Navigating change

Grappling with local and national shifts.

Author

Left of Lansdowne
February 10, 2025

Dear neighbors,

After some much-needed time off, we’re back with a recap of all things borough council, plus some meditations on local and national shifts. But first, there were two items that we shared during our November Newsletter that caused some confusion (read: complaints from the police department) and we’d like to issue the following corrections.

  1. We stated that the Lansdowne Police Department (LPD) turned down the opportunity to liaise with the Tech Board. This was a genuine misunderstanding on our part. As it turns out, Councilperson Connors did not actually share the Tech Board’s desire to meet with the Chief, stating that the LPD had already met with one committee and it would be an improper use of police time to do it again with the Tech Board. In other words, the Tech Board’s request to meet with the LPD was not shared with the Chief, and thus, the Chief did not decline the meeting. The Tech Board has said they still wish to meet with the Chief regarding how the LPD researches and approves new technologies, but the discussion was tabled for the time being.

  2. In our last newsletter, we said “The Police Department is promoting one of its part-time officers to full-time to fill staffing shortages. They will also look for a new part-time officer.” We were later informed by LPD that it was not a promotion, but a new hire from East Lansdowne’s Police Department, which was approved by council back in September. In December, council went on to approve the hiring of 1 additional full-time officer and 1 part-time officer. LPD has mentioned officer vacancies, officers on medical leave, and a need for more staffing overall, but, to the best of our knowledge, has not yet been clear about the exact number of officers currently active nor the number they’re aiming for. Frankly, we’re confused. LPD’s rationale for endless hiring feels like intentional obfuscation at worst, or very poor communication at best. Meanwhile, their 2025 budget is 7.5% greater than 2024. Between the surging budget and lack of clarity from LPD on staffing, we see an obvious need for greater transparency, especially given what a large percentage of Lansdowne’s budget goes toward their work.

One of our overarching goals as a collective is to increase borough transparency and make positive changes in the wider Lansdowne community. It feels important to name that we are not trained journalists. We do our best to present information accurately, but at the end of the day, we are simply a group of friends and neighbors trying to keep you informed. We occasionally make mistakes, and we definitely have biases — as our website says, we are Left of Lansdowne: local news with a leftist bent. If (and when) you see a factual error in our newsletters, please contact us so we can look into it. And if you’d like to support our efforts by taking accurate notes at council meetings, we’d be thrilled to hear from you. It’s a lot of work, and we can’t do it alone!

This month’s newsletter was made possible by many neighbors — some observed and summarized council meetings, some reflected on the impact of rising rents on Lansdowne Ave, and some shared their take on the first weeks of Trump’s presidency. As we collectively witness the horrors emanating from the U.S.’s highest political office, we at Left of Lansdowne are buoyed by visions of new and continued mutual aid work in 2025 — from social gatherings to educational events to harm reduction strategies, all hyperlocal strategies for resistance. We are still sorting out our internal systems for formally onboarding new members, but in the meantime, send us an email if you’d like to get involved: [email protected].

In solidarity,

Left of Lansdowne

P.S. Need harm reduction supplies like Narcan or test strips for fentanyl and tranq? Need a COVID test or masks? Text or call us at ‪(215) 360-3096‬. Please note that this is a volunteer-run, non-emergency service.

THE EXECUTIVE ORDER SHIT SHOW

It would take hours to name and explain all the harmful directives coming out of the White House these last few weeks, but here are a few low-lights to consider, courtesy of the LOL community.

  • “The Trump Administration is trying to make major changes to the way that scientific funding agencies of the US government operate. The US government funds approximately 55% of academic research conducted in this country, mainly through the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). There are many ways in which government funded research has changed our lives: thanks to the NIH and the NSF we have a successful treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, we know how to match kidney donors, and we can use MRI technology to diagnose diseases…. just to name a few. On January 27th all government grants, loans, and other forms of financial assistance were frozen. Even if the freeze was revoked by a judge 4 days later, some restrictions remain and the scientific community is still feeling the repercussion. Programs directed towards women or minorities are also being targeted, with grants containing words like ‘underrepresented,’ ‘socioeconomic,’ or ‘community’ being flagged and facing further review. Here is an article on how the NIH/NSF freeze is impacting an early career scientist in the Philly area.”

