---

BY JACQUELINE SMALL

In print | Published January 21, 2010

When Rick Lowe ran for Swarthmore Borough mayor last fall, he centered his campaign on the slogan “Let’s Make a Good Thing Even Better!”

After being sworn in on Jan. 4, Lowe, the first Democratic mayor in the borough’s history, said that his primary goal is to increase town-gown amicability. The College Democrats were very active in his campaign.

“The relations historically have been very good, and I think they are still good now, but I think we can always enhance them, and we can do more together than apart,” Lowe said in an interview.

Lowe explained that the students of the college and the citizens of the Ville have always made good neighbors but have led very separate existences with little interaction.

College Democrats President Natalie Litton ’12 said, “He really wants to be the mayor of everyone in Swarthmore, including the students, since they live in Swarthmore for four years.”

She added that she anticipates that he will be a more active mayor than his “very nice, well-liked” predecessor Eck Gerner and will look forward to new and creative projects and collaborations.

One of the mayor’s plans to incorporate the college’s students into the town is to offer them a few positions as interns in various businesses in the Ville, potentially in his own office.

He also has discussed the possibility of enabling Swarthmore students to use points from their meal cards at restaurants in the town, including Hobbs Coffee, which is something that Litton said is common in many other college towns.

Lowe also said that he and President Rebecca Chopp are considering moving the college bookstore into the town, adding, “Anything that can draw students down would be great to see.”

He also expressed a hope that students will take more interest in some of the town’s activities, such as the Farmer’s Market that runs from Memorial Day through the end of fall.

“I would think a lot of college students would be eager to buy natural, organic, local foods, but many of them don’t even know about the market,” he said.

Lowe added that he would also like for the interaction to increase between college faculty and the residents of the town. Lowe said he has spoken to his friend at the borough’s newspaper, The Swarthmorean, about publishing any work of the college’s professors that might be relevant to the lives of the citizens.

He said, however, that none of the professors have done this so far.

Lowe also expressed a desire for the Ville to become more environmentally friendly. He said that he hopes to put together a website that highlights sustainable efforts that have been made at both the college and in the town but doesn’t have many specific plans on the subject yet.

He added, however, that he believes that “Swarthmore has a lot of people who are sensitive to these notions” and who will take action to increase the town’s environmental sustainability.

Now that Lowe has been elected, the College Democrats are saying that they enjoyed being part of the political process.

“Local politics is extremely important, as it is the building blocks of higher politics,” Litton said.
“It is also really the branch of government with the most influence on our lives.”

The students also seem extremely fond of Lowe and positive about his prospects.

Jordan Bernhardt ’11, the executive director of the College Democrats, said that Lowe was very personable with them during his campaign.

“He came and talked to us in February, asked questions about what we wanted to see happen in the Ville,” Bernhardt said.

Lowe also came to their weekly planning meetings, giving Bernhardt the impression that “he not only wanted our help in campaigning, but he wanted our ideas for the future.”

The mayor also reflected a positive attitude about the future of both the college and the town, especially Chopp.

“I think Rebecca Chopp is off to a great start as president of the college, and it’s great that she wants to be part of the Borough community,” Lowe said.

He added, “She’s a member of the Co-op, and she and her husband are contributors to the Swarthmore Public Library.”

---

« RETURN TO NEWS

« PREV ARTICLE | NEXT ARTICLE »