Video: Candidates Forum: Brady Appleman

On Oct. 19, candidates for Phoenixville Borough Council headed to for a candidate forum.

In the days leading up to the Nov. 8 municipal election, we'll present video of each candidate's answers. Each candidate responded to four questions dealing with topics like crime, downtown revitalization, traffic, parking, infrastructure and more. Dr. Lou Beccaria of the served as moderator of the event.

The candidates had time to prepare answers to the questions before the forum.

First up, going in alphabetical order, is Brady Appleman. Watch the above video for his responses.

Name: Brady Appleman

Party: Republican

Ward: East

Opponent: Michael Speck (i)

Forum Summary: Appleman answered questions on quality of life, infrastructure and codes, traffic and downtown revitalization.

Quality of Life

Appleman gave Phoenixville an eight out of 10 for quality of life, saying the borough "has a lot to offer," with a good park system.

He said an improvement would be more events to bring in younger people to the borough.

"To sustain the borough I think you need to reinvigorate the population with younger people," Appleman said during Wednesday's forum.

Infrastructure

Responding to a question on infrastructure and borough codes, Appleman said there are "no glaring problems" with the infrastructure currently.

"One thing that bothers me is the diner that's stored on Starr Street," Appleman said, calling the Vale Rio Diner "a safety hazard" that should be removed.

"I don't understand why it was ever able to be put there to begin with," Appleman said.

He went on to say that aesthetically, the diner "presents poorly" to people coming into Phoenixville, but most importantly Appleman stressed that the diner in its current state could be a safety issue for children.

"If a child were to get hurt, then everyone would be up in arms about that," Appleman said.

Traffic

Appleman explained that he works from home, so he travels through the borough at various times throughout the day.

"I don't think that there's a major traffic problem in the borough," Appleman said. 

The question dealt with possible solutions, as well, and Appleman said there wasn't much he felt the borough could do to alleviate traffic because the problem is the exit routes such as the bridge to Mont Clare and Route 23. Additionally, these are state, not borough, roads, Appleman said.

He said he didn't look at traffic as a problem because other towns would like to have the congestion as it brings people to the downtown area.

Revitalization of the Downtown

Responding to a question on how downtown revitalization and development are progressing, Appleman said it's doing very well, especially considering the current economic conditions.

Noting that he grew up in Norristown, he said the downtown districts of Norristown and Phoenixville are "like night and day."

Development on the steel site has been constrained by the economy, according to Appleman, and he said that while he hears complaints about too many restaurants downtown, he disagrees.

"I think it's great that we're getting known as a restaurant town," Appleman said.

Stay tuned for responses from the other eight candidates running for the five open seats on Phoenixville Borough Council.