Recognitions, Incentives and a Surprise Resignation

Photos by Evan Brandt

TOP COP: Pottstown's Police of the Year, Det. Michael Glauner, second from right, is congratulated Wednesday night by Dept. Chaplain Everett Debnam, left, Chief F. Richard Drumheller, center, and Deputy Chief Mick Markovich, right.

Last night's borough council work session was not lacking in issues proposals, congratulations and at least one very big surprise.

Don't worry, I won't keep you waiting.

If by chance you are one of the unfortunate few not to follow my live, typo-ridden Tweets on Twitter, then you may wonder what I'm talking about. Here it is straight.

Councilman Dennis Arms Resigned

At the end of the meeting, when council members offer comments, Arms uncharacteristically asked to go last.

First the good stuff, he said. Arms recent married and took great pride in having the entire affair taken care of by businesses inside the borough. He thanked them, and said they had all done a superb job.

Then, and this is always a bad sign, he started reading from a prepared statement and I fumbled to get my live video up and running, only catching the last part's of his comments.

Here's what I got in video:




Thankfully, Arms was considerate enough to have copies of his comments prepared ahead of time to hand out to the press. Here is everything he said:

I have lived in Pottstown my entire life and imagined living, working and retiring in this borough. I started my term in 2016 under the impression I might be able to make a difference in my hometown. Unfortunately the last two years have been more than

Dennis Arms, right, on the night he was sworn-in.

frustrating. On numerous occasions I have had someone on council ask what we are voting on the night of the vote, blatantly admit they do not understand the financial reports provided, and as a council, vote on items without seeking the information necessary to make a decision.

I want to thank the residents of Pottstown, especially those in Ward 4, for trusting me to make the right decisions. I hope that our local media and most important, residents, hold their local government accountable for their actions. Please accept this letter as my resignation as Councilor, Ward 4 for the borough of Pottstown, as well as all other committees/commissions I have been appointed to effective this evening as I will be moving out of the borough.

Best of luck Mr. Arms.

Because council did not vote to accept his resignation, which may happen on Monday, the clock has not yet started on choosing his replacement.

Although Borough Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr. did not weigh in last night, I suspect he will tell council the law gives them 30 days to make a replacement once they do accept the resignation.

The statue and proclamation prepared for

Det. Michael Glauner, Officer of the Year.

They may follow whatever process they wish to choose a replacement -- solicit applicants, conduct public interviews as they have in the past, or just pick someone out of thin air. The only requirement is that the person chosen lives in the Fourth Ward.

Should they fail to make a selection, a petition can be filed with a judge and the judge can make the appointment, but it is unlikely it will come to that.

Police Officer and Employee of the Year

The meeting started out on a higher note with the awarding of certificates, pins, resolutions, statues and plaques to two exemplary borough employees.

The first and more familiar was the presentation of the Police Officer of the Year to Det. Michael Glauner.

Here is the video of the presentation by Mayor Stephanie Henrick:




Afterward, he received a plaque with the proclamation, a statue, a pin and the warm congratulations of co-workers, family and members of borough council.

This was preceded by the Exceptional Employee of the Year award, which was presented to Laura E. Kline, who works at the wastewater treatment plant and was only hired in 2016.

Interim Borough Manager Justin Keller, left, 

congratulates Laura Kline, the Employee of the Year 

Interim Borough Manager Justin Keller said Kline is a very dependable and valuable employee of the Wastewater Treatment Plant.

"She will take overtime if no one else signs up for it just to be sure the plant operations are covered and to avoid others being mandated. Her knowledge of plant operations has been an asset in her troubleshooting ability. Laura is a valued and integral part of our Plant staff. She is respectful to her co-workers and can be found covering odd shifts as needed," he said in a release from the borough.

"Laura takes additional classes to uphold her wastewater license. She is responsible and accountable for her actions to ensure the wastewater is being treated efficiently and within the discharge limits. Laura is a great team player and all around employee. She goes above and beyond her job description and will go out of her way to help others. She is a great operator and takes initiative to learn new things to help her excel at her job,” he said.

Firefighter Incentives and New Fire Codes

Not to be left out, Fire Chief Michael Lessar Jr. was also in a position to make some news Wednesday night.

