Town and Country Newspaper

News Article

The Way it Should Be

Written by Larry Roeder, Editor
2011-10-26

About 65 people attended a “Meet the Candidates” night at the Seisholtzville firehouse on Monday night for the two hopefuls vying for the position of Hereford Township supervisor on Nov. 8.

The event was staged by the candidates and moderated in a professional manner by Upper Milford Township Supervisor Robert Sentner. The questions presented by him consisted of five for each candidate. There were also questions supplied by the audience.
All inquiries were related to township administration, zoning, budgeting and the candidate’s actions or proposed actions regarding past and future township issues. Personal attacks were not on the agenda.

Before the question-and-answer session started, members of the audience were encouraged to write down their questions to the candidates. Several took advantage of the opportunity to seek a response to their concern.

Running on the Democratic ticket is Karen Kearns. She will face former township supervisor Keith Masemore. Keith won the Republican primary in May and Karen was a successful write-in candidate on the Democratic side.

Each candidate presented an opening statement highlighting their qualifications and reasons for seeking the position. They presented and talked about the positive aspects of their candidacy. Neither candidate sank into the quagmire of slinging mud, trashing their opponent with personal attacks, hearsay or gossip.

Both candidates offered their views on a variety of topics from zoning to road maintenance and upcoming budget concerns to taxes. A question was asked by the moderator and each candidate had two minutes to answer and one minute for a rebuttal.

The event was amicable and informative. Both candidates treated each other with courtesy and respect. The audience did the same.

But those in attendance did something that public meetings around here could use more of – they listened. They listened intently as Kearns and Masemore offered their statements and responses.

There was no mudslinging, cat-calls, arguments, loud sighs, shaking heads or raised hands. The audience leaned in to hear every word the candidates had to say. They know that the candidates will be judged at the polls on their words in less than two weeks and that they will be the ones doing the judging. The people of Hereford Township are to be commended and applauded.

The one thing that came out clear in the statements and answers of both candidates is that their primary objective is to faithfully serve the people while conducting the business of the township.

No matter what the outcome is in the race for Hereford Township supervisor on Nov. 8, the people of the township will be the winners.

That’s the way it should be.

Reminder

No additional letters to the editor regarding the Nov. 8 election will be published except those submitted by candidates, which will be accepted up until 9 a.m. Nov. 1 for publication in the Nov. 3 edition.

Tomorrow, Oct. 28 at 9 a.m., is the deadline for candidates running in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011 to email, fax, or mail their information for publication in our Candidates Section on Nov. 3.

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