MoreThanTheCurve.com sent each candidate for Borough Council and Mayor a set of questions. Each candidate was asked to respond back by Friday, October 11th. Below is the response from Tina Buccini. Buccini is challenging the incumbent, Robert Stokely (R), in the 6th Ward. She is a Democrat. Election Day is November 5th. We did not make any edits.
What is the biggest day to day issue facing your ward?
I would say It’s traffic and traffic safety.
Why did you decide to run for Borough Council?
I love working with people and there is so much talent and energy in Conshohocken. I want to provide new ways for neighbors to volunteer for the borough to make it an even better place to live. Part of this will involve improving communication with residents. There is currently only one woman on council. As a teacher and coach I want to be a role model for young women and young professional women in our community.
Have you attended any Borough Council, Planning Commission or other municipal meetings in the past two years in Conshohocken?
Yes
What were your thoughts on the proposed zoning change requested by the developers of the Wawa?
I would like to have had the benefit of the legal advice that council had when they made their decision
Borough Council recently selected the redevelopment proposal from Keystone Property Group. What are your thoughts on the proposed hotel and the rehab of the Verizon Building?
I am glad there is a resolution to the Verizon Building. The hotel could be a great asset to our community, but as the development proceeds we must be mindful of the traffic and traffic safety implications.
Traffic is always part of the discussion when a new development is proposed. How do you think the traffic situation can be improved short term and what do you think can be done long term to secure the necessary funding or partnerships to fix the problem?
Traffic signal timing is one near-term approach. We must carefully evaluate the traffic improvements that developers propose. As for long-term solutions, the state transportation bill that has been held up should be looked at as one avenue for funding infrastructure improvements if it is enacted. We need to be partners with our state legislators to make this happen. Rep. Mary Jo Daley is a new legislator and has her office here, so she experiences these issue first-hand. We are lucky that the Senate Democratic Appropriations Chairman, Vince Hughes, will be our new state senator. We should forge strong partnerships with these leaders to make sure that Conshohocken gets its fair share of state money for traffic and infrastructure improvements.
There seems to be a rift between the native/long term residents of the community and the newer residents. What do you think has caused that rift and what steps can be taken to heal it?
As I talk with my neighbors, I haven’t detected a rift.
Feel free to share with the voters anything else you feel is important about your candidacy:
I am excited to bring my energy to serve Conshohocken and enthused by the great support I’m receiving. If you’d like to join my Ward 6 team, email me at buctina@aol.com.