Yardley Declares Renewed Allegiance To Founding Principles

YARDLEY BOROUGH, PA — As the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary shortly, the Yardley Borough Council is thinking about the Founding Fathers.

Yardley Borough Council has approved a resolution declaring support for the principles of democracy created in the Constitution.

Other town governments in communities across the country are also taking measures.

Yardley Councilwoman Martha Howlett and borough resident Craig Peters were instrumental in drafting and moving this resolution through Borough Council, Council President David Appelbaum.

The resolution was approved at a recent Borough Council meeting in a 6-1 vote with Councilwoman Michelle Sharer not supporting the measure.

"I thought it was an interesting idea and a good opportunity to reflect on whether our current government is making our Founding Fathers proud," Howlett told Patch on Wednesday. "I did not know if other council members would be interested in passing it. We all swore an oath to the Constitution. I'm new on council. The majority saw what I saw and there was very little backlash from residents on it."

Patch was given a copy of the resolution.

The resolution states:

"WHEREAS, on the eve of the U.S. Semiquincentennial, the Borough Council of Yardley Borough has grown increasingly concerned with the systematic erosion of these fundamental principles of American democracy through the unprecedented consolidation of power in the Executive Branch of the United States, including infringements upon the legislative authority of the Congress of the United States and the circumvention of judicial rulings and oversight;

WHEREAS, Borough Council is also concerned that associated actions undertaken by the Executive Branch of the United States are threating the rights to free speech, voting, equal protection, and due process guaranteed to citizens by the United States’ Constitution, particularly in vulnerable communities;

WHEREAS, each member of Borough Council swears an oath to support, obey, and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania before entering upon their duties of office, and Borough Council believes that upholding this oath necessitates the adoption of this resolution."

"We should all be reflecting on that," Howlett said. "There's a temptation with populist leaders to eschew that. A lot of injustice gets created when we don't have protections of individual rights. That can lead to harmful policies being created. There are parallels to what going on now as it was during the time of the Founding Fathers."