UPDATE: May 2021
Recent actions by
the majority of
Norristown Council
raise many questions.
Will they claim they don’t need to follow our home rule charter? Last year, when the residents of Norristown learned of the attempt to sell off our sewer system to the profiteering corporation known as Aqua Pennsylvania, you all came together in deep and unified opposition to the sale. 2,030 signatures were collected! Far exceeding the number needed to force a repeal. But when Council did finally repeal Ordinances 20-14 and 20-15 they appeared to take the position that it was simply a “housekeeping measure” after Aqua admitted defeat and pulled their offer.
In fact, in the December 1st meeting addressing the issue, the pro-sale majority of our current Norristown Council made absolutely no mention that they had heard you or your concerns about the profound and permanent negative aspects of a sale. And so we at NOPE find it likely, very unfortunately for us all, that they will not consider themselves held to our Home Rule Charter’s two-year moratorium on revisiting ideas that have been defeated by the citizen provision section of our charter.
Are they packing the Sewer Authority? This past January 18th, in denying his reappointment, with neither comment nor explanation, Council silenced privatization critic and 16 year Treasurer of the Sewer Authority Fernando Feliciano. His voice and experience have been removed from the all-volunteer 5 member board that has been unanimous in keeping our public utility under local oversight. And then April 20th the Council majority approved the appointment of a pro-sale advocate to the board of the Sewer Authority, current member of Norristown Council, Sonya Sanders. Council is now one appointment away from flipping the board to a pro-privatization stance. This is an alarming trend.
Will they try again before November? Via email and public comment NOPE asked Councilwoman Sanders if she would pledge to neither dissolve the sewer authority nor sell our sewer system. She declined to do so. We asked the members of council to take into account the lack of a pledge into their decision making. The majority did not. The unwillingness of this majority to clearly convey their intentions to the public about the possible future sale of our sewer system leads us to believe they are putting the pieces in place to make another attempt.
It’s not over. We need a new majority on Council. We believe the only way to safeguard against the effort to privatize our last public utility in Norristown is to create a new majority on Norristown Council who are committed to that goal. So far only two of the council candidate challengers have both been part of the fight to save our sewer system and have also clearly pledged to neither sell our system nor dissolve our sewer authority. They are Fernando Feliciano and Ana Santoyo and this is why NOPE endorses them.
We also want to clearly express our appreciation for the past and continued support in this fight against privatization by current councilmembers Hakim Jones and Rebecca Smith. As an incumbent running for a second term on Norristown Council we view Councilwoman Smith as an ally in this ongoing effort and we support her election to a second term. Both of these current council members asked important questions throughout the process and we appreciate their genuine interest in soliciting the opinions of their constituents on a topic of this magnitude and permanence.
UPDATE: April 2021
Council meets tonight
to make a pro-sale appointment to our
Sewer Authority.
Write, call, attend!
Write your comment and submit by 5:30 today
Call your councilmember to make your voice heard
Attend tonight’s meeting and hold them accountable
Last year the residents of Norristown stopped the sale of our sewer system to Aqua Pennsylvania despite a determined effort by our Council to privatize our locally run public utility. Over 2,000 registered voters in Norristown signed two petitions to stop this current Council’s action.
That was a combined 4,030 signatures!
It was an amazing victory and Aqua PA was sent packing. We want to thank especially thank Councilmembers Hakim Jones and Rebecca Smith for being consistent votes against privatization.
But this current Council is at it again...
They did not re-appoint the outspoken critic and 16 year Treasurer of the Sewer Authority, Fernando Feliciano, choosing to replace him instead.
They are now seeking to fill another seat on the five member board with Councilwoman Sonya Sanders who has been a staunch advocate for the sale of our public utility. The Authority has previously unanimously voted against the sale and are being made to pay a price for that. Council is looking to reshape a favorable Authority to make another attempt at a sale. Please attend the April 20 Tuesday evening meeting and submit public comments in advance.
Council meets tonight for a monthly work session at 6:30PM, please write & submit your comment on this issue by 5:30PM April 20th. Write to the public information officer, Kevin Tustin at PIO@Norristown.org. To access the meeting go to Norristown’s website Here.
Here is NOPE’s position:
Dear President Perry and Members of Norristown Council,
We see from the agenda for the work session tomorrow, Tuesday 20th, that you will be considering the appointment of Sonya Sanders to the Norristown Municipal Waste Authority. This will be the second appointment to the Authority in a few months, and in the interest of allaying public concerns that this Council is looking to shape a new Sewer Authority that will be agreeable to a future sale of our public utility, we would ask that you appoint someone who does not have a record of multiple votes in favor of the sale of our system. We would ask that Sonya Sanders take a pledge to neither dissolve the sewer authority nor sell our sewer system without a public referendum on the issue.
We would ask that all Councilmembers factor in Councilmember Sanders’ choice of pledging or not pledging in considering her appointment. Namely if she does not pledge to keep our public utility under local control that they do not vote in favor of her appointment.
We would also ask this Council to create and adopt an ordinance that requires the sale of any public asset valued more than $1 million to be subject to a public referendum. We would prefer not to create an ordinance through the citizen provision in the Norristown Home Rule Charter but do know that it is a power granted to this community through our charter.
Thank you for your consideration on these matters.
Sincerely,
David McMahon
Rachel Fecho
Netta Johnson
David M Hodo
NOPE
Norristown Opposes
Privatization Efforts
UPDATE: November 2020
We Collected More Than 2,000 Signatures!
The NOPE Campaign (Norristown Opposes Privatization Efforts), with its allies, has successfully collected more than 2,000 signatures for both of its petitions (more than 4,000 in total). The message is clear: Norristown residents are opposed to the Municipal Council’s sale of the Sewer Authority. It is easier to see more than ever before that Norristown does not want a private, shareholder owned company taking over a publically owned utility. Aqua America is not our friend. They will raise rates and only care for the profit it can extract from Norristown residents — not safety, transparency or oversight. Norristown Council is abdicating its responsibility to residents in this endeavor. There is no majority in favor of selling the sewer system, just the ambition of the majority of council, the solicitor, and the municipal administrator. Travel down any street in all of the wards of Norristown, from Fornance, to Main, to Forrest, to Arch, and you will see sign after sign opposing the sale. Republicans, Democrats, leftists, and conservatives, apolitical residents, business owners, environmental groups, and more came together to say with one, Norristonian voice: NOPE.
LATEST NEWS UPDATE:
Aqua Pennsylvania no longer buying Norristown sewer system
Dec 3, 2020 - The Times Herald - Rachel Ravina
What were all those signs around town?
A VIDEO EXPLAINER:
what was going on &
what we decided to do
Let’s Talk About It
We went on Gospel Highway 11’s Let’s Talk About It to talk about the sewer sale and why we it’s important that you join our fight to maintain local control.
NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP
Join us in our fight to ensure that local assets such as our sewer system remain under democratic control of Norristown residents and rate-payers, not in the hands of for-profit corporations.