The Voting record of West Chester Borough Council members who have supported the municipally funded WCU parking garage.  A link to the current 2008 Borough Council listings can be found here.

5/21/08 - Vote

Mr. Jim Jones moved to approve the preliminary land development plan application for the South New Street Parking Garage submitted by the applicant, the Borough of West Chester.  The motion was seconded by Mr. Scott Smith.  The vote was as follows: 6-1 to approve the previously denied preliminary land application.

• Ms. Sue Bayne - Yes
• Ms. Holly Brown - Yes
• Ms. Carolyn Comitta - No
• Mr. Scott Smith - Yes
• Mr. Chuck Christy - Yes
• Ms. Cassandra Jones - Yes
• Mr. Jim Jones - Yes

12/19/07 - Vote

Mr Paul Fitzpatrick, Council President at the time, put forth the idea of resubmitting the previously denied land development plan application for the South New Street 452 space Parking Garage, stating he thought it was a good idea.  Mr. Scott Smith moved to approve the resubmission of the land development plan.  The motion was seconded by Ms. Sue Bayne.  The vote was as follows: 6-1 to approve the resubmission of the previously denied land application.

• Ms. Sue Bayne - Yes
• Ms. Holly Brown - Yes
• Ms. Carolyn Comitta - No
• Mr. Scott Smith - Yes
• Mr. Chuck Christy - Yes
• Mr. Stephen Bond - Yes
• Mr. Paul Fitzpatrick - Yes

11/21/07 - Vote

Ms. Sue Bayne moved to approve the Preliminary Land Development Plan application by the Borough to build a 452 space parking garage on South New Street.  The vote was as follows:  5-2 to deny approval of preliminary land development plan for the parking garage.

• Ms. Sue Bayne - Yes
• Ms. Holly Brown - No
• Ms. Carolyn Comitta - No
• Mr. Scott Smith - No
• Mr. Chuck Christy - No
• Mr. Stephen Bond - No
• Mr. Paul Fitzpatrick - Yes

In June of 2006 Borough Council voted unanimously to approve an agreement drafted by WCU lawyers for the Borough to finance, design, construct and operate a parking garage on South New Street.  Voting unanimously were:

• Ms. Sue Bayne
• Ms. Holly Brown
• Ms. Carolyn Comitta
• Mr. Scott Smith
• Mr. Chuck Christy
• Mr. Stephen Bond
• Mr. Paul Fitzpatrick.

In 2005 Borough Council voted unanimously to authorize the Borough Manager to engage in discussions with WCU with the expectation that the garage would likely be built.  A letter was exchanged in 2005 between then Borough Council President Bill Scott and WCU administrator Mark Mixner.  The gist of the letter is that the Borough's participation in financing and building another garage for WCU was predicated on enrollment at WCU staying at a "reasonable number".  And that number is?  When the current main campus renovations are complete there will be an increased bed count of 161 according to University administrators.  The letter and the response to it can be reviewed for the tone of the customary business communications between our local government and WCU. Our Borough Council members seem to inadvertently enable WCU to infringe on the quality of life of residents that surround the University's main campus. Those voting unanimously were:

• Ms. Sue Bayne
• Ms. Barbara McIlvaine Smith
• Mr. Bill Scott
• Ms. Maria Chesterton
• Mr. Andrew McIntyre
• Mr. Stephen Bond
• Mr. Paul Fitzpatrick

In a few days I will post some neighbor's concerns about what a vote for this garage contract promoted precedent-wise. For example, did Council members who supported this garage contract seemingly give their unintentional approval to cut the Borough's Planning Commission out of the land development approval process? The garage contract was executed in June of 2006, before the Planning Commission reviewed any plans submitted by the garage plan applicant, the Borough. Who is responsible for making sure due process is equitably and consistently applied to the land development approval process? Is this a case of reversing the accepted order of procedural matters thereby becoming a model on which to base the sequence of subsequent and similar land development approvals ?