Thank you Murrysville residents
by Dave Perry

I just wanted to say thank you for the time, effort, and support you have all provided in fighting the General Business Overlay Ordinance.  As I am sure you have all heard, Council voted 5-2 to approve the Ordinance.  The ordinance was passed despite the fact that we had over 700 signatures on our petitions, innumerable letters to the editor, and the solid support of the majority of residents.  Only Joan Kearns and Dennis Pavlik understood the adverse impact that passage of this ordinance will have on Murrysville.  Kacin, van deVenne, Nicolette, Synan and Franke all voted yes.  Further, Somers (the mayor) supported it and advocated for its passage. 
 
So what does this mean for Murrysville over the next 18 months?  Well, we will have significant development along the Route 22 corridor.  We will absolutely end up with a minimum of two big boxes, a doubling of the current retail space in Murrysville, and just wait till you see the traffic tie-ups.  And that is just from the (no longer proposed, but reality) Buncher property development.  What else are we likely to have: a lot more development, the closing of a number of long established locally owned businesses, and an $800,000 hand-out from the Streetscape program that directly benefits a limited number of property owners in the Streetscape area. 
 
How are we planning to have the ordinance overturned?  We have one possibility.  It will require a lot of luck though.  I can't go into details but keep your fingers crossed.  Do I think it will work? Most likely not, but it is certainly worth the effort and expense considering the un-repairable damage that this ordinance will do to the character of Murrysville.  CPRM will keep you updated.
 
So where does this leave us in the future?  With a lot more development inconsistent with the character of Murrysville than we want.  However, the development will not continue unchecked as hoped for by our current administration.  We do not want Monroeville in Murrysville, nor do we want Plum in Murrysville.  With help from a simple majority of voters, we will not have either of these in Murrysville.
 
Our long term plan is to TakeBackMurrysville politically.  That way, we don't have to ask council to hear us: council will be us.  (FYI - I am not campaigning for myself, I have no intention of running.  I am simply helping to ensure we have quality candidates that understand the character of Murrysville as the vast majority of us want it.)  Currently, we have several solid residents that have stated they are intending to run.  We also have several others that have expressed an interest in running.  We are actively looking for a qualified candidate to run for Mayor as our current one has "termed out" and has clearly lost sight of why she was initially elected.  Seems a lot of that is going on with our elected officials here in Murrysville right now.
 
The folks we will be supporting as a group of concerned citizens understand the failings of our current council.  Further, they understand the very intertwined personal and business dealings that most of the council members have with one another and/or their spouses that has caused the mess we are now in.  However, that nonsense stops in November 2009. 
 
On a personal note, I have to admit that I was very concerned last night after the council meeting that most of us would be kicked back on our heels.  A funny thing happened though, the "old folks" on the CPRM steering committee that Nancy Kacin made so much fun of, pushed me into getting my act together so we could move forward ASAP to deal with the current council.  In my opinion, these "old folks" have more integrity, vision, and character than those five current council members combined.  I am truly privileged that they let me hang out with them.
 
In any case, we will keep you updated as to our progress on trying to get this ordinance pulled.  More importantly, expect a lot of fun to be had over the next 18 months while we TakeBackMurrysville.  Also, check out www.TakeBackMurrysville.com on a regular basis.  It will likely only be updated every month or so through January 2009.  After that, expect it to be updated on a frequent basis.  Thank you again and feel free to contact any steering committee member if you are interested in running for council or mayor.  Finally, please forward this e-mail to others you know that are interested in keeping the character of Murrysville we have grown to love.