Letter to Yenta 03/10/06
Yenta darling.. Perhaps its about time that the business community took a long hard look at what they offer to the residents of the town. A recent conversation with a real estate broker confirmed my observation that regardless of when / how long or if the shop keepers of New Hope are available for doing business in season or off season etc. blah blah.. It would seem a clear fact by simple observation that there are more ice cream cones and coffee cups being toted around the town and seldom a shopping bag. You guys provide the window shoppers with something to pass there time while they drink up a vente frapacaramelo cha ching coffee drink.( Perhaps the provider of this wonderful beverage owes you a cut of the profit for your efforts)
Yes Parking is a serious consideration and I do believe that we.. the community of new hope need to find solutions moving forward. However, all the pavlova about the chamber/ bagged meters/ tickets and angst about who said or did what will only play out as a sad comedy and nothing will change until the merchants are bankrupt. I expect that others more savy to the wants and needs of million dollar babies up the hill/ street will take over and install home town stores that offer the kinds of things that people want to buy .. How about a quart of milk.. a cheese shop .. dry cleaners? what ever you decide -you are more expert at this but to be sure . the poster/ tshirt/ tattoo/crowd is limited and no matter how much parking you get it it won't bring you more sales ... gimme a tall redeye in a grande cup ..please.... TT

Letter to Yenta 03/10/06
Dear Yenta,
I'm back once again offering some additional words for the future success of Second Saturdays. It was a pleasure to walk the streets of Lambertville on Thursday and test the waters with many retailers as to whether they'd benefit from joining forces with New Hope and participate with us.

The overwhelming response I received sent me on a high knowing that as a business community working together on both sides of the river, we can and will bring back business to our river towns. In speaking with Tom Martin, Lambertville Chamber president, Ty Hodanish president of ArtsBridge, and several other key people across the river from New Hope, I am more confident that we'll bring back many shoppers that have not been invited to the area for a long time.

The retailers I spoke to were very enthusiastic about investing an additional 3 hours of open time in order to bring back shoppers that have been lured to other towns that have been promoting themselves by means of organization and cooperation amongst each other.

If you're reading this wonderful forum today or any day for that matter and you're a concerned retailer, gallery owner, liquor store, restaurant owner, or specialty shop owner, please consider remaining open and inform people by means of your regular advertising, to come visit us on Second Saturdays. I challenge every one of the businesses on both sides of the river that have been complaining how bad sales are compared to prior years, to put your best efforts forward and begin to promote Second Saturdays. Feel free to appoint yourself an ambassador on your block and invite business owners to invest some extra time once a month, and see if their cash registers don't sing a little louder. The only way to really make this happen is to have the cooperation of your fellow shop owners and remain consistent in keeping shops open until 9:00pm. People just out for a stroll, or coming to the area with purpose, like to see that all of the shops are open on such specially promoted days. Lets not give people a reason to complain about the lack of participation. I'd rather have them leave her with some positive things to tell their friends and neighbors about when they arrive back to their home town.

Please feel free to contact me personally with any questions or concerns you may have in regard to Second Saturdays. It will be my pleasure to assist you.

Howard Cooperman
Bridge Street Ambassador
Howard Gallery of Fine Art
(215) 862-5272

Letter to Yenta 03/10/06
I enjoyed channel 39’s New Hope presentation the other evening but I was a little annoyed at the show's characterization of the bikers that take over at the town at first sign of warm weather. For the most part they are a loud, smelly, menace destroying the peace and tranquility of New Hope and every surrounding town they ride through. The producers must have had some real good luck to stumble across the two yuppies they interviewed. -Cranky Dave

Letter to Yenta 03/09/06
Dear Yenta: Two things:

First: We just received a flier today, announcing that PARKING METER ISSUES will be on the agenda for the next Borough Council meeting on Tuesday, March 14 at 7:30 PM (High School cafeteria).
The flier's author is encouraging EVERYONE with complaints, suggestions, comments, etc. to come to the meeting and make your voice heard. I'm sure it will be a spirited meeting, to say the least!

For those intimidated by impromptu discussions while standing in front of that damned microphone, just bring some prepared notes. Reading those notes still counts - the message will still be there for all to hear!

Second thing is a response to mug man re: the Murphy endorsement for Congress:

An endorsement is an official suggestion to voters that "candidate x" is the person whom the MAJORITY of party representatives have voted as their candidate (by open ballot in this instance). In Patrick Murphy's case, he received 70% of the Democratic party committee endorsement for Congressional candidate for the 8th district (out of almost-400 committee reps). Candidates Murphy, Warren and Viskovitch had all attended a variety of public meetings, events and parties in order to meet voters, enlist volunteers, speak to the public on issues, and answer questions during the past several months. Mr. Viskovitch decided at the endorsement meeting to drop out and support Mr. Murphy. Mr. Warren chose to continue on.

Yes, endorsements give candidates a subsequent advantage, but it doesn't deny anyone the right to vote otherwise in the Primary. Nor does it force anyone to vote for an endorsed candidate. The issues before the voters are what's important. And it's important for voters to get to know the candidates. One way is to Google their names, and find out about them on their websites. Or, if time allows, try to meet them at one of their events.

And, since I am an unabashed supporter of Patrick Murphy, I can say that he made a DYNAMITE presentation at the endorsement meeting - and he made many of us feel that we have a vital, energetic, meaningful party again. To that, I say he well-deserved the endorsement.

Thanks-Jan Witte

Letter to Yenta 03/09/06
Competence is the Name of the Game

Yesterday, New Hope had a wonderful day in the sun showing in an hour segment on PBS WLVT what a fabulous, creative, historic, diverse and unique place it is. So I take a catch breath before returning to what I feel is necessary to defend and improve our business community. In looking at Phil Powell or George Nakashima at work in the documentary, you saw an artist chiseling, sanding…trying to get their work just right. Do you go with the grain or against it? Do you keep what is there or not? What do you carve out for yourself?

In that spirit, we need to go back to what we as the business community want to carve out for ourselves, how we want to organize ourselves and who we want to represent us. I offer no answers. Those questions need to be answered by the town and its business people. I do offer these observations…

Have you ever gone to New York City and seen men playing the shell game on cardboard boxes? This is what is happening in New Hope, Connie and some of her board members of the chamber are trying to distract you so you can’t keep your eye on the ball. The shells are the past, the present and the future. They want you to look so far back, that you don’t look at what was most recently done. They want you to hear vague promises about the future so you don’t contemplate about the bad leadership of the present. In last week’s Gazette, March 2nd, the president of the chamber Connie Gering published a letter much like the shell game. It was a letter in which she tried to take the blame away from herself, not address at all the questions we have about her 11 month tenure and cast her inabilities of running this important organization onto others. She took office as president in April of 2005 and yet still shows a deep lack of knowledge and inquisitiveness to discern the facts, as well as, an unwillingness to be inclusive. I know, you might be saying, “Isn’t this the guy who, when he was president, did not seem so inclusive during the BID process?” The truth is that we did not go thru with it because we knew that membership was upset and, my big regret was not having a general membership vote on it. For that I truly apologize. So now, let’s look at the present. The shell that has the pea.

Ask yourself this question, has Connie’s leadership brought the community together with free holiday parking? Has she brought the community together with the lighting of the Christmas tree? Has she brought the community together with her vindictiveness about everyone who served on the chamber before her? Then the big question, noted even by the Yenta herself in her column: Does the business community want an open debate and an open election including its officers? Which leads to “Do we want Connie Gering in its top leadership role? Or is someone else who is currently on the board or who is outside of the current board better suited for this position? It has gotten to the point that I feel most in the community feel that it should be anyone but her. Why say that?

Before I comment on this, I must state that my only concern is that the business community be led by someone that they want and who puts their welfare first and foremost. I have no intention of running for a board position on the chamber. In fact, I have not approached one publication for any of the interviews that I have had as they all came to me. I write letters only in response to what has been said about me personally. But here are the problems, I believe, with the status quo.