  • “The culture war continues unabated, and trans people are in the crosshairs. My community is in a full-blown panic — people are taking measures to change their medical records to obscure hormone usage, making emergency emigration plans, and in some cases, going back in the closet. The panic is, unfortunately, justified: Government websites have scrubbed language about trans people from their pages, they’ve reinstated the ban on trans people in the military, they’ve threatened to defund medical providers and institutions that provide gender affirming care to people under 19 (yes, 19, meaning voting-aged adults), and perhaps most egregiously, they’ve implemented a directive to stop changes to sex markers on passports, ultimately preventing many trans and intersex people from being able to leave or re-enter the country. This is just a short sampling of policy changes that will harm, if not kill, countless trans people. Simultaneously, I’m seeing well-intentioned liberals assure us that we’re ‘still valid,’ as if these platitudes somehow negate the systemic violence we’re facing. Our ‘validity’ is not in question, at least not for us. The real question is if our cis friends will do anything concrete to protect us. Will they challenge people who parrot far-right talking points about women’s sports and bathrooms? Will they refuse to comply with transphobic policies in their place of work, or proactively advocate for supportive policies? Will they educate themselves about the historic parallels between our current moment and the destruction of Magnus Hirschfeld’s research by nazis, and teach others what they’ve learned? Or will they simply tell us we’re valid and move on with their lives?”

  • “On Jan 20th 2025, ‘President’ Donald Trump signed an Executive order ‘Protecting the American People Against Invasion’. DHS ( Dept. of Homeland Security) will enact enforcement policies to address illegal entry, unlawful presence, and the subsequent removal of those deemed unlawfully present in the US. They may also authorize local law enforcement to investigate/apprehend and detain ‘aliens’. For the first time undocumented citizens must register their presence. Failure to comply is to be treated as a civil and criminal enforcement priority. ‘Sanctuary’ cities and areas that interfere with federal enforcement operations could be denied federal funding. This Executive Order revokes Biden-era protections, mainly Biden’s Orders, related to civil immigration / asylum seekers / reunifying families and immigration policies impeding immigration legality. Within 24 hrs of this E.O., ICE began venturing into areas in ‘Sanctuary’ cities and making arrests. One could view this is a retaliatory power move by the federal agency. Many view it as an attempt to strike fear within immigrant communities. Many of those initially arrested were documented and had work permits. ICE detained those from Indigenous communities also raising profiling and racism accusations. There are a lot of myths surrounding immigration; as an immigrant I am often aghast at how some Americans believe that immigrants are given benefits or any resources for free. Immigrants are entitled to zero benefits — no food stamps / no rental assistance / no Medicaid. 89.8% of undocumented immigrants are of working age and most pay taxes. Rhetoric that frames immigrants as ‘freeloaders’ can be proven false when we see undocumented immigrants in 2022 paid $75.6 BILLION in taxes. Immigrants play a crucial role in the US they make up 4.8% of the total workforce. Immigrants work in all industries and often fill labor shortages which can reduce inflation and boost overall economic growth. If all 13.3 million undocumented workers were to leave it would have devastating consequences on the US economy. It would be much more beneficial to offer pathways to citizenship / work permits for those who currently reside within the US and currently contribute to the economy than alienating and removing people from 170 countries around the world. Research by American Immigrant Council found that ‘Deporting one million immigrants per year would incur an annual cost of $88 billion, with the majority of that cost going towards building detention camps. It would take over ten years, and the building of hundreds to thousands of new detention facilities, to arrest, detain, process, and remove all 13.3 million targeted immigrants—even assuming that 20 percent of that population would depart voluntarily during any multi-year mass deportation effort. The total cost over 10.6 years (assuming an annual inflation rate of 2.5 percent) would be $967.9 billion’. I honestly feel this almost 100 Billion could be better spent!!”

