News

Mayoral candidate values interaction with college

In print | February 5, 2009

The Phoenix’s Jeff Davidson recently interviewed local lawyer Richard Lowe, who is running for mayor in the borough of Swarthmore in the upcoming elections. He graduated from Yale in 1978. He later graduated from New York University law school in 1982. He has lived in the borough of Swarthmore since 1992 and is a construction lawyer with Duane Morris in Philadelphia. He works to negotiate contracts and come to resolutions on different issues between companies. On Tuesday evening he came to campus to speak about his current campaign for the mayoral position. A full transcript of the interview can found on the Phoenix website.

Jeff Davidson: First off, can you tell me about your campaign? What does your timeline look like right now?

Richard Lowe: Sure. I’m running for mayor and the Democratic primary is May 19th and the general election is in November. So of course my first focus is on the primary and so that’s one reason I’m coming to the college tonight. One thing I’m trying to do is spread the word using Facebook and e-mail in an effort to keep the paper load down. So I’ve been, for the time being, focusing most of my energies on that. I did make an announcement that I was running when I was at a party on [Barack Obama’s] inauguration day with a lot of Swarthmore Democrats and that was very well received. I think people were pleasantly surprised, so that was very nice. I’ve been talking with some folks in town, and I’m hoping to meet with a lot of people in the next coming months.

JD: What are your biggest goals for the town?

RL: The mayor has certain defined responsibilities, so I think starting there is the best place. First, in a borough like Swarthmore, the police chief reports to the mayor, so that would be a focus. We’re fortunate to have an excellent police chief and a very solid police force, so that generally works pretty well. Next year, towards the end of the 2010, there’s going to be a negotiation of the police contract. While I don’t necessarily expect to be leading that effort on behalf of the borough, I’ll certainly be paying attention to it. I’ve been a lawyer since 1982 and do construction law where I’ve had tons of experience in negotiation and dealing with contracts. So there may be a place for me to be able to help there. So that’s one.

Second I think a place where the mayor can really focus is on the relationship with Swarthmore College. We’ve been fortunate to have an excellent relationship with the college for many years, and I would like to continue the regular meetings that both Bill Cumby and Eck Gerner have had with the college on public safety and other issues. I will look forward to doing that. I think the fact that the college will have a new president will give us an excellent opportunity to try to enhance that relationship. I’ve heard a lot of people in town agree with the observation that while the college and the town are very good neighbors to one another, they tend not to interact except in some limited ways. I think it would be great to find ways to enhance relationships and develop synergy between the two. I think there are a lot of students at the college who would look forward to that, and I think there are a lot of people in town who would enjoy having more interaction. My hope is that if more people focused on it from both sides, there might even be some synergy that would lead to a more vibrant business district for the borough. I know we have a relatively small town, and relatively small college, but a pipe dream I have is to see some small businesses that interact with the college thrive in the borough. It’s certainly not the case now, but perhaps if there are people smarter than I am who are focused on it, that can happen. And I just think the mayor can help stimulate that type of enthusiasm and focus.

JD: In what ways would you like to see the interaction with the businesses? Are you suggesting something like having student cards work at the local businesses, or what ideas do you have to stimulate that interaction?

RL: That’s a possibility. Look at the University of Pennsylvania for instance, which is much bigger. There are private businesses there that work hand in glove with the research that goes on in that university. It’s conceivable, although not easy, to put into realit [here]. Some kind of public-private partnership in ways we haven’t thought of is something we should strive for. What I think the genesis of it would be is a different mindset that we would all have to think about and try out in an effort to see how we can help and learn from each other as opposed to each of us more or less staying on our own.

JD: We don’t know what the economy will look like next year, but we do know things will be different. Let’s first talk about how you would shape your campaign and goals for the town in an economy that is either the same or worse than it is right now.

RL: We’re really in uncharted waters because of the strong economic tide rising here. So I think that the borough is going to have to do the same thing that some of the others are doing, which is continue to be cautious on what it spends money on. The borough has always, since I’ve been involved with it since 1998, been cautious in its expenditures. So I don’t think any new approach is necessary. We just have to assume there’s going to be less money and plan accordingly – just cut back where we have to. I have not heard any specifics about where we have to cut back, but we would have to cut back on some things. It’s fair to assume that the tax rolls could suffer, so we need to be planning for that.

JD: Having lived in Swarthmore since 1992, you certainly have seen how the community involvement by students and citizens has changed over time. Has that change been positive and how would you like to see it grow in the future?

RL: I’m not sure I’ve seen a change; I think what I’ve seen is a pretty good interaction on a few fronts. First I know that the college students have provided a lot of volunteers for the fire company, both as fire fighters and EMTs in the ambulance. Thirty to 40 of the roughly 80 volunteers on the fire company right now are college students… it’s been a great boom for the borough. One of the biggest issues the fire company faces is the dwindling number of people who are able to volunteer. Over the last 20 years, the minimum hours for training to become a fire fighter or EMT have basically quadrupled. And now the minimum hours to be a firefighter is about 176 hours. So for some college students to be able to go under that level of training and then be ready to answer a fire call any moment of the day or night is amazing. That has been great to see, and I only hope it stays the same way. I think it’s a great way for the kids to be involved in the community.

JD: Speaking of incorporating students, do you have plans to incorporate Swarthmore students into your campaign?

RL: I’d love to have the support of students. One thing I’ve been trying to do with some success so far, and I expect to have more, is to have people take a look at the Facebook page to help spread the word to their friends. If someone has a page as a politician on Facebook, you can sign up on their page to become what’s called a supporter. I am asking people to do that so it can be very easy to keep in touch with them. Also, on my Facebook page, my e-mail is listed and if people aren’t on Facebook and just want to keep in touch through e-mail, I’m asking that people contact me that way, so you don’t have to pass out as much paper; it’s easier and quicker and keeps more people in the loop. There are hundreds of registered voters at the college, so it’s a very important part of the community and I’m taking it very seriously. It’s the first campaign stop, if you want to call it that, that I’m making.

I have a few friends who are students who I know who have grown up in Swarthmore, but that’s only a couple and I’m very much looking forward to meeting the College Democrats, which appear to be very well organized and I understand have pretty regular meetings. I think it’s great to see, and I think if we have more interaction we might be able to together develop better ways to communicate. Nowadays, with the economy the way it is, one upside of it, although there’s plenty of downsides of it, is that people seem to be more focused on trying to interact more with the community in an effort to be better prepared once they leave school. I think we could perhaps take advantage of that heightened interest and see what we can accomplish.

JD: Do you have any last comments on how you want to change or influence the interaction with the college?

RL: I’m looking forward to when the new [Swarthmore College] president takes over, and I think it’s a great opportunity…. We’ve had years and years of a great relationship and I’m sure it’s going to stay that way. I walk my dogs at the college in the good weather a number of times a week. It’s one of the prettiest places I’ve ever been, and I feel great being able to do it. I think we’ve got a great thing going here. My slogan is “let’s make a good thing even better.” I think for Swarthmore, it’s appropriate. We do have a really good thing going, and yet we can make it better.