In 2023, I spent a total of 334 hours (an average of 38 hours per month) engaged in official Supervisor activities that included preparing for and attending meetings and interacting with residents.
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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 |
Scooped by
johnmacknewtown
January 1, 9:27 AM
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In 2023, I spent a total of 334 hours (an average of 38 hours per month) engaged in official Supervisor activities that included preparing for and attending meetings and interacting with residents.
Scooped by
johnmacknewtown
September 19, 2023 9:05 AM
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The Newtown Township Board of Supervisors met on 18 September 2023 to resume hearing a validity challenge of its ordinance brought by a developer [KRE Upper Macungie Associates LP] seeking to build a multistory, 245-unit apartment building on Lower Silver Lake Road.
[KRE] also filed a preliminary motion to disqualify supervisor John Mack from hearing the challenge arguing that his blogs and Facebook postings have shown his bias against the filing (read “Developer Moves To Disqualify #NewtownPA Supervisor John Mack From Zoning Challenge Hearing”; https://sco.lt/83oLrc).
At the hearing., Solicitor Dave Sander asked Supervisor Mack "if he can hear and decide this case fairly based on the evidence presented to the Board of Supervisors in this proceeding?"
This video documents his response: https://youtu.be/-SS9chFp5kk
Related Content:
“Developer Moves To Disqualify #NewtownPA Supervisor John Mack From Zoning Challenge Hearing”; https://sco.lt/83oLrc
“Developer Challenges Validity Of Zoning Ordinance In #NewtownPA Township “; https://sco.lt/7R2bq4
Scooped by
johnmacknewtown
January 31, 2023 6:54 AM
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Newtown Township residents Andrea Ahern and Debbie Verwoerd have announced their intention to run for Newtown Township supervisor this year. They will be seeking the Republican nomination for two seats up for election in November.
The two women said they heard the concerns of their neighbors loud and clear while campaigning for candidates last year "The residents of Newtown Township want a return to basics at the township level, namely, better stewardship of taxpayer money, improved communication with residents, smart growth that is directed by township leaders and not developers, and a move away from the partisan politicking that has no place in local government," they said.
Ahern is a resident of Eagle Ridge where she chairs the Homeowners Association's finance committee. She has also been an active voice in fighting against over-development in the township.
A lifelong Newtown resident, Ahern is also a former candidate for Newtown Township Supervisor, having run in 2021 with incumbent supervisor, Kyle Davis.
Verwoerd has called Newtown home for nearly a decade and is a resident of Eagle Glenn. A marketing vice president at a global Fortune 500 company, she said she knows what it takes to run a successful business.
Kyle Davis, a current member of the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors, voiced his enthusiastic support for the candidacy of both Ahern and Verwoerd.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled at the prospect of having two such strong and successful business women on the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors.” said Davis. He further added, “These two potential candidates will bring much needed, real world corporate experience, talent and strong female voices to the board of supervisors and I would love to have them on the board with me.”
My take: They seem to be all about helping "businesses" while cutting spending at the expense of resident health, safety, and services.
Related Content:
Scooped by
johnmacknewtown
January 1, 2023 9:07 AM
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I keep track of my activities as a Supervisor partly because I want to be accountable to residents, but also to make sure I am making the best use of my time. It's really an honor to serve the community! I learn something new every day and have met many fine people and volunteers who also put in a lot of time without any compensation at all.
In 2022, I spent a total of 527 hours (an average of 44 hours per month) engaged in official Supervisor activities that included preparing for and attending meetings and interacting with residents. This compares to 481 hours (an average of 40 hours per month) on such activities in 2021.
What This Report Does Not Include
My log of Supervisor-related activities does not include the many hours I spend posting to this blog, maintaining my personal website, writing a newsletter, creating and posting video clips from meetings, hosting podcast interviews, summarizing decisions made by the Board of Supervisors (BOS Definition), etc. Also not included is the time I spend posting to my personal Facebook page, Twitter account, and Instagram account. These activities are NOT part of my official duties as Supervisor, but represent my personal views.
