Council’s Deafening Silence

The SPS fire and Council’s failure to communicate

Events of last February 17th quite possibly signaled the end of an era. The catastrophic fire destroyed one of the last manufacturing plants in our immediate area. While we wait for its owner, SPS (Standard Pressed Steel) to declare its intentions for the property, reclamation of the site and disposal of its chemicals remain ongoing. 

Jenkintown Matters joined with everyone else in our community citing the bravery and dedication of all our first responders who worked diligently to minimize any damage to our respective communities. By all accounts, the men and women of the fire companies and police departments responding from all over the region performed above and beyond all expectations. 

Which leaves us wondering… What were our council reps doing?

Abington Response vs. Jenkintown

We have frequently cited the lack of responsiveness on the part of Jenkintown Borough Council towards their constituents. In a community of less than 5,000 one would expect better communications between Council and the residents. 

Unfortunately, the SPS fire didn’t change this. Despite the fact that the winds carried much of the smoke over Jenkintown, no one from Council immediately contacted residents in the affected wards to see how they were getting along and what help they might need. 

By comparison, Matt Vahey, Abington’s commissioner for Ward 12, which encompasses the SPS plant, has so far posted seven messages on his Facebook page, most of which appear to come from his own email service. 

Ward 11 Commissioner John Spiegelman issues a monthly email newsletter so jam-packed with content, it puts GlensideLocal to shame. 

Save for the financial impact, Jenkintown suffered the consequences of this fire in almost every way Abington did. The prevailing winds blew most of the smoke over our ward 4, prompting authorities to issue a voluntary evacuation order just for our town. 

Customer Disservice

If any of our residents were expecting contact from their Council representatives, they were left disappointed. No Ward 4 reps offer official Facebook pages, issue newsletters print or email, or have official websites. In fact, only Steve Spindler from Ward 1 makes that effort. Most of the information Jenkintown residents received about the fire came from Abington Township. 

It’s hardly inappropriate for individual council members to speak out and directly to their constituents. Elected officials at all levels do it all the time. Isn’t that part of the job?

After the initial period of alarm, the Borough did hold a public meeting in the library in which some Council members participated. The meeting allowed residents to express concerns about the fire’s impact and receive responses from SPS, county and state representatives, and Chief Scott. Unfortunately, the limited capacity of the library’s community room meant many residents were turned away. 

Meanwhile, Borough Council recently codified even more restrictive rules for public comment during meetings. As Mr. Conners now states before every meeting, “This is a comment period, not a Q and A.” Questions are simply ignored. 

Jenkintown Matters seeks to promote and facilitate transparency in Borough affairs and proper communications between Borough government and the residents of Jenkintown. We hope this doesn’t need another catastrophe to make this happen.