Candidate Questionnaire: Al Phelan

Radnor Patch has reached out to local candidates to find out more about them. Here is information from Al Phelan.

Name:  Albert F. Phelan

Running For: Fourth Ward Commissioner

Party Affiliation:  Republican

Positions Held Previously: Retired professional business person and attorney with extensive experience in real estate and finance; Lector at church; Founder of charity to provide Thanksgiving dinners to people in need.

Why are you running for office:  I am running to return local government to the way it is supposed to be: about neighbor helping neighbor.  Partisan political games, instead of doing what's right, have resulted in over-spending and over-taxing, and now the addition of new fees on residents and businesses.  Radnor Township has lost its way financially and politically.  We also need to return our Commissioner seat to someone who can vote 100% of the time on 100% of the issues; sadly, my opponent's personal conflicts-of-interest have prevented her from doing so on issues related to development around Villanova and Agnes Irwin, as well as even township purchasing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2k4Zhzb3ww). 

What do you think are the biggest issues you would face in office:  There are several issues facing Radnor today and I believe there are common sense answers to each of them.

1) We need to restore fiscal discipline in order to protect taxpayers and reduce debt.  Over the past four years, taxes have increased by 25% and debt has ballooned to the point where our credit rating has been reduced.  If we do not get our fiscal house in order, Radnor will become unaffordable for our residents, especially our seniors.

2)  We must properly control development to protect the township and residents.  I would oppose the Bio-Med project as proposed because it would overwhelm us; both the Radnor Planning Commission and the Delaware County Planning Commission agree.  With regard to Villanova (a project on which my opponent can not vote due to a personal conflict-of-interest) I would work to make sure that the concerns of the neighbors are taken into consideration and their voices heard through my vote.

3) We must ensure the Willows remains an asset to Township residents, does not become overdeveloped, and does not cost taxpayers more than it should.  Unfortunately, the current Board (my opponent included) supported a plan that included a $4 million dollar bond guaranteed by the Township; today, due to public outcry, this proposal is being reconsidered.  I would, instead, support an approach that requires the lessee to bear expenses and does not turn the park over to so much development as to make it unusable by our families.

4) We can protect open space at Ardrossan without spending $12,000,000 of taxpayers' money.  By simply enforcing the the density modification ordinance already on the books and requiring that all 46 acres of open space to be allocated by the Ardrossan owner to be contiguous, we can preserve open space without taxpayers footing the bill.  This was done successfully at Inverary and Ravenscliff, and it can be done here.  Proposals by my opponent and others to spend tax dollars to purchase what is already required are fiscally irresponsible.

5) We can repeal the new Storm Water Fee.  Other municipalities surrounding Radnor (and across the state) are addressing storm water issues just as significant as those we face without charging residents more.  If we would simply focus our budget on priorities rather than always asking more of taxpayers and residents, we could do the same.  I will work to repeal the Storm Water Fee my opponent voted for because it is unfair not just to every resident, but especially to the residents of the 4th Ward who she was supposed to represent. 

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