  • “Much to Trump’s dismay, there is not a magical forcefield surrounding the US like a cloche… we live on a globe. Global forces impact us, whether it’s weather patterns via the jet stream, ocean currents, the spread of contagious illness via travel, space events, animal migration patterns, etc. In 2023, our region was inundated by smoke from wildfires in Canada — remember when everything looked like a scene from Bladerunner, our air quality was at Hazardous levels and life was filtered through a hazy, orange glow? The current administration’s xenophobic overdrive for anything and everything that does not feed into the Project 2025 playbook has been told to cease all international communication with our global partners all while chopping vital federal resources like NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), among other institutions. When it comes to weather forecasting, other countries use different parameters and satellites, which sometimes have more accurate tracking — especially for hurricanes, tsunamis, or other complex weather systems. Ceasing communication actively hinders research but it also hinders outreach when it comes to storm preparedness, ocean navigation, and especially ways to mitigate the effects of climate change (which is one of the ‘banned phrases’ getting the axe). NOAA, like the CDC and all the other agencies currently being dismantled at a record pace, do so much for us in our day-to-day lives — and many of us take their services for granted. So if you’ve already checked the weather forecast for today, thank NOAA, and do your part by calling your elected officials and demanding that they fight to save this agency.”

HOT TOPICS: Change on Lansdowne Ave.

Like many Lansdowne residents, we are excited about the restoration of our historic theater and optimistic that the project’s completion will bring new life to the many storefronts that sit vacant along our borough’s commercial corridor. But our excitement is tempered by the recent loss of another beloved small business in downtown Lansdowne, the Thrift Shop on the Avenue.

Murmurs of rent increases might be nothing more than neighborhood gossip, but those discussions do raise compelling concerns about the effects the new theater could have on existing small businesses. In another indication of our borough’s shifting economic outlook, the prices of artist studio memberships at UtilityWorks have increased steeply for both new and current members. When even the LEDC, a non-profit organization “dedicated to promoting a sustainable and thriving economy in … Lansdowne” passes the burden of rising property costs along to local artists — who represent some of our smallest businesses — then what protections do local entrepreneurs have left?

We can all agree that a walk along Lansdowne Avenue would be more pleasant without those unsightly “for rent” signs hanging in every other storefront window. But maybe our downtown’s current state of affairs is indicative of a broader, more ominous problem facing small business owners. How can local politicians ensure that existing businesses, which support diverse, working-class families in Lansdowne, continue to thrive amid the wave of economic development the theater is likely to bring? If the gentrification of nearby Ardmore is any indication of things to come, perhaps our collective excitement about the Lansdowne Theater is best accompanied by a more robust public discussion about our borough’s future.

How to weigh in:

  • Attend a borough council meeting and weigh in during public comment. The next Economic Development committee meeting is Wednesday, 2/12. The next full council meeting is Wednesday, 2/19.

Suggested film:

Evil Does Not Exist (2023). A proposal for a luxury campground threatens the delicate balance of life in a rural Japanese village in this poetic and visually striking film from director Ryusuke Hamaguchi. Consider the parallels between this film and the promises surrounding the Lansdowne theater’s reopening!

BOROUGH COUNCIL RECAP

  • Council President Curry has continually called for both borough council and borough-wide unity as we head into 2025. Community is more important now than ever, so consider taking a moment this week to connect with a neighbor.

  • The borough’s boards and committees gave their tentative plans and initiatives for 2025. Highlights include: more recreational activities and events, traffic calming measures, a block captain trial program, education and legislation for a Single-use Plastic Bag and Straw Ban ordinance, a native plants resolution, website and technology improvements, a renewed borough handbook, grants for repairs to the Hoffman Park pavilion and a sewer project in Gladstone Manor, and a forum for consumer education. For more information, check out the borough’s newsletter archive.

  • The 2025 Budget was officially voted on and passed in a 6 to 1 vote, with Councilperson Hover being the lone dissenting voice. Policing currently represents 35% of Lansdowne’s annual budget, whereas the fire department only comprises 7% and the library just 6%. While the percentage of Lansdowne’s budget spent on policing has dropped, the actual dollar amount listed in the budget has increased by 7.5% (from $4,237,266 in 2024 to $4,555,081 in 2025). Review the full budget here.

  • Mike Boyce of the Lansdowne Fire Department reported that this has been their busiest year since 1894. He also described the degradation of infrastructure related to Crozer Health for both Advanced Life Support (including ambulances and paramedics) and Basic Life Support (including the fire department) throughout Delco. The fire department has been preparing for these changes and is as robust as it can be. However, ambulances are another story. Lansdowne is a vital hub for ambulance and fire response systems within Delaware County. The borough has a contract with Narberth Ambulance, but due to a lack of funding from neighboring towns, Lansdowne has been experiencing a $20,000 shortfall each month due to ambulance servicing costs. The borough is currently working on a way to encourage other municipalities to help shoulder the financial burden.

