Greetings from the campaign trail…
One of the critical items in an election is the belief that a candidate will be true to his/her promises. I am not waiting for Election Day to stand up for what I believe in. Here’s what I’ve been doing:
Lean Government - I took a bold public position against the proposed Kings Mill settlement talks with the developer. Once again, I was on the forefront of engaging in public debate and taking a position to fight for our zoning laws and fighting against overzealous development. A settlement with the Kings Mill developer would have dramatically increased our school taxes (See Express-Times letter).
Additionally, I am supporting the regional planning concept. This concept builds trust between communities, improves communication on critical issues like emergency services, traffic management, preserving farmland, and promoting open space. This may allow Forks Township to save tax dollars while maintaining critical services.
Clean Government – I requested the Board of Supervisors to authorize an independent audit of the Forks EMS financial condition. This audit is a critical step in maintaining the public trust and ensuring we have a financially sound emergency squad (see Express-Times Letter).
Green Spaces – I participated in the various committees that have been charged with updating the Forks Comprehensive Plan. I strongly advocated securing green/open space for expanding recreational activities for all ages. I was proud to serve as Chairman of the Recreation and Trails Committee.
I have attended several Farm Preservation meetings to argue to preserve farm land while meeting the needs of our framers.
I wrote letters to the Express-Times, Morning Call, and Easton News editors advocating holding developers responsible for breaking agreements with our township. The Board of Supervisors agreed to sue the developer for damages.
I proposed an amendment to the cell phone tower contract to allow Forks Township the flexibility to find a suitable location for the new cell tower. No Cell Tower in our park!
While campaigning door-to-door, many people have asked if I keep my promises. As you can see, I have not been shy about engaging in public debate and advocating my position. I know the people of Forks Township expect no less from their elected officials.
These are the types of forward thinking ideas I will bring to the Forks Township Board of Supervisors. Forks Township can no longer afford to be dependent upon historical thinking when deciding critical township issues. We need new forward thinking elected officials that will fight for the residents of Forks Township.
It is not simply an issue of monitoring, thinking about solutions, or hoping the developers will do the right. This election is about choosing officials that will take bold public action.
If you have any ideas or comments about critical issues facing Forks Township, please share your ideas via our blog or email at billings2007@att.net.
Get Involved – Every Vote Counts!
David Billings
billings2007@att.net
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
Important Legislative Updates
Greetings from the campaign trail…
One of my campaign ideas is the concept of participating in regional planning (cooperative planning). Just to be clear, the concept of regional planning does not mean we give up local decision making or governance boards, but it does recognize the fact that we live and work in the Greater Lehigh Valley. It does build trust between communities and improves communication on critical issues like emergency services, traffic management, farmland preservation, and promoting open space.
Our development plans have a direct impact on our neighbors. How well we work together to solve common problems will dictate whether we prosper as a community.
Right now, House Resolution 180 is pending in the PA Senate. The resolution calls for the study of governance and promotes regional collaboration in the delivery of municipal services and the execution of local governance. This resolution is based upon the 2007 Brookings Institute Report, Committing to Prosperity, and similar reports that contain recommendations to improve regional collaboration among municipalities. This bill would create a commission that would address the following issues:
1. A study of the current system of local governance and state programs impacting local governments.
2. Recommendation of changes to remove barriers to regional cooperation.
3. Recommendation of measures to ensure municipal fiscal stability.
4. Recommendation of changes to improve incentives to regional cooperation
The Commission must file a report by November 30, 2008. House Resolution 180 passed unanimously in the House in September 2007. The PA Senate should consider this resolution this session.
I am very supportive of this bill and I will be reaching out to Senator Wonderling to express my opinion. I urge you to do the same.
These are the types of forward thinking ideas I will bring to the Forks Township Board of Supervisors. Forks Township can no longer afford to be dependent upon historical thinking when deciding land use issues. We need new forward thinking elected officials that will fight to preserve our farmland and create green spaces.
If you have any ideas or comments about critical issues facing Forks Township, please share your ideas via our blog or email at billings2007@att.net.
Get Involved – Every Vote Counts!
Sincerely,
David Billings
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Forks EMS - Letter to the Express-Times
Editor,
I attended the Forks Township Board of Supervisors (BoS) meeting on October 18, 2007. The BoS discussed the financial condition of the Forks Township EMS squad.
Let me be clear. I am a supporter of the Forks EMS squad and strongly believe Forks Township needs a vibrant and financially healthy squad. I was very concerned when the Forks EMS leadership team was not prepared to discuss the financial condition of the squad last night. They also stated the EMS squad financial reports should not be made available to the public. At this point, I was in a state of disbelief.
