Politics & Government

Op-Ed: The Public's Right, and Duty, to Know

The following letter was sent to Radnor Patch for publication from Diane Edbril, Democratic Candidate for Second Ward Commissioner in Radnor.

The following letter was sent to Radnor Patch for publication from Diane Edbril, Democratic Candidate for Second Ward Commissioner in Radnor.

Do you ever read an op-ed piece or letter to the editor and ask yourself, “is that really true?”  Recent postings in this space have raised that very question.  The answer is, it’s up to all of us to look critically at all the information, and not just rely on someone else to tell us what to think.

 Many residents remember the culture of secrecy that flourished under the former township manager and the Commissioners holding office at that time who failed to adequately oversee him.  The Township incurred hundreds of millions of dollars of employment related liabilities, which we will be paying out for decades to come. 

Find out what's happening in Radnorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

I was one of the private citizens who worked with a small group of others to uncover the fraud and abuse, and to get up time after time at public meetings to force the Commissioners to confront the problem and take action.  We used careful and thorough research, the Commonwealth’s Right to Know Law, and good old common sense to get to the root of the problem.  We did not call people names or make inflammatory accusations.  But we persisted, and Radnor Township is in a far better place for our efforts.

There is now an abundance of information available to the public about most aspects of Radnor Township’s finances, plans, goals and challenges.  Most meetings are broadcast live, and then replayed on our TV channel and also streamed at our website. Documents are posted as PDFs, and hard copies are available during business hours.  Some matters, by their very nature are confidential, at least during preliminary negotiations, but then are presented to the public for input and debate.  And there are many ways for members of the public to make their voices heard.

Find out what's happening in Radnorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

One unfortunate by-product of Radnor’s new transparency is when a matter is still evolving, and only a little information is publicly available, some people will use that to start spinning conspiracy theories and mounting verbal attacks. But do not be misled.  Facts are what matter, and this Township deserves leadership that makes those facts clear and accessible to all.  I urge all voters in Radnor to take advantage of the information available, and then make an informed decision about what you want from the Board of Commissioners, on Election Day, and every day thereafter.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here