THEY'RE FINALLY SPEAKING THE TRUTH!!

I just saw this on Facebook,and had to share! Apparently, there are sane people in this town, who see the REAL truth about what the Bensalem GOP have been saying about both Angela Cacchio and Bryan Allen, and they're boldly coming out to speak the truth!! Check pout this statement from a citizen of this town and see the REAL truth for yourself!

I am deeply disappointed that the Bensalem Republican Committee decided to use the most recent contract negotiations between the Bensalem Township Education Association (BTEA) and the Bensalem Township School District as a political weapon against Bensalem teacher, Angela Cacchio, who is running for one of the Bensalem Township Council seats in the election coming up on November 5th. While I have no issue with differences in political ideologies, I do take issue with the twisting of facts for political purposes.

Angela was a member of the negotiations team that recently settled a 6 year deal with the Bensalem Twp SD. However, she did not negotiate this deal by herself, and was not the chief negotiator nor is she the president of the BTEA. A lot of work, by many individuals, went into settling this contract. During our negotiations, the District team included two Republican school board members and two Democratic school board members during the months leading up to the contract being settled. The contract was unanimously ratified by the school board, which consists of 5 Republicans and 4 Democrats. I point this out not to try and lay blame on a specific political party, but to make it clear that the negotiating and ratification of this contract was non-partisan and should absolutely not be used as a political weapon for an election about township council.

The 5 million dollar cost to the Bensalem taxpayers is spread out of a 6 year period and includes two years of a freeze and a complete restructuring of the pay schedule in order to provide cost of living raises for the teachers while trying to minimize the financial impact on the taxpayers. Teachers got no raises during the first two years of the contract, and most teachers saw a minimal raise during the third year.

The mailer stated that we bargained more expensive healthcare benefits. That is a lie. There were no increases to the health care benefits bargained in this negotiation, since several years ago the BTEA reached an agreement with the Bensalem Twp SD to join the Bucks/Montgomery Health Care Consortium for the express purpose of trying to lower health care premiums without lowering the quality of health care benefits. As a result, this has helped to minimize tax increases. Our contribution to our healthcare premiums remained the same.

Angela Cacchio, and her husband Lou, are both teachers in Bensalem Twp SD (and phenomenal teachers at that), so logically if teachers receive a raise, they are both going to receive a raise. Collective bargaining between education associations and school districts always includes a group of teachers at the bargaining table, so for the Bensalem Republican Committee to try and criticize Angela for being a part of this negotiating team is misleading. Furthermore, professions like police and teachers are mostly funded by local tax dollars. We are public employees, so we are paid out of money collected in the form of taxes.

In her role as a negotiations team member, Angela’s job was to help bargain a new contract; this typically includes salary increases. In her role as a teacher, Angela’s job is to effectively educate students. When Angela has a job to do, she does it to the best of her ability. If Angela is elected to township council, she will also do that job to the best of her ability.

Political attack ads against opponents are one of the many examples of things that are wrong with politics in our country right now. If political candidates need to attack their opponents with lies and misleading information rather than being able to stand on their own merits and accomplishments, then they shouldn’t be running for office.

I have always been impressed that Republican State Representative, Gene DiGirolamo, has refrained from sending out political attack ads during my time living in Bensalem. The Bensalem Repubican Committee would benefit from following Representative DiGirolamo’s lead and running honest and respectful campaigns. I have voted for Gene in State Representative elections in the past, and I will be voting for him for County Commissioner.

PSEA consistently recommends candidates from both the Democratic and Republican parties. The BTEA has recommended school board candidates from both parties during this election cycle. Our goal is always to recommend the candidates that we believe best support public education, teachers, and students. It is a shame that the Bensalem Republican Committee has chosen to attack one of its opponents and in turn attack the teachers and other educators of Bensalem.

I won’t vote for candidates that are part of this type of disgusting political behavior. If you can’t run a clean campaign, you won’t have my vote. I voted for Councilman Knowles and Councilman Kissleback in 2015. I will not be voting for either of them on November 5th after seeing their names associated with an attack ad on my friend and colleague, Angela Cacchio, as well as the teachers of Bensalem.

In addition, please consider voting for our PSEA/BTEA recommended school board candidates on November 5:

Heather Nicholas (R)
Scott Endicter (D)
Heather Ody-Snyder (D)
Rebecca Mirra (D)
Royce McKelvey (D)
Jaime Devery (D)

Respectfully,
Charles Morantz
BTEA President
Bensalem Homeowner & Taxpayer