I am urging the Board of Supervisors to authorize an independent audit of the Forks EMS financial condition. This audit is a critical step in maintaining the public trust and ensuring we have a financially sound emergency squad.
I realize the members of the Forks EMS squad are professional and dedicated to serving the people of our community. This audit is not a criticism of the department, but a suggestion for the EMS leadership team to create a level of transparency between the EMS squad and the public. This transparency will maintain the public trust and goodwill that has been built up over the past 6 months. I look forward to a full pubic accounting of the Forks EMS financial condition.
If you have any ideas or comments about critical issues facing Forks Township, please share your ideas via our blog or email at billings2007@att.net.
Let’s Create a Better Forks Together!
Sincerely,
David Billings
billings2007@att.net
I attended the Forks Township Board of Supervisors (BoS) meeting on October 18, 2007. The BoS discussed the financial condition of the Forks Township EMS squad.
Let me be clear. I am a supporter of the Forks EMS squad and strongly believe Forks Township needs a vibrant and financially healthy squad. I was very concerned when the Forks EMS leadership team was not prepared to discuss the financial condition of the squad last night. They also stated the EMS squad financial reports should not be made available to the public. At this point, I was in a state of disbelief.
I am urging the Board of Supervisors to authorize an independent audit of the Forks EMS financial condition. This audit is a critical step in maintaining the public trust and ensuring we have a financially sound emergency squad.
I realize the members of the Forks EMS squad are professional and dedicated to serving the people of our community. This audit is not a criticism of the department, but a suggestion for the EMS leadership team to create a level of transparency between the EMS squad and the public. This transparency will maintain the public trust and goodwill that has been built up over the past 6 months. I look forward to a full pubic accounting of the Forks EMS financial condition.
If you have any ideas or comments about critical issues facing Forks Township, please share your ideas via our blog or email at billings2007@att.net.
Let’s Create a Better Forks Together!
Sincerely,
David Billings
billings2007@att.net
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Community Events
Greetings from the campaign trail…
We have been attending many community events in the past two months, so we could meet as many people as possible. It was a great experience, as I have discussed many of the challenges that Forks Township faces in the coming years.
We attended Forks Community Days on September 15 and 16, 2007. It was a wonderful community event. I attended the Forks Fire Department open house on October 6, 2007. Once again, I had the chance to meet many different people and visit a professional volunteer fire department. I hope the citizens of Forks Township realize the level of professionalism and skill of our fire department. It is truly amazing!
The Forks PTA held a candidate night on October 9, 2007. What a night! The candidates spent over two hours debating the issues and answering questions from members of the Forks PTA. We fielded questions ranging from open government to storm water management, Delaware River flooding, the rapid growth of Forks Township, and the impact of this growth on our roads, fire, police, and schools.
I talked about my vision for Forks Township (Clean, Lean, and Green) and the importance of developing a comprehensive storm water management program, partnering with the County, State, and Federal governments to get grants for open space, creating a truly open government, and improving the recreational opportunities for our community.
We will continue to campaign door-to-door to meet as many residents as possible. I have been thanked many times by the people I have met for taking the time to campaign door-to-door. I have covered over 70% of Forks Township neighborhoods and I am hopeful to visit every neighborhood by Election Day!
It is very important that we proactively reach out to residents to get ideas on critical township issues. If you have any ideas or comments about critical issues facing Forks Township, please share your ideas via our blog or email at billings2007@att.net.
Get Involved – Every Vote Counts!
Sincerely,
David Billings
billings2007@att.net
We have been attending many community events in the past two months, so we could meet as many people as possible. It was a great experience, as I have discussed many of the challenges that Forks Township faces in the coming years.
We attended Forks Community Days on September 15 and 16, 2007. It was a wonderful community event. I attended the Forks Fire Department open house on October 6, 2007. Once again, I had the chance to meet many different people and visit a professional volunteer fire department. I hope the citizens of Forks Township realize the level of professionalism and skill of our fire department. It is truly amazing!
The Forks PTA held a candidate night on October 9, 2007. What a night! The candidates spent over two hours debating the issues and answering questions from members of the Forks PTA. We fielded questions ranging from open government to storm water management, Delaware River flooding, the rapid growth of Forks Township, and the impact of this growth on our roads, fire, police, and schools.
I talked about my vision for Forks Township (Clean, Lean, and Green) and the importance of developing a comprehensive storm water management program, partnering with the County, State, and Federal governments to get grants for open space, creating a truly open government, and improving the recreational opportunities for our community.
We will continue to campaign door-to-door to meet as many residents as possible. I have been thanked many times by the people I have met for taking the time to campaign door-to-door. I have covered over 70% of Forks Township neighborhoods and I am hopeful to visit every neighborhood by Election Day!
