Druck-ing Up the Election

Local political blogger Joe "The Nerd" Ferraro puts part of the blame for our current redistricting debacle on the shoulders of former state Representative Paul Drucker.

From Joe "The Nerd" Ferraro's blog on The Huffington Post: Pennsylvania lost a congressional seat as the result of not gaining enough people relative to other states. The GOP took full control of the state government in 2010. They have the opportunity to redraw the lines for the new congressional districts. Part of the reason the GOP was able to maintain control of the statehouse was a Democratic state representative from suburban Philadelphia, Paul Drucker (D-157 Dist.), who in 2009 got the bright idea to propose placing toll booths along a highway that reaches from King of Prussia, PA, to Reading, PA, US 422. This is an hour drive when traffic is clear – it takes about 3 days during rush hour. Dotted along this highway are corporate …

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Plans to Toll 422 May Be Scrapped

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission released a report yesterday that determined installing tolls were not the "best option at this time."

Norristown in the Headlines

The Rotary's new president, a fugitive caught and a new e-reading program at the library are just a few of the things other media outlets around the Web are covering in Norristown.

The Times Herald reports that the Rotary Club of Norristown installed its first female president for the 2011-2012 year. Denise Ashe, president and CEO of Montgomery County OIC, has become the first female president the club has seen in its 90 year history. Ashe also serves as president of the Norristown Area School District School Board. The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVPRC) is refusing to release data on SEPTA train ridership used to plan the Route 422 revitalization proposal. The Pennsylvania Transit Expansion Coalition (PA-TEC), a citizen's group opposed to the tolling proposal, has put forth several requests for information that have been repeatedly denied by DVPRC under the grounds they are exempt from the Office …

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Norristown in the Headlines

Praise for a local theater company and the capture of the shotgun robber are just a few of the stories local media outlets across the Web are covering in Norristown.

The Pottstown Mercury is covering the ongoing saga of the proposed revitalization plan for Route 422, which includes the restoration of train service along the corridor. The plan has come under great opposition from the public, as it requires drivers to foot the $750 million bill through tolls.   In the article, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission further outlines the plan with financing details, logistics and estimated numbers on potential train riders that opponents suggest have been inflated. Residents remain leery of the government's ability to guarantee the toll revenue will not be diverted to some other project. According to The Times Herald, Desmond Russell, 22, of Powell Street, was arrested for two alleged armed …

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Joe The Nerd

Tax da Frackers!

The issue of tolling 422 is dead since legislators who make the call on this have already come out against it. So Tuesday night, I enjoyed a bit of Kabuki theater.

Tuesday night Mike Vereb (R-150) used the Pope John Paul II High School auditorium to present on the topic of 422 tolling. I am glad that there were no striking teachers outside. I would not have attended the meeting if I had to cross a picket line. With Rep. Vereb were GOP representatives most from districts that border this roadway: Warren Kampf (R-157), Tom Quigley(R-146) and Marcy Toepel (R-147). Also attending were Democratic County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel, the Executive Director of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission Barry Seymour (I think he has to be politically neutered before speaking…) and an editor/GOP political operative of a local newspaper. Who was NOT there was just as interesting. GOP State Sen. John Rafferty…

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Liz Rosenbaum

10:11 am on Sunday, September 25, 2011

Frack Tax, Impact Fee, "Tariff" - whatever they want to call it - they ought to pass something soon. According to the PA Budget & Policy Center, we've already lost over $220 million in 2011 by not having a Gas Tax! Unfortunately, even a 4.9% General Fund-building,Growing Greener II-funding tax won't come close to solving all the problems we've yet to have if we keep on fracking without adequate …   more ›

'What Are You Prepared To Do To Fix 422?'

State representatives asked for public input at an open forum on Tuesday.

Hundreds of folks at a meeting on Tuesday night agreed that U.S. Route 422 is a dangerous, congested mess. They also said there's no cheap or easy way to solve the route's problems and shot down the notion to toll the road as a way to generate revenue. The 422 concerns were discussed at a public forum hosted by state representatives Mike Vereb (R-Montgomery County), Marcy Toepel (R-Montgomery County), Tom Quigley (R-Montgomery County) and Warren Kampf (R-Chester and Montgomery counties). The event was held at Pope John Paul II High School in Royersford. Prior to the forum, Kampf and Vereb discussed some of their concerns. Kampf said he's lived in the 422 area since he was a baby. "(422) has gotten progressively more crowded, especially at …

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Five Things for Tuesday, Sept. 13

Here are five things to know about Norristown and life today.

1.The American Red Cross is holding a blood drive today in the Community Room at the Montgomery County Human Services Center from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. 2. Now that school is back in session, the after school program at the Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library is, too, and the game is on! Children ages 6 to 12 are invited to come make a game and play it from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Ages 6 to 12 welcome. (This is a Norristown schools early dismissal day activity.) 3. Interested in making your business greener? The National Renewable Energy Laboratory have teamed up with the U.S. Department of Energy to host a workshop entitled "Fueling Your Alternative Fuel Vehicle Fleet: Partnering EPAct Mandated Fleets and Clean Cities Stakeholders to Deploy …

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Joe The Nerd

Can Shapiro/Richards Challenge the GOP in the West?

The Montgomery County Democratic Party is about to fumble the ball. After 10 years of explosive growth, they're basing a campaign in the declining side of the county.

Montgomery County has experienced explosive growth in the past 10 years.  Cornfields have been turned into McMansion Farms in the western part of the county and I don’t think the Democratic Party in Montgomery County is paying attention to this shift in demographics. The management of the current county-wide commissioner’s race has placed an inordinately large amount of their resources in the eastern end of the county. The resources that have been placed in the western end of the county reside in the urban centers of Pottstown and Norristown. Lansdale’s office is too far to be of service to a large number of people. You can see the Shapiro/Richards field office locations for yourself on this interactive map. This deployment may be …

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Joe The Nerd Ferraro

10:13 pm on Thursday, September 1, 2011

we are one the same page with a lot of it - but I look at when they say "we are opposed to the Rt. 422 tolling plan." as being against the plans.   more ›

Nighttime Lane Closures on 422 Over Next Two Weeks

Drivers can expect overnight lane closures at First Avenue Interchange for milling and paving.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), starting Sunday, June 19 and running through Thursday, June 30, drivers on Route 422 will face nighttime lane closures over the next two weeks between the Route 202 and Route 23 interchanges in Chester and Montgomery counties while crews work to resurface pavements. Route 422 will be reduced from two lanes to one at the First Avenue Interchange on Sunday through Friday, June 19-24, from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next morning. Crews will mill the road surface on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights and begin paving Wednesday. This operation is scheduled to continue until June 30. The contractor’s work schedule is weather dependent.  Driver are advised to allow additional time for…

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