2006 News

September 15 , 2006

Bucks County Chairman Declares the State of the County is "Very, Very Good"

As the Delaware River gently meandered in the background, Bucks County Commissioners James F. Cawley, Esq., Charles H. Martin and Sandra A. Miller delivered poignant messages of governmental progress during the Lower Bucks County Chamber of Commerce (LBCCC) “Percolator” meeting.

The meeting, held at Bensalem’s scenic Belle Voir Manor, offered a glimpse of three comprehensive themes that occupy the commissioners’ policy attention – emergency management and preparedness; the county’s electronic voting machines, which will be used for the first time during the Nov. 7 general election; and the county’s farmland preservation and open space programs.

Addressing emergency management issues, a fitting topic after the commissioners declared September “Emergency Preparedness Month” during their Sept. 6 meeting, Chairman Cawley told a breakfast gathering of 200 that times have changed. “We have taken it as a personal mission of county government to be in a constant state of readiness, he noted.

Lauding Bucks County Emergency Management Director John D. Dougherty, Jr. for his leadership, Cawley invited county residents to “Family Preparedness Day,” an interactive event which will be held Saturday, Sept. 16 at the county Emergency Operations Center.

“This is your opportunity to see where the money is going,” Cawley added, referring to the open-house, hands-on format of this inaugural Family Preparedness Day that will showcase programs and equipment funded by federal, state and county dollars.

After Cawley yielded the microphone to Miller, she expressed gratitude for being a part of her 16 th LBCCC State of the County function while delivering a wide-ranging explanation of the Danaher ELECTronic 1242 voting machines the Bucks electorate will use on Nov. 7.

“The commissioners have made public education an enormous priority over the last several months, an effort that will continue until the polls close on Election Day,” Miller told the assemblage, which enjoyed the first-hand opportunity to test two of the new machines in the grandiose Belle Voir lobby. During the question and answer portion, Miller was asked about whether the machines are equipped with a paper audit trail. She explained to the crowd that the Danaher machines do have a paper audit trail, used if a recount be necessary, as well as six different locations within the machine where the information is stored as an additional safeguard.

After Miller concluded her remarks, encouraging LBCCC members to avail themselves of the county’s myriad voting machine educational opportunities – which are scheduled for all 54 municipalities - Martin addressed the county’s agricultural and open space preservation projects.

Trumpeting next week’s scheduled 100 th farm preservation as “an historic milestone,” Martin detailed the county government’s commitment to natural resources, conservation and preservation.

“ Pennsylvania is the national leader in farmland preservation, and we continue to explore fresh ways to shepherd historical preservation measures,” Martin said, noting that Bucks County has preserved over 9,000 acres of farms overall, as well as over 12,000 acres of open space.

Outside the gathering, Bucks Votes Project Manager Terry Savage and Department of Consumer Protection’s Mike Bannon helped over 70 members experience a hands-on demonstration on the new voting machines.