Letter to the Editor: Why Tim Kearney should be in the state Senate
POSTED: 05/09/18, 9:31 PM EDT
To the Times:
As a local elected official in Rutledge, I never thought my support would be courted by so many candidates. I have been told I am one of the youngest, if not the youngest elected official in the state. It has been an honor to sit with candidates running in the 5th Congressional District, but there is one primary race for which I didn’t need to sit down with anyone to know who I am supporting – the 26th state Senate district.
Democrat Tim Kearney has been a friend, a mentor, and a supporter of mine since I got started. Tim has had my back since day one and I have his as we approach the primary. Tim is the best candidate in the primary and will be the best candidate in November. He is a longtime resident of Delaware County and a dedicated public servant. He has a track record of getting things done as a small business owner and as mayor of Swarthmore.
As a small-business owner, Tim and his wife Claudia have provided their design expertise to several of our local colleges and universities such as Widener and Cheyney. They have worked on many homes in the district, and they have provided pro bono work in their town. Swarthmore’s beautiful central park was designed by Tim and Claudia.
As mayor his record is equally impressive. Swarthmore is a town that has been known to resist change but that didn’t stop Tim. Bringing the Inn, allowing the sale of alcohol, and taking a dangerous intersection and creating a roundabout have all brought positive change to Swarthmore.
Tim is running to change the arcane tax code in Pennsylvania so that workers who are not in the 1 percent are not paying the exact same percentage in state income tax as the 1 percent. He is running to protect our environment; Pennsylvania remains the only state without an extraction tax, yet Texas taxes producers 7.5 percent. He is running to get better and fair education funding. And he is running to stand up the National Rifle Association and pass common-sense gun regulations such as universal background checks.
To me, “real Delco” is hard working, it is roll up your sleeves, get a little dirty, honest hard work.
Recently a lot has been said about Swarthmore’s status as not “real Delco.” I was born in Folcroft and raised there until the age of 11, my parents were born in Folcroft, my grandmother just recently moved out of Folcroft to Glenolden. Almost my entire family lives within ten minutes of each other. So, speaking as someone who qualifies as “real Delco” I can tell you that not only is this statement about Swarthmore not true, but it certainly does not apply to Tim.
To me, “real Delco” is hard working, it is roll up your sleeves, get a little dirty, honest hard work. It is an understanding that we are a community that must work together. Well, that is exactly what Tim does. He works full time at his architecture firm, he has taught at Drexel for the past 19 years, he is currently serving his second term as mayor, and that is after spending eleven years on the borough planning commission. And he made sure he had time to coach his daughter’s soccer team.
Tim, and Claudia, know what it is like to worry about payroll and health care. They know what it is like to worry about mortgage payments and student loan debt. The voters of Delaware and Chester counties, and the people of Pennsylvania, will be well served by state Senator Tim Kearney. The primary is coming up on May 15, and we have a choice to make — except it isn’t really a choice. We have a candidate who is putting forth bold ideas, and we have an opponent who is telling you that Tim’s ideas are great so that’s what he’ll do.
Tim took a chance on a young, 22-year-old woman, but today I am taking time to make sure that you know that you don’t have to take a chance on Tim – he’s proven himself. Now we need to choose him to take on Republican Tom McGarrigle, and then we need to send him to Harrisburg.
Samantha L. Newell, Councilwoman, Rutledge