  • The remaining ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds were successfully earmarked and spent prior to the deadline of December 31st. The remaining moneys went to repairs on the Borough’s 2020 House, lighting for the Central Business District, AV improvements to Borough Hall (ETA this Spring), $25.5k for architectural fees towards the planning for the new Lansdowne Library, and resurfacing of the Highland Avenue parking lot (behind Dunkin Donuts).

  • The Holocaust Remembrance Proclamation made by Mayor Byrne was well received. It was very well written because it had input from several of Lansdowne’s Jewish residents, and we applaud Mayor Byrne’s efforts to include the community. We echo the proclamation’s core underlying sentiment: Never again means never again — to anyone.

  • Councilperson Hover put forth 2 borough resolutions regarding electricians and plumbers, modeled after Pottstown. Our codes director said we already have procedures in place for issuing permits and that implementing more red tape would create unnecessary confusion for homeowners. Similar regulations and resources are already in place at the state level, with information about which repairs require licensed or master tradespeople and a list of licensed individuals. If you have questions related to codes or repair work, reach out to the Codes Department.

  • The LEDC provided a comprehensive plan for 2025 as well as a look back over their community impact over 2024. In December, Borough Council voted in a 6 to 1 vote to renew their support and partnership with the organization via the 2025 Arts and Cultural Initiative Agreement ($60,000 with an additional $15,000 for expenses).

  • The borough was awarded an additional $100k grant (with a $50k match provided by the borough) for continued improvements to the Veteran’s Landing project. The grant was awarded by the Commonwealth Financing Authority, and you can read more about it here.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE

  • Lansdowne Borough is officially back on Facebook! Their government page was out of commission for over three months due to a hack. Thankfully the borough has now implemented practices to prevent this situation from happening again.

  • The Borough has renewed their contract with DandeLion Digital for another 12 months, with a clause that allows them to cancel with 30 days notice. DandeLion is currently working to improve the borough’s messaging and to update the borough’s website. They were also contracted to put together a campaign regarding education about the plastic bag ordinance, garnering them $2500-5000 on top of their usual fees. If you would like to learn more about the bag initiative, please reach out to Councilperson Martsolf, who chairs the Environment, Parks, and Trees board, or attend the next Environmental Advisory Council meeting on February 20th at 7 pm.

  • The Borough’s Sanitation Crew had to fix another blockage in the Central Business District due to improper disposal of fats, oils, and other insoluble materials down the drain. These build up in the sewers and create what are called “fatburgs” where congealed fats, grease, and oils coalesce around so-called “flushable wipes” and are costly to fix. “Flushable wipes” do not degrade like traditional toilet paper and should be disposed of in the trash.

  • Did you know that Lansdowne offers one large 60-gallon trash disposal bin and recycling bin to each household? It’s true! If your family has not received theirs, reach out to the Borough and request one. Please note that each large trash bin costs the borough $60 and our Sanitation Director has noted that there are a few households around town that have acquired more than one bin, which while not technically illegal puts unnecessary strain on the borough.

  • Lansdowne Borough requires residents to clear their sidewalks within 24 hours of a snow event or you will be fined. (Borough Code SS 294-1) If you require assistance to shovel your sidewalks, check out Buy Nothing Lansdowne’s Facebook Group as neighbors will offer their assistance. Mayor Magda has mentioned in passing the desire to create a more concrete community outreach initiative, but nothing has coalesced as of yet.

  • Spring is just around the corner and the Borough and its various boards are already working on seasonal events and programming: the Parks and Recreation Director and Board have already started to plan the Spring Egg Hunt and Games (April 5th, with 12th as a rain date) and the EAC is already well underway for planning Earth Day Events for April 26th — both to be held at Hoffman Park. If you are interested in helping out or learning more about both, attend the Parks and Recreation or Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) meetings. All borough meetings can be found on the borough website.

  • Quarterly Coffee with the Mayor: Mark your calendars and come with your questions for Mayor Magda’s next Coffee with the Mayor event on Valentine’s Day, February 14th, from 8 to 10 am at Utility Works. Free coffee and light refreshments will be provided.

Upcoming borough meetings