Remarks to the Democratic Nominating Convention, Feb. 15, 2001, Tony Campisi, County Council Candidate
I have asked to speak with you tonight about the future of our county and our Party. This is the year that will decide the future direction of our party
For far too long, Democrats in Delaware County have been the victims of our own defeatism. Time after time we succumb to the limitations we allow others to place upon us
But unless we limit ourselves there is no limit to what we can achieve
Now we do face limitations, but they are not insurmountable. I can accept a limitation in the ability to raise funds. I can accept a limitation in our numbers
But I cannot - I will not - accept a limitation in our spirit
There is not a person in this room who should subscribe to the notion that we will not win, therefore we shall not fight
FDR did not dare think it in 1941. JFK did not think it in 1962. Al Gore did not think it on November 7, 2000. Nor should we think it now
The time has come to position the Democratic Party as a party of ideas and to become an agent of change that will allow the citizens of Delaware County to build a more prosperous future
Some of you may say it cannot be done. I say it can
Some of you may say it will never happen. I say it will
Some of you may say proceed without me. And, we shall
But for those of you willing to fight, I say welcome aboard
In the last three presidential elections, Delaware County has increasingly voted Democratic. On November 7, 2000, 135,000 voters in Delaware County - this rockbed of Republicanism - went to the polls and voted for Al Gore for President
Al Gore won this county with 55% of the vote
And with those votes, Al Gore won the state of Pennsylvania, won almost every major population center across this country, including the state of Florida and today he should be residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Instead, we have a retread administration lead by a man who can't complete a sentence
We have a president that would take us back 20 years in social and economic policies and return us to an era of voodoo economics and laissez faire government.
We have crossed Bill Clinton's bridge into the 21st Century. And now, George Bush is burning it
There is an emerging Democratic majority in this county
And we must not allow the momentum of the 2000 election to end with a 5-4 decision by the most political Supreme Court this nation has seen since FDR was in the White House
Less than one month before he was assassinated, President John F. Kennedy delivered a speech at Amherst College in which he said the following: "The men who create power make an indispensable contribution to the nation's greatness, but the men who question power make a contribution just as indispensable, especially when that questioning is disinterested, for they determine whether we use power or power uses us"
The Republican machine in Delaware County is out of touch and indifferent to the issues that matter to real people. It has become a self-perpetuating beast that uses power for its own sake
We have the ideas and energy to offer a credible alternative that will attract the votes of real people who want a government that works for them, not for itself
The center of American politics has moved out of the cities and into the suburbs. There is a new set of issues that dominate the agenda: urban sprawl and disappearing open spaces; congested roads, struggling public schools; parents juggling work and family
Democrats call these concerns the "quality of life agenda"
Atop this agenda is the effort to create livable communities
We must create communities that are economically and environmentally sustainable by ending the mass consumption of land, water and other natural resources. Conservation-minded development must be at the heart of our county's planning agenda
We must promote safety - public safety as well as environmental safety - the freedom to breathe clean air and drink safe water
We need smarter roads, more accessible public transportation; and smarter strategies for dealing with crime - especially rising rates of juvenile crime
The high monetary and human cost of long-term incarceration for juvenile offenders is simply too high a price to pay. Let's rehabilitate drug users so first time felons do not become career criminals
Addressing this quality of life agenda means providing real solutions to the problems that real people deal with on a daily basis.
A livable community must encourage and advocate the full participation of its citizens in the process of setting the agenda
To accomplish this we need political reform that invites the participation of people from all races, all ethnic backgrounds, and all political persuasions instead of fearing that participation
Delaware County needs and should demand home rule reform!
The time has come to abolish the existing single-party monopoly in county government not because Democrats want a seat at the table, but because in the 21st century participation should not be limited only to those with the money to buy a seat at the table
And let us not forget the abject failure of the Republican Party to address the issue of property tax reform
Delaware County Republicans have had among their leadership the Majority Leader of the Pennsylvania Senate, the Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, almost every state legislator and every elected county-wide position
If this crowd had the political will we would have had real property tax reform by now
If they cared about the real issues that affect real people, instead of the political balance of power, we would have had real property tax reform by now
In yesterday's Daily Times, State Representative. Mario Civera said that when the state house attempts property tax reform next year, he wants to be part of the process. "I'm really serious about this," he said. "We have to bring down these real estate taxes. If we don't, none of us are going to be in office. It's that serious"
I would hope the motives of this double-dipper are a bit more altruistic than that. We need property tax reform because it's the right thing to do not because some Republican is worried about re-election
This is the heart of the problem in Delaware County. Nothing is important until it threatens the political power of the Republican machine. As Melissa Maxman says, we deserve better
And so I present my candidacy for County Council to you today. I ask your support and your hard work on behalf of the ticket that will represent this new party
Together, we can provide the greatest challenge to the Republican machine that they have witnessed in the last twenty five years. We all must find the will to do it
From Chester and the River communities in the south lead by the Reverend Representative Thaddeus Kirkland, to Haverford and Radnor in the North lead by Representative Greg Vitali
From Sharon Hill and the boroughs of the east, to Chadds Ford in the West this Democratic Party must seize the momentum, set the agenda and deliver the promise of a government that puts people ahead of politics
If you are willing to follow this course, I am willing to lead it
In the Bible, in the book of Isaiah, the prophet is confronted by God Himself. "And the Lord God asked: 'Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?' And the reply came back: 'Here am I, send me'"