It is very important that we proactively reach out to residents to get ideas on critical township issues. If you have any ideas or comments about critical issues facing Forks Township, please share your ideas via our blog or email at billings2007@att.net.
Get Involved – Every Vote Counts!
Sincerely,
David Billings
billings2007@att.net
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Campaign Theme - Clean Government
Greetings from the campaign trail…
One of my three campaign themes is Clean Government. So, what is Clean Government? In my mind, Clean Government has three basic components. First, a candidate for public office should have the highest level of integrity. Second, we need to have an open access policy. Finally, proactively reach out to the public on critical issues and seek diverse ideas while formulating public policy.
In my opinion, public servants need to demonstrate the highest level of integrity and honesty. I believe that public servants have a deep moral obligation to maintain the public trust and set a moral example for our community.
Open access is the ability of our township residents to have easy access to our local leadership, critical documents, and how our township operates on a daily basis. In other words, create a level of transparency between the Board of Supervisors, township operations and our residents. For example, a Government that practices open access requires having all public documents on our web site, providing a free copy of the Comprehensive plan to our residents, easy access to developers’ proposals that affect our way of life, public display of all traffic studies, and access to the 2007 budget in a timely manner.
Each of the critical service organizations (Police, Fire, and EMS) should make a yearly report to the township residents to improve our understanding of these critical services and how we benefit as a community from these dedicated professionals. Yes, I will broach the unthinkable -- broadcasting our Board of Supervisor meetings on the local cable community outlet channels.
Additionally, I believe we should have occasional Board of Supervisor, Planning Commission, and Zoning meetings on Saturdays to increase the visibility of these critical boards and commissions to our community. Town hall meetings should become a norm in our township not just a campaign slogan.
It is very important that we proactively reach out to residents to get ideas on critical township issues. If you have any ideas or comments about critical issues facing Forks Township, please share your ideas via our blog or email at billings2007@att.net.Get Involved –
Every Vote Counts!
Sincerely,
David Billings
billings2007@att.net
One of my three campaign themes is Clean Government. So, what is Clean Government? In my mind, Clean Government has three basic components. First, a candidate for public office should have the highest level of integrity. Second, we need to have an open access policy. Finally, proactively reach out to the public on critical issues and seek diverse ideas while formulating public policy.
In my opinion, public servants need to demonstrate the highest level of integrity and honesty. I believe that public servants have a deep moral obligation to maintain the public trust and set a moral example for our community.
Open access is the ability of our township residents to have easy access to our local leadership, critical documents, and how our township operates on a daily basis. In other words, create a level of transparency between the Board of Supervisors, township operations and our residents. For example, a Government that practices open access requires having all public documents on our web site, providing a free copy of the Comprehensive plan to our residents, easy access to developers’ proposals that affect our way of life, public display of all traffic studies, and access to the 2007 budget in a timely manner.
Each of the critical service organizations (Police, Fire, and EMS) should make a yearly report to the township residents to improve our understanding of these critical services and how we benefit as a community from these dedicated professionals. Yes, I will broach the unthinkable -- broadcasting our Board of Supervisor meetings on the local cable community outlet channels.
Additionally, I believe we should have occasional Board of Supervisor, Planning Commission, and Zoning meetings on Saturdays to increase the visibility of these critical boards and commissions to our community. Town hall meetings should become a norm in our township not just a campaign slogan.
It is very important that we proactively reach out to residents to get ideas on critical township issues. If you have any ideas or comments about critical issues facing Forks Township, please share your ideas via our blog or email at billings2007@att.net.Get Involved –
Every Vote Counts!
Sincerely,
David Billings
billings2007@att.net
Monday, October 1, 2007
Kings Mill Litigation - Press Release to Morning Call, Express-Times, and Easton News
David Billings for
Forks Township Supervisor
Forks Township Supervisor
For Immediate Release
October 1, 2007
October 1, 2007
Press Contact: David Billings
610-704-7306
610-704-7306
David Billings, a candidate for Forks Township Supervisor, tonight applauds the Forks Township Zoning Hearing Board decision to reject the Kings Mill developer motion for a continuance.
The request for a continuance was designed to allow the Kings Mill developer (KMRD) to structure a settlement with the Forks Township Board of Supervisors. “These types of settlement decisions must be discussed at the public Board of Supervisors’ meetings where the residents of Forks Township can voice their opinions on the proposed Kings Mill settlement.” I am disappointed the Board of Supervisors agreed to authorize settlement talks with the developer without the public’s input.
The talk of a settlement with the Kings Mill developer is not fair to the citizens of Forks Township or to the children of the Easton Area School district.
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