So the chamber under Connie decided to reincorporate and write new by-laws. This was an opportunity for the president of the chamber to say, “Hey everyone! I want to re-energize you. Some people liked the openness of the Independent Merchants. Some liked the more formal, parliamentarian atmosphere of the chamber. Listen people! This is your group! You’re going to make it! We will have an open session and listen to your ideas as to what you want. We will write the by-laws accordingly. We will poll the membership for approval by mail, e-mail and in the paper. You will know about this new organization and you will be responsible for creating it. We will do this in a public forum. I will not only ask past chamber presidents for their input but also leaders of the Independent Merchants. We will do this together.” Was this done? Sadly, no. We could have customized our chamber to be the chamber we wanted. (As an aside, I was a member of The Independent Merchants and found many good people with many good ideas there. It is a shame that the chamber did not use Carolyn Dechert and others as a resource. Carolyn, especially, is smart, articulate and cares about fairness.) Instead, we have the customized chamber she wants. One without a $100 spending limit for the chamber president on spending without board approval. And, one that flies in the face of the experience of three of the current officers, a board where you need to be on a year before becoming an officer.

We, also, have by-laws that the majority of the membership did not approve. ALL and that is not exaggeration, ALL of the members I talked to said they were never sent a copy of the new by-laws and did not get notice about a meeting or any other method for them to approve these by-laws. So, we pay membership into one organization and its president, after the fact, tells us we are now in another. Is that proper, let alone ethical?

Some new rules are good. Upon reflecting, I now realize that the one board member per business is a good idea. Board meetings that are open to membership are also fine. But there are other things that are not so good. Connie asked for a laundry list of questions. Good analogy. We need to air things out. This is beginning to smell way to much like dirty laundry.

Here are my questions: The issue is shall the chamber of commerce, in contrast to past years, limit the number of board members on its board? limit who can become an officer? reincorporate for vague reasons without detailed disclosure for why? not properly vet its new bylaws to its membership and then not have the membership vote on it? Not incorporate in those bylaws the $100 maximum spending limit?

Do we give the president of the chamber a pass for saying that New Hope is not a holiday shopping destination? Do we give its vice president a pass for saying that chamber businesses are too lazy to move their cars?

The question is also how do you trust someone who flip-flops almost in the same breath saying that free holiday parking is a bad idea and we decided not to do it…but, oh, if we knew where the bags were and had $1000 to pay for it we would do it? HELLO? Which is it? You want free parking or you don’t want free parking?

How do you trust someone who talks about the meters (during free holiday parking) only turning over 1-2 times with employees parking in the spaces and that prevents customers from parking in them? Who did this survey? Also, those who have been here much longer than the current president could have told her that there were always enough meters to park at regardless.

Another question to the merchants: Did your NOT having free parking boost sales? Has her very public denunciation of free holiday parking helped New Hope’s image as a visitor friendly place?

Ms. Gering keeps insisting that the chamber has paid in the past for the free holiday parking. I can assure you that we never paid for it as it was a generous gift from Borough Council to the business community. She stated that in 2004 monies were paid to the borough for holiday parking. As I was still on the board in 2004, to whom was the money paid? I know that I did not vote on it and the borough never received it. What is she inferring? With regard to chamber records, in April of 2004, when I completed my fourth and final year as president, I handed all of the files over to the in-coming president Brian Fitting. What happened to them after that is totally beyond my control. Records and minutes were accurately kept during my four years. In fact, Ms. Gering’s personal employee Stephanie Nagy served as secretary to the chamber for three of the four years that I served. Stephanie was a stickler for not only taking accurate minutes and notes at meetings, she made sure that each member of the board would receive them even if they had missed a meeting. After that, JD Coleats was secretary. After that Joe Knox. Who does she have problems with? With regards to the bags for the meters as well as any other information needed by the chamber, all that needed to be done is ask. However, no one would ask. I appreciate that Brian had Triumph Brewery pay employees to bag the meters in 2004 but he did not have to do that. He only needed to ask the board members and we would have volunteered as in past years. If we needed extra help, others in the community pitch in. Jane Vitart from C’est La Vie and the Mansion Inn have volunteered in the past. This year no one sought out volunteers because, according to Ms Gering and some members of the board, free holiday meters are a bad idea. Bagging can be difficult. 15- 20 minutes in the ICE COLD. And one does it altruistically, if your business is outside the city limits or in Union Square where paid parking was occurring regardless. But Connie did us a favor because as stated in the Gazette 1/12/06 free parking actually hurts business, it did not improve it. But let’s look at the full qoute: Gering said recently that the reason the borough did not have free parking last month was because, in the past, what the borough has done is put red bags all over the meters and people who come into town think that they're not supposed to be parking there because the meters are broken or they're in a fire zone.
"We found that who really use the meters at that time were store merchants and locals who knew what it was and they would park their car there all day long," she said. "It really didn't give the merchants more traffic because the meters on Main Street turn over about four times during the day, and this way they'd have a car parked so it really hurt businesses rather than improve it.
"It was poorly spent money, to be honest," Gering said. (New Hope Gazette 1/12/06). Hello!! We, the merchants, bagged the meters, not the borough. And she must think our customers are really moronic to confuse holiday bags with other bags. Yes the entire town is under construction and all the meters are broken. Hello, again? Is anyone home?

Aside from addressing many of the pertinent issues regarding the inner workings of the chamber, I and a number of business owners (both chamber and non chamber) are very concerned by comments made by both the current president and vice president to the press. The vice president of the chamber, Tom Rice stated "If we had free parking you wouldn't be able to park here because all the shopkeepers, their employees, the restaurant people -- they're too lazy to walk two blocks to their places of employment, so they park out front and they don't have to feed the meters for a month," Rice said. "And the people who want to park here can't get here." Gering echoed those sentiments recently (New Hope Gazette, 1/19/06)

So the president and the vice president of the chamber stated and have left standing the comment that we don’t deserve free parking because we are too lazy to move our cars. This was not said privately but for the entire community to see. Our representatives feel we are too lazy. And, obviously, they feel that this should be in the press because it is such good publicity to state that the businesses in town don’t deserve parking because they take advantage of it themselves. So the chamber, like an angry parent, scolds us and sends us to bed without parking, because we were bad business people and are lazy. In that same article, I quote: “Gering said she does not think New Hope is a place where people do Christmas shopping and that may be a factor as to why holiday sales were down for some” So the president of the chamber, Connie Gering, feels that New Hope is really not a destination for holiday shoppers. Is this the type of leadership that New Hope business owners want? We as a business community do not need to be denigrated by those who are supposed to support us.

When Ms. Gering and her board of directors did not have a membership meeting to discuss the possibility of reincorporating as well as rewriting the by-laws, she was disenfranchising all New Hope businesses. And as members who have paid our annual dues, we have a right in that specific decision making process. With a new organization in place, the chamber should start from square one. However, they are saying that since they were on the board last year, they are the only ones that could run as officers. Well you can’t have it both ways. Either this is a new organization, everyone is new and we are all eligible to run in an open election or it is open discrimination against the general membership. Let us not forget, last year Ms. Gering joined the chamber on the night of board elections and her name was hand written on all of the typed ballots. One week later she became president. There was no one year rule to apply to her so why should it apply to everyone else. What is she afraid of? Does she fear that someone will take her title away with an open election?

Lastly, as the chamber of commerce represents the business community, the individual heading the organization should be someone who not only has a full time business in town; they should also be a full time president. The president should be accessible to the entire business community. Currently, our president has a business that is open two days a week on Saturday & Sunday. We as shop owners cannot leave our businesses on the weekend to discuss issues with Ms. Gering at her convenience. In addition, due to the fact that Ms. Gering has a part time employee at her shop, you would not be guaranteed that she would even be there if you went to speak to her. We need a full time president not one that is running a business two days a week as a hobby. We need someone who has not disenfranchised her neighbors and fellow business people.

So the pea under the shell is the present. And the question remains “does the business community want Connie Gering in its top leadership role? Or is someone else who is currently on the board or who is outside of the current board better suited for this position? Someone to create a chamber for all of us.”

Herb Millman
New Hope

Letter to Yenta 03/07/06
With all due respect to my fellow merchants, not having had much time to meet all of you, I'd like to suggest some small token things that might help Second Saturdays move ahead and make a pleasant experience for people coming to New Hope. It's not my intention to insult anyone's intelligence or challenge their marketing abilities. What I am attempting is to stimulate some feedback for us all to share and participate.