He first laid out a set of new requirements he would like council to adopt, including sprinkler systems and fire alarms for smaller new construction and for older buildings that experience a change of use.

Peggy Lee-Clark, executive director of the Pottstown Area Industrial Development Inc., the

Fire Chief Michael Lessar talks about his volunteer incentive plan.

borough's primary economic development organization, said she has concerns that some of those requirements may impede redevelopment of older downtown buildings because of the additional cost.

"Those buildings need a lot of love," she said, meaning it is very expensive to renovate the interiors up to code, and the additional cost of a sprinkler and fire alarm system may scare investors away from downtown Pottstown.

Lessar also asked council to implement an incentive system for the volunteer fighters. He laid out a point system, indicating that the borough has more volunteers than most, but he wants to incentive those who answer more calls, do more fundraising and get more training and certifications.

The maximum cost to the borough if all firefighters took full advantage of the program would be $45,000, but he said it is more likely to be $10,000 to $15,000.

Lessar said grants will be sought to cover the cost but, failing that, it would have to come out of the fire fund, which, he acknowledged, is pretty low on surplus funds.

There were some other interesting items, but you'll have to read the Tweets to find them.


Recognition, Incentives and Resignation

'Calm' Advised at Pottstown Immigration Forum

Photo by Evan Brandt

From left, Audrey L. Allen, head of Audrey L. Allen Immigration Law LLC in Conshohocken, Lance M. Malcolm, an attorney with Prince Law Office in Bechtelsville, and Gonzolo Peralta, also of Allen's law firm, discussed immigration law and the current political climate during a forum organized by Centro Cultural Latinos Unidos in the basement of First Baptist Church in Pottstown Wednesday.

Rita Paez is talking to a lot of worried people these days.

A borough councilwoman and member of the Pottstown Human Relations Commission, Paez is also the founder and head of Centro Cultural Latinos Unidos or CCLU as it is more commonly known.

An Hispanic cultural organization, CCLU is also frequently a voice for Pottstown's Hispanics, who comprise about 18 percent of the borough's population according to 2015 Census estimates.

But perhaps Paez is best known in Pottstown as a person who helps Spanish speakers in the community connect to the services they need and lately, she has been directing a lot of them to Audrey Allen, whose Conshohocken law firm specializes in immigration law.

The sign hung outside CCLU's offices in the basement of 

First Baptist Church.

"People are coming to me much more worried," said Paez. "One poor lady she had to go to the hospital she was so worried. A lot of people are telling me they want to go to Canada."

What they are worried about is the emphasis newly elected President Donald Trump has put on stopping illegal immigration, deporting those who are here illegally and the executive orders he has implemented to accomplish those goals.

So Paez decided it was time to share some expertise and invited Allen, her colleague Gonzolo Peralta and Lance Malcolm, who is an associated with Prince Law Offices in Bechtelsville, to a forum on the latest issues in Immigration.

Their advice Wednesday night to the approximately 30 people who showed up at the CCLU offices in the basement of First Baptist Church?

"Keep calm."

"These are uncertain times that have been made more uncertain by the new administration," said Malcolm. "It's important not to respond in fear. We can't respond to the politics of fear by being fearful ourselves."

"I recognize that these are tough times for a lot of people and they may have become disheartened in the last few months," Allen said.

"The vast majority of immigrants are not being affected right now. Even if you are undocumented, here in America, all human beings have rights," she said. "Keep calm."

Allen reminded the audience that among those rights, is the right to keep silent.

"Remember, you do not need to answer questions. You should say clearly that you invoke your right to remain silent and to make your phone call," she said, adding that rather than rely on their phones, a card with the attorney's number should be "carried in your pocket."

The card Paez handed out has the same text in Spanish
on the other side.

In fact, to emphasize the point, Paez handed out cards immigrants should carry in their pockets to hand out, English on one side and Spanish on the other.

Allen further emphasized "do not sign anything without talking to a lawyer first. Don't sign your rights away."

She also advised immigrants not to answer the door when the government comes knocking. "Ask them to slip the warrant under the door," she said. "If you open the door and there are undocumented immigrants inside, they can be detained."

In terms of police involvement, Malcolm informed the group that there is no formal cooperation agreement between any police agency in Pennsylvania and the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau, often referred to as ICE.

