Moving Tredyffrin in the right direction
When I think of Tredyffrin, I see a wonderful, family-friendly place to live. It is why my wife and I moved here 34 years ago with our infant daughter. We valued the excellent schools, great neighborhoods and easy access to the train station and Tredyffrin Library then, and we still do.
But many things have changed in those intervening years. Our community has grown rapidly as large residential subdivisions filled in most of the open space. The highways that crisscross our township have attracted many office parks that add traffic to our congested local roads. We are now at a point where there is little land left to develop, and we will not likely see that kind of growth again.
Yet I believe that Tredyffrin’s strengths have not been fully tapped, and its potential is far from realized. Going forward, we need to focus our energies on preserving the things that make our community such a special place to live. But at the same time we need to devote new energy to revitalizing areas of the township that are ripe for change.
And it will all depend on the right kind of leadership.
I would like the opportunity to serve on that team. As a commercial real-estate attorney with 39 years of experience in structuring, negotiating and closing large, complex transactions, I know how to get a deal done. I understand what it takes to bring stakeholders together. Whether it involves moving forward on the Paoli transit center and revitalizing the surrounding town center, working to bring Chesterbrook shopping center back to life, or collaborating with Easttown to invigorate Berwyn’s commercial corridor, I believe these projects are vital to the future of Tredyffrin and want to serve the township as supervisor to make them a reality.
In my view, we cannot let these opportunities pass. They will not only broaden our tax base and provide much-needed revenue, but they will improve our quality of life by providing amenities – ones that will enhance our property values by attracting residents and businesses wanting to live and work here.
A recent article in Philadelphia magazine on the most family-friendly suburbs offers an interesting perspective on what distinguishes the most desirable communities from the rest. Of course excellent schools and safe streets top the list – and Tredyffrin enjoys both – but a unified sense of community with a town center – a soul – characterized the 15 communities making the list. And Tredyffrin was not on it.
There is great enthusiasm among many in our community to implement the vision residents worked so hard to create – Tredyffrin’s Comprehensive Plan. I would like to work with fellow supervisors to vigorously pursue federal, state, county and private funds for projects that will enhance our community. Despite the economic realities we face and the need to hold the line on taxes, I believe there is much that can be done to move our community forward.
Murph Wysocki
Murph Wysocki is a candidate for supervisor at large in Tredyffrin Township.
This letter originally appeared in Main Line Suburban Life on October 12, 2011.