Scooped by
johnmacknewtown
May 2, 2022 2:39 PM
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I decided to keep track of my activities as a Supervisor on a monthly basis partly because I want to be accountable to residents, but also to make sure I am making the best use of my time. It's really an honor to serve the community! I learn something new every day and have met many fine people and volunteers who also put in a lot of time without any compensation at all. Thanks to everyone who help keep Newtown in business and safe.
NOTE: My log of Supervisor-related activities does not include the many hours I spend posting to this blog, maintaining my personal website, writing a newsletter, creating and posting video clips from meetings, hosting podcast interviews, summarizing decisions made by the Board of Supervisors, etc. Also not included is the time I spend posting to my personal Facebook page, Twitter account, and Instagram account. These activities are NOT part of my official duties as Supervisor, but represent my personal views.
Scooped by
johnmacknewtown
March 11, 2022 12:10 PM
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UPDATE: On April 13, 2022, the Newtown Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to divest Twp pension funds of Aberdeen (ABEMX) holdings, which includes Russian & Chinese securities, and put 50% of the proceeds into a stock fund and 50% into a bond fund. Finally, we #StandWithUkraine!
At the March 9, 2022, Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting, supervisors signaled their intention to rid the township's pension fund of Russian stocks in protest against the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the apparent war crimes being committed by Russia in Ukraine.
The BOS specifically instructed the Township Manager to email the pension investment manager about this issue. Here's what the email states:
"The Board of Supervisors of Newtown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania is opposed to, and will refuse to do business with, any investment entity that is backed by or includes Russian investments. If Aberdeen Emerging Market Equity Fund, Inc. does not divest itself of all Russian investments in a timely manner, the Township will seek to invest in an alternative fund."
Pennsylvania’s biggest public pension system will begin to sell off its investments in Russia and Belarus, after its board unanimously voted to do so Thursday in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The $72.5 billion Public School Employees’ Retirement System is one of the nation's biggest public pension funds. The vote targets what it says are almost $300 million directly invested in Russia and Belarus, which is less than one-half of 1% of the fund’s total assets. Belarus has been a key ally of Russia in its attack on Ukraine.
Scooped by
johnmacknewtown
February 2, 2022 12:45 PM
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I keep track of my activities as a Supervisor partly because I want to be accountable to residents, but also to make sure I am making the best use of my time. It's really an honor to serve the community! I learn something new every day and have met many fine people and volunteers who also put in a lot of time without any compensation at all.
January 2022 was a busy month for me as Supervisor. In January, I spent a total of 54 hours engaged in official Supervisor activities that included preparing for and attending meetings and interacting with residents. This compares to an average of 46 hours per month in all of 2021
Scooped by
johnmacknewtown
October 6, 2021 8:58 AM
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In Q3 (July, August, September) of 2021, I spent, on average, 35.0 hours per month on official Supervisor business. This compares with an average of 39.2 hours per month in Q2 2021 and 45.9 hours per month in Q1 2021.
My log keeps track of the time spent on the following:
Rescooped by
johnmacknewtown
from Good Government
July 6, 2020 1:30 PM
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In June 2020, as Bucks County moved into the COVID-19 "Green Phase" when some businesses re-opened, I spent 56.2 hours on official supervisor business. Although that's still below the average of 63 hours per month in January and February before COVID-19, it is well above the 33 hours for June 2019. There were more committee meetings to attend, which required more preparation time.
Scooped by
johnmacknewtown
May 1, 2020 12:07 PM
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In April 2020, as the COVID-19 shutdown of business as usual in the Township was in full swing, I spent only 19.5 hours on official Supervisor business. That's well below the average of 63 hours per month in January and February before COVID-19.
I attended only one "Special" Board of Supervisors meeting via Zoom that lasted about one and a half hours and a Planning Commission meeting via Zoom that lasted just over one hour.