Might I suggest to leave two extra rolls of quarters behind your counter for those people not prepared to spend one every 20 minutes? Gee, what would happen if you were to pass by a car outside your shop at an expired meter, and you happened to drop a quarter in? Prevent a shopper or diner from getting a parking ticket? Think of it as an advertising expense until we can get these meters rolled back.

Maybe you could even stay open till 9pm and serve some refreshments to people visiting your shop. Welcome them back to New Hope and thank them for coming.

Become an ambassador, reach out to your neighboring shop to and ask them to stay open this Saturday night till 9pm and unite with the rest of us who are working diligently to bring clientele back to New Hope.

I welcome my fellow merchants to add suggestions to this post in order to help make Second Saturday this week and every week thereafter a tremendous success. The weather is working in our favor this weekend. Lets all put our heads together and take back what we once had.

P.S.
If you would like a small sign for your door or window inviting people in for quarters, Id be happy to supply one. There should be a consistency in the sign so people will recognize it. This is just one more way to get people into your shop and see your wares, while coming across as a friendly merchant at the same time.

Howard Cooperman
Howard Gallery of Fine Art
(215) 862-5272

Letter to Yenta 03/07/06
Dear Yenta, I appreciate your interest in the war chest of the Democratic Party and like the local elections happening here in town concerning the Chamber of Commerce we seem to now have multi candidates running for offices. I honestly believe that the more choices people have the better. The thing we all have to remember here is that given multi qualified candidates, people will have a better opportunity to investigate, interrogate and eventually decide which person they think will best represent their feelings, opinions and ideas. Whether a candidate has been in town for 25 years or seems to have switched parties just in time to raid the oppositions war chest really is of little consequence if you believe in an intelligent voter. If we believe in the principle that everyone has an equal opportunity to run for office then we have to trust that voters are smart enough to figure out which candidate should be elected I know I'm probably foolish to believe its not the size of one's war chest that will decide the best candidate for Representative but I also believe its not the length of time someone has had a business in town either that makes a better Chamber officer. I think the thing we have to do now that their seems to be a choice is to try to get the candidates to speak to our future. How would Mr Warren or Mr Murphy, candidates for Federal government, or Ms Gering or Ms. Castells, candidates for local Chamber of Commerce, see our future as a district or place to do business respectively? I would like to hear their thoughts on what they would do to improve things for our businesses rather than just what changes to the bylaws they would make if elected. Can we get to that at some point please?
-Mug Man

The Yenta Column 03/06/06
Just thought I would toss out another example of typical "status quo" conduct. It is an example from the "larger arena" but one which impacts all of us on a very local, personal basis.

This past Saturday, the Democratic Committee for the 8th Congressional District
endorsed by a 2 to 1 margin, Patrick Murphy to make a run for the US Congress
challenging encumbent Michael Fitzpatrick. When the smoke settled, primary contender Fred Viskovich had the courage and best interests of his constituency at heart and he stepped aside and offered his full support to Patrick Murphy. Bravo Fred -- you put your personal ego aside and did what was best for the party and for everyone's future. YOU are a hero! YOU are a patriot! On the other hand, we have Andy Warren. He has chosen to continue on in the Primary race knowing that "his" party has chosen to endorse another candidate.

The only result of this action is to act as a spoiler to diffuse the war chest which Patrick Murphy is building to defeat Michael Fitzpatrick. A warchest that the party needs to fight the war, not waste on an internal battle. This action casts a shadow over Mr. Warren and his motives. Everyone knows that our district is one of the critical 13 races that could swing the balance of power in the House of Representatives in Washington!

If Mr Warren has truly chosen to become a Democrat, to leave behind his tenure as a Republican county commissioner tied to the hip of Michael Fitzpatrick, to part ways with his voting record of the past which mirrored Mr. Fitzpatrick's vote for vote --- then now is the time to show true support for the goals and ideals of the Bucks County Democrats by stepping aside, AND throwing all of your supporters to Patrick Murphy

Let's see what you're really made of Andy! We're all waiting!
The Yenta

Letter to Yenta 03/06/06
My name is Catalina Castells, and I'm seeking to run for President of our Chamber of Commerce. I'm interested in helping the Chamber unite the New Hope business community into a group of people with common goals. I've spoken with many business owners in the last few months, and it seems clear to me that the current president is too controversial to do this. Personally, I have nothing against Ms. Gering and have never even met her. I'm sure she has the best of intentions. I just don't believe she can get the job done any more.

I believe I am more than competent to run the Chamber of Commerce. I co-own a business which is open almost every day, even in winter. We've been in New Hope since we opened on Mechanic Street in 1994. We're real New Hope dreamers who have invested over a decade of our lives to our business. This isn't a hobby business or second job for either of us. If we lose our business, we could well lose our homes, too.

We occupy what I believe is the largest retail space in the downtown. We are also landowners in town. I have served as a Trustee for a charitable organization for years and also was an officer of that organization. My background is in stage management. I have organized large events, including a gathering of over 600 people for a week- long festival a few years ago.

Some say that one should serve on the Board of the Chamber for a year before running for office. Did Ms. Gering do so? I believe she wasn't even a member of the Chamber for a year before running for President. Have any of the current board members done so? It's my understanding that the current board hasn't even existed for a year yet.

Some say that those of us who seek a change missed the deadline for submitting a slate of candidates. When was the election announced? And under the current rules, any slate we might have suggested wouldn't have been eligible since no one who is willing to serve has been on the Board for a year at this point.

I want the Chamber to open these elections to anyone who wishes to run for an office and dispose of the one-year requirement. I want us to stop hiding behind our rules and open our minds to the possibility of more unified future. I don't want to see the Chamber further fractured. I want to work with the people who are currently invested to bring more of our business community into the Chamber. So many people have left in disgust over the years. I believe a clean start can help us to move in a positive direction.

One thing I will tell you, Yenta, is that if the Chamber opens the elections, there will be new members in droves in the coming weeks. Many more of the downtown retail and restaurant businesses will join. I will make it my mission to get more people involved, whether or not I win an open election.

If you're a business owner in New Hope, I suggest you join the Chamber of Commerce and work for a change today. Only by stepping forward and working together for progress can we get anywhere as a community.

Thanks, Yenta, for your great open forum!
Catalina Castells
Heart of the Home
28 S Main Street
New Hope

Letter to Yenta 03/05/06
Hey Yenta - You have really made The Old Beatnik proud. Your insight and eloquence relative to the issues being debated in "our little corner of the world" have hit the mark. So let's all join hands and sing a verse of "Kumbya" and come out of our corners swinging and may the town be the winner after all the dust settles..
-The Old Beatnik

The Yenta Column 03/05/06
Healthy debate!! It's what the Yenta dreams of. Interestingly, it seems that our little town just parallels the US Government, from the Chamber to School Board to Borough Hall!! How so? ...you might ask. Well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the incumbents are defensive and calling the other side traitors. Mug Man and Uncle Charlie are simply exercising their RIGHTS AS AMERICANS ... AND NEW HOPIANS(?).. to express concerns and suggestions for change. New Hope is a place for dreams and dreamers. How do you think George Washington got here?

If leadership was genuinely concerned about their constituency and their community, they would welcome an open and uncensored debate of issues and not insult and throw off-handed accusations at those who are asking questions or offering comment.

This is an age-old strategy of those who wish to become, or remain, a big fish in a small pond. It's simple, attack and deny. Attack and deny. Attack and deny. Tell it however you would like it to be and eventually, that will convince almost everyone, even if it's not really true. Just like Washington!!

Remember, it takes far more courage to take criticism, accept challenges and challengers graciously, admit errors and even step aside in order to move forward, than it does to dig in, become defensive and cast dispersions against your critics. We all need to take a good look at ourselves-- we are faced with issues that are far more grave than our parking meters! Not that these are not of importance to our daily lives. But the behaviors and attitudes which we are exhibiting in our little corner of the world have been magnified by us as a nation. The result is a nation that has critical issues to address, and they go to our very core.

