The Bucks County Republican Committee issued the following response to the county Democratic transition report, last week.
“In this document, county Democrats have presented a vision for Bucks County that seeks to turn our beloved community into another Philadelphia. The report ignores the geographic, economic, environmental, and cultural diversity that’s makes Bucks County a great place to live, work, and raise a family,” said Bucks GOP Chair Pat Poprik. “Their vision asks Bucks County citizens to pay more in taxes, to pay more for services, and to endure more traffic and congestion, while employing more highly paid government executives without a meaningful measure of success.”
(Bold is the BCRC’s)
The report recommends the failed policies of urban centers like Philadelphia and Trenton. Bucks County’s cultural, economic, and geographic diversity make this community one of the most desirable places to live in the nation. Unfortunately, the report describes Bucks County as “too boring/quiet” with “simply not enough to do.” A resident in Bucks County can live and work in an industrial hub like Fairless Hills, experience cultural centers in Bristol Borough or Doylestown, or buy fresh, local produce or hike a short ride away in Nockamixon. The report recommendations suggest reducing “red tape” and barriers to develop more high-density housing. It even suggests that our great and historic township, borough, and county designations are “confusing, and rarely helpful.”
The report recommends inconsistent policy objectives. While describing the need to freeze county hiring and reduce capital spending, the report also recommends “resources” (i.e. employees) to coordinate economic development, renewable energy and sustainability, website administrations, and a director of “synergy.” While recommending more high-density housing, the report does not address the infrastructure strains caused by urban overdevelopment including increased traffic congestion, more students in schools, and increased usage of utilities. While the report describes the diverse number of small business spread across various industries as a strength, it proceeds to lament that Bucks County is not dependent on one or two, “big name” companies.
The report endorses GOP leadership that the Democrat commissioners inherited, despite the report being assembled by county Democrats. The report does not find fault with the GOP budgeting and accountability process.
Overall, we found a county leadership team that is talented, highly experienced, and motivated to serve the residents of Bucks County. These division and department leaders are proud of the work their units do for our residents and approach their roles with the perspectives of true public servants. And there is much to be proud of. We heard about several programs that were considered best of class in our region, and departments that were excited about doing more with less, having proactively introduced cost savings and headcount reductions in an effort to be the best possible stewards of our tax payer dollars. (p.120)
“Generations of Republican leadership in Bucks County built a solid foundation of good government that reflects our Bucks County values. It is disappointing to see the new Democratic Commissioners, and the report assembled by their appointees, are so focused on bringing Philadelphia-style policies to our county,” concluded Poprik.
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