Patch asked each of the Delaware County candidates the same questions about their backgrounds and changes they would make if elected.

Here are the answers sent to us from Council Member Candidate Colleen Morrone (R):

What background do you have that qualifies you to be on County Council?

I am currently a Concord Township Supervisor and in 2003, became the first woman elected to the post in the 320-year-history of the township.  Over the past 8 years, I have worked to keep taxes down, preserve open space, and improve transparency and openness in Concord, where I live with my husband and three children. 

Beyond raising a family, I currently work as Chief Mission Officer of Goodwill of Delaware & Delaware County.  It’s a great organization, and I am proud of the role I play in overseeing workforce development and job training programs for area residents.   To date, I’ve played a major role in a team effort that has helped 11,000 local residents with barriers to employment to reach a better quality of life through the Power of work.

I want to put that experience to work for the residents of Delaware County on County Council, using my background and the lessons I have seen work to help connect people with jobs and create work opportunities in our local communities. 

I want to help people in our community. And working together with John McBlain and Tom McGarrigle, I know we will have a strong foundation to make a real difference.

This election comes down to a choice.  A choice between those with the experience and knowledge to make a difference and those who have not.  A choice between candidates who have studied the challenges facing Delaware County and put forth real, concrete plans for economic development and those who have not.  I think the differences are clear.

I recently read a report from Jim Clifton, CEO of the Gallup organization that said that the job creation and economic development efforts needed to lead the nation out of the current economic crisis must start on the local level.  That requires leaders on the local level – here in Delaware County – to have vision, to be innovative, and develop creative new ways to encourage investment and support our small business job creators.

Tom, John and I have the background in economic development – and the record of success – that we need to create jobs.

It is my hope that on November 8, residents will take a long, hard look at our qualifications and support the team that can lead Delaware County in the 21^st Century. 

What changes would you make if elected?

If elected to County Council by the residents of Delaware County I will work to continually improve access to information and services available through the use of technology.  One of my priorities will be to look for more efficient and time saving ways for residents and businesses to conduct business with the County. 

I also will work to change how we focus on economic development and job creation here in the county.  I will work to implement the three components of the Economic Business Development Plan that my running mates and I have developed.   This includes:

• Creation of transformation zones to provide incentives to redevelop blighted and vacant commercial property in our older communities,
• Creation of an economic development and jobs plan for 21st century Delaware County, and
• Utilization of the Commerce Center as an enterprise zone for small business creation and development.

As municipal officials in Aldan, Springfield, and Concord, Tom, John and I have each played a role in developing various types of comprehensive plans for our local communities.  These include land use plans, stormwater plans, and zoning ordinances. Some townships have even developed plans for open space planning and acquisition of recreation areas for residents.  We want to apply these same planning techniques to economic development and job creation by developing a comprehensive plan for our economy. 

What are our strengths and weaknesses from an economic perspective?  Do we have a well-balanced economy that includes a diverse range of sectors?

This Economic Development and Jobs Plan for 21st Century Delaware County that we want to develop would review the county’s existing base of industry, business and commerce.  As such, the plan would make recommendations about how to enhance our existing industries, identify synergies, and make our businesses more sustainable. 

We would also seek to identify new growth industries and business that we should seek to recruit and foster. 

This plan would also examine best uses for future development of the Delaware River waterfront in the county.  The goal would be to ensure we have the proper mix of recreational access for county residents combined with business usage.  The recent announcements by Sunoco and ConocoPhillips underscore the need for such a plan.

To date, the county has done an excellent job of identifying and encouraging investment in new growth sectors.  We saw this with gaming, the soccer stadium, and the county’s new movie studio.  This plan will help us to identify additional growth industries that will lead to long-term job creation for area residents.

Editor's Note: Answers from candidates are copied exactly as they were sent to Patch.