Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 151, No. 42
INSIDE
60 Cents
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
With Election Day approaching, Oxford Borough candidates vie for votes at forum
Lessons learned on the trail
By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer Municipal
taxes,
the
Focusing on the election importance of public safety, season...6A-7A and the proposed parking
garage project and its potential impact on the borough’s budget emerged as the main topics during an Oct. 10 forum for candidates seeking a seat on Oxford Ron Hershey, Oxford Borough Council and for Borough Council president the three mayoral candidates. The forum took place at the Pavilion Auditorium on the Ware Presbyterian Village campus, and attracted a large crowd of more than 100 people. The Oxford Borough A new video instal- Council candidates who are lation explores the vying for four seats on borBrandywine...3B ough council are Amanda Birdwell, Randy Grace, Geoff Henry, Ron Hershey, Continued on Page 3A
Amanda Birdwell
Phillip Hurtt
Robert Ketcham
Landenberg artist Lindsay Schmittle walked from Georgia to Maine -- 2,190 miles -- and looks back on the experience after returning last month. See story on page 1B.
Library referendum Three vie to become the new meeting to be held in mayor of Oxford New Garden on Oct. 24 Borough By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
First-half explosion leads Oxford to win...8B
INDEX
Mayor Geoff Henry is not seeking a fourth term as mayor in the Nov. 7 election, so there will be a new mayor of Oxford to start 2018 By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
Pam Benjamin, Lorraine Durnan Bell, and Randy Calendar of Events.....2B Grace are campaigning to Obituaries....................4B become the new mayor Classifieds..................7B of Oxford Borough, and a candidates’ forum on Oct. 10 found them competing for the support of borLorraine Durnan Bell ough residents as Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 7, approaches. Bell, a current member of the Oxford School Board, is the Democratic nominee. Benjamin, the owner of two businesses in town, is the Republican nominee. Grace, a current member of Oxford Borough Council, has launched a write-in Randy Grace campaign for mayor while continuing his bid for a seat on council. All three candidates used the forum as a way to share the professional experiences that have shaped them up to this point, and to communicate their vision for Oxford Borough’s future. Bell is a third-grade teacher in Rising Sun, Md., a Pam Benjamin position that she has held since 2001. She is also a ing on the Oxford School part-time adjunct profes- Board, Bell is a member sor of psychology at Cecil of the borough’s planning College. In addition to servContinued on Page 9A
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Opinion........................6A
In Franklin Township, supervisor Penny Schenk is facing a challenge from Nancy Morris for a sixyear term on the Board of Supervisors. Below, the incumbent and her challenger review their histories and plans for the township.
NANCY MORRIS What inspired you to run for supervisor? I decided to run after attending a Board of Supervisors meeting last fall where the topic of farmland preservation was on the agenda. I am passionate about preserving farmland, and two farmers had asked for consideration to put their farms in agricul-
residents if they would be in favor of establishing an annual dedicated library tax for the then-named Bayard Taylor Memorial Library, beginning in 2015. If passed, each household in the township would have been required to pay a little more than $37 a year in a dedicated library tax. The referendum was defeated by a slim margin: 1,279 Continued on Page 2A
Race raised $16K for local charities in 2016
KSQ Mushroom Cap II set for Nov. 4
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
As the sun first began to emerge near the start of the first KSQ Mushroom Cap 13.1 last Oct. 15 at Kennett Stadium, members of the Weekly Fight, a local nonprofit organization created to benefit war veterans and their families, stood valiant and still with the American flag held high above them. At that moment, the cold that had welcomed more than 700 runners earlier that morning seemed to have melted into a blanket of warmth and protection. At its November celebration, Run2Shine, Inc., the fundraising wing of the KSQ Mushroom Cap 13.1, donated a total of $16,000 to three beneficiaries: The Garage Community
Morris and Schenk seek seat on Franklin Township board By John Chambless Staff Writer
© 2007 The Chester County Press
On Jan. 17, by a vote of 4-0, the New Garden Township Board of Supervisors voted to approve Resolution 766, a referendum that will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot and will read as follows: “Do you favor increasing New Garden Township’s real estate property tax by 0.100 mills, the revenue
from such increase to be used exclusively to fund the operation of the Kennett Library?” If the wording of the referendum sounds familiar to a lot of township residents, it’s because they’ve voted on it before. In 2014, the New Garden board voted 5-0 to include a similar library tax referendum on that year’s November ballot, asking township
tural easement. At the time, most of the board was unwilling to allocate funding from the budget for these farms. We need to make sure people can continue to maintain farms here in Franklin. I believe short-term investments in preserving our farms will lead to longterm benefits for all of us through lower taxes and less Continued on Page 5A
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
The second KSQ Mushroom Cap 13.1 Half Marathon will take place on Nov. 4 at Kennett Stadium.
& Youth Center, Family Promise of Southern Chester County and The Genesis Employee Foundation, at its gala celebration held at the Marketplace at Kennett Square. Now, as the KSQ Mushroom Cap 13.1 half marathon prepares for its second run on Nov. 4, the
event has already come to stand for its challenging terrain through the streets and past the pastures of southern Chester County -- and for its generosity toward its community. As proof, nearly 20 war veterans who belong to the Weekly Fight -- sponsored by Knox Continued on Page 2A
Avondale boondoggle By Uncle Irvin Uncle Irvin has preached many times that Avondale and West Grove boroughs are too small to be incorporated and should be annexed. The latest example of ineptitude is the State Street Bridge in Avondale that has been closed since August and will not
reopen until “early summer,” according to Chester County facilities head Stephen Fromnick, who is in charge of the project. The delay has been caused by the lack of maintenance over the years by Avondale Borough, which is constantly broke. The bridge has also been Continued on Page 5A