If Elected, Borough Candidate Pledges Salary To Hook & Ladder

By John Voket

Borough Warden candidate Victor Krochta hopes nobody ever has to go through the terror of suspecting their house is on fire like he did in the summer of 2004. Despite the fact that the suspected fire turned out to be a furnace malfunction, he never forgot the almost instantaneous response of volunteers from Newtown Hook & Ladder.

That is one of the reasons why Mr Krochta has pledged his entire warden salary to the Hook & Ladder company if he is successful in his attempt to unseat incumbent Joan Crick in the borough face-off next Monday, May 2.

Any eligible resident — anyone owning more than $1,000 in property in the borough and who is at least 18 years of age — is eligible to vote during polling hours. Polls for the borough election will be open from 6 am to 8 pm in the lower courtroom at Edmond Town Hall, according to the Newtown Registrar of Voters office.

Eligible residents do not have to be registered voters to participate in the borough election, and borough property owners who may reside outside the district are also permitted to vote as long as the assessed value of their property is $1,000 or more.

While the only candidate facing a challenger is Ms Crick, the ballot will reflect a roster of all officials who are slated for reelection this year. Borough elections occur every two years.

Mr Krochta, an automotive service business manager who resides on The Boulevard, told The Bee that he decided to seek the warden post after becoming disenchanted with the district’s leadership.

“After attending numerous borough meetings I began to see a pattern of business and management practices that I believe are not in the best interests of all borough residents,” Mr Krochta said in a recent interview. “I’m not a confrontational type of person, but as an American, I have a right to participate in the political process without being made to feel like I’m invading the private business of a select few politicians.”

Committed To

 The Borough

Contrary to the intentions the last slate of challengers to Ms Crick and the borough burgesses nearly 15 years ago, Mr Krochta is firmly committed to seeing the borough continue as a viable and legal municipality all its own.

“I’m not running to get rid of the borough,” he said. “But the borough belongs to everyone who lives here, and I want to see the borough continue by helping to preserve its rich heritage while applying 21st Century management practices to lower our taxes and improve our quality of life.”

One of the main areas the challenger is interested in is enhancing is emergency services. Although the borough is provided with police services through the Newtown Police Department, he said the Hook & Ladder volunteers are the primary responders to all calls in the district, and as such, deserve a greater measure of support than is presently afforded.

“The [proposed] borough budget only calls for a $2,000 allocation to Hook & Ladder,” Mr Krochta said. “This is a pitiful amount considering all the expensive equipment and training they require to do their job as safely as possible. So If I’m elected, I will be pledging the entire warden salary to the fire department.”

According to the proposed budget, which was set for a vote April 28, the warden salary line stands at $2,800 annually.

“It’s not much, but if it can provide a couple more air masks or pieces of equipment it is more than worth it. I won’t miss it,” said the candidate. “I wonder why in previous years borough officials received salary increases and the fire department budget remained the same.”

Mr Krochta said he learned from personal experience how valuable the Hook & Ladder responders were when his house filled with black smoke one day last summer.

“I called 911 and it seemed like the first volunteer was there before I hung up the phone,” Mr Krochta recalled. “That’s when I learned there were a few firefighters who lived just a few houses down from me.”

Management Issues

In a series of statements issued via email, Mr Krochta has also taken issue with budget practices and financial management that has levied tax rates of up to one mill in recent years upon borough residents who at the same time were facing additional escalating Newtown property taxes. The 2005-2006 borough budget proposed a 0.85 mill supplemental tax rate.

“Although the 2006 budget reflects a reduction of $27,000 from the previous year, $5,000 was allocated for election fees this year. [That expenditure] will reappear in 2006,” Mr Krochta said. “After studying the proposed budget I have come to the conclusion that certain proposed expenditures are inflated and the total budget reflects inadequate research and management.”

Mr Krochta pointed out that in the 2004-2005 budget $4,000 was budgeted for advertising and only $900 was spent, according to borough officials at a recent meeting.

“Since there was a $3,100 surplus why has $3,000 been allocated for advertising in the 2006 budget?” he asked. “Additionally, the $12,000 earmarked for renovation of the Soldier & Sailor’s monument has been reduced to zero. As many residents know, a significant portion of this renovation project was [funded], which represents a waste of the taxpayers’ money.”

In a November 2004 story in The Bee, it was reported that after a series of heavy granite fence posts were installed at the monument site, the State Department of Transportation stepped in and demanded the posts be removed and set back per the agency’s required guidelines. At the time, the borough’s project coordinator Brid Craddock admitted that she had made improper measurements.

Once the posts were removed, public outcry prompted the Board of Borough Burgesses to vote 4 to 2 to scuttle the project altogether. In a recent interview with Warden Crick, she stated that a modified plan utilizing natural landscaping and plantings would eventually be executed on the site.

Necessary Improvements

Mr Krochta said he would also continue ongoing sidewalk improvements and much needed repairs, and if possible he would initiate additional landscaping and beautification projects to enhance the borough.

“As a resident and candidate for warden, I know the issue of sidewalk repair and extension is an important issue for [my fellow] residents,” he said. “If elected, I assure all residents the ten-year sidewalk project will continue.”

Mr Krochta was also dismayed over a claim by Ms Crick about her participation in setting up Newtown’s historic district, which is part of the borough.

“In a recent article in The Bee, she claims she has a deep interest in the historic district, but in the proposed 2005-2006 budget only ten dollars is earmarked for [that purpose] in said district,” Mr Krochta said.

Ultimately, the borough challenger said his pursuit is not only for all residents of the borough, but for everyone who enjoys the colonial feel of the community. But in order for borough traditions to continue, he feels the district’s government demands greater taxpayer participation and involvement.

“My greatest hope, if elected, is that residents will choose to participate in borough affairs, [and feel free] to criticize proposals and procedures when needed,” Mr Krochta said. “Criticism, to me is welcome because it helps preserve what is good and facilitates what needs to be changed. I also want borough resident to know, I have their best interests at heart and would like, if elected, to improve the borough so that residents are pleased with this lovely area of Newtown.”