The author, Hilary Caldwell, is a Ward 2 candidate for Ferguson Township Board of Supervisors. The letter is endorsed by Lisa Strickland and Tierra Williams, at-large candidates for Ferguson Township Board of Supervisors.
In the October 14th-20th, 2021 edition of the Centre County Gazette, the Centre County Republicans released a full page ad regarding the Ferguson Township Board of Supervisors. This ad answered hypothetical questions about the Stormwater Impact Fee, admonished a Democratic candidate and the current board chair for unrelated matters and extolled the Republican candidates as “fiscal conservatives.”
This ad is intentionally misleading and full of fallacious dog whistles. Here’s why.
The supervisors who passed the Stormwater Impact Fee are not currently running for election or reelection. Lisa Strickland, who currently sits on the board and is running for reelection for the at-large seat, voted against the Stormwater Impact Fee. Tierra D. Williams, candidate for an at-large seat, and myself, candidate for Ward 2, went on record at the League of Women Voters Candidates’ Night to say that the fee warrants reexamination and further discussion. Maintaining infrastructure — particularly in rural areas in need of funding and revitalization — is a conversation that is being held all across the commonwealth. Our legislature (looking at you, Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, one of the three House legislators that cover the gerrymandered township) should be budgeting to aid in these efforts, not forcing a municipality to place an additional burden on their constituents.
So we’re all on the same page here, right? Wrong.
If this ad were honestly about the Stormwater Impact Fee, then it would conclude with a call to repeal or revise the policy. But it doesn’t. It concludes with racist and misogynistic overtones. They berate Ms. Williams, a candidate of color in the Ferguson Township race, for her leadership within the 3/20 Coalition, and mention Critical Race Theory to foment white grievance. It is apparent that the Republican Party fears those who speak up and out — specifically women.
We’re looking at a historic moment where Ferguson Township could be represented by an entirely female-identifying board, including a young Afro-American woman and a young queer Jewish woman, both from working families. Boards like this are what the future of local government could and should be. It is far past time to diversify our representation, because in doing so, we’ll finally be able to nurture and develop the equity, inclusivity and accessibility so many of us seek, instead of priorities being dictated to us by those in power.
Speaking of power — Kris Eng, chair of the Centre County Republicans, requested funding for this ad from those who represent special interest groups, namely real estate and land developers. And who controls these special interest groups? The same people who have been in power since the foundation of this country. And as we’ve seen, as we diversify our representation, we prove that we are not beholden to these traditional power players or special interest groups. We respond to our families, our friends and our neighbors, and prioritize the well-being, progress and voices of our communities. And unlike the Centre County GOP, we will study policy and budgets, and clearly state their ramifications.
Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that this ad is just plain sloppy, something traditional conservatives disdain. For a party that claims to be fiscally conservative, they should have saved their own money by fact- and spell-checking. I’ll explain. A full page black and white ad for the Centre County Gazette costs $1,048, which is no small amount. However, there were some pretty pathetic oversights. The website they listed as a reference for the Stormwater Impact Fee is incorrect — it’s ms4partners.org, not .com. And in their grand thesis to take down Ms. Williams, they misspelled the very word meant to instigate readers (hint: they ended up calling police officers a group of crows). They delegitimized their entire ad and threw away a grand by including a fake website and a careless misspelling. That doesn’t sound fiscally conservative to me. That sounds irresponsible.
The Centre County Republicans have nothing to offer but misdirection and prejudice. Ms. Strickland, Ms. Williams and I would bring varied skill sets, comprehensive priorities and unique lived experiences to the Ferguson Township Board of Supervisors to the benefit of all members of our community.
Hilary Caldwell,
Ferguson Township