Rescooped by
johnmacknewtown
from Good Government
January 8, 2020 7:41 AM
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In 2019 I spent, on average, 39.4 hours per month on official Supervisor business. I spent a total of 56 hours attending required meetings and 63 hours in optional meetings for a total of 119 hours for the year.
Scooped by
johnmacknewtown
September 9, 2019 12:56 PM
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In August 2016, I read a notice in the newspaper that the Township needed to fill a seat on the Board of Supervisors due to a resignation of one of the supervisors. I decided to apply for the position. Not being an experienced follower of Newtown Township politics meant that I was unaware that it was a quixotic attempt — the Board majority chooses someone of their own party. But I impressed the minority members during the interview process and they asked me to run for office in the 2017 election. The rest is history as they say! I received the most votes of any candidate — Republican or Democrat — for supervisor going back to 2007!
I hope to do even better in 2019!
Read more about my qualifications here…
Scooped by
johnmacknewtown
September 9, 2019 8:46 AM
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Those unfamiliar with the role of a township supervisor may wonder: What exactly do we do? Are we compensated for our efforts?
To answer the first question and as a matter of accountability, Newtown Township Supervisor John Mack decided to keep track of and report ALL his activities as a supervisor on a monthly basis. Here's his list:
Yes, supervisors do get compensated for their time. Article VI, Section 606 of the Pennsylvania Second Class Township Code, sets the annual maximum compensation of township supervisors depending on the number of residents counted in the last census.
Find out what supervisor Mack makes per month and per hour based on time spent on official business…click here.
Scooped by
johnmacknewtown
September 29, 2018 9:32 AM
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In total, I spent nearly 60 hours in September attending meetings, preparing for meetings, and travel to and from meetings!
Find out more details here.
Was September an unusual month? That remains to be seen. Coming in October is budget season, which I am told requires a lot of time and effort. Stay tuned – I intend to continue to keep a record of my activities and report back to you every month.
Scooped by
johnmacknewtown
July 5, 2018 7:59 AM
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[Photo: Members of the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors say goodbye to Jen Dix, who has served on the board for the past four and a half years. From left are Supervisors Kyle Davis, Chairman Phil Calabro, Jen Dix, Linda Bobrin and John Mack.]
Phil Calabro, the chairman of the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors, took a moment at the beginning of the June 27 meeting to publicly thanked Jennifer Dix for her service to the community.
Dix, who resigned from the board effective June 30, accepted an engraved plaque from Calabro in recognition and appreciation for her years of service on the board from 2014 to 2018.
“Sadly, Newtown has had decades of self-serving leadership and I’ll even be as bold to say to some degree corruption,” said Dix. “It’s led to a toxic environment of greed and entitlement and I know that will hopefully begin to change. It’s not going to change overnight. And I put the charge to the rest of my board members to work on turning that around. I know all of you can do that.
During public comment, resident John D’Aprile questioned Dix on the corruption allegation raised during her parting words and asked her to elaborate.
Dix was happy to oblige, sharing that earlier this year “the FBI came knocking on my door to investigate two former supervisors and some of their ties to a certain little project here in Newtown as well as some of the corruption in Lower Southampton. I’ll just leave it at that,” she said.
“I guess it was the Democratic FBI guys under Comey,” responded D’Aprille to some laughter from the room.
D’Aprile also noted that he had not walked out of the room when Calabro gave Dix a plaque “like you and Phil did when they gave (former supervisor Mike) Gallagher a plaque for his service. That wasn’t very nice, especially since you were on the board. Just because you didn’t agree with him, there was no reason to disrespect him and walk out of the room.”
Scooped by
johnmacknewtown
March 6, 2018 9:34 AM
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When I became a Newtown Township Supervisor on January 2, 2018, I swore that I will “support, obey and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of this Commonwealth and that I will discharge the duties of my office with fidelity.” More than that, however, is my commitment to residents to be open and honest and do my best to keep them informed of issues before the Board of Supervisors.
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