Delaware County Partnership for Public Safety Holds Program about Planning and Preparing for an Active Shooter

 

Delaware County Council, the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, and Neumann University discuss strategies on protecting business and employees from an active shooter situation

DELAWARE COUNTY- The Delaware County Partnership for Public Safety will hold a special public program about planning and preparing for an active shooter on Thursday, May 19 from 8 a.m. to 12 noon at Neumann University.

The program will provide public safety leaders, business owners and executives, and the general public with current information on the potential threat of an active shooter in the workplace and other public venues. Representatives from the Delaware County District Attorney's Office, Haverford and Radnor Township Police Department, and Allied Barton will be speaking during the program. The speakers will explain how to define a problem, preparation and prevention, situational awareness, and response.

“This new program will provide an opportunity to share the experience, expertise, resources and talents of our County’s public safety agencies, our business community, workforce, government and academia in a forum that can be used by the public and larger community to promote safety and security,” said Mario Civera, Jr., Chairman of Delaware County Council. 

 

Public safety leaders from the public and private sector-those that are tasked with preventing, preparing for, and responding to incidents involving an active shooter-will share how they mitigate risk and the importance of maintaining situational awareness during events. Participants will also learn about the resources available from local, county, state and federal public safety partners.

 

“Neumann University and our Center for Leadership Development are thrilled to play the role of administering and coordinating the efforts of the Delaware County Partnership for Public Safety,” said Dr. Rosalie M. Mirenda, President of Neumann University.  “We look forward to hosting this upcoming program, along with a number of future educational summits for the public and community leaders that will identify threats, promote best practices, educate the community, and improve collaboration.”

 

Registration is free and open to the public, however space is limited to the first 300 registrants. There is no charge to attend the event and a light breakfast will be provided during check-in from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Advanced registration is required and can be completed online on the Partnership for Public Safety website at http://www.neumannpublicsafety.com/.

 

About the Delaware County Partnership for Public Safety

The partnership is a new collaboration between Neumann University, Delaware County Council, the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office and the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce to promote, support and sustain a culture of safety and security in Delaware County for businesses, institutions and community organizations. Over the course of the next year, the Delaware County Partnership for Public Safety envisions hosting four public educational summits to identify threats, promote best practices and improve collaboration among interested partners to educate the community on a variety of issues related to the safety of Delaware County residents.

 

Written by:

Pete Peterson

Bellevue Communications Group

ppeterson@bellevuepr.com

State Budget Update

 

Pennsylvania’s unprecedented nine-month state budget crisis ended on March 23rd when Democratic Governor Tom Wolf announced he would not veto a Republican bill that contained the remaining $7 billion of the 2015-2016 budget.  In a rare move, the Governor chose not to actually sign the latest budget bill, but allowed it to become law without his signature.  The Governor said he simply could not sign a budget that fell far short on his education funding goals, among other things.

The final piece of Pennsylvania’s budget was sent to the Governor in mid-March by the General Assembly.  There was enormous pressure on Wolf to not veto the bill, a move that would have once again caused schools to consider shutting their doors or borrowing more money before summer break.  While school funding was at the center of the final supplemental budget bill, the fact that several Democrats joined Republicans in advancing the budget revealed a weakness for the Governor in his own party, and Republican legislative leaders had openly discussed rounding up Democratic votes to override a veto if one occurred.

So who won the budget battle of 2015-2016?  A case can easily be made that Republicans came out on top.  After repeatedly saying taxpayers could not afford the spending and tax increases proposed by Wolf in his first budget proposal, Republicans contained state spending to just over $30 billion in the final budget, boosted education funding by $200 million and stopped the Governor’s tax increases.  At the end of the day, the GOP can take credit for a no-tax-increase budget that increased funding for schools.

Where does all of this leave Pennsylvania in terms of the 2016-2017 budget that is required to be in place by June 30th?  Well, the answer is “in yet another big mess.”  The partisan gridlock fueled by deep philosophical divisions over taxes and spending that dominated the first fifteen months of Governor Wolf’s term continues. 

In February, when Governor Wolf called for a 2016-2017 budget totaling $30.8 billion with $2.7 billion in tax increases, including an 11 percent income tax increase retroactive to January, Republican leaders immediately expressed opposition.  With the current year’s budget finally wrapped up after months of intense negotiations and public relations wars on taxes, spending and school funding, Harrisburg observers see another major budget battle looming.  This is especially true because 2016 is an important election year, with state House and Senate candidates hoping to win votes based on support for or opposition to various budget proposals.

