Council President Opposes Yardley Ballot Question To Shrink Government

YARDLEY, PA —With Election Day less than a week away, Yardley residents will go to the polls Tuesday to vote on a ballot question to reduce the size of the borough council from seven to five members.

And that measure is opposed by Council President Caroline Thompson.

On her Facebook page, Thompson states to residents that she put together a "brief informational piece about my take on the ballot referendum."

Thompson said the presentation includes her views on the topic and does not necessarily represent the views of her colleagues on the council nor borough staff.

Resident Earl Markey got the referendum on the ballot after his petition led to a hearing and ruling by Court of Commons Pleas Judge Robert J. Mellon to have the question appear on the borough's Nov. 8 general election ballot.

Markey also recently went to court against the borough over a deleted Facebook comment left on a patch.com story about the borough's 2023 proposed budget.

In her video, Thompson said that voting "YES" for the measure would reduce borough government by 30 percent, eliminating two council members, while a "No" vote keeps the council at seven members. WATCH THE VIDEO.

Thompson said that, unlike neighboring municipalities such as Lower Makefield Township, Yardley's elected officials are volunteers and do not get paid a salary or stipend to serve on the government.

"We have a lean budget with one full-time borough employee," Thompson states in the video. "This would put a strain and bring our volunteer-led structure to a breaking point."

Thompson said she spends about 10-to-15 hours a week volunteering her service time to the borough.

"If you think this video is helpful, I'd appreciate you clicking the share button so we can educate more voters on this important topic," she states.

Thompson also added that the video, which is 2.5 minutes, was created using free video creation software and volunteer time.

Mayor Chris Harding also posted on Thompson's Facebook page that he also opposed the ballot referendum and asked people to listen to Thompson's opinion.

New Councilman David Appelbaum has also voiced his opposition in a story to Patch.