It is clear from the letters, editorials, and conversations of the past few weeks, that many within the community without regard to political party, are troubled by the recent events of the Chadds Ford Civic Association (CFCA) election.   The proxy issue was only the most recent and perhaps blatant manner in which to ensure the election outcome.  Some members of the community were prohibited from running in this election because dues had not been paid by October 15th (There is no specification of this in the By-Laws, October 15th is the date for submission of resumes - which had been duly submitted by those wishing to participate).

As a Democrat, I ran, along with others, to add a diverse flavor to an association which, at times, has not lived up to the professions of non-partisanship written into its By-Laws.   One need go no further than some of the past newsletters of the organization to see its partisan nature;  they listed only Republican state-wide and local office holders.   I am not advocating that both parties be listed, but rather that a non-partisan association should stay out of that area completely.   Leave politics to the local political committees.  The inability to separate a community association from politics is what has led to the current problems.

The results of the CFCA election cannot stand (not just the proxies, the election as a whole, since it is clear that some Board Members were actively soliciting Republicans to vote against the Board Nominated slate;  The nominating committee is to be commended for doing a fair job given the truncated set of applicants with which it was presented);  I am in agreement with the Chadds Ford Post editorial that calls for the prime movers in the "rigging" of the election to resign.

I am optimistic that the fair-minded members of the community will place pressure on the association to do the right thing.   The board of the association should reach out to the Chadds Ford Democratic committee as well as others in the community to work in a non-partisan manner to reform the By-Laws so as to ensure broad representation across our community and to institute fair elections.

I would recommend that a new election be held within 60 days.   One alternative election method is to conduct the election by mail and have the ballots tallied by an independent auditor.   The ballot would of course be secret, just as it would in any General Election -- the requirement of signatures leaves a permanent record of who voted for which candidates and is just one more method of exerting control over the process.  

Whether one is a member of the association or not, I urge everyone in the community to drop a note to the association, letting them know that the current election and process cannot be allowed to stand.  The association will grow by making it inclusive of all of those who reside in Chadds Ford. 

Gregg Lindner

Chadds Ford Township