Meet the Candidates: Donna Wright

Donna Wright

Running for: Lower Milford Board of Supervisors, 6 yr term

Affiliation: Republican

Residence: Lower Milford, 30 years

Education: high school and continuing education: Land Use, Law and Management accredited courses, township continuing education through PSATS

Profession/Work Experience: Township supervisor-5 1/2 years, Food service director-15 years

Elected Positions: Lower Milford Board of Supervisors, 5 1/2 yrs

Committees: Planning Commission, Recreation and Open Space Board, Zoning Hearing Board, Lehigh Valley Planning Commission

Why are you running: I really enjoy working for the residents of Lower Milford, and look forward to continuing. Major concerns are control of spending and keeping a workable budget that complies with responsible Emergency Services, improvement to infrastructure as well as Government Mandates.

If elected, what would you like to accomplish: I would like to work on a plan for Limport, to help the village prosper and continue to grow with thought. As Supervisor I will continue to be vigilant managing rising costs while responding to resident needs including successfully continuing road/bridge repairs, keeping residents safe with Police and Ambulance coverage, supporting the Fire Department and upholding our rural Heritage and lifestyle through thoughtful and sustainable Planning.

Anything else voters need to know about you: I look forward to serving the community and living in the rural township.

FORUM QUESTIONS

The 2011 budget anticipates that the township will end $90,413 in general funds. Based on past spending it looks like the township will run out of general funds by 2012. How do you see the township fixing this?

We work constantly to keep track of the budget, and we look at the budget and try very hard to keep spending down. There were some layoffs across the board. We try really hard to keep track constantly.

Given the budget situation can the township afford to hire more police officers?

I feel exactly the same [as Mike Snovitch]. We had to cut down on police because of budget constraints. We had more police officers than we needed, given the town has grown very little in the past 10 years. Right now we have two full time officers to keep us on track; any more than that it would cost too much.

There is a lot of concern about rising healthcare costs. I understand that maybe half the townships workers receiving health insurance are in the union so therefore the township has been unable to have employees share in the cost of health care. When the next union contract is up for negotiation will this be addressed?

This will probably be addressed; we still have another year before we need to negotiate the union contract. At that time everything should be on the table, as it should be.

I never see any road work being done beside surface fixes. Will the residents wake up one day to find our taxes going through the roof because we’ve neglected our roads and bridges?

We are working on having a long-term plan to get [tax issues] under control. We get money for repairs from the state.

Is there a 3 or 5 yr spending plan for the township?

There is, and we are updating it all the time. That’s where we look at where expenses are going in the budget.

What are your priorities while serving as a supervisor?

One of the goals is to maintain the rural character [of Lower Milford], but in doing that it jeopardizes people’s property value. So I’d also like to see if we can get some better traffic control and fix the sewage plant to help raise people’s property values.

How would you describe the working relationship that the three supervisors have?

I think we have a very good relationship. We don’t always agree, but I think overall we do work well together.

Please explain the importance of defending the township’s ordinances.

Every resident has an ordinance that they have to follow, regardless of property size. To be fair, everyone has to follow the same rules and regulations. To decide that not everyone had to follow the same rules would be a disservice to the community.

How much advance time did all the candidates have to attend this candidate discussion?

We received the invitation at the end of March this year.

How much has court cost and how many cases has the township won?

Since 2004 it has been $480,000 which is only 5% of total budget per year.

Are township ordinances changes subject to vote or supervisor decisions?

No, they are not subject to exclusive council. The hearings for ordinances are done in the public with public input. Only after everyone hears and discusses, does it go to a supervisors vote.