8/2/2019 Cleland Contract OpEd

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Op-ED Cleland Contract 457 words

Government Greed in Lower Merion

The Lower Merion Democratic Majority Board of Commissioners are set to renew Township

Manager Doug Clelands management contract fully costed at $275,0001 for two years with

no increase first year and 2% second year.

Township Manager Doug Cleland is the highest paid township manager in the Commonwealth

and one of Pennsylvanias highest-paid government employees well above the average

household income in Pennsylvania, in Montgomery County and in Lower Merion itself.2

In the past ten years, Lower Merion Township spending has increased, debt has increased,

taxes have increased, the township managers compensation has increased, the quality of

services has NOT increased, the quantity of services has not increased, property sale values

have declined while property taxes fixed. How does Doug Clelands performance over thepast ten years justify this compensation package?

source Lower Merion Citizens for Responsible Budgeting

Here, in Lower Merion, taxpayers have been forced to spend $9 million dollars to EXPAND

Ludington bricks and mortar library building (10,000 more square feet) with fewer books in

the most affluent section of Lower Merion (construction is behind schedule and over budget)

The EXPANDED Ludington library, anomalously, promotes on line, out of building electronic

books so we dont have to actually use the new EXPANDED building?

In fact, taxpayers are will be forced to pay another $16,000,000 to improve the remaining

bricks-and-mortar libraries, containing dead-tree books. Kindle access is available for those

who dont want to travel to new, upgraded buildings, so why toss more good money after

bad.

Taxpayers were forced to spend $900, 000 to straighten road at Ardmore and Lancaster and

are not our lives better for it?

And $5.7 million fronted for the Connected Democrat Dranoffs Solyndra like Ardmore Transit

Center.

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8/2/2019 Cleland Contract OpEd

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Lower Merions Democratic Majority forced Lower Merion taxpayers to finance the overpriced

$135,000 Bryn Mawr Bank buildings Gateway Fountain.

Our Commissioners and our high priced engineers, lawyers and township manager spend our

money so wisely and well for...you know, the General Welfare. Who thinks or feels we are, in

general, better off as a result of increased spending and borrowing?

Bob Guzzardi Ardmore bobguzzardi@bobguzzardi.com

1Manager Clelands compensation contract entitles him to not only pension, deferred

compensation contribution, longevity bonus and platinum health care family coverage but

Manager Cleland is entitled to a taxpayer paid company car that he can use for private

purposes and he can fill er up at the municipal gas pump at taxpayer expense.

2

Lower Merion Townships median household income (1999) was $86,373, second only toWhitpain Township ($88,993) in the County, and well above the medians for the County

($60,829), State ($40,106) and USA ($41,994).

Lower Merion ranked first in the County in Per Capita Income at $55,526, compared to the

County ($30,898), State (20,880) and USA ($21,587).

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