Letter: Troy Ready to Take On the Challenge in Lansdale

If you live in Lansdale Borough, I want to be your councilwoman … now more than ever.

My desire to be part of positive change on Lansdale Borough Council was initially inspired by a less-than-pleasant tone that sometimes prevailed during council meetings, which I noticed when I began attending regularly in late 2011. I detected animosity toward particular residents who spoke at the podium and, in some cases, blatant disrespect toward fellow council members. This needs to stop. Such an environment has not provided the best backdrop for cooperation aimed at accomplishing some large goals, like taking a serious look at business improvement districts or moving forward with a definitive plan for 311 West Main Street.

Now, after knocking on hundreds of doors in Ward 3 and talking to people about their concerns, I am even more confident that Lansdale voters are hungry for change. The notes I have scribbled down over the last several weekends speak of unnecessary spending, a lack of attention to crumbling streets, and longtime Lansdale residents planning to move away because “it costs so much to live here now.” A lot of difficult but important work needs to be done, and I would like the opportunity to participate on Council to get it accomplished.

So I want to describe some of my strengths that will serve me well as your borough councilwoman. First, I am intelligent and full of initiative. I graduated with highest honors (summa cum laude) from Lebanon Valley College with a BA degree in Spanish, and later combined this language experience with some nurses’ training to create success as a medical editor, first in the journal publishing industry, and currently in the pharmaceutical industry. A well-respected early mentor of mine (who had trained many young scientific editors before me) once described me as “the most intelligent adult learner that [she had] ever worked with.” That is a compliment that I will never forget, and one that has helped propel my career forward, including my very recent promotion in vaccine research.

I derive personal satisfaction from knowing that I excel at what I do and that I am producing positive results. Now that I have reached a comfortable level in my career, I would like to put the same energy and drive into this small town that I have chosen as my home. I look forward to partnering with the cable companies to televise Council’s semimonthly meetings to open up its activities to a much larger audience than ever before. I look forward to proactively seeking new businesses to set up shop in Lansdale to expand our tax base and increase Lansdale’s attractiveness as a destination. And I am ready for the challenge of taking a hard look at the taxing and spending decisions over the last few years and determining where a new direction is needed.

Responsibility and restraint with money are additional strengths that I will bring to Council. On a personal level, I went from living paycheck to paycheck around 1990 to living comfortably today, without receiving (or requesting) monetary support from anyone. When money was tight, I simply stayed mindful of what was actually a “need” versus a “nice to have,” and let that common sense guide my spending decisions. Lansdale will benefit from this type of no-nonsense restraint. For example, providing the Lansdale police with adequate facilities to conduct their daily activities safely and efficiently belongs squarely in the “need” category; paying outside consultants to create a new borough logo or redesign the borough website does not. 

Approachability—accompanied by responsiveness—is a particular trait of mine that will make me effective as a councilwoman. People feel comfortable coming to me with their ideas and questions, and they know that I will not ignore them. This has been true my whole life, from comforting distressed classmates in elementary school to being a sounding board for those close to me who are going through counseling. When I am a councilwoman, my constituents will have my ear.

And, perhaps just for fun (… and living in Lansdale can be quite fun), I will add that I am a bit of an adventure seeker.  I love wild roller coasters (perhaps that is particularly helpful in Lansdale politics!). In 2003, I traveled to South Dakota, including spending several nights on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. In 2010, I traveled solo to Shanghai and Beijing, and participated in a friend’s nephew’s wedding in Jilin, China. I love adventure and taking on new challenges. Serving on Council will provide me with a new set of challenges right here at home (and, I suspect, some adventure as well!).

In the primary election on Tuesday, May 21, please vote for me, Liz Troy, and my running mate, Leon Angelichio, for Lansdale Borough Council in Ward 3. 

Liz Troy
Endorsed Democratic Candidate for Lansdale Borough Council, Ward 3