I have taken so long to write about this, because I needed the time to sort out my feelings about [Bill Scott and Carolyn Comitta] as people, and weigh that against my understanding of what the Borough needs from its mayor. ...I am casting my vote for Bill Scott at Tuesday's primary.

Read On My Mind (May 15) below (key points) to learn why Borough Council member Jim Jones chose Bill Scott and why ...the kind of confrontation that Scott is willing to offer [will] make a great mayor for West Chester. And visit Jim at WCJIM.COM.

On My Mind (May 15) by Jim Jones

As numerous people have pointed out to me, I can not claim to comment on important Borough issues without saying something about the Democratic mayoral primary. As everyone probably knows by now, there are two people competing for the nomination, and no Republican has surfaced to challenge the winner in November. That means next Tuesday's vote will determine the next mayor of West Chester, so there's no doubt that the issue is important enough to deserve comment.

I have known Bill Scott since 1997 when he ran for his first term on Borough Council, and I have known Carolyn Comitta since 2005 when she ran for Council during my own campaign for mayor. I have worked with both of them, I like both of them, and I don't want to hurt the feelings of either of them. That's why I have taken so long to write about this, because I needed the time to sort out my feelings about them as people, and weigh that against my understanding of what the Borough needs from its mayor.

For the past fifteen and a half years, the Borough has had two men serve as mayors who focused on acting as advocates for the police department. The police department needs an advocate because its officers operate at the vortex of a complex web of forces, both criminal and political, and sometimes have to make decisions on a split second's notice. That is why their training is so intense, and why having an advocate is a good thing. There are times when police officers need someone who understands the pressures they face and can explain their decisions to the public.

But the mayor is also expected to serve as an advocate for the public when it has questions or concerns about the activities of the police department. That is ultimately the more difficult task, since it requires reading spreadsheets, studying reports, and developing trusting relationships with police administrators so that they can receive questions and suggestions without taking offense. The task is made difficult by the fact that police department activities generate an extraordinary amount of data and because officers know that mayors come and go. If a mayor presses too hard in an unpleasant direction, it is always possible to wait him or her out.

With all of that in mind, I am casting my vote for Bill Scott at Tuesday's primary. His long experience on Borough Council as well as his eagerness to go beyond what was required — by participating in neighborhood activities, "showing his face" around town, and supporting events throughout the Borough — have given him an understanding of the personalities and issues that face our community. Please note: Bill and I have often disagreed, but he is always well informed and ready to hear a well-reasoned counter-argument. On more than one occasion, I have been able to change his mind, and on other occasions, he has done the same to me.

Former mayor Clifford DeBaptiste, the Republican who served from 1996 to 2001, was quoted in yesterday's Daily Local News to the effect that "compared to Comitta, Scott would make a very confrontational mayor." What the article failed to mention was that Scott, along with many other people, confronted DeBaptiste — who otherwise did a pretty good job as mayor — because of his ties to a group of landlords who fought every effort to get them to clean up their act. Fortunately for the Borough, Scott and his supporters prevailed. If that's the kind of confrontation that Scott is willing to offer, he'll make a great mayor for West Chester.

— Jim Jones, Borough Council Member, Sixth Ward