This is an archive of a past election.
See http://www.smartvoter.org/pa/mny/ for current information.
Montgomery County, PA November 3, 2009 Election
Smart Voter

Horsham Township Council Candidacy of David Margolis

By David H. Margolis

Candidate for Council Member; Township of Horsham

This information is provided by the candidate
Let's make Horsham a better place to live
Horsham is a great place to live but our Township government faces a number of challenges. Revenue sources are trending down while spending continues to increase significantly. Long-term development planning is needed to avoid haphazard planning decisions. Major decisions should be made with oversight and openness. Sweetheart deals for campaign contributors will be eliminated if I am elected. We've been fortunate in recent years. Significant growths in housing and home values have made it easy to manage the Township. Open land was available to development and expansion. Rising prosperity made it easy to raise revenues. But times have changed along with Horsham. I am committed to making Horsham better through open and transparent government, tight controls on spending to keep taxes down, and informed long-range planning that addresses the needs and potential of our community. Total taxes we pay have been going up. There are three primary sources of revenue: real estate taxes, earned income taxes,and real estate transfer taxes. We all know that home sales have dropped sharply in the past few years. In addition, there will be fewer housing developments in Horsham in coming years so it is not likely that real estate transfer taxes will ever return to past highs. As unemployment has increased and local employers have cut back or closed, earned income taxes have gone down. The most stable source of Township revenues have been real estate taxes. As other sources decline, without spending restraint our real estate tax revenues will only increase. I am committed to the following:
  • Controlling Spending
  • Investments That Will Have a Lasting, Positive Impact For The Entire Township
  • Diversifying Revenue Sources to Spread the Tax Burden Fairly
  • Sensible Long-Term Planning Horsham has changed substantially over the past 20 years. But during that time there have been no updates to the Horsham development plan. Housing developments now populate most of the Township. Commercial development has occurred but many buildings now sit empty. Responsibility for the Willow Grove Naval Air Station is shifting to the state and the Joint Interagency Installation. Let's commit to:
  • Zoning and Planning That Will Conform With an Updated Development Plan to Ensure Quality of Life and Consistency Across the Township
  • Working With Local Businesses to Make Horsham an Attractive Place to Work and Live
  • Open and Honest Governance
  • Encouraging Residents to Participate in Major Decisions
  • Eliminating "Pay to Play." All Contracts Will Be Subject to an Open, Fair Bidding Process
  • Conduct All Township Business in an Open, Inclusive Way

Candidate Page || This Contest
November 2009 Home (Ballot Lookup) || About Smart Voter

pa/mny Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 28, 2009 21:25
Smart Voter <http://www.smartvoter.org/>
Copyright © League of Women Voters of California Education Fund.
The League of Women Voters neither supports nor opposes candidates for public office or political parties.