HONESDALE, PA — The race for the office of the mayor of Honesdale this year features the same candidates who ran two years ago. Current Mayor Melody Robinson is running on the Democratic line against Sarah Canfield, who is running on the Republican line. Canfield said she is running again because she lost by only 76 votes last time around, and in her view many residents of the borough want her to become mayor.

The current mayor’s term has been marked by tension regarding the Honesdale Borough Police Department (HBPD). Asked if she has been micromanaging the department, Robinson said, “Any suggestion that I’ve been micromanaging couldn’t be farther from the truth. As mayor I’m given statutory authority over the department but have not been involved in the day-to-day operations of HBPD in the slightest. Even more to the contrary, I’ve done nothing but look out for the best interests of our borough’s public safety from the moment I took office. The friction you speak of only exists to serve the interests of a misaligned few who have made it their mission to attack and undermine the efforts of not only the borough police but the borough as a whole.”

On the topic of the police department, Canfield said, “I feel that the borough police need some guidance; they need a helper, not a leader, because that’s the chief’s job. That’s not the mayor’s job. I believe that the mayor is to be a liaison between the police and the council and not be their ‘boss.’”

Each was asked her position on more full-time police officers. Robinson wrote, “In order to have full shift coverage it’s imperative we consider adding full-time officers. At the same time, we’re going to have to find a way to pay for it without saddling taxpayers with an unfair burden. So many residents are on fixed incomes and should not have to suffer as a result of poor stewardship of public monies by select previous borough councils.

“A strong police presence is what has deterred crime and kept our streets safe over the years, and to do away with the borough department, as one individual alluded to, is concerning beyond all belief.”

Canfield said, “I would like to see more full-time officers, but the current budget doesn’t really allow that. So if I become mayor I’m hoping to work toward getting grants and funding to help get more police officers.”

Asked about other important issues facing the county, Robinson wrote, “We’re in sore need of additional employers who can provide family-sustaining wages to complement the businesses that are the lifeblood of the community. In order to attract those businesses, we need to work together toward a common goal and be problem solvers, not problem makers. A great deal has been said about the borough’s reputation in the region as one of infighting within government, personal and political vendettas and frivolous lawsuits lodged against good people just trying to do the right thing.

“This election, above all, is the most important issue at this time because the residents can choose to continue down a path of good governance or return to the dysfunctional ways that got us in this mess.”

Canfield said, “I believe that the council is not listening to the public, is not listening to the borough residents who put then in office as council. I think that if council listened to the residents a little more, maybe we could get a little bit more done and there wouldn’t be as much fighting and bickering as there is now.”