A person following many of the newspaper articles written about the Roots vs Kirkland campaign for mayor of Chester emailed me with this,

‘He answers with the same thing every time – you lie, you have no experience, you don’t come to work, you are desperate, you disrespect employees and citizens, you don’t want to face the people, and you attack his family. That’s no way to separate yourself from your opponent. Why should people vote for him to be mayor for a 3rd time? He never says anything on that in any of these articles?’ 

It should be obvious to anyone paying attention to this election that Kirkland and I don’t align at all politically on what it will take to turn Chester around. He insists all of Chester’s financial issues are a result of prior administrations and he bears no responsibility for any of it. I think he wants folks to believe that receivership and bankruptcy was coming to Chester more than 8 years ago regardless of his efforts to prevent it like the deals he claims to have made with the Chester Water Authority before receivership. Somehow, he waited too long to take action on those plans to prevent receivership. Maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess if he had signed the dotted line with CWA. But he didn’t. Why?

In a recent Daily Times article, I refused to answer the question of what my accomplishments were in my first year as a city council member because it would have taken up too much space in an article that was focused on the top 6 financial missteps by Kirkland. I surly didn’t want my accomplishments to overshadow his missteps. I’ll share a few accomplishments with you here. 

Adopt A Park Program. Kirkland said I stole the idea from him, and if so, it’s another case of something he didn’t know how to execute. It took me to come along to get it on the books. Actually, because I’m not allowed credit for the resolution, they call it the Revised Adopt A Park program. When I asked what it’s revised from, I still haven’t received an answer. Regardless, I got 4 entities to sign on (Chester State Correctional Facility – Sun Village Park; Making A Change Group – citywide; Covanta – Chester waterfront; and The 9th Street Environmental Youth Corp – Eyre Park and citywide tree plantings).

Somehow, despite him claiming I stole his idea, Kirkland still hasn’t found a single company to sign on. In fact, he kicked the 9th Street Environmental Youth Corp out of the facility they were renovating on the city’s behalf leaving about a dozen kids without a headquarters building where they were learning environmental studies and taking financial literacy classes sponsored by WSFS. Needless to say, Kirkland kicking them out upset A LOT of people, disappointed kids and their parents, sponsors, and supporters. And now, the building has become a club house for a softball team to entertain themselves after games. That was the most egregious thing Kirkland could do to a youth program that went through all the hoops to be accepted into Adopt A Park program including adding the city as an added insured on their million dollar insurance policy. They just wanted to work with the city. I’ll never understand Kirkland’s logic behind that one. 

I brought the city their newest playground set in Sun Village Park where I also had all the wood on benches and picnic tables replaced because they were all rotted out, renovated a basketball court in Pulaski Park, led a $300,000 renovation of the Memorial Park pool, and more. Yet Kirkland says I don’t come to work and have nothing to hang my hat on. What is he talking about?

I could go on and on, but I’ll just address one more frequent quote Kirkland labels me with – I’m Desperate. Here’s what I believe are our final two mail pieces. Which one looks more desperate than the other?

He attacks people that aren’t even his opponents and mine simply encourages people to come out and vote. And, Kirkland claims he never does negative campaigning. You be the judge.

Chester folks will come out and vote. Some may go with the guy who doesn’t take any responsibility for Chester’s problems. Some will go with the guy who is ready, willing and ABLE, to tackle Chester’s toughest problems head on.

YOU CAN GET WITH THIS OR YOUR CAN GET WITH THAT! 

Election day will determine if people are looking for a mayor to save the city or someone who wants to be on rotation telling citizens he’s not the guy responsible for the current state of Chester and finds plenty of other people to blame even if they’re not his opponent.

See y’all on Tuesday!

Chester Deserves Better!