Election Results

All the votes are in and I did not win the primary so I will not be on the ballot in November.  I wanted to thank everyone that came out to support me yesterday.  It was a very long day and I met a lot of great Morrisville residences.

I would like to give a special thanks to Mike Yager for all of your help throughout this whole process. I would also like to thank Jane Berger for all of your knowledge of the process and paperwork involved.  I want to thank Jack and Mary for all of their help not only with the election but also with teaching me about the count afterwards.  People don’t really get to learn about what happens AFTER you cast your vote and what goes into actually calculating them.  As tired as I was, it was worth staying there for that education alone.

I also wanted to say that while the day was long it was also a very pleasant day.  Everyone was happy and talked to each other.   In the end it made me believe that even though we may not all always agree on everything we can come together as a community and respect each other with grace and dignity.  We really were the change that we all want to see and I can’t say how much I appreciate that.

Going forward I will still hold my representatives accountable for their actions.  I know that there have been many sore spots lately with people in our town over several issues.   But I believe that we all need to be willing to find a common ground, try to find the things that we can all agree on and try not to focus on the things that divide us.  We need to remember that what may be good for one person may be bad for another, that we are a community with several thousand people, not just a handful that value power over people. 
Your Vote Does Matter
Thank You,
Kelly

A Talk About Grants

A grant is defined as " a sum of money given by the government or other organization for a particular purpose." 

Grants can come from many different sources, they can be federal, state or even county generated.  Some grants are even granted through private individuals or businesses (think scholarships and research grants).  Grants are applied for and the requirements for applying vary from very simple to very complex.  Many grants require matching or a percentage of funding included in the requirements, other grants do not require any other funding at all, some grants even are diminished/satisfied by time.  Some grants you have to pay to apply for, others are free.  All grants come with specific instructions based on the kind of grant and what the grant will be used for.  There is no "one size fits all" description of what goes into a grant or the grant writing process.  

We hear a lot about what it takes to actually write a grant.  Depending on the amount of funding, where the grant is coming from, what the grant is for and the complexity of the grant usually will decide on who or how the grant gets written.  If the instructions are not adhered to perfectly, usually your application will be turned down.  Also most grants are time sensitive, meaning there is an open window of time when it must be filed as a qualification of the said grant.


Some people make it their life's work to write grants.  There are also companies whose primary service is finding and applying for grants.  There are college classes on how to write grants because they can be so complex, time consuming and difficult to write.  Not everyone is skilled enough to actually write a grant, it is definitely a specific skill that not a lot of people possess.  You do not just pick up this skill by way of a job, its not like typing.  Mostly people that are going into public service or community development will take classes to learn this skill.  

So in ending when you hear someone say that writing grants are easy and anyone can do it, they most likely have no idea what goes into the grant writing process.  

Cornerstone Timeline

You may have heard about the Cornerstone Reports, this is a timeline of the events around those reports along with related news articles.


2011 - Talk and Rumors of possibly dismantling the MPD starts to circulate.  Infighting & law suites plague police department.

July 2012 - Because of the infighting & law suites the solicitor and insurance company recommend an investigation be done.  Council hires Cornerstone Consulting to investigate MPD at the cost of $130,000 Plus $20000 for an audit of the PD since there hasn't been an audit in over 20 years plus, $350 per hour, for a special attorney to review the report.  

December 31, 2012 - Chief Jack Jones Retires

April 2013 - Borough received Cornerstone Report

July 28, 2013 - news breaks about the investigation 
Morrisville Investigates Police Department

July 31, 2013 - After 7 months without a head of the police department, Frederick DeVesa is hired as interim Director.
Interim Police Director Hired

August 2013 - Fredrick DeVesa quits

September 2013 - DeVesa files report from his two weeks at MPD
Scathing Report

October 2013 - At 10 months without a Chief of Police, a group of concerned citizens got together to form the Morrisville Town Watch.  Within the previous month a child abduction happened in town and the citizens were not made aware of it until weeks later.
Town Watch 1
Town Watch 2

November 2013 - Dave Rivella is Elected Mayor

December 2013 - Marks 1 year without a head to the Morrisville PD -
Also Rivella appoints Ted Parker to his vacant Council seat.
Rivella appoints Ted Parker to Vacant Council Seat

December 2013 - Cornerstone Report Mysteriously Disappears
Disappearing Report

January 2014 - 13 Months and still no one is running the Police Department -
More Law Suites ensue
More Law Suites

February 2014 - Chief McClay is sworn in at council meeting
Chief Sworn In