Who would have thought that Danielle Thompson and ER4PC have
so much in common? In both
cases, there was something that needed to be done to improve life for Borough
residents and only a few people willing to stand up and say it out loud. And in both cases, the brutal personal
attacks start spewing from ‘the establishment.’
This time, Danielle Thompson is wearing the target on her
back. Thompson, who two months ago
suggested the Borough Manager/Treasurer salary offered in Eddystone exceeds
that of surrounding communities, is now having her qualifications called into
question by some of the same people that stumped for her last May and November.
Thompson simply said that we are overpaying for services and
should consider reviewing our salary schedule. Of course, none of the other leaders
who endorsed her or ran with her have stood up and had her back since she
suggested that saving tax payers’ money might be a good idea. This is despite the fact that we all
know she is not the only one who wanted to see the Borough Manager salary
reduced. Just like with ER4PC, there
were members of Council who agreed with the research presented, but for some
strange reason, no one else was willing to stand with the ideas presented.
Now, Thompson is standing on an island because she has this
crazy idea that the Borough Manager should have to put in a full day’s work in
order to be paid a full-time salary and that the salary should be comparable to
other municipalities. The good
news for Ms. Thompson is that she will find others on the island, too. ER4PC is also standing on that island
called logic and common sense, protecting Borough resources, and thinking its
okay to insist that people do the job they are elected or appointed into.
Our advice to her:
Stand your ground and do what is right for the Borough. If you are trying to get the Borough
Manager salary and work expectations in line with other municipalities, regardless
of who is in the position, good for you.
Keep going, even if the others leaders will not stand with you. Their silence continues to speak
volumes about their inability to make difficult decisions.
ER4PC fought to ensure that fewer kids dealt with hardships
of asthma and that fewer seniors dealt with the horrors of cancer. Thompson is fighting for prudent
spending of tax dollars. Reduced
asthma. Reduced cancer. Reduced wasteful spending.
Do any of these things sound like a personal attack, which
is exactly what ER4PC and Thompson are accused of doing?
The life long residents of Eddystone keep leaving to raise
their families elsewhere. Unless
the ideas of new residents like Thompson and many of the members of ER4PC begin
to be heard and evaluated on their merit, the town will remain in a stagnant
holding pattern that repels future growth and success. New residents are not ‘outsiders.’ They can want change and also love the
Borough. Sometimes, they
even have a smart idea or two.