Dear neighbors,

We’re wishing you a happy May Day (a.k.a. International Workers’ Day), a celebration of the working class and the achievements of workers’ rights movements. Also, a warm welcome to our new subscribers. If you missed our first newsletter, which explained who we are and what our goals are, read it here.

Much of this month’s council activities centered the debate over ALPRs, or Automatic License Plate Readers. Over the course of several committee and council meetings, numerous Lansdowne residents shared their concerns over the program, and were met with either support or condescension, depending on who was speaking at the time. The strongest advocates for the cameras were the Chief of Police, whose sole supporting document was a letter of endorsement signed by his own staff, and Councilmembers Benjamin Hover and William Griffin, who typically (albeit not always) vote in tandem. Just one resident spoke in support of the cameras. Ultimately, the proposal was voted down, with the majority of council citing the community’s vocal concerns over privacy, cost, ethics, and constitutionality.

Surveillance was one of several notable topics discussed by council this month. Council also voted down several cultural heritage month resolutions, a decision that is being framed on social media by a certain councilmember 👀 as an anti-diversity gesture. It’s a provocative (and outright inaccurate) narrative that conveniently skips all the important context. We’ll delve into it further in the “Hot Topics” section below. But it boils down to this: for marginalized groups, a performative resolution is no more helpful than a high five while drowning.

In other news, the Lansdowne Police Dept. has requested an additional $17,181.94 for a kitchen remodel. To be fair, it hasn’t been updated in 24+ years and has mold, which is unsafe. But the budget includes a $1600 microwave/convection oven, which seems… gratuitous. As a reminder, more than 40% of Lansdowne’s annual budget goes toward the police already, and they are frequently granted extra funds for overtime, extra hires, chairs, etc. Also, the Chief stated that, as far as he knows, none of Lansdowne’s 17 officers live in the borough, including himself, meaning that most of these funds are leaving our local economy. Food for thought!

Lastly, this April saw the Democratic Primary Election. We were glad to hear that many of you found our voting guide useful, and even more glad to see the high number of write-in votes this year, thanks to the Uncommitted PA campaign. Biden will still undoubtedly end up the Democratic nominee, but the goal was to send a message to the party’s decision-makers, and it seems like that was successful. Big shout out to all of the uncommitted voters who made this possible!

In solidarity,

Left of Lansdowne

P.S. Need harm reduction supplies like Narcan or test strips for fentanyl/tranq? Text or call us at ‪(215) 360-3096‬

HOT TOPICS

At the most recent borough council meetings, several resolutions were rejected, namely Arab-American, Asian-American Pacific Islander, and Jewish-American Heritage Months. These resolutions were all authored by Councilman Hover.

But however good his intentions may have been, the language in these resolutions were not quite equal in tone or tenor:

• The Jewish-American resolution was thoughtful and thorough, emphasizing the need to fight antisemitism and mentioning numerous local historical figures and more than a half dozen religious institutions, with the noticeable exclusion of Kol Tzedek, a popular non-zionist congregation in nearby West Philly.

• The AAPI resolution makes one reference to a local institution and zero local figures, and does not mention fighting anti-Asian hate.

• The Arab-American resolution names just one local figure and zero local institutions. It opens with an overt emphasis on DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) which seems tokenizing and distant in tone, especially when compared to the Jewish-American History Month Resolution.

Furthermore, all three resolutions lacked meaningful, actionable substance, and none of them were co-authored or consulted on by the communities they purported to represent. In other words, these were performative resolutions that do not actually engage or serve the community.

Lastly, the resolutions were brought to the council in an unusual manner—they typically go through a committee before being brought to council, and that step was skipped entirely. Hover stated he sent these resolutions to be discussed at the 4/3 Community Development and Recreation Committee chaired by Councilperson Griffin. As far as we know, this did not actually happen, though if anyone can prove otherwise, please reach out. When asked if this is a legally required step, President Curry clarified that "while it is a good practice to have agenda items vetted at the committee level prior to being taken up at a full Council meeting, there is no legally binding requirement to do so." Still, to the best of our knowledge, Hover’s approach circumvented the usual process, which would have allowed for more community input on the resolution prior to the vote.

Hover has since taken to his official council Facebook page to share this decontextualized version of events:

Hover went on to list the names of those who voted against the resolutions, effectively suggesting that these 5 councilmembers, two of whom are Black, do not value inclusivity.

As for Irish-American Heritage Month (also authored by Hover), it passed earlier this year without notice simply because it wasn’t challenged by the other councilmembers. This is pure speculation on our part, but it seems unlikely that this was due to a preference for Irish-Americans. It is perhaps more likely that it slipped under the radar because it was not grouped with similar resolutions against which to compare its language. More importantly, there was a council discussion back in January about not messing around with cultural resolutions anymore, and frankly, the council failed to stick to their own intentions when the Irish-American resolution came up for vote. Wielding this precedent to ensure the passage of every future resolution ignores the fact that the first one never should have passed, according to the council’s stated intentions from January.

Anyway, you don’t have to take our word on how it all went down. Public comment starts about 2 hours into this recording of the meeting:

At the end of the day, none of this mess comes as a surprise—it’s a classic move from the Hover playbook. Attend a meeting where he doesn’t get his way and watch as he silently fumes, then interrupts, belittles, and accuses his colleagues of “gatekeeping.” He’ll then go home to complain on social media, or to friendly journalists. See: [example 1] and [example 2]. This kind of behavior has been happening for years, which is pretty funny coming from someone who, when he was council president, used to bang the gavel and holler about decorum whenever he had the chance.

Speaking of decorum, we think “the most extreme elements in the community” Hover cites in that second example article might be a coded reference to Left of Lansdowne. But hey, if you think it’s “extreme” to oppose mass surveillance, then so be it!

ON A LIGHTER NOTE

Here are some other things to keep an eye on:

• The Lansdowne Theater (HLTC) is in the final stages of construction and restoration of its building and has already booked entertainment acts for October of this year. In 2022, the HLTC requested — and council approved — a waiver of up to $150,000 in building permit fees to meet an anticipated shortfall. Yet, the HLTC administration seems to believe the borough should orchestrate, staff, and pay for the security and parking staff for their hosted events. It’s unclear whether there is a formal process in place to consider zoning fee waivers and who/what entities would qualify. Note: Our school district pays for any police staffing during events when needed.

• HBO was filming a TV show (a series spinoff from Mare of Easttown starring Mark Ruffalo) on the border between UD and Lansdowne, and their vehicles were taking up residential space. As an apology, HBO is donating $2,000 to Lansdowne, which is now earmarked for Community Day expenses.

• Councilmember Jayne Young talked about the special Zoning Hearing Board meeting that took place on 4/16, where a discussion took place about the WPSD’s plans to renovate and expand their facilities. This meeting had a very large residential turnout, and there were some misunderstandings by some of those in attendance. There will be additional public meetings regarding the school’s plans, one held by WPSD on May 14th (from 6 to 8 pm), and another held by the Zoning Board on May 22nd at 6 pm. All residents and families of the school district are welcome to attend.

• Mayor Byrne is asking for volunteers to help her tidy up the Lansdowne Landing on May 19th at 10 am.

• The search for the permanent Borough Manager is ongoing. Out of the 10 interested applicants, the firm that the borough is using has suggested 3 candidates to move on to the next stage of interviews.

• Looking for something fun to do in town? Check out this new community calendar.

• There are a few big yard sale adjacent events coming up: Animal Friends of Lansdowne Yard Sale (5/11), the Town-Wide Yard Sale (5/18), and the Buy Nothing Free Fair (5/19).

Upcoming borough meetings: