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Newtown News of Interest
These Scoops are excerpts from articles published in local newspapers and other sources that may be of interest to Newtown area residents. Please click on the "From" link to access the full original article. Any opinions and "insights" appended to these article summaries are solely those of John Mack and do not represent the opinions of any other person or entity. Curated by johnmacknewtown |
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Scooped by
johnmacknewtown
March 15, 2022 10:01 AM
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A summary of selected discussions from the March 7, 2022, Meet Mack Monday Zoom meeting.
Topics of discussion included:
* Newtown Gun Show
* LOVE is LOVE
* Toll Plan Update
* Wawa Plan Update
* EV Charging
* Recommended ARP-Funded Projects
* Pedestrian Safety
* Arcadia - U-Turn Alternative
More...https://johnmacknewtown.info/mmm7mar2022.html
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Scooped by
johnmacknewtown
March 12, 2022 9:17 AM
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Legalization of Cannabis, LOVE is LOVE, EV Charging Stations, Blue Point Grille: Transfer of Liquor License, 2022 Road Program, Sycamore Street Improvements, Divestiture of Russian Stock, Live Stream Video of BOS meetings, Fire Services Agreement with Newtown Borough, First Phase of ARP Spending, More...
This is my personal summary of the March 9, 2022, meeting of Newtown Township Board of Supervisors (BOS). This is not a complete nor an official summary.
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Scooped by
johnmacknewtown
March 17, 2021 11:06 AM
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On March 11, 2021, I hosted a Zoom to commemorate the passage of Newtown Township's LOVE is LOVE Resolution.
The primary goal of this meeting was to discuss ideas on raising awareness of discrimination against and bullying of the LGBTQ+ minority youth in our community. Participants also discussed building ally ship to combat all forms of discrimination.
Several activists, elected officials and students were guest speakers. One speaker was Kevin Antoine, who is the Chief Diversity Equity Inclusion Officer at Bucks County Community College, and the Chair of Newtown Township’s Human Relations Commission.
In this 10-minute audio clip from the meeting, Mr. Antoine talks about the Equality Act that was recently passed by the U S House of Representatives. He explains why this Act is necessary to amend all previous federal civil rights laws. The Act is monumental because, if passed by the Senate, the rights of LGBTQ citizens would be protected by these laws, which currently do not offer such protection.
Listen to the podcast now… https://www.johnmacknewtown.info/antequalityact.html
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Rescooped by
johnmacknewtown
from Anti Discrimination
March 3, 2021 10:43 AM
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Please REGISTER if you are interested in attending a Zoom meeting on Thursday, March 11, at 7:30 PM, to celebrate/commemorate the passage of Newtown Township's "Love is Love" Resolution in support of LGBTQ + minority youth on March 11, 2020 (read "Newtown Township Passes Revised Love is Love Resolution").
Although it took several tries and a modified version to get a resolution passed, I believe the process raised awareness and educated the public regarding the unique trials and tribulations of LGBTQ + minority youth.
The goal of this Zoom meeting is to continue to raise awareness and to plan for declaring a special day each year in Newtown Township as "LOVE is LOVE Day." Several activists and students (see below) have been invited to speak. Some will tell their personal stories of being bullied, harassed, and discriminated against because of their race and/or gender identity.
Invited Speakers include:
This meeting is being hosted by John Mack, a Newtown Township Supervisor. It is NOT a Newtown public meeting and attendance is not guaranteed. The opinions expressed here are solely those of John Mack and do not represent the opinions of any other person or entity.
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johnmacknewtown
March 16, 2020 12:49 PM
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The following is a brief summary of the February 26, 2020, Newtown Township Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting based upon the official minutes of that meeting.
Community
Love is Love Day Resolution: Mr. Mack explained the Love is Love Resolution which Senator Santarsiero brought to the floor of the Senate to recognize February 15 as Love is Love day for LGBTQ youth. The motion failed 3-2 with Messrs. Calabro, Davis and Oxley voting nay. View the video to hear comments from several residents who spoke in favor of the resolution. [UPDATE: A revised version was passed at the March 11, 2020, meeting.]
Development
Supervisors approved Bomba the conditional use application of Tacos and Rum, an approximate 3,990 square foot tenant space at 2930 S. Eagle Road in the Village of Newtown Shopping Center.
Supervisors failed to vote on a Toll Bros conditional use application to a 45-house development in the Conservation District located at 435 Durham and 107 Twining Bridge Roads.
Reports of Committees, Boards and Commissions
Planning Commission: JMZO Amendment – Mary Stover from CKS engineering attended the meeting to provide updates and answer questions. She reported Wrightstown and Upper Makefield received the ordinance however they have not officially reviewed it.
Public Safety
Mr. Lewis stated the SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) Grant was coming up and both he and Chief Forsyth recommend the Township move forward and apply for the grant which will provide the Township with additional funds for hiring more staff. He said the Township is looking to expand the department to 7 days/12 hours this grant would greatly help that effort.
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johnmacknewtown
March 12, 2020 11:44 AM
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A revised "Love is Love" resolution was passed by unanimous bipartisan 5-0 vote at the March 11, 2020, Newtown Board of Supervisors meeting. See the resolution at the end of this post.
My first attempt to pass such a similar resolution at the February 26, 2020, Board of Supervisors meeting failed by a 3-2 vote (see here). That resolution, which was modeled after one pushed by state Sen. Steve Santarsiero [which failed to reach the floor in Harrisburg], would have established February 15 as “love is love day” in the township. Chairman Phil Calabro joined Board colleagues Kyle Davis and David Oxley in voting no. All three said they felt the document was "exclusionary."
Both resolutions were inspired by the first ever “Love is Love Prom” for LGBTQ+ youth and their allies on February 15, 2020, hosted by the Rainbow Room LGBTQ Youth Organization at the Michener Art Museum.
After discussions with Marlene Pray, the Rainbow Room’s Director & Founder, Sen. Santarsiero, Yardley Borough Council Chair David Bria, Newtown supervisor Dennis Fisher, and others, I created the revised “Love is Love” draft resolution that I hoped would be more palatable to the Board of Supervisors yet still achieve the utlimate gooal of the LGBTQ+ community; i.e., to know that Newtown Township recognizes the amazing prom and supports and values LGBTQ + minority youth in our community. It worked!
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Rescooped by
johnmacknewtown
from Anti Discrimination
March 6, 2020 7:00 AM
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[UPDATE, 11 Mar 2020:
“Newtown Township Supervisors Unanimously Pass Revised Love is Love Resolution”]
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johnmacknewtown
February 26, 2020 10:53 AM
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[Newtown Borough] council passed a resolution recognizing “Love is Love Day” on Feb. 15 in celebration of the Rainbow Room Prom.
The Rainbow Room, located in Doylestown, provides an atmosphere of acceptance and love for LGBTQ+ youth in the community.
“The highest rate of attempted suicide is among LGBTQ youth. The highest number of sex trafficking is LGBTQ youth,” said Councilor Swajakos who brought the resolution to the floor. “This is our opportunity to express our support to our family members and show our solidarity with these youth who are challenged every day.”
A number of Bucks County municipalities brought similar resolutions to the floor after State Senator Steve Santarsiero and State Rep. Wendy Ullman were rebuffed by the GOP-controlled legislature from passing a similar resolution at the state level. Read “State Senator Steve Santarsiero,'s "Love Is Love Day" Proposal Shot Down in PA Senate”; http://sco.lt/77d90a
“It is not okay that in Pennsylvania, in the year 2020, it is still perfectly legal to discriminate against members of the LGBTQ+ community,” Santarsiero said. “We should all be ashamed of that, and actively fight to make our Commonwealth an inclusive place for all residents, especially our children.
“I have faith that change is coming,” he added. “I have faith that our LGBTQ+ children will be able to grow up in a world of acceptance, respect, and love. I have faith that there will always be people who will stand up for the dignity of others. Love is love, with or without a resolution.”
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johnmacknewtown
February 18, 2020 6:28 AM
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[UPDATE: The resolution failed to pass by a 3-2 vote margin at the February 29, 2020, Newtown Board of Supervisors meeting.]
Stressing that all people deserve equal care and treatment regardless of sexual orientation or gender identification, a resolution being considered by the Newtown Township supervisors would make Feb. 15 “Love is Love Day” in the township.
The document drafted by Supervisor John Mack is modeled after one pushed by state Sen. Steve Santarsiero, D-10, of Lower Makefield and state Rep. Wendy Ullman, D-143, of Plumstead, that failed to reach the floor in Harrisburg after not receiving unanimous support from Republicans.
The Newtown Township board discussed the resolution at its Wednesday meeting and seemed generally supportive, but voted 4-1 to table the matter until Feb. 26 so that exact wording and other elements could get more study.
Mack saw no reason to delay voting on the resolution and was the lone no vote on the table motion.
“Valentine’s Day receives much media attention with couples and loved ones proclaiming their love for each other,” his draft resolution states. “Those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, asexual and other sexual minorities are often excluded from Valentine’s Day mainstream media coverage.
“Being an adolescent during a time when those around you are expressing their love for each other can be overwhelming, especially if you do not see examples you identify with.”
The resolution states that Newtown Township was the first township in Bucks County to pass an anti-discrimination ordinance that created a Human Relations Commission to protect the rights of all citizens regardless of sexual orientation or perceived gender.
The rate of suicide among LGBTQ+ teenagers is nearly four times higher than for their heterosexual peers, according to the resolution. “Accepting the LGBTQ+ youth in our communities and in society at large helps remind those who we care about that love is love regardless of how they identify,” it adds.
Anti-discrimination efforts in Bucks County
The Bucks County Young Democrats unanimously passed an anti-discrimination resolution during its inaugural 2020 meeting in Newtown Township on Jan. 24.
The Democrats’ resolution establishes the group supports federal and state legislation like the federal Equality Act and Pennsylvania Fairness Act, which prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition of an individual.
The resolution also “calls upon all municipal governments within Bucks County to enact LGBTQ-inclusive anti-discrimination ordinances ... which prohibit discrimination upon sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.”
“It’s long past time for LGBTQ people to have equal protection under the law,” said David Bria, Bucks County Young Democrats president and Yardley councilman. “I can proudly say that every Democratic State Representatives and Senators from Bucks County are co-sponsors of the PA Fairness Act, and each of the Democratic Congressional candidates have pledged their support to the Federal Equality Act. While these bills remain stalled both in Washington and Harrisburg, local government can and should take action.”
Seven municipalities in Bucks have passed similar ordinances, including Bristol, Doylestown, New Britain, New Hope, Newtown and Yardley boroughs as well as Newtown Township.
