Dear 6th Ward voter, My name is Ronald O’Connor. I would like to be your next commissioner. Let me tell you a little about myself. I was born in Bryn Mawr Hospital and raised in Haverford Township. I graduated from St. Denis grade school. I attended & graduated Archbishop Carroll High School in Radnor. After high school I attended ATC (Automotive Training Center) in Exton Pa. for two years. Completing courses in Automotive & Diesel technology. I am currently employed as an ASE Master technician. I moved to the 6th ward in 1990, when I purchased a house at 2608 Chestnut Avenue. That address is my current residence. I am married to my wife Laura for 13 years. We have two children Katelyn & Ronnie, both attend St.Denis school. We have a little dog named Jack. One of my most satisfying and proud accomplishments is being a youth coach for the Haverford AC’s. A project I got involved in back in 1990. The President of the league came to me and asked (more or less told me) that I was coaching a team. I had little baseball experience, I did play in the Haverford AC league growing up, as well as a very short stint with St. Denis, (I got cut). I did not have any formal training in child psychology etc. ( Who needs that) . That first year, the team I coached won the championship beating out 6 other teams. I was hooked. 20 years later I am still volunteering my time as a coach For the Haverford AC’s. I have become Vice president of the league, thru good times & bad I am proud to be involved with the major independent baseball league catering primarily to the 6th ward youth. Throughout the years I have met many families of the 6th ward and can say I have never had a bad experience!! Again with youth sports you always hear horror stories about parents etc. Again I reiterate, I have never had a bad experience in 20 years. That speaks volumes for the community we live in. Another thing I am proud of is my tireless work ethic. One proof of this is right before your eyes. This very web page I created myself. I took the time to take a class this late winter/early spring at Haverford Adult School. To develop a Web page. Geared toward the 6th Ward. To give you news, keep you informed & even introduce you to new, & currently established business in the 6th. I know at the moment the page may look plain, but I assure you with time, patience & practice it will be successful.. I chose to do it myself as to not to rely & depend on a 3rd party. I believe if you want it done right, do it yourself. My main concerns for the 6th ward & Haverford Township in general is quality of life. Being so close to the city, I worry that we may fall victim to an urban mentality. We should not settle for this. It bothers me when I see graffiti. Or read about assaults such as what happened at Chesnutwold a few years back. I will be an advocate for a strong police presence in the 6th, all the time. Not just after an incident happens, then it is too late. I will and always have been an advocate for strict adherence to the traffic laws. Growing up and driving as a youth in Haverford Township, I remember what it was like to be pulled over for stop sign violations , not coming to a full stop at a stop sign, speeding, & driving with a taillight out!! Yes I paid dearly. I would like to see those days back. For our safety & the safety of our children. Being involved in a youth sports organization, I see the need to keep our youth occupied. I see the need for recreation. The need for parks, the maintenance of parks the overall value of open space. The environment. I am all in favor of a strong successful recycling program. I am conservative, therefore I desire to CONSERVE!! Also my experience as an Automotive Technician puts me on the front line of the battle for clean air. I am on the cutting edge with fuels, air conditioning gases (Freon) and Hybrid technology. I would like to see & am currently studying alcohol fuels. You can make alcohol out of anything so I would like to see that in our future. I do realize as a commissioner I have little to say how the world powers itself however.
Your Concerns are my concerns.
Thank you for your time & interest
Contact me