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Trey Gowdy of the Fox News Network was so right when he said "Democracy dies in darkness."
Democracy is the residents, taxpayers and voters. We are the voice that elected officials should be listening to. The personal agenda of an elected official should NEVER override the voice of the voters.
This has been the goal of the CONCERNED CITIZENS FOR OLD LYCOMING TOWNSHIP, openness and transparency of our elected and appointed officials in all matters and meetings that concerns the public.
We see these problems on the Federal, State and now local levels of governments. We saw it with the Old Lycoming Township board of supervisors. Sadly we are starting to see it in the newly formed Lycoming Regional Police Commission.
A chief of police was appointed by the commission during the Oct. 17, 2022 meeting. The chief was selected from within the Tiadaghton Valley Regional Police Department and Old Lycoming Township Police Department. The commission was certainly acting within the state Department of Community and Economic Development guidelines for selecting a chief of police for a new regional department. They had other options.
The interim police chief for Old Lycoming Township Police Department, a charter member of the new Lycoming Regional Police Department has made a statement that he would like to see the size of the new Lycoming Regional Police Department double in land miles by this time next year. If that were to happen it would be the largest regional department by land miles in the state.
Jan. 1, 2023 -- Lycoming Regional Police Department will start operations. The chief will be responsible for 20-plus officers and staff. If the land size of the department doubles as the chief wants, they will need to hire additional officers.
With that being said would it not be prudent for the Regional Commission to consider advertising within and outside of the Tiadaghton Valley Regional Police Department. There were a number of applicants that applied for the police chief position at Old Lycoming Township this past Spring that the board of supervisors refused to interview. One of those applicants was a 25-year retired State Police major. As such he supervised 1,000 personnel, oversaw a 40 million dollar budget, a 3 million dollar overtime budget, and was responsible for police coverage of 23 counties. Wouldn't you want the Regional Commission to interview and select the most qualified person to run the Lycoming Regional Police Department?
Citizens of the charter municipalities, it's time for you to step up and attend meetings and let your voices be heard. Don't let this new police commission operate in the darkness. I hope you realize that the police commission now holds the purse string to the new Lycoming Regional Police Department, kind of like taxation without representation.
When you see injustice you must stand up and do your best to make it right. That is what we are supposed to do in a constitutional republic.
Robert J Burns II is a retired sergeant with the Old Lycoming Township Police Department.