Unless we stand up for what we believe, and hold ALL of our elected officials accountable by challenging, offering ideas, and yes, even voting them out of office or impeaching them if necessary, we will all lose what we hold dear...
The Yenta

Letter to Yenta 03/05/06
As one who has worked in several New Hope attractions for over 10 years (not stores), and who has also been a customer of a number of New hope businesses, I'd like to throw in a comment. Over the years I worked in town, I believe it's reputation has gone down with many of the people who know it, to the point where the most frequent comment I heard from many customers was that it is a tourist-trap, and has lost most of it's small-town charm.
I have also seen this trend, by most of the stores, eateries and other attractions, and it is not helped by New hope's reputation for expensive, and insufficient, parking, and the recent and projected "development" of the downtown area.
The Chamber of Commerce seemed to do little or nothing for anyone, other than stores and restaurants, and did not come up with many ideas to promote the Town as a whole. The Town "fathers" always seemed more concerned with making money off the visitors, with re-setting meters and the busiest meter attendants in the U.S., than with making things comfortable for visitors. As for the merchants, well.., folks, you have to keep regular hours at least 4-5 days a week to make any money, and if you just up and decide to close for the day, or just not open up on a day you have said you'd be open, you may not lose sales on that day, but will piss-off the visitor who has come for a day in town, maybe from some distance. Those visitors will tell their friends "don't bother with New Hope, you never know if any of the businesses will be open, or not.". Those are the people who will go to Peddlers Village instead, and they'll take their friends with them (no parking fees there, and businesses are open on the days and hours posted).
Don't worry about being thought of as a tourist-trap, though, because it looks as though, if certain powerful people have their way, New Hope will soon be just another bedroom community of New York City. -Good Luck, Juan

Letter to Yenta 03/04/06
Well, bagging the meters and offering free parking may not “jumpstart” the national economy, but it might have helped save last Christmas from being a disaster for many of New Hope’s businesses. Contrary to the truly outlandish observation that many merchants take a winter “holiday” and tend additional stores in warmer climates, the truth is that most shops earn upwards of 25% of their yearly take at Christmas.

Our customers expected free parking last Christmas and complained vigorously about not getting it, if they came to New Hope at all. Many told us they parked in Lambertville and walked over the bridge. Others skipped New Hope and went instead to Peddler’s Village. I begged our Chamber leaders for two months to go before Borough Council and request free holiday parking and was told it’s not worth the trouble because merchants and their employees will steal the spaces for themselves. The truth is that the person who did it the prior year simply didn’t feel like doing it this year. Certainly, bagging meters is a thankless, bothersome task. But it must be done. That way we can advertise that we have free parking, along with, say, hot beverages and great decorations. It makes New Hope seem friendly and welcoming. Appearances count.

But this year the Greater New Hope Chamber of Commerce became the Grinch that Stole Christmas, by not raising a hand to stop expensive meters, aggressive ticketing (even on Christmas eve), and through non-diplomacy that resulted in competing Christmas tree lightings. Parking and ticket hassles are the biggest single obstacle to increasing New Hope’s tourism market share according to most merchants with whom I’ve spoken. It’s understandable that the proposed top officers of the Chamber haven’t figured this out — none of them operate a full-time business downtown. What’s incomprehensible is they they continue to defend one of the worst decisions in New Hope business history.

Pointing this out doesn’t make one a “whiner” or “complainer,” unless you’re running the Chamber like the high school Pep Club instead of a representative body.

-Uncle Charlie

Letter to Yenta 03/03/06
Holy Mackeral, with all the creativity in this town, you would think that ONE "whiner" could come up with an IDEA. If any merchant believes that bagging the meters will jumpstart the economy, it should become a national policy! Really, let's use the collective ideas for a positive slate at the next meeting - because this rant is getting old....and obvious.

Letter to Yenta 03/03/06
I am very concerned by the current state of affairs when it comes to the New Hope chamber of commerce. Having had a business in town for several years, there appears to be reason for concern. I had belonged to both the Independent Merchants and the Chamber. Considering that the Independent Merchants went down the tubes because of poor leadership, I am now afraid that the chamber is heading in the same direction. We should be able to have open elections so that we as merchants can vote for the right person to lead us. What are they afraid of?
-A very concerned New Hope merchant

Letter to Yenta 03/03/06
"National Standards"??? "Be afraid, be very afraid"??? Jiminy crickets, sounds like something out of a bad media management novel.

Letter to Yenta 03/03/06
OK first of all that Independent Merchants Association deal...I'm sorry, but how can one be independent AND an association at the same time, ya know?? I liked what they were about but thought they were mostly the anti-chamber. I don't think we need more chambers of commerce we just seem to need one that works better.
This debate you all seem to be having amongst yourselves, whether in newspapers, board meetings, phone calls or on street corners I don't believe is causing the community disturbance as Mr Lacitra, the Chamber's secretary, claims it is either. This seems to be a healthy discussion about direction and leadership styles and were it not for some normal ego defending statements this is a very easy and enjoyable platform for airing concerns. As facts are though, from the beginning of this current Chamber's tenure they consistently bashed the former regimes and begged everyone's patience while overdue changes, audits and corrections were made. Interestingly enough some of the old regime continues to operate on the new one and seem to be bashing themselves. I'm glad both side of this debate are going around to other shops and discussing these issues...it shows that someone out there is interested in our concerns and problems. I would also quickly like to point out that at no time have I heard Mr Sahner, either in the newspaper or in the Yenta bash anyone personally. He has pretty consistently named the office he's bashing rather than naming them. I'm not defending his ideas or his tactics just mentioning that he seems to be careful to not take this too far into the personal level. We are all adults here and should be able to handle pointed criticism. This Chamber seems to feel though that healthy debate, complaining, whining and even the possibility of broader inclusive bylaws is negative and therefore bad. They tell us to stop complaining negatively and join us to fix things. I actually prefer to remain an observer and commentator/whiner at this point, thanks. I admire you all for attempting to do good things and once I start reaping some benefit from your efforts I will find a niche to fill and do my part to help. I just hope you can get your act together and successfully fertilize the field of prosperity here in New Hope before famine sets in...like Joe's record shop. I bought records there myself and knew him personally. He was an old style New Hope business which may someday I'm sure be replaced by a much more economically feasible megaplex using headphones so that the noise level never reaches the street....another one bites the dust! -the mug man

Letter to Yenta 03/03/06
Most organizations and associations have the rules incorporated in the by-laws that allow the executive board to be elected only if they have served for a year. These, again, are National standards. A member that has been on the Board for at least a year has then become familiar with the workings of that organization. It is only common sense. Please don't compare the Presidential elections to a Chamber of Commerce. Although political in some areas, we are, after all, an association and we are only accountable to our membership. The revised by-laws, as I have previously stated, protect the membership as well as the Board. We don't want it to fall the way that the Independent Merchants did. By the way, the Independent Merchants came about because of the dissatisfaction that they had with the same instigators that ran the Chamber that are making all the innuendo and false statements in the newspapers. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Letter to Yenta 03/02//06
"Not allowed to run for President, Vice-President, Secretary or Treasurer unless you’ve already served on the Board of Directors for a year"?? Isn't this something analogous to saying the choices in the next presidential elections would be limited to Bush or Clinton cabinet members?? There certainly must be other means of ensuring continuity beyond nepotism.

Letter to Yenta 03/02/06
Hey, has anybody given any thought to the idea that the Chamber Of Commerce top position ( president or business manager or Exalted Most High Potentate) be a salaried full time position? Just a thought..
-The Old Beatnik

Letter to Yenta 03/02/06
I am sorry that some of the businesses are not fairing well in New Hope. Joe’s record shop has not been doing well for some time. He was worried about this year’s ago. Aaron, I hope things get better. As I have heard, some of the shops on North Main are having to close or move because of landlord issues and the buildings are either being rehabbed or sold, not because of any bad business, so please don’t give people the wrong ideas Charlie just to get your agenda going. I recently spoke to some of the North Main merchants and they may have to go out of business because thay can't find an affordable shop on New Hope. Moving to a new location in New Hope is difficult; some of the rents are too high for some shop owners to make it. This would be something the landlords need to work on with their tenants. The Chamber of Commerce cannot control what the rents are in Town; this is a private issue with the property owners. New Hope has always been a destination shopping area; shoppers come here for particular shops and items. The weekends can be busy, and I know some of the shop owners live for the weekend traffic.

