Mayor's Message 5/25/22
Published on May 25, 2022
Mayor’s Message
May 25, 2022
Good Evening.
This past Thursday, we hosted a public town hall where representatives from Marcum presented the findings of their forensic investigation on the management of ARPA money by me and my administration and they also answered questions from the public. After being accused of misspending $6 million dollars of ARPA money in the February 2 meeting, and after a slim majority of Council has withheld and continues to withhold the ARPA funds because of this serious accusation, we engaged Marcum, a top nationally-ranked Certified Public Accountant firm, to investigate the allegations and to determine how my administration handled the funds. I want the public, council and our employees to be confident that I have nothing to hide.
The top two findings per Marcum are, one, that the Treasurer’s report was incomplete and inaccurate and, two, that the general fund accounts’ daily cash balance never went below $20.88 million dollars. Marcum’s full report is posted on our township website and the presentation is on the Upper Darby YouTube channel.
The ARPA funds belong to the people of Upper Darby; they are not set by an ordinance like our millage rate for township taxes and like our trash and sewer fees and then collected directly from our property owners. They are a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to do a lot of good in Upper Darby in a short amount of time. Everybody knows that inflation and supply chain issues have escalated the prices of equipment and projects. There is no missing $6 million dollars and I respectfully ask the council as a whole to release the ARPA funding. We have a lot of work to do on behalf of the people of Upper Darby, work that we were elected to do.
On Saturday, I attended the Brad Schoener Memorial Run/Walk. After last year’s virtual run, it was great to see so many school running clubs and members of the community coming together in person for this important Upper Darby tradition. Congratulations to all of the school and age group winners!
On Monday we hosted a group of students from Upper Darby High School. They joined us for a tour of the building and heard from our Superintendent Bernhardt, Chief Sawyer, Administrative Services Director Alberts and myself where they learned about public safety and how the local government functions in Upper Darby. The students asked a lot of great questions and it was a fun event.
Sunday was St. Bernadette’s Parish 75th Anniversary! The parish was founded in 1947 in Drexel Hill and has been an important part of the community since then. The diverse faith communities present in Upper Darby are one of the many things that makes us “the world in one place,” and so if there are other upcoming special anniversaries, please feel free to reach out to the Township so we can acknowledge the integral role you’ve played in the Upper Darby community.
COVID transmission is rising again in Delaware County. As a reminder, the testing trailer is still located in Municipal Lot #1 across the street from the Township Building. The site offers free testing on Mondays and Wednesdays 9-5pm, Tuesdays and Thursday 9-6pm, and Fridays 9-3:30pm. You can visit testpa.online to schedule a test.
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. In recognition of this, I have a proclamation in honor of the occasion.
WHEREAS, The heritage of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders was initially honored by the federal government in 1978. In 1992, the recognition of their heritage was expanded to a month-long observance in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have histories and cultures that are thousands of years old; and
WHEREAS, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have enriched our social, intellectual, and artistic life in the United States of America; and
WHEREAS, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made valuable contributions to all areas of life in Delaware County, including government, business, arts and sciences, medicine, education, law enforcement, and the military; and
WHEREAS, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month helps us to appreciate the diversity of our residents in Upper Darby; and by recognizing their contributions to our community, we acknowledge the importance of inclusion as we strive to create a better future for everyone; and
WHEREAS, while all ethnic groups have made significant contributions to our country, the recent dramatic spike in violence and hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders during the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the need for awareness of the discrimination they are facing on a daily basis.
NOW, THEREFORE I, Barbarann Keffer, Mayor of Upper Darby Township, do hereby proclaim May 2022 as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in Upper Darby Township and encourage the entire community to recognize and participate in its observance.
Lastly, yesterday our country experienced another horrific mass shooting. Another avoidable tragedy that saw nearly two dozen children and at least one teacher lose their lives too soon. There are simply no words for tragedy of this magnitude. Our hearts ache for all of the victims and their families along with all of the past victims reminds us that these events occur too often in our country. At the local government level, we are limited as to how we can reduce gun violence. To address this critical issue, we have budgeted funds towards gun violence prevention in the current ARPA budget.
That’s all I have for now. Thank you and have a good evening.
