Last night we received reports about robo calls being received asking whether you are for or against the proposed Wawa (download full proposal).  I spoke with a representative of the Conshohocken Revitalization Alliance this morning who confirmed they were behind the calls and said that the purpose of the survey was to gauge public opinion.  According to the CRA the survey results were 51% for the proposed Wawa and 49% against.  The survey had a participation of 20%, which is way above the industry standard of 5%.  That shows the level of interest of this issue.

Next week we are going to publish a breakdown of all the various meetings with dates, times and locations of  where this issue will be discussed.  It actually has to be discussed by several entities, including one at the county level.

If you have followed this story since it began in 2010, one of the speakers at the public forum that was adamantly against the proposal was Rob Devitis. Devitis is the leader of the Conshohocken Bears, the local youth football program. Within the proposal, a letter is provided by Devitis stating his support of the proposal.  While Devitis refers to his past concerns about increased traffic due to the kids using the fields, he makes no mention of the potential loss of concessions.  While I always thought the potential loss of concessions was an argument that made zero sense, it was utilized in the initial wave of marketing materials distributed by the anti-Wawa forces.  I emailed Devitis asking about this and I also asked if Wawa has committed to a sponsorship of the program.

You may also remember that Wawa had a presence at the last Soap Box Derby.  Also among the letters of support was one from Mark Marine who heads up the annual event.  I also sent an email to Marine asking what was Wawa’s support in 2012 and what, if any, future commitments have been made.

Now don’t start beating up on me for asking these questions.  Both of these organizations are great.  But, by submitting a letter of support on the organization’s letterhead, they interjected their organizations into the debate and the scrutiny that comes with that.

Full disclosure, through a communications firm, MoreThanTheCurve.com has been paid $2,100.00 for advertisements that support the proposed Wawa.  Through another communications firm, MoreThanTheCurve.com has been paid $1,000.00 for advertisements that support the Conshohocken Revitalization Alliance.