I have been in New Hope for many years, some of the shops and restaurant have always taken a winter “holiday”, some even have other shops in warmer climates and other tourist towns that they tend to during the winter. Some shoppers know that and that is also why the traffic in the winter is less than normal. The lack of “free” holiday parking did not kill any of the shopping traffic. Most of the businesses said it did not change any of their business one way or the other. I don’t think being told to re-think your business plan is an insult. The profile of New Hope has changed, not because of anything that the Chamber of Commerce has or has not done, it has simply changed! The economy in general has also taken a nosedive and unfortunately, it is a given fact, when that happens, the tourist towns take the hardest hit. It is just a coincidence that the current Board of the Chamber is here during these tough economic times. I do not think it is at all fair to say that the Chamber is at fault.

The Chamber elections for the Board are being held on March 22nd at Ocassions. Charlie you are somewhat correct, most of the Chamber was voted in last April, due to a delay in the elections from the previous Board. Both by-laws, old and revised, have always had the same deadlines. Why it was delayed last year, I do not know. The current Board was elected under the old by-laws and they were proper elections, albeit not at the designated time. Although the vote is going to take place on March 22nd, any of the current Board members that stay on, will begin their next term in April. Just as many other organizations have a vote for the new Board or Officers a month earlier so that the transition can take place. It is also true, that the revised by-laws were reviewed by the membership and ratified by the Board and then only after some of the members comments and ideas were incorporated into them, allowing the executive Board to be maintained or replaced by Board members who have served a full year term. The current by-laws now conform to the National standards for by-laws for organizations. The revised by-laws were put in place properly and have taken out some of the loopholes and add enhancements that protect both the Chamber of Commerce as a whole but the election procedure as well.

The March 16th meeting is our regularly scheduled Board meeting and it has been advertised as an open discussion, with questions and answers to be freely given. We would think that anyone interested would like to submit their concerns prior to that meeting, just in case we need to retrieve other information that would aid us in answering them. Any question can be asked at the meeting, but we would like to be able to have the tools to properly discuss them. As the new standard by-laws state, that, at the regular Board meeting, any member in good standing may attend, and if there is an item that they wish to have on the agenda, yes, it does need to be submitted in writing at least 2 days prior so that it can get on the agenda and distributed to the Board so that the Board can be prepared to discuss the item. Our Board meetings run properly and are not a “free-for-all”. Much is accomplished and the various committees can report and discuss their progress. The Board meetings are every third Thursday and normally take place at the office in Union Square or other announce venue.

The Chamber leadership has been working on a proposal for the parking issues for many months, even before all the bad press. There is no pressure, just time constraints and other issues that had to be addressed before we could finally have a proposal that we believe would work within the financial structure of the Boro and keep everyone happy. The taxes in New Hope are low and one of the reasons that they are is the metered parking. We had to come up with a plan that would allow the meter times to be rolled back and also allow the Boro to maintain their budget. We believe that we have accomplished that and have presented that proposal to the Boro for review. Originally, the Boro suggested some guidelines to have for a proposal. One of the items that they wanted us to include was additional parking for New Hope other than in Town. As you can see, the parking is limited, everywhere. We recently were allowed to submit the proposal for reducing the meter times and actually increasing the holiday parking days (two weeks is proposed; before and after Christmas) and omitting from this proposal, what we are still working on, for proposing remote site parking. The remote parking will be an expensive proposition and we are looking for grants and other funds that could aid in having this happen. This will take time and we felt that the meter issue and holiday parking was of more importance; it just happens to be reviewed during all this hoopla that you and your agenda has created. When we succeed in having remote parking, it will be a boost for New Hope, not in just additional parking, but relieving the parking congestion Town. We will become a visitor friendly town. There are many ideas being discussed and we hope that you will also present any positive ideas to that committee. The next Boro Council meeting is scheduled for March 16th. All concerned businesses and residents are invited to attend.

I do not know which businesses have been “taking it lying down”???? The Chamber of Commerce is open to all, businesses and individuals alike. We are a very approachable Board. Some of the merchants that have been having issues were voted in on the Board last year, but resigned (because of the pressure of a truly working and organized Board perhaps?); the ones that have resigned would have had better results had they stayed and work from within instead of trying to be divisive. Some that are having issues have never even been members. Again, we have been approached by some of the merchants that you intended to sway over to the dark side. But they have had the foresight to contact us and discuss their issues and are now becoming members of the Chamber.

I am part of the Nominating Committee. We have received the nominations for both you and Catalina Castells to be on the ballot, and you are. We are happy that you want to join the Chamber of Commerce and hopefully, if elected through a fair election process, you and any of the other nominees can be a great asset to continuing the growth of not only the Chamber of Commerce, but also the Town. Again, this divisiveness and hurt egos is only making New Hope look bad and we need to take an assessment of all of this and agree to disagree, but also work together to make things happen.

Connie Gering is a great leader. I find it insulting and painful that you believe her to be without brains, guts or ideas. She is a go-getter and works hard for this community. I respect her for maintaining her dignity through all of the recent bad press and lies that have been thrown at her. She not only has her shop on Mechanic Street, but also runs another company and spends tireless hours working on Chamber business, as all the Board members do. I have met Catalina and I believe her to be as you describe, but she will need to be elected at the next elections and serve as a Board member and hopefully in a year’s time, she can be elected to the Executive Board. The membership will also have the right to vote for any Board member for the executive Board as long as they have been on the Board for one year. I also hope that you will come to your senses and stop listening to the radical egotists that have poisoned you with incorrect information and lies. I wish you luck in your nomination and hope that, if elected, you will express your concerns (and dreams) and work with us instead of against us. .
Respectfully, Louis Licitra, Board Secretary

PS: Correction: The next Boro meeting is March 14th The next Board meeting for the Chamber is March 16th (at Mothers)...my fingers were going too fast...Sorry...Louis Licitra

Letter to Yenta 03/02/06
Ah, I see businesses in New Hope now want a business organization that stops by to talk, that listens to them, sends regular newsletters, holds open elections, speaks up to Borough Council.......and maybe negotiates successfully with the Bridge Commission and has successful ad campaigns for town... and how about... oh never mind...
News flash, folks. You had one: The Independent Merchants of New Hope. And you let it die. You let it die.

Letter to Yenta 03/02/06
Last week, my friend Joe on Bridge Street closed his record shop. This week, my friend Aaron on Mechanic Street is selling some of his store’s fixtures. Another storeowner I talked to on North Main said that she too would probably lose her store in the coming weeks. These aren’t just anecdotes, they’re about real people and real personal tragedies. And dreams lost. New Hope has always been a place of dreams and dreamers, and our business leaders need to help nurture and protect our highest aspirations.

I asked a board member of the New Hope Chamber of Commerce about this a few weeks ago, and he said, “Well, you know 25% of all New Hope businesses fail every winter, anyway.” This board member is one of two men who killed free Christmas parking this year, saying that “merchants are too lazy” and apparently don’t deserve it. But then again, Chamber leadership has already asserted that “New Hope isn’t a Christmas destination,” anyway. Another merchant I know on Ferry Street complained to the Chamber leader about his and others’ lower traffic counts last summer, and was told, “Maybe it’s time to check your business plans.” How long do we have to put up with being insulted by the very leadership elected to protect us?

The answer, unfortunately, is a very long time. Did you know that as a Chamber member, you are not allowed to run for President, Vice-President, Secretary or Treasurer unless you’ve already served on the Board of Directors for a year? Did you know most of the “candidates” nominated by the Chamber leadership don’t meet this rule, but have decided to exempt themselves from it? Did you know that as a Chamber member you can’t nominate anyone to oppose them in a real election? Did you know you’re not even allowed to vote for President? This is a Chamber of Commerce that never holds General Meetings, only business card exchanges. And Board of Directors meetings, like the one coming up on the March 16th, where members like us can attend only if we’re silent and submit everything we’re going to say two days in advance. You may have noticed lots of talk about meetings recently, and a flurry of newsletters and maybe even a visit or call from the Chamber, and finally a proposal on parking before the Borough Council...all of this at long last because some of us have called for free and open elections and the pressure is on.

