To the Editor:
I write this letter to endorse Mayor Sean Strub for re-election on Nov. 2. I am a registered Republican running for Borough Council on both the Democratic and Republican lines, having received both nominations in the primary last spring. Full disclosure: Sean’s sister is my partner but, independent of that relationship, I believe Sean is by far the best candidate for mayor.
I have owned a home in Milford Borough since 2019, and it is now, happily, my permanent residence. Living here, hardly a day goes by when I am not reminded of the tremendous impact Sean has had and has on this community. That includes the renovation of the Hotel Fauchere, which gave the borough’s tourism-based economy a huge boost, his restoration or renovation of more than a dozen other properties in the Borough, and his service as chair of the Milford Enhancement Committee, which has funded nearly $7 million in streetscape improvements over the past 20 years.
Sean also played instrumental roles in the creation of the film, music, literary and opera festivals that have so greatly enriched our cultural opportunities. Sean has been a tireless advocate for the safety and health of Borough residents. That starts with his remarkable leadership of the Milford Police Department, from recruiting Chief McCormack, to overseeing an update of the standard operating procedures, improving training, making sure all police cars have Narcan to counteract overdoses and so many other improvements. I have worked with Sean directly on the Borough’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, as a cofounder of the Milford Covid Relief Fund, which has donated over $70,000 to non-profits helping to address the challenges Covid presented to both businesses and individuals in the borough.
I am an infectious disease specialist and was glad to help Sean with a multi-faceted media campaign to make sure scientifically accurate information in a fast-changing pandemic was available on a timely basis. That includes creating the Milford Covid Volunteer Task Force Facebook page, weekly radio segments, media coverage, multiple “Ask the Doctor” Zoom sessions (hosted by Sean), a listserve and responding to, literally, hundreds of individual requests for information about testing, vaccination and treatment. In collaboration with the Pike County Commissioners, Joe Dooley and multiple other volunteers, we held multiple Covid-19 vaccination clinics in the borough.
Sean is a role model of public service, motivating me and so many of our neighbors to volunteer, be it for the Bill Kiger Community Cleanup Day, the annual Milford Welcome Party, Pike! Opera! Park!, or so many other initiatives that make Milford a great place to live. Some have questioned whether I am a “real” Republican because I have not endorsed Sean’s Republican opponent. I direct them to an interview she gave to an extremist Congressional candidate that was posted on Facebook. In that interview, she participated in attacking me, my professional integrity, my loved ones and our borough itself, grinning as Milford was repeatedly called “a cesspool.” It was, quite frankly, a vile example of everything that is wrong about politics today.
Needless to say, I would not endorse anyone who acts in such an un-Christian, un-neighborly and uncivil manner. Incivility and extreme partisanship is tearing this country apart. I urge everyone to reject the divisive politics being pursued by Sean’s opponent as well as by extreme factions on either side of the political spectrum.
Lastly, the approach against me taken by Sean’s opponent reflects a truly staggering lack of judgment and questionable temperament that no one should want overseeing the Milford Police Department, which is the mayor’s primary responsibility. Milford Borough is a wonderful place to live, a place I proudly call home, in large part thanks to the efforts and leadership of Mayor Sean Strub. I urge you to vote to re-elect him on Nov. 2.
Doug Manion, MD
Milford