I received a call this morning from a person telling me that there was an incident last night at the Broomall Lake Club that involved an uninvited person handing out flyers to attendees going to a private event at the club. What seems to be politically motivated, the gist of the hand-out involved the pending bridge design, the dam and issues involving the lake. The club didn't appreciate the protest and called the Media Police to intercede. WHAT?!?!?So let's back up a minute: why all the angst and vilification towards the swim club regarding Third St. Bridge, especially when in the eyes of the court everything has been settled and the funding in place? Well, it's no secret that a few people who live in the vicinity of the club feel it should be done away with all together. They've even gone as far to say the place strikes them as racist and classist. One person stood up and stated this at a council meeting last Fall, another left comments on this blog insinuating something very similar. The latter of which was nominated by Media Borough Council to the CAC. In their eyes, nothing in the agreement should benefit the swim club. Unfortunately, the reality is that many people and surrounding communities want to be able to use this road again. And like the fully filled lake too.
So, if Broomall's Lake was instead owned by a church, farm, private resident or anyone else other than Broomall's; the vilification and political obstruction may not be what it is today. That's the sad truth, but important to the context of what has become a full blown fiasco of political, and now personal agendas.
Anyway, it turns out that the Friends of Third Street Dam Committee (separate from Friends of Glen Providence Park FROGs, I think) was behind last night's antics. I'm not sure what affiliation this group, or more accurately, this person shares with the FROGs, but their ideas of what should be done with the bridge are similar. The group is run by Paul Indorf who openly campaigned, endorsed and handed out his own literature last Fall supporting the Democratic candidates, Paul Robinson, Kent Davidson and Brian Hall.
He must have close ties with the Media Democratic Party, because in January, Mr. Indorf invited me to an inaugural event/dinner for the Media democrats he was hosting at the Media Community Center. I declined, but thought it odd that a he would organize such an event and invite me.
Here's a paragraph of one of the many emails Mr. Indorf sent to me and the Media Borough Manager, Jeff Smith. (Note: Mr Indorf instructed that this email be forwarded to Media Borough Council)
....If you know anybody from the Swim Club, please encourage them to be cooperative and be a part of (what I will make sure is) a productive process. The 'lawsuit strategy' ain't gonna work; I've already got a PR campaign designed that includes a preemptive strike that gaurds against their restraining order. (Not my first Rodeo!).
I don't understand why he would send me these emails with the Borough Manager CC'd, unless he was looking for some kind of reassurance from borough council. In additon, it seems based on last night's episode, Mr. Indorf will not hesitate to perpetuate full blown confrontation on matters he feels isn't getting a response he wants.
"Preemptive Strikes," "PR Campaigns," "Restraining Order" over a bridge? Unfortunately, the statement, "Not my first Rodeo" and the other intentions show a serious aggression towards a swim club. Not a corporation, not political entity, but a pool where people go swimming and who are abiding by an agreement settled by a Judge.
If you were one of the two other stake holders in this project, or a state official who helped with the funding; would you appreciate these types of tactics? I'm sure the county, Broomall and Senator Pileggi won't.
Tedman
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