Why did it take practically all year for the Chamber leadership to address the parking issue, and then only under political pressure? The current proposal, to ask Borough Council to roll back nighttime parking meter hours in exchange for higher parking ticket prices, is problematic at best. But more importantly, it was first proposed to Chamber leadership in July of last year at a meeting of merchants on Mechanic Street...what have they been waiting for? Where is their sense of urgency? The parking issue is about so much more than even Christmas or nighttime parking...it’s also about the cost per hour of the meters, their accessibility, their legibility without adequate lighting, and aggressive, expensive ticketing that turns visitors off to New Hope forever.

Fortunately, over the past several months I’ve also been privileged to meet several business owners who are not willing to take all this lying down anymore. They know that New Hope’s fortunes are cyclical like the seasons and the economy, but within that framework we need a Chamber that will fight for our businesses. One of those people is Catalina Castells. She runs Heart of the Home down on Main Street. When I first met her, I could tell she was bright and energized. Now that I’ve gotten to know her, I think she’s also trustworthy. And scary-smart. It’s what New Hope business needs right now: a leader with brains, guts, ideas and a downtown business that’s successful and open nearly every day. That’s why businesses like Hot Plates, Strawberry Jam, Havana, Howard Gallery, ArtisZEN Arts, Zoe Rain, Cockamamie’s and countless others have already endorsed her candidacy.

What we’ve been asking the Chamber for is a chance for Catalina to run for office and speak about her ideas for positive change. A chance for free and open elections with actual opposing candidates, platforms, debates and aspirations. A simple idea, but one apparently very frightening to Chamber incumbents used to being appointed in closed sessions of the Board rather than fighting for their jobs. Or our dreams.
-Uncle Charlie

The Yenta Column 03/02/06
To the Old Beatnik,
"Rock on... you've got it!"
The Yenta

Letter to Yenta 03/02/06
In the nature of fairness and clearing up details I just talked to Frank Policare with New Hope's Chamber of Commerce. He wanted to let me and I guess the rest of the Yenta readers know that the Chamber was not spending their money on renting office space as I seemed to have implied in my last posting. Apparently Frank donates space to the Chamber and charges them nothing. Nice!!
-the mug man

Letter to Yenta 02/28/06
To all you "Yenta-ites" Keep the dialog going, it can only work to bring change where needed and bring problems that some people don't see into the light. Like the Yenta said - New Hope WILL continue. So let's zip up our flack jackets and tighten down our helmets and "Get'er Done"... -The Old Beatnik

Letter to Yenta 02/28/06
Setting the Record Straight
After reading all that has been said in recent newspaper interviews as well as comments that have been made on the Yenta, I feel that I really need to set the record straight on a number of issues.

(1 Holiday Parking In an article that appeared on Friday, February 24th in the Intelligencer, the president of the chamber of commerce, Connie Gering, was quoted again stating that the chamber would have had to pay $1,000.00 to the borough for free holiday parking. As someone who has sat on the board of the chamber for seven years and held the position as president for four, I can assure you that the borough was never paid for the free holiday parking. Each year the chamber would go before council and request free holiday parking from the Monday following Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve. The council would approve holiday parking from Monday through Thursday for that period. This was considered a generous gift to the business community from borough council and it was not paid for. How could she not know this? Many of the membership, especially former board members, knew it. It is embarrassing for her to say this.

In past years, the chamber president thanked New Hope local government at the borough council meeting as well as in the newspaper for their generosity concerning free parking. Now Ms. Gering rewrites our good history with borough council over holiday parking and says that New Hope never gave us a yearly gift. I consider it a slap in the face to borough council and to New Hope to insinuate that they took $1,000.00. It is a false statement and does not appreciate our history. I feel that Ms. Gering should apologize to council for making this false statement.

Curiously, I understand that the chamber recently had an audit. Where in the audit did it show that the chamber paid for free holiday parking? Did they read the audit? Once again, as someone who has been there for a long period of time, I can assure everyone that the parking was never paid for. It also brings up the question that three of the current board members should have spoken up and corrected her statement as they were on my board and should have known this. Are these people asleep?

(2 Her tactics In the same interview, Ms. Gering stated that the chamber was given to her in deplorable condition. She keeps bringing up the past so people do not look at her in the here and now. Ironically, at her first board meeting as president, she said we were not going to concentrate on the past but look to the future. What’s changed is that she has been criticized and she wants to lash out. And though she would maintain that she is friends with Brian Fitting, she is focusing the spotlight on him as he is the one from whom she inherited the chamber. If she sees problems, she should fix them and not put Brian on the hot seat. This is a classic example of passive aggressive behavior. She seems out to get him. I can assure you that I gave the incoming president in April 2004 when my tenure as president was up all of the folders with every activity that was held during the four years that I served. Again, Ms Gering is trying to shift focus.

(3 The Audit With regard to the recent chamber’s newsletter in which it stated that they had a two year audit, as I am in possession of my copies of the treasurers reports from my last year in office through April 2005, I would be happy to sit down with Ms. Gerring, her current treasurer, the prior treasurer Mr. Till (who served the chamber for 8 years) as well as any interested parties to review these reports to show that all of our records were in order. In fact, during my tenure, we had numerous fund-raisers and raised tens of thousands of dollars (much of which was spent on promoting New Hope) and was voted on by the entire board of directors. We also left a hefty balance in our account at the time that I left the position as chamber president.

(4 The By-laws. I also read in the recent newsletter that the by-laws were voted in unanimously by the membership and that they are now available for all to see. First of all, I did not receive nor did a number of the members receive notification of a meeting in which the by-laws were to be voted on. Secondly, if there was to be a vote on the by-laws they should have been mailed or emailed to all of the members at least 10 days prior to the vote so that they could be reviewed and studied. You cannot expect members to just look at something as important as by-laws and just vote on them without digesting them for several days. I had to request a copy of the by-laws and then wait about a week to receive them. I also felt that there was no need to re-write them as they have been in effect for many years and served the business community well. Reincorporating the chamber and re-writing the by-laws without discussing it with the membership in the middle of the year in my opinion is not good business sense.

Lastly, Ms.Gering, stated that she wanted to run the chamber as a business. Well, during my four years as president and Brian Fitting’s year as president we always ran it like a business. What is she trying to insinuate? I was told that the general meeting was scheduled for Wednesday, March 22nd and now I am told by a reporter from one of the newspapers that it will be on March 16th. I guess once we know when it will actually be and where it will be, we can all attend. Well if we are going to run it as a business and Connie Gering is the CEO of the corporation, we should run the meeting as a stock holders meeting. That basically means that if the shareholders are not happy with the CEO, its officers and their policies, they can vote in new ones. Should the shareholders not be happy with the outcome of the meeting, well then I guess that we will all dump our stock. Yes, that means dump the chamber.

Herb Millman

Letter to Yenta 02/28/06
Mr Licitra's "rant" in the Yenta today, although lengthy in verbocity, is a bit lacking in what this business owner would call good reasoning. I'm sorry for the Chamber of Commerce if they continue to view the recent seasonal parking issue as a financial issue. Its an appearance issue. Having bags over our meters in town during the holidays, without even doing what appears to be a thorough investigation on his part as to who is using them, is still a good idea just for the way it looks to our visitors. Maybe some of the meters only turn over 2 or three times a day...who cares?? This is an issue of a town that sells stuff to shoppers, feeds food to diners, entertains folks with music and plays and then harasses them with meter maids, finding a way to attract them...get it? The Chamber seems to find that the $1000 it would have taken for this paltry visual though, would be better spent on posters on trains or a new office space...FINE! Whatever! Just please quit thinking that bagging the meters over and providing people (towns people or tourist people) a free parking day or two a year is not a worthwhile idea. I think a lot more harm was done by the Chamber President's comment claiming that New Hope is not a Christmas Gifty kind of town did more damage to revenues than a few business people parking at free meters.
...and please, Louis, complaining is an art form...without good complaining nobody would know what needs fixing or where to go to volunteer. Just leave us to our complaining and we'll leave you to your fixing. DEAL? -Mug man

