Negative campaign distorts truth of water-sewer grant

By GREG CAIOLA

It probably should not surprise anyone that state Rep. Steve Santarsiero's opponent in this year's election has run a negative campaign since he first announced his candidacy last November. What is surprising is the shrill tone of letters from him and his supporters.

A recent letter from Larry Wind, an unsuccessful candidate for Lower Makefield supervisor in 2009, attacks Santarsiero for seeking a state grant to help bring public water and sewer to Edgewood Village, the historic village along Yardley-Langhorne and Edgewood roads. Wind makes a number of arguments; none of them has merit.

He begins by claiming that the grant, if awarded, would exclusively benefit the largest landowner in the village, Cam Troilo. He's wrong.

Troilo is a local businessman with numerous real estate holdings in the Yardley-Newtown area. He has long wanted to develop his properties in Edgewood Village in accordance with the plan put together by the township over a decade ago. The township has been working with Troilo for several years now in an effort to get the project off the ground as it will be the largest economic development project in Lower Makefield and will provide the township with the town center that it has never had.

If the grant is approved, the project will benefit not just Troilo, but other property owners in the village who for the first time would have access to public water and sewer. It also will benefit Lower Makefield taxpayers. That's because under state law, there is a real chance that the township will have to provide those residents with access to public sewers at some point in the near future. If the township would have to foot that bill alone, it would cost local taxpayers millions of dollars.

This grant application will save local taxpayers in another way as well. Water grants require a match with local dollars. Usually that match comes from the municipality - in other words, taxpayers. In this case, over half of the local match - more than $500,000 - would come from Troilo, the very person whom Wind criticizes.

Wind also claims that there is something unethical about the grant application because state Rep. Santarsiero rents office space from Mr. Troilo in Yardley. Leaving aside the fact that it is fairly hard to rent space in Yardley without Mr. Troilo being your landlord, as he owns many of the commercial buildings in the borough, Wind's point is nonsensical. Rep. Santarsiero is paying Troilo, not the other way around.

As far as campaign donations are concerned, Rep. Santarsiero has refused to accept any contributions from Troilo or any other landowner in Edgewood Village while the grant application is pending. And since the application will not be decided until well after the fall election, there is no basis for any claim of a quid pro quo here.

Fact is, Steve Santarsiero has been an active supporter of the Edgewood Village project from the time that he first took office as a Lower Makefield supervisor in 2004. When he became chairman of the board in 2006, he made it a priority to enact the zoning changes needed to accommodate the development. His decision to work with the township in putting together this grant application is just the latest example of his work to make a project that will bring hundreds of jobs to our area and bring a new town center to Lower Makefield a reality. That is why we on the board of supervisors - Democrat and Republican alike - support the grant application and are working with Rep. Santarsiero. It's also why state Sen. McIlhinney, a Republican, is as well.

In short, Rep. Santarsiero should be applauded for helping us try to get the water and sewer grant for Edgewood Village.