. We also received $329,000 from Montgomery County to move Wood Street to make room for the Molly McGuire’s Irish Pub. This was to give our revitalization efforts a jumpstart and attract other businesses to relocate to Lansdale.
The budget that we passed for 2010 had no tax increase, no electric rate increase, and no sewer rate increase. We reduced deficit spending by over 75 percent. It also put the borough on a path to be debt free in 2015. We started with $2.9 million in our reserve funds, and had to keep the borough from going into the red. I think we did a very good job.
In January 2010, five new members came on to the council. They had the opportunity to open this budget and redo anything that they felt had to be changed. What we heard them say was, “it’s not perfect, but we can live with it”.
Since that time, council has done a bond borrowing which gave us $9.5 million for capital projects, but also increased our debt service by $100,000 a year for the next 15 years (that’s $1.5 million).
It also freed up $5 million from the Parking Garage Bond, which now sits in the Parking Authority account in cash. That’s your money folks! The latest thing is the $8 million in “FOUND MONEY” that was in a restricted account for an emergency.
This is money that all previous administrations knew about, and chose to leave it where it was in case we had a problem at our Sewer Plant. We just had Hurricane Irene, which put a lot of pressure on the sewer plant.
If we had had a blow out, it could cost us more than the $8 million. If that money is spent on other projects, and we have a problem, then you the taxpayers will have to pony up, and pay the bill. These are the facts. It’s on the record.
It is much easier to solve problems when you have $22.5 million to spend verses $2.9 million.
When, “setting the record straight, again,” everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, but they are not entitled to their own facts - Daniel Patrick Moynahan.
November 8th is Election Day. I am asking you to go to the polls, and vote straught Democrat, and support Jack Hansen, Rich Digregorio, Steve Malagari, Denton Burnell, and Jim Hanratty. For fiscally responsible government.
Jack Hansen
Candidate for reelection to Lansdale Borough Council
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