Op-ED Cleland Contract 457 words Government Greed in Lower Merion

The Lower Merion Democratic Majority Board of Commissioners are set to renew Township Manager Doug Clelands management contract fully costed at $275,0001 for two years with no increase first year and 2% second year. Township Manager Doug Cleland is the highest paid township manager in the Commonwealth and one of Pennsylvanias highest-paid government employees well above the average household income in Pennsylvania, in Montgomery County and in Lower Merion itself.2

In the past ten years, Lower Merion Township spending has increased, debt has increased, taxes have increased, the township managers compensation has increased, the quality of services has NOT increased, the quantity of services has not increased, property sale values have declined while property taxes fixed. How does Doug Clelands performance over the past ten years justify this compensation package?

source Lower Merion Citizens for Responsible Budgeting Here, in Lower Merion, taxpayers have been forced to spend $9 million dollars to EXPAND Ludington bricks and mortar library building (10,000 more square feet) with fewer books in the most affluent section of Lower Merion (construction is behind schedule and over budget) The EXPANDED Ludington library, anomalously, promotes on line, out of building electronic books so we dont have to actually use the new EXPANDED building? In fact, taxpayers are will be forced to pay another $16,000,000 to improve the remaining bricks-and-mortar libraries, containing dead-tree books. Kindle access is available for those who dont want to travel to new, upgraded buildings, so why toss more good money after bad. Taxpayers were forced to spend $900, 000 to straighten road at Ardmore and Lancaster and are not our lives better for it? And $5.7 million fronted for the Connected Democrat Dranoffs Solyndra like Ardmore Transit Center.

Lower Merions Democratic Majority forced Lower Merion taxpayers to finance the overpriced $135,000 Bryn Mawr Bank buildings Gateway Fountain. Our Commissioners and our high priced engineers, lawyers and township manager spend our money so wisely and well for...you know, the General Welfare. Who thinks or feels we are, in general, better off as a result of increased spending and borrowing?

Bob Guzzardi Ardmore bobguzzardi@bobguzzardi.com

Manager Clelands compensation contract entitles him to not only pension, deferred compensation contribution, longevity bonus and platinum health care family coverage but Manager Cleland is entitled to a taxpayer paid company car that he can use for private purposes and he can fill er up at the municipal gas pump at taxpayer expense.
2

Lower Merion Townships median household income (1999) was $86,373, second only to Whitpain Township ($88,993) in the County, and well above the medians for the County ($60,829), State ($40,106) and USA ($41,994). Lower Merion ranked first in the County in Per Capita Income at $55,526, compared to the County ($30,898), State (20,880) and USA ($21,587).