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Now that we are on the down side of Old Lycoming Township election for two supervisors, I felt compelled to again write to you the voters.
Remember 2022 when all of you where kept in the dark about the regionalization of your police department with Tiadaghton Regional Police Department. The chairperson of the Board of Supervisors told you they would be holding public meetings to keep you advised on the progress of regionalization between the two departments.
In March of 2022 a number of residents went to the Old Lycoming Township supervisors' meeting when they found out that they may lose their police department. The residents had questions about the process of combining the two departments. The residents where only allowed to speak for three minutes. Questions were asked but no answers were given. The only supervisor that did not support regionalization of the department was David W. Shirn.
At every township meeting from May through August 2022 the attendees were told that no decisions had been made yet and public meetings would be held. Unbeknownst to the board of supervisors, the Concerned Citizens for Old Lycoming Township obtained a copy of the state Department of Community and Economic Development report that was conducted and completed late in 2020. Throughout 2022 the board of supervisors had not revealed any information from the completed DCED study on the regionalization of the departments.
Throughout 2022 the supervisors were asked questions on how the regionalization was being put together. Very few answers were provided. Promises of public meetings were given. Questions were asked about a bargaining unit contracts, combining two retirement plans into one plan, chairwoman Mazzullo repeatedly said that they would not vote on the regionalization until the state provided its report on the pension issue. We questioned how the chief would be selected, the answer was the position would be advertised and candidates interviewed, the next question was is there an exit plan out of the regionalization if costs became too high, no answers provided.
Over the past three years you have been kept in the dark about the regionalization of the police department. Questions asked, questions unanswered. It's time to shine a light on how government business is done in the Township.
Questions that went unanswered over the past year are, why was the DCED regionalization study not made public? How is the board of supervisors evaluating the current regionalization police service? If one or more of the contract municipalities decide to leave the regional department how will those funds be made up by the remaining municipalities?
How are the unfunded liabilities of the bargaining unit contract and combining of the two retirement systems going to be funded?
Why hasn't the township representatives on the Regional Police Commission -- David Kay and Sam Aungst -- given the residents a regional police activity report for January, February, March and April?
When the contract to regionalize was drafted, why didn't the supervisors insist on minimum staffing -- two officers a shift -- in Old Lycoming Township? Old Lycoming Township is the most populous municipality in the regional department, and paying over 50% of the cost of the regional department.
Don't forget the Sept. 28 2022 township meeting held at the Old Lycoming Volunteer Fire Department. The social hall was filled with people. During the first two hours of the meeting there were a number of people that informed you how and why Old Lycoming Township Police Department needed to regionalize with the Tiadaghton Valley Regional Police Department. There were no time restraints placed on these individuals. Only one of these individuals was a township resident.
The time came for public questions, you were restricted to three minutes, if you went over three minutes you were told to sit down. More respect and preference was given to a Hepburn Township supervisor, a borough councilman from Jersey Shore, a resident from McHenry Township and police officers who did not live in Old Lycoming Township. Then a question was asked, if the supervisors had already made their decision. Answer from the chair of the board was yes. Then came the vote by the supervisors to approve the regionalization. Supervisors Linda Mazzullo and David Kay voted yes, Supervisor David W. Shirn voted no. At this point about one half of the people in attendance got up and left the meeting, because the decision to regionalize had already been made before the meeting even started. This important consequential decision was made behind closed doors without any opportunity for township residents to express their view as chairwoman Mazzullo had promised for months. She was presented with petitions signed by nearly 350 township residents signatures to stop the police regionalization and the chairwoman just laid them aside, without even respectfully reviewing them.
Regardless of your political party I would think you would want to elect the best candidates for the two open supervisor seats. Two candidates that I know will do their due diligence before making major decisions that would affect the residents of Old Lycoming Township. David W. Shirn and Justin Kastner have both assured me that they would ease the 3-minute time limit when you need to talk to the supervisors at a township meeting.
Both David W. Shirn and Justin Kastner have said that they would like to see more transparency in township business. The entire regionalization of the police department was hidden from residents. Justin and Dave will be open particularly when major decisions come before the board. There will be Town Hall meetings in addition to regularly scheduled township meetings for residents to ask questions.
They both would like to review the entire fiscal status of the township seeking areas to be more fiscally prudent. They also want to re-establish the recreation commission, and seek a more equitable means of assessing sewer costs.
It's now up to you the voters to do your homework, ask questions, do your research. David W. Shirn is running for reelection a 6-year term and Justin Kastner is running for a 4-year term. Election Day is May 16 -- the decision is now in your hands.
Robert J Burns II is a retired sergeant with the Old Lycoming Township Police Department.