Ambler Council Candidates Highlight Issues, Share Love of Borough

Candidates running for Ambler Borough Council and Wissahickon School Board spoke to constituents last month on what matters to them in the upcoming election.
In Ward One, incumbent Republican Francine Tomlinson is being challenged for her seat, and a seat vacated by outgoing Councilman Tom Kenney, by Republican Carol Ann DiPietro and Democrats Nancy Deininger and Sharon McCormick.
Deininger touted how crowded the downtown Ambler Borough is on a daily basis with people perusing shops and restaurants, all with ample parking.
"We need to keep all those activities going," Deininger said. "With the theater, cafes, restaurants and shops, we are making Ambler a destination."
Deininger said The Philadelphia Inquirer had recently wrote that Ambler is an example of how a town is using the Main Street concept as a revitalization tool.
"We need to go forward as a community to keep building a vital part of the community," Deininger said.
Deininger is also campaigning on making Ambler a more transparent government. This includes televising meetings over a local access government channel.
"We need to let the community know what the borough is doing," she said.
The website needs a serious revamping too.
"Part of the website's problem is, sometimes, you can't find things on it," Deininger said. "It's a community site and needs to be updated a bit."
DiPietro said she is a lifelong resident of Ambler and graduate of Wissahickon High School. 
"I graduated from all schools in Ambler that are no longer here," DiPietro said.
She said her grandparents settled in Ambler after immigrating from Italy with their eight children, his two brothers and a sister-in-law.
DiPietro said she has been very fortunate to be on the planning commission as a voice for what goes on in the town.
"It's very exciting for Ambler that we're growing," DiPietro said.
McCormick promoted her time as a member of Citizens for a Better Ambler, which came about in 2004 as a movement against a 17-story high-rise building proposal to be built on top of the Bo-Rit Superfund asbestos site.
"I and Bill Baker gathered signatures against the development to see how many in the constituency were against it. We got 1,442 signatures against it," McCormick said.
She then moved efforts to cleaning up the unsafe toxic waste site, which, McCormick said, is the oldest and largest asbestos dump in the United States.
"I was told it was asbestos from a past manufacturing facility. I found out everything there is to know about asbestos dumps," she said. "I'm now known as 'The Asbestos Lady.' 
McCormick said she wants to tackle the increased problem with the long-term stability and containment of waste at the site.
Thus far, McCormick has gathered more than 5,200 signatures in her ongoing efforts to get the asbestos removed.
"Unfortunately, the dump is still there. It's the single issue that continues to plague this borough," McCormick said. "If we can't grow, we can't increase revenue. We could be held liable if someone gets sick."
Tomlinson said she would love to stand in front of the audience and say she would not raise taxes, but she could not promise that.
"We have to manage expenses and not exceed revenues," Tomlinson said. 
Tomlinson added that community planning is important for future development and stormwater management is important so future development does not exaserbate the stormwater problem.
"We have to work with municipalities upstream of the borough," she said.
In Ward Two, two open seats are available, as incumbent Republican Pat Strus is seeking re-election and incumbent Republican Paul Dooley is leaving the borough and must give up his seat.
Democrat Rich Palumbo is one candidate challenging for one of the seats, and the other is Democrat Jonathan Sheward.
Palumbo came to Ambler to get his undergraduate degree at Temple University and "never left."
He remembered the lumber yard fire, when KC's Alley was nonexistent, when the reservoir was still visible from Main Street, he said. 
"I think, in being successful, you try to emulate successful people. One thing I've found in successful people is endless curiosity," Palumbo said.
That curiosity led Palumbo underneath the streets of Ambler to view ancient infrastructure, walls and mills that exist below Ambler. He thought about Ambler's forefathers and how they built the town, and then he thought about his own experiences in Ambler.
"That's why I volunteer for Ambler. I've given back," Palumbo said, adding that serving on council is another way to give back to his town.
"Giving back to Ambler--those are the people that make the community better. We're a part of that," he said.
Ambler needs four things to grow in the future: Health, Happiness, Safety and Prosperity.
"Can you go out and exercise? Can you access good local food? Is there a good educational system to allow a kid to expand and grow? (Can you) walk down Forest and Main safely?" Palumbo said.
He said the Constitution allows everyone to pursue happiness.
"And we have that here," he said of Ambler, citing its skate park, Oktoberfest, and library.
When it comes to prosperity, Palumbo asked if the borough can save more than it spends.
"Can you make an investment to leave behind for the generations behind you?" he said.  "Helping Ambler grow--we need to do it as a group and that's what I'll do i elected."
Sheward has lived in Ambler for 14 years. Sheward said his business experience in computer science can be used to solve complex problems in Ambler.
"I'll serve the community well. I think I would do a great job there," Sheward said. 
The main thing that Sheward cares about is the flooding in Ambler. Sheward's home has flooded more than five times.
"I think, with me having a personal interest, I want it fixed for myself and the town," Sheward said. "I hope to find a solution that would benefit everyone."
He said his business background is a good asset for Ambler.
"I'll be a new face. I will love to work with whoever is elected and I hope you come out and vote for me."
In the Ward Three race, Democrat Ed Curtis looks to retain his seat on council, but he is facing competition from Republican Steve Frustaci and Green Party member Tom Alba.
Alba, a resident since 2007, is the sole minority party member seeking a spot in Ward Three.
Alba said he moved to Ambler as the place to spend his golden years. He touted its walkability, the easy access to mass transit, Ambler's shops and its theater.
"My recurring message in my campaign literature is to make that choice (in the voting booth). Your vote will weigh a lot more than it does in a presidential election," he said. "Choose the person and not the party label. Each candidate should give you an idea of who you are and what you are."
Alba vowed to keep taxes low in Ambler.
"We got our first tax bill in 2008, and it was in line with what I expected. As years went by, the Ambler portion of the tax bill kept rising steadily," he said. "In 2013, there is a 92.6 percent higher tax rate than in 2008."
Alba said council needs someone to look at specific information related to projects before they become realities.
"I scrutinize (taxes). I debate (tax increases). If that's the type you want on council, vote for me," Alba said.
Frustaci said he used to live in Roxborough, but moved to Ambler for its safety, walkability and access to the railroad. He eventually moved his telecommunications business to Ambler in 1982.
"One of the greatest benefits was walkability," he said. "Ambler was a great place to grow up as kid. A downtown that is within reach was a great feature as a kid."
Now, Frustaci said the demise of the business district has resulted in vacant storefronts.
One witnesses the death of a business district and the rebirth of it as a resident and business owner.
"No matter what role we play, accountability plays a big role," he said. "This is a true bipartisan effort of citizens working hard to achieve what is best for the community."