This year, Delaware County Council will spend about $560 million of your federal, state and county taxes. The county has more than 3,600 employees. There are 67 counties in Pennsylvania; with the exception of a very small county in the north, we are the only one that does not have two-party representation.

Bucks and Montgomery counties have a two-party system. It appears the organization that has controlled Delaware County for 32 years, with no "checks and balances", have served us ill. The population figures, the number of employees and the budgets of the three counties are all posted online. The numbers speak for themselves.

The Republican candidates are posing as conservatives dedicated to smaller government. They trumpet the fact that we have not had a county tax increase in three years, while ignoring the fact that we have a budget and payroll which is grossly in excess of those of the surrounding bipartisan counties. Most of our taxes are going on county jobs; patronage jobs which help further entrench the Republican oligarchy. And you pay for it.

Bucks and Montgomery Counties each spend about $100 million less than Delaware County. In addition Bucks and Montgomery have tens of thousands more residents. At the same time, Delaware County has many hundreds more county employees.

Thirty-two years of one party rule have embedded a system of patronage, corruption, nepotism and cronyism. Where are the checks and balances when millions are spent on no-bid contracts?. Are we getting the lowest and most responsible contract in each case? Allowing this to continue will further entrench the system of big government and waste.

In addition to receiving $50,000 for their part-time positions on county council, the five Republican members hold more than 20 solicitorships with township administrations and school boards across the county. This is a clear conflict of interest; additionally, we are paying for those positions.

What does all this have to do with the upcoming local elections in Chadds Ford? While cronyism is rampant in Chadds Ford, it does seem that corruption is at a lower level than in some areas of the county.

However, the Chadds Ford Republicans are joined at the hip with County Council Chairman Andy Reilly and his minions. Eighty percent of the local Republican Party fund raising this year ($12,500 total) has come from outside the township - with Reilly prominent among the donors.

The members of our local Republican Party are enablers for Andy Reilly and the county Republican power structure; they are, thereby, also enablers of the widespread corruption and cronyism in Delaware County.

How much of the county budget is being sluiced straight down the drain? Judging by the comparison with surrounding counties it could be as much as $100 million. Our local candidates congratulate themselves on holding down township taxes; there is not much point in holding down local taxes when we are being taken to the cleaners in Media.

We need to bring democracy, accountability and transparency to the Chadds Ford and to the Delaware County governments in November.

Lana Sheer is the recording secretary of the Chadds Ford Democratic Party.