Township could update mission statement
They’re words that send a message about a township and its values, and local officials think it’s time for a change.
Upper Gwynedd’s commissioners began talks last week on whether, and how, to update the township’s mission statement.
“I think we need to take a look at it, and revamp it, to be more inclusive of the diversity that Upper Gwynedd shows,” said commissioner Katherine Carter.
The township’s current mission statement reads as follows:
Upper Gwynedd Township’s elected officials and staff shall provide innovative, safe, transparent and fiscally responsible services, and shall respond to the needs of all residents, businesses and visitors of the Township in a timely and respectful manner.
It was developed in early 2018, after now-commissioner Liz McNaney called on the board the summer before to pass a public statement stating the township protects its residents’ rights and liberties, in the wake of violent protests in Charlottesville, Virginia that summer.
Carter told her fellow commissioners on May 10 that she’s recently been in contact with the Upper Gwynedd Fire Department after that group revamped their own statement last summer, in response to the nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd in May 2020, and the township’s “Blackout” condemning that incident and all racial violence the following month.
“We recognized, midlast-year, that the mission statement of the Upper Gwynedd Fire Department, reflected a sentiment that occurred sometime around 2012,” said fire Chief Eric Geiger.
At that time the fire company was reeling from charges against a longtime member found guilty of stealing about $250,000 from the company while working as its treasurer. Geiger took over as the company’s treasurer in early 2013, and put in place new controls over the department’s financials, as well as a mission statement that said the fire company was open and transparent, but ready for an update after nearly a decade.
“That was 2012. The world evolves, things change, and happen, and that mission statement that was there, while it did reflect the good points of the fire department, and what we did, we felt as though it didn’t reflect the current
2020 fire department,” Geiger said.
The fire department has roughly 60 members, Geiger told the board, and about “15 to 20” are members of various minority groups; volunteers held talks on an internal discussion committee including himself, fire company chief engineer Amanda Hoade, and firefighter Sam Lee, the latter two bringing perspectives from the LGBT and Asian American communities respectively. Both have been members of the department for about a dozen years, Geiger told the board, and both were asked if they had ever had problems or felt excluded from the department.
“Overwhelmingly, the response was no, that was not the case. And I said ‘OK, now let’s put that onto paper,’” Geiger said.
Guidelines the fire company developed during their talks are that a mission statement needs to be clear, memorable, and impactful, while easy for those in the group to remember and stay motivated, Geiger told the commissioners. After internal talks, a new fire company mission statement now says the UGFD will “protect life and property, for Upper Gwynedd Township and surrounding communities, by fostering a progressive and responsible team, providing fire and emergency services, with a professionally-trained, dedicated and compassionate volunteer workforce.”
The fire department also developed a vision statement and values statement, each of which were put to the entire membership in public meetings, then unanimously approved by membership and added into the department’s bylaws. Hoade added that she’s been part of four different emergency companies, “and Upper Gwynedd is definitely one of the more diverse, and very much accepting, and all-around open to just about anyone joining, which is absolutely great for our township.”
Commissioner Ruth Damsker asked if the company had seen growing membership from diverse communities in recent years, and Geiger said “it certainly has increased, there’s no doubt about that.” Carter asked Hoade why she thought the fire company’s prior statement needed to be updated.
“It just kind of helps put what we wanted to convey: that we are a very open and diverse family, really, and put it into words that people understand,” Hoade said.
“Even though this is a male-dominated field, and is very trait-oriented, we really do welcome everybody. And that needs to be in writing, and people need to know that,” she said.
Commissioner Martha Simelaro asked how often the fire company plans to wait before updating or revisiting those statements again, and Geiger said they would likely do so every four years, based on when new officers are chosen. Carter asked how the other commissioners felt about setting up an internal township committee, with commissioners joined by staff, fire company representatives, and possibly members from the township’s human relations commission and other groups to advise and assist.
“I think it’s really important for us to talk about these issues, and to have a 21st-centeury statement that reflects what we feel the mission should be,” Damsker said.
“I think it’s important. It says what we feel, and how our values are,” she said.
Township Manager Sandra Brookley Zadell said she’d begin contacting those various groups to ask for volunteers interested in helping the board revise the township statement, and she and Carter would bring back updates to future meetings.