The table has been set for the budget crisis to repeat itself, a reminder of William Shakespeare’s keen observation in The Tempest that “what’s past is prologue.”

About the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce:

Founded in 1887, the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce represents businesses' interests and issues affecting the community. We help Chamber members succeed through proactive outreach and partnering with all levels of government and community organizations through education, networking and collaboration to achieve a healthy economy to drive business forward. For more information on membership and how you can get involved, visit www.delcochamber.org

 

Killion Earns Backing of State, Delaware County, and Chester County Business Groups

 

 

CHADDS FORD, PA – Small business owner Tom Killion, a candidate for the Pennsylvania Senate in the 9^th Senatorial District, has earned the endorsement of three major business organizations representing job creators in Pennsylvania, as well as in Delaware and Chester Counties.  Today, Killion announced that he has received the backing of the Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry (CCCBI); the Delaware County Chapter of SEPAC, the Political Action Committee of the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce; and ChamberPAC, the political arm of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry

Killion is running in a Special Election on Tuesday, April 26^th to fill the seat of former Senator Dominic Pileggi, who was elected last year to the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas.  The 9^th Senatorial Districts includes portions of Delaware and Chester Counties. 

“Tom Killion’s vast career in both government and the private sector will make him a great asset in the Pennsylvania Senate,” said PA Chamber President and CEO Gene Barr.  “As the founder of a small business, he understands the burdens excessive government regulations and mandates place on job creators.  Throughout his career in public service, Tom has built a strong record of supporting pro-growth policies that will improve the Commonwealth’s competitive edge and economic climate.”

“Tom Killion owns a small business, served on our Board and has a voting record of supporting job-creating legislation and policies,” said Guy Ciarrocchi, President & CEO of CCCBI, who noted that the CCCBI Board of Directors voted unanimously to endorse Killion. “He is the only candidate running who has experience managing a business and creating jobs, as well as a record of business friendly policies that we champion here at the Chamber.  We know Tom; we trust Tom.”

“Tom Killion knows the challenges facing job creators because he has started two small businesses in the area,” said Trish McFarland, President of the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce.  “Killion knows what it takes to strengthen our local economy and as a member of County Council, he played a key role in attracting international companies like SAP – now one of the largest employers in Delaware County – to our region.  For the past three years, Tom Killion has worked closely with state agencies to help save area refineries and hundreds of local jobs. With such a strong record on economic development, we are proud to support Tom Killion for the Pennsylvania Senate.”

“I believe strongly that the key to well-paying, family supporting jobs is a strong, robust economy where businesses are able to grow and expand,” said Killion. “In order to create more jobs for local residents, we need to create an economic environment where small and medium size businesses can thrive.  I have always had a strong relationship with the business community, as well as the Pennsylvania, Chester County, and Delaware County Chambers and I greatly appreciate their support.”

Killion has a strong record on business and economic development issues in the legislature.  He has been a vocal opponent of the Governor’s proposal to increase and expand the state sales tax, which would make it more difficult for local retailers and other businesses to compete with businesses across the state border in Delaware, where there is no sales tax.  He has also introduced legislation to create a waterfront development tax credit that would help to spur new investment and economic development.  Killion has also supported the phase out of the capital stock and franchise tax and reform of the state’s capital net income tax which is one of the highest in the nation. 

“Government should be more mindful of the impact legislation and government regulations will have on businesses and employers,” said Killion.  “It cannot act in a vacuum.  Often, government policies can have a profound impact on local businesses by driving up costs and impacting their ability to grow and hire new workers. This is why we need to continue efforts to reduce the overall business tax burden in Pennsylvania, which makes it more difficult for our state to competitively attract new businesses and new jobs.”

About Tom Killion

Tom Killion is the founder and owner of a small business and he has represented the residents of the 168th Legislative District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 2003.  Killion is committed to keeping taxes low, fighting for fiscal responsibility in state government, finding innovative funding solutions to preserve open space, and improving our state’s healthcare.  He has actively supported medical malpractice reform, property tax reform, efforts to privatize the state’s liquor system, and pension reform.

Tom has been involved in a wide range of non-profit organizations and community groups with the goal of helping to improve our communities and provide support to local residents.  He and his wife Eileen live in Middletown and have two adult daughters. Tom is a graduate of Penn State University and Cardinal O’Hara High School.  For more information, visit www.killionforsenate.com or follow his campaign on Twitter and Facebook.

Contact: Pete Peterson, 215-990-8928