Many appointed at Clarks Summit reorganization meeting

CLARKS SUMMIT — During January’s council reorganization meeting Jan. 3, Judge Julia Munley swore in council president Gerrie Carey, who has been on council for 25 years.

She then swore in council vice president Josh Mitchell and council member Roni Lopez-Thomas. Monsignor Michael Delaney, of Our Lady of Snows Church, read a blessing.

Munley swore in Herman Johnson as mayor. Council voted to appoint Carey as president, Mitchell as vice president, and councilman Bob Sheils as president pro tempore.

Other appointments include:

• Jim Kline as vacancy board chair

• Mariclaire Hayes as general solicitor

• Mitchell to the Abington Area Joint Recreation Board

• Bill Burnell to the planning commission

• John Jeffrey to the zoning hearing board

• Geoff Brock to the second position of zoning hearing board

• Paul Murphy to the Abington Regional Wastewater