4 seek 2 seats on Skippack supervisors board
SKIPPACK >> The Nov. 5 election has four candidates running for two open seats on the board of supervisors, each of which carries a six-year term.
Two Democrats, Karen Lynch and Kathryn Cressman-LeSage, are facing off against Two Republicans, Tammy Dagostino and Paul Fox, who is the only incumbent in the race.
What follows are the candidates’ responses to The Mercury’s online candidate questionnaire in the order in which they were received.
Karen Lynch
Lynch, 62, is retired after a 32-year career in the consumer products industry and has never held elected office before.
In her responses to The Mercury’s online candidate questionnaire, she wrote that she is running because “it is time for new thinking, greater transparency and more community involvement in deciding the future of Skippack
Township.”
Lynch wrote that the most important issue facing the township is overdevelopment “and the impact on infrastructure, public safety and our quality of life. My running mate and I would address it with a comprehensive plan that invites resident input and discusses, and solves for, the implications on roads, safety, schools and the environment.”
If elected with her running mate, Lynch wrote that the two would address over-development “with a comprehensive plan that invites resident input and discusses, and solves for, the implications on roads, safety, schools and the environment. We would join the Perkiomen Valley Regional Planning Commission to understand impact of our actions with neighboring communities and vice, versa. We would collaborate with the County and apply for grant money for township projects that residents could benefit from.”
Kathryn CressmanLeSage
LeSage, 48, is an editor and proofreader and is also a first-time candidate.
In her responses to The Mercury’s on-line questionnaire, she wrote that she decided to run because, “I want to bring fresh ideas and a new point of view to local government.”
Cressman-LeSage wrote that the most important issue facing Skippack is it “needs greater transparency about the plans for future development and the potential effects on infrastructure. I will seek public input via town halls and social media.”
Paul Fox
Fox, 54, is a senior manager in customer advocacy who has been a supervisor in Skippack for the past eight years,
In his response, Fox wrote that he has been the board of supervisors vice chair for the past six years and prior to that, he spent five years on the Skippack Township Park Board.
Fox wrote that he decided to seek reelection because “I wanted to help preserve Skippack’s unique culture, while managing growth and fiscal responsibility. During my tenure as a supervisor, we have expanded our parks, trails, and open space. We’ve invested in our first responders, and helped preserve our history by working with the historic society; all this while maintaining a healthy bottom line. We have improved our Moody’s bond rating from ‘Aa+’ to ‘Aaa’, and reduced the property tax rate for all residents in 2019.”
“Managing growth and development remains the key issue in Skippack,” Fox wrote. “We are fortunate to live in a community where many people want to come to live and work. But we need to manage the growth to control traffic, road expansion, and burden on the school district. I intend to continue using the open space fund to preserve land, and use zoning and ordinances to move away from high density development.”
Tammy Dagostino
Dagostino, 57, is an office manager who has never held elected office.
In her response, she wrote that she decided to run “to keep Skippack beautiful and fiscally sound.”
She wrote that the most important issue facing Skippack is “keeping our AAA credit rating,” and that could be accomplished “by making sensible financial decisions.”