Letter to Yenta 02/27/06
     In response to all this "backroom" politics talk regarding the Chamber of Commerce, The Boro Council and New Hope Businesses. I am the Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce. We have met every month for the past year at open meetings and committee meetings. No backroom secret meetings. The fact is that no one that has recently made all the false comments about the Chamber of Commerce has ever contacted the Chamber office (much publicized phone number of 215/862-9990) to arrange to be in attendance at any of the meetings. I personally do not know Uncle Charlie (Sahner), although, I welcome him and his comments. I do know some of the other complainers though. I have dealt with them in other areas other than with the Chamber of Commerce. Nothing, and I mean nothing, seems to satisfy them. I joined the Chamber of Commerce and ultimately was elected (by fair elections and according to the by-laws that were in place at the time as well as all the current Board Members) to facilitate change and to be involved with having New Hope maintain its status as the number one river community to visit, shop, live and work. I have been part of this community for over 27 years.
     The current Chamber had to make the by-law changes. The by-laws that were in place were taken from some "cookie cutter" set of by-laws that were intended to be revised to meet the needs of the organization that they were to be used by. Since we had to incorporate the Chamber of Commerce and to review the sloppy bookkeeping (from previous boards), we felt a responsibility to all the members to have a set of by-laws that would work and keep standards for the future. We also agreed that we had to remove some of the loop-holes and add some enhancements that would make the by-laws work properly and not leave the uncertainty that was prevalent in the previous by-laws.
     As for the parking issue (AARGH!!). We are working with the Boro to have all of this revised to benefit the community in all respects. In the past, the Chamber had to ask permission each year for the holiday parking and only because it was done in the past this way. I have made it clear and my opinion that this should not be a request that needs to be made by the Chamber and that the loss of revenue from the "free" meters should also not be paid by the Chamber (as it has been in the past). The Chamber of Commerce does not have all the businesses in the Boro as members, nor are most of the residents members. The parking issue affects the entire town. The Chamber should not pay from its members funds for this. Instead, since this is a great important thing that the residents and businesses feel they need (although there are plenty that would like to leave the current parking situation in place and not have free parking at the holidays), then you need to request this of the Boro Council who collect both a residential tax and business tax from everyone. In fact, all are welcome to the next Boro meeting on March 14th where this will be a topic and the Chamber proposal for the parking issue will be presented and ultimately decided on by the Boro. The meters turn over on the average of 6 to 8 times a day during the holidays. When the free parking is in place that goes down to 2 or 3 times a day. The fact is that the merchants and their employees take advantage of the free parking too. Some of whom park all day, leaving no chance for visitors that spend money to use the meters and have no place to park....some just leave. For the sake of all, we would like a better resolution. We are the Chamber of Commerce and want to facilitate this change, but we also need the support of the businesses and residents to aid us in this quest. So stop already with the complaining and work with us on the change.
     I have a ton of other information for all of you. Especially what we have accomplished in the past year and not just he new by-laws and the audit of books from the past two years, but also the fact that we have a new web-site, we are now working the Bucks County Conference & Visitor's Center, connecting with the local stations (CN-8, CBS, and PBS), The successful Arts and Crafts Festival, installing a computer system, creating an actual office space, many fund-raising activities (see WIN a Great Ride Raffle currently in progress), adding future corporate travel activities, arranging a new venue for the 4th of July celebration, New Hope Celebrate Pride Weekend, and many other ideas that we need your help in initiating.
     We are all volunteers and all have work and business responsibilities in addition to working in making New Hope a better place. The previous Board left us nothing to start with. Most of what we have accomplished this past year was from the ground up. We are still asking that any information that might be in possession of past membership be given to us for future use. Very little information was kept or organized in the past and it has made it difficult to re-create some of the past events and activities that would make our job easier. We encourage all of you to work with us and stop complaining. Those of you that have not joined the Chamber for various reasons or because of what you have recently read are also asked to sit-in at one of our monthly meetings or join one of our recently formed committees.
     I understand that the "YENTA" column is for letting out your frustrations, but it should also be for some of the truths that are out there to be heard. We have purposely not used the newspapers to make our points. We have been mis-quoted in the past and some of our articles have been edited to not contain the content that they originally had been written with. Again, there are no "secret backroom" meetings and we are all available for you if you have any concerns. Funny thing is that no one that is complaining has ever made any great attempt to contact us for discussion or to help us in accomplishing the tasks that could "fix" some of the problems.
     Join us and be part of the change. -Louis Licitra
PS: YENTA...thanks for this forum of discussion!..Please keep up the good work!....Louis Licitra

Letter to Yenta 02/27/06
Hey Yenta - Nothing is better in a small town like New Hope then for the open discussion of issues that are of concern to the residents and merchants who came to New Hope for just the things you have pointed out.
My own reasons for being here are the wonderful, diverse people who populate the berg and the funky businesses and wonderful restaurants, the river and the feeling that I can be who I am and damn the torpedoes. I'm living a dream I've had ever since my high school and college years by living here in my "senior" years. I've raised a child here and will probably croak here. I think that what you look at as "complaints" are merely a reflection of the diverse way that we all have of what we see our IDEAL New Hope. It's all part of the democratic process and we're lucky to live in a place where everyone's opinion is heard. The chamber and the council will always be there. The focus of these entities will change from time to time and yes, you're right Yenta - New Hope will always be here and I'm thankful for that. Let the games begin..... -The Old Beatnik

The Yenta Column 02/26/06

Well, it certainly is refreshing to see that even when the Yenta takes a break, everything stays the same!! Yes, day after day, year after year, complaint after complaint, it is the same.... folks like Uncle Charlie, Ye Ol' Beatnik, come and go...and the "beat" goes on...with or without them. New Hope remains a place that is ultimately beyond anyone's control --even Chamber and Council Big Fish. Those who think they are in control, ultimately are gone, those who seek control are ultimately gone also...and, those who come to town because they love her...are ultimately still here inspite of the attempts by a few to "have their way with her!"

Yes, it really is a great place!!

To Uncle Charlie and the Beatnik, did you really expect anything else from the Chamber? And to the Chamber...you know they are right!! Oh well...

To Bob and Pattie of Bowie, MD -- so glad you were able to see past the petty parking policy -- great, we can now refer to that as the "PPP"...not bad. You obviously caught the true spirit in spite of one of our cronically unfriendly policies. If it makes you feel any better, it's just as unfriendly to us as to you!

Cheers! Spring is just around the corner, AND New Hope is still a great place to visit, or live!!

The Yenta

Letter to Yenta 02/23/06
This letter is in response to Mr. Tom Rice's comments about Uncle Charlie's efforts to effect change to things he sees wrong in New Hope...specifically the Chamber of Commerce (CoC). Mr Rice is presently, I believe, the Vice Chairperson of the CoC and is running again soon to remain on the board in some capacity. I wish him luck. But it appears from all he has had to say in the past weeks about the hours he wants the businesses in town here to post and the way he wants us all to run our shops he probably should at least listen to what his own people are saying. Uncle Charlie, I believe, is already a CoC member and from what I can tell seems to be asking for nothing more than what your own bylaws are telling him he can ask for and besides, I have yet to read anywhere what agenda Uncle Charlie has at all in this matter other than asking that open elections be held. I am not a member of the CoC and from what Mr. Rice is telling us about the way things should be done, like not having these issues brought forward in a public forum rather in a face to face meeting in some room in town somewhere and calling Uncle Charlie, NOT a "gentleman", a coward and an "idiot" because he chooses the public forum of a newspaper rather than a back room seems to me like Mr. Rice doesn't know who his own members are at the least or doesn't like the ones he has at the most. Oh I forgot, all real business gets done in back rooms here in New Hope. I've actually been to one CoC general meeting, "held TWICE a year" and was told to not say anything and that I couldn't vote; just to sit there and see how things are done. I have been in business here in New Hope now for over three years and so far I have received NO invitations to join the CoC and for all I can tell I can't for the life of me see why I should or what the CoC has done for me or my business. By calling his own member an idiot, coward and an UNgentlemen, Mr. Rice only points out to those of us that don't belong to the CoC very good reasons to remain UNmembers. All I ask is that you learn to just get along and work towards what's best for business...what's wrong with free and open elections anyway? ...and besides what else is "the Yenta" but a free and open place TO Vent if you want? Venting is GOOD! -a concerned businessman of New Hope

