DiBello Editorial from Pottstown Mercury

 

The fastest growing township in our area appears to also be on the fast
track toward a meltdown.
Just two weeks after a Limerick Township meeting attended by hundreds of
angry residents upset about soccer fields, the supervisors' regular meeting
last Tuesday created more controversy. Three of the five supervisors failed
to show up, leaving the township without a quorum. The bills could not be
paid, even the township payroll was put in limbo. Two of the board members
were in Florida and had not given Township Manager Walter Zaremba adequate
notice to come up with an alternative.

 

The absence of Supervisors Tom DiBello, Joe Greco and Jeff Cusumano on
Tuesday came on the heels of a formal request by the township Republican
Committee for the resignation of DiBello and Greco. The two Republicans have
been accused of using township privileges to buy electric generators for
their homes, and of telling Zaremba to ignore zoning violations of the
West-Mont Soccer Association because the soccer parents were good for "1,000
votes."
DiBello and Greco have denied any wrongdoing, but their denials have fueled
even more acrimony among township officials and residents, who say they are
lying. Failing to show up on Tuesday just infuriated people more because it
looked like the supervisors were dodging responsibility just when the going
got tough.
The head of the township Republican Committee publicly called for the pair
to resign at the Tuesday meeting. The township Democratic Committee gave a
vote of support to the Republicans in that position.
On Friday, the DiBello and Greco showed up at a special township meeting
called to pay bills and take care of business that was missed Tuesday. But
the main order of business again seemed to be questions about their actions.
Greco said publicly that he would not resign and would talk about it later.
His wife asked why people wanted him to quit, which caused the audience to
erupt in shouting.
In the atmosphere of rumors and infighting that currently exists in
Limerick, it is a wonder that any business gets handled effectively. This is
not a quiet little township where the personality clashes are merely
amusing. This is the home of the busiest and most important traffic artery
through the region, Route 422. And the issues inside its boundaries involve
both housing and commercial development pressures; an exploding population
in need of police, fire and recreation services; and the potential for crime
that comes with growth.
It is time for all parties to regroup and stop throwing sand at each other.
Tom DiBello and Joe Greco should resign. Even if it is determined that there
was no wrongdoing by either of them, the atmosphere has become too charged
with ill will for them to continue as township leaders.
If DiBello and Greco became supervisors to serve the public good, they must
now realize that the best way to serve it is to step down and put an end to
the confrontational atmosphere that surrounds their seats on the board.
©The Mercury 2004