So without a warrant, local or even state police cannot be compelled to cooperate with an ICE raid or, more importantly, pick up a suspect and detain them for ICE.

Also at the forum, although he did not intend to be a speaker, was Pottstown Police Sgt. Ed Kropp Jr., who was asked by Paez to say a few words.

He said the borough department has no written policy regarding immigration enforcement. "It's not our job to go door to door unless there is a warrant," said Kropp, who added that there has been no change in that condition since Trump took office.

There has also been no perceptible change in the level of cooperation police are receiving from Hispanic residents or in their behavior from a police standpoint, he said.

"In fact, obviously I watch the news and I know what's going on in the country, but if I lived in a vacuum and just came to work every day and did what I always do, I wouldn't be able to tell anything had changed," Kropp said.

"The police in the have been very good about this," said Paez, noting that they

Rita Paez inside the CCLU offices.

often call her when they need to get into contact with Spanish speaking residents.

Allen advised undocumented drivers to be particularly careful "and not do anything that will get you pulled over."

But sometimes, being detained is unavoidable and when it it is, it is best to be prepared, the lawyers said.

And while Allen said schools are generally considered off-limits as places for ICE agents to conduct raids, Malcolm said it is a good idea to have custody papers drawn up for children as a precaution if parents detained.

"A lot of people are trying to use power of attorney and that won't work in Pennsylvania," he said.

He said that immigrants who are a victim of a crime, or who can show they have been abused by a spouse, often have some leverage in immigration matters. "It does not have to be physical, it can be emotional abuse, like a spouse restricting or controlling access to a green card."

"If you have been here more than 10 years and have children who were born here, there might be a way to get you a green card," said Allen.

As far as what may change under Trump's executive orders, which Malcolm described as "a parade of horribles," he noted that the impact they will have is unclear.

"They are so badly written, perhaps intentionally, they give no specific direction and are vague and ambiguous," which may make them difficult to enforce," Malcolm said. "We're just going to have to wait and see. In the meantime, people should continue to live their lives."

One thing that is recently evident, said Peralta, is the number of phone calls his office is receiving from people asking about detentions.

"There has been a marked increase," he said, noting that the increase is no larger than some of the raids conducted under the Obama administration.

"President Obama deported more people than any other president in history, and they came in waves and troughs," he said. "We're just waiting to see if it will be the same under Trump."

A (National) Night Out on the Town

Photos by Evan Brandt

Kelise Smith, 16, and Pottstown High School classmate Deandre Sanders, 16, visit with mascots-in-training Trojan Men Aaron Diamond and John Oister during National Night Out celebrations in the park at Washington and Chestnut streets in Pottstown.

There were fewer National Night Out celebrations in Pottstown than there have been in the past, but the two that were held Tuesday night enjoyed overflow attendance.

At Trinity Reformed United Church of Christ, right across the street from The Mercury and an awfully convenient place to get a hot dog, there were so many people out front they were running out of sidewalk.

Erika Hornburg-Cooper, Judy Memberg and
Christopher Willman at the Beech Street Factory display, which was
"creating quite a buzz," according to Hornburg-Cooper.

And at the park at Washington and Chestnut streets a few blocks away, the music blared and people spilled out into the closed section of North Washington Street where food and useful information were being offered in near equal measure.

I had two favorite quotes from the evening, which floated up above the laughter of the kids and the gentle
murmur of adults agreeing with each other.

The first one came from Judy Memberg, the tireless and (most important) effective head of Genesis Housing Corp.

She said, in an almost off-hand way, "“We can rebuild every house in a block, but if we don’t rebuild relationships among neighbors, than we haven’t revitalized the neighborhood.”

Having joined Erika Hornburg-Cooper at the display for the Beech Street Factory project -- which will also be the new home of Hornburg-Cooper's art center -- Memberg was observing that it will take more than physical improvements to spruce up a neighborhood.

Investment in human capital is just as important -- something National Night Out highlights.

Pottstown Mayor Sharon Thomas, right, visits with Gloria Dunn

My other favorite quote came from Mayor Sharon Thomas -- whose church, Victory Christian Life Center, was the other primary sponsor of the evening.

She said, again without a lot of forethought, “National Night Out is very important so neighbors get to know each other instead of just passing each other getting out of their cars.”

The mayor is right, and its sad that she's right, but we have to learn how to get better at being neighbors.

I will admit that there are plenty of people on my block whose names I should know, and I don't.

As the mayor intuited, we are literally nodding acquaintances when we head to our cars and scurry into our blissfully air-conditioned homes.

When kids threw a rock at our front door and broke the glass several years ago, it was the neighbor across the street -- long moved away -- who charged out of his house and chased them while I tried to keep the glass out of the house.

I never did learn his name.

Here are the Tweets and video links from last night's events.

Crime on the Agenda

Kevin Steele

About 20 residents showed up a a meeting Monday night, arranged by former borough council
member David Garner and featuring members of the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office and Pottstown Police.

First Assistant District Attorney Kevin Steele (who is the Democratic candidate for DA) and assistant district attorney Jason Whalley, who heads up the county drug enforcement unit, were both there, as was Corporal. Mike Long, of the police Community Response Unit.

Both attorneys said the violence in Pottstown "has our attention" and that efforts are underway to not only combat the street level drug activity, but also those higher up.

Steele talked a bit about the value of cameras in capturing vital evidence and information.

Here's a video on that segment:


All three also spoke about the importance of citizen involvement.

Long said for the past 18 months, the 49-member police department has been down by as much as 14 officers, but staff is back up to full strength.

He outlined efforts re-start the Community Response Unit, which was inactive while the department was short-staff.

You can read all about it in the Tweets below:

Considering Downtown Pottstown

Photo by Evan Brandt

From left, PDIDA Board members Ross Belovish, Cindy Brower, 

and Main Street Manager Sheila Dugan at Thursday's meeting

After the weather postponed the first attempt, the Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority held its annual meeting with merchants Thursday night.

Merchants were briefed on upcoming events, asked to remit their "assessments" in a timely manner, warned that they need to clear the spaces in front of their stores of obstructions if they want the plows to clear their parking spaces.

Further, Police Chief Rick Drumheller addressed the audience of about 25 on the police efforts to keep downtown safe.

Also, Parks and Recreation Director Michael Lenhart briefed merchants about upcoming events for the bicentennial celebration of the borough's incorporation and invited them to get involved.

Here are the Tweets from the meeting.

D.A.R.E-ing to be Great at Rupert

The Fifth Grade at Rupert Elementary School recently completed the 10-week D.A.R.E. program.

Blogger's Note: Once again, we find ourselves thanking the tireless John Armato for more news about what's happening in Pottstown Schools.

Rupert Elementary School fifth grade students recently completed a ten week D.A.R.E. Program. 

Some of the Rupert D.A.R.E. winners.

Officer James Yost of the Pottstown Police Department and Pottstown School District D.A.R.E. officer conducted each of the 50 minute sessions in which students talked about making healthy lifestyle choices which will lead to a better life and enable students to achieve to the highest degree of their ability.

Officer Yost provided information to students regarding good nutrition, healthy lifestyles, and study skills.

At the conclusion of the ten session program, students took part in an essay writing competition. 

Officer Yost read all the essays and judged the top three in each of the fifth grade participating classes. 

 All six essays were read aloud at a full school assembly to recognize the D.A.R.E. graduation class. 

Officer Yost congratulates first place winners Daiyana Wilson,
right, and Kito Thompson.

The top six essay award winners received medals in recognition of their ability to demonstration what they had learned.

Award winners in Amanda Langdon’s class were: Dayvia Beasley, Alexandria Olvera, and Daiyana Wilson. 

Earning first place honors from her class and receiving a D.A.R.E. stuffed lion was Daiyana Wilson.

Award winners in Deborah Wilson’s class were: Tyler Bruton, Celicia Thorpe, and Kito Thompson. 

First place winner from her class was Kito Thompson.

Every student participating in the ten week program received D.A.R.E. tee-shirts which were donated by Glenn Simms from Simms Abrasives.

“I am always excited to visit our school district’s elementary schools and present the D.A.R.E. Program to fifth grade students. Over the years I have seen how this program has helped youngsters understand the value of making good decisions that will lead them to a better life,” Yost said.

Rupert Principal Matt Moyer said the D.A.R.E. program “is a great opportunity for our students to come in contact with one of our police department officers who serves as a role model for them and is an excellent representative of the Pottstown Police Department.”