Council names Krack manager

This issue is not as big in Phoenixville as it is in most other municipalities in Chester County that keep there management for more than the term of a car lease. The Borough Manager, in Phoenixville, is the fuse that leads to the powder keg. Whether the fuse is long or short, you are assured that the place is going to blow if it is attached to anything explosive. That is the reason that some of our revitalization efforts have seemed disjointed.

On January 15th, 2008, Anthony DiGirolomo was fired as the Phoenixville Borough Council by a vote of 5 - 3. (Kirkner, Gill, and Ciruelos voted for). It really had to hurt Big Ant when his fucking neighbor wouldn't vote for him to keep his job. He cleaned out his office and went on his way leaving Brian Watson to play Big Ant in the off Broadway version of Phoenixville Follies. Brian actually did a pretty good job. The place didn't burn down and he always had Steve Nease to make up any financial numbers he needed to justify any spending.

After an exhaustive search that cost $10 thousand and spanned the length of Chester County and into parts of Montgomery County, Council found E. Jean Krack for the job. After a brief rest from the abuse he put himself through as the City Manager for the City of Coatesville, Jean was ready fro the nice peaceful surroundings of Phoenixville. It has to be better, Democrats run the place. . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . .. . .. . .. . . . .

January 7th of 2009 will mark his 6 month anniversary here in Phoenixville. I think a full assessment of what he has done here should wait. Remember that the budget that he helped produce was one that he was pretty much saddled with. Most things I have ever heard about Mr. Krack has been very positive. He comes highly regarded as a nuts and bolts manager. His detractors cite his following of Paul Jansen in Coatesville as Paul drove the City bus into the whole Saha mess. I do like that Krack is willing to say to Council, I do whatever you want me to do. It is both practical and chicken shit at the same time but it must be done. The in-fighting that has marked the previous managers have led us into this mess at Borough Hall.

I think that there are some things that we need to look for in the next 6 months to see if the captain is likely to see a mutiny. A comprehensive capital plan needs to be produced so the Borough knows that someone is thinking past tomorrow. Spending cuts or revenue enhancements need to be found so that we can get a handle on future budgets. Infrastructure projects need to be front and center this year.

An important thing for Krack to undertake this year is a defining of what the CDC does and its role to the Borough. I know they do grant administration and handle "projects" but lets create a comprehensive role, completely defined, that they can handle. A type of Community Development Department that deals with the whole Borough and not just a few neighborhoods. Take the Parking Authority ED job away from Barry Cassidy and let him work full time on Borough development work. Parking is a part of that job but we need more hands on deck. We have Barry and the part time CDC running all of this. I think that the way we will revitalize in Phoenixville is through the private sector. As it stands now, the CDC is a quasi-public organization that provides some of the perks of such organization (quicker movement) but none of the significant perks (cost savings). The CDC will not be independent and free to aid the Borough in revitalization as long as they are financed by the Borough.

Anyway, good luck Jean. It has become a 2 year job. I hope you are successful enough to beat the average.