Letter to Yenta 02/23/06
Yenta, this is a copy of letter first sent to you on 2/10/06, that seems to have been lost...I certainly hope that the Old Beatnik is wrong about the censorship thing, it seems that you print whatever crosses your desk....
Response..re: Uncle Charlie's recent letter ....rather than refute your letter point by point, I can only say that your letter reminds me of a Shakespeare quote,
".....a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more, it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing
Uncle Charlie, you need to dial down the rhetoric....you are certainly welcome, as is anyone, to come to general meetings (held at least TWICE a year)
Now that we have insulted each other, and that is over, perhaps you might like to sit down with a Chamber Board member or two and discuss your thoughts, as gentlemen should....you seem to think that you will accomplish your agenda with insults and innuendoes in public, rather than discuss problems in a calmer venue....Oh, I just spoke to Chamber President, it appears you don't wish to do that ... are you afraid to do that..... it seems you would rather vent than find a solution....shame...more would be accomplished by rational discussion ,Tom Rice

Letter to Yenta 02/21/06
Hi Yenta - Could be the spam filters. The mail server here has been inundated with increases in spam traffic the past few months (many 1000's/day) and the spam filters have been substantially tightened. This can produce a higher number of false positives. I just made a few configuration changes with respect the theyenta@newhopepa.com address to losen things some on that account. If not that, possibly the email address is being entered incorrectly. Presently, non-delivery report emails are not being sent by the mail server here to alert people when they have entered a bad address. One of the current spammer scams is to send email to know invalid addresses on a mail server and list the intended spam recipient as the sender (who then gets the non-delivery report - along with the spam). So, NDR's are temporairly turned off. Senders should check they are entering the yenta address correctly and maybe also put the word yenta in the subject line. Most all valid emails should be getting through. Should some folks still not see their post come up within a few days of sending, have them send you a plain text email with just the date and approx time they sent the original. You can then forward that to me and I'll check the spam filter logs to try & rule out the problem being at this end. More than you wanted to know - right? -webmanager

The Yenta 02/21/06
Ye Ol' Beatnik - Tis not the case, I assure you! Little of late has been received and that which has was posted. I'll check with the webmanager and see if there is any light to be shed from the mail server end. I got yours! I've been swamped of late, but not negligent! -The Yenta

Letter to the Yenta 02/21/06
Hey Yenta - You're not keeping up with the mail you've been getting and word is going around town that you are censoring what you are putting out there for public consumption. What's up? Fess up and put a stop to the rumors as you are the one true organ where "the people" can vent. - The Old Beatnik

Letter to Yenta 02/06/06
I’ve been told that the Greater New Hope Chamber of Commerce is having a general meeting in March, the first in quite some time and, astonishingly, will hold an election for senior officers during that meeting. Open, democratic elections are about as common at the Chamber as they are in Teheran, so don’t get your hopes up too high -- the election rules are arcane, and most Chamber members are being kept in the dark about the whole affair, let alone given the information needed to form slates of candidates or platforms. Let me be clear: we do not want the leadership of the area’s premier business organization to be chosen in a dark, smoke-filled back room yet again. The Brewery has had their turn. You’ve seen the results. We do not want the organization run by people who are afraid to make demands on our behalf to Borough Council. We need to throw out those who took away our free Christmas parking, who spout vague allusions to “marketing New Hope” without any experience, who don’t know what to do next and are trying to hide it. We need to have a Chamber run by someone from Hot Plates or Heart of the Home or the Wedgewood Inn or any place where people work their asses off seven days a week, not a conglomeration of second-tier chatchka shops and out of town services. If you care about New Hope and our business community, I urge you to call the Chamber, request the election rules, and consider running for office. Let’s take our Chamber of Commerce back!

-Uncle Charlie

Letter to Yenta 02/04/05
I'm glad those folks had an overall good time in town. The parking situation, though, is nothing new, and is one of the things that gives New Hope its growing reputation as a "tourist trap". If you are going to spend a whole day (and maybe part of the night) in town, consider one of the parking lots. They usually charge a flat rate for the whole day, and some allow you to leave & return on the same ticket during the day of purchase. It is worthwhile to check on the parking lot rates throughout the whole town as they can vary substantially. In my Opinion, there are few lots that are not within easy walking distance of the main tourist attractions and shopping areas. -JHB

Letter to Yenta 01/30/06
Recently my wife and I spent an enjoyable weekend in the New Hope/Lambertville area. The weather was wonderfully warm and made for a great day walking about. However……. The only negative comment, and was quite a surprise to us was the parking meter fiasco. I found out about New Hope from the internet and your website specifically; and yet not a single word was mentioned that I’d need a (large) pocket full of quarters to fill the meters all day AND night!. I found many of the retailers would part with a dollar at best, and sometimes only if you were buying something from them. Once the shops closed at 6:00pm it would have been even more difficult to keep the meter filled. We ended up driving over and spending the rest of the evening in Lambertville where the meter time was over at 6:00pm. It was also surprising, considering the meter policy to not have a change dispensing machine anywhere in town. Yes, the visitor center was happy to exchange paper for quarters, but it was at the opposite end of where we parked. Had there been a simple statement in your website I could have easily brought along enough for the weekend instead of having to go back and forth at least three times to refill the meter. And please replace the old fashion mechanical timed meters. The one I had (behind the police department) went through one quarter (20 minutes) in 11 minutes!! I actually timed it. But enough negative.
We were pleased to see the town so “dog friendly” and in both New Hope and Lambertville at night, having the opportunity to wander around a small town, and NOT feel like we were at any risk of being accosted was a wonderful feeling and made the evening experience far more delightful. Living in the Washington/Baltimore suburbs, sadly this is an experience long since forgotten.
Anyway, you have a terrific little town and despite the parking meters we had a great time. We stayed at Art’s Fox and House B&B and it was every bit as advertised.

Regards……….. Bob & Patti Williams - Bowie, MD

Letter to Yenta 01/24/06
Be aware.Local bars are being profiled for the DUI banquet given to the towns to generate revenue.Easier to chase a DUI then a bank robber or menacing felon.They are especially targeting the Raven.Entrapment you say.Maybe the States Attorney General should take a peek.

Letter to Yenta 01/17/06
I think its pretty interesting that the biggest complaint about the New Hope Chamber of Commerce is that they didn't get the meters bagged for the holidays for the benefit of the shoppers and the businesses in town. It has been said that the Chamber didn't ask the Borough to do this. Maybe that is so, but isn't that a lot like asking your parents to buy you something nice to put under your tree? Why does the Chamber every year have to ask at all? I think this has been going on long enough every year that there should be some automatic mechanism to get this simple task done without having to ask anyone anything. An answer to this would be to have the Borough just seat a Chamber Representative on their Board and show that they DO seem to care a bit about the non-voting businesses in this town but maybe they like having to be asked for things. Happy New Year to "more of the same". -MUG man

Letter to Yenta 01/11/06
The date of the next Canal Clean Up is Saturday, April l8, 2006. Help is needed for all sections of the canal. For further information call 215.862.2021. Thank you

Letter to Yenta 01/06/06
Do not blame Borough Council for the non-bagging of meters during the Xmas season. The Chamber did not request it. Maybe next year.

Letter to Yenta 01/05/06
Hey - great idea to combine the New Hope and Solebury police. That could be an incredible saving for the town coffers. On another subject, let's get over who "owns" the cannon and monument at the town center. The Logan Inn is nice enough to decorate the tree and if I remember correctly, supply hot chocolate and cider. The tree is in the center of town and should be the "TOWN TREE". As for Marsha Brown and her bell - who cares. I'd like to see the parking spaces she took available to who ever gets there first.
How about some lighting so you can read the digital parking meters. Ms Witte you are right on the mark AGAIN...
Let's not forget to support the New Hope galleries that will be kicking off the First Saturday events this month And finally - I did almost all of my Christmas shopping in New Hope again this year - BUT I PARKED IN LAMBERTVILLE 'CAUSE IT WAS FREE.... A Happy New Year to all.... - The Old Beatnik

Letter to Yenta 01/01/06
Thank you for the church bells coming from the tower at Marsha Browns. They sounded great and added immeasurably to the charm of New Hope. How could anyone possibly object to them? But they did, as you would have heard if you attended Borough Council meetings. Try to attend the once monthly meetings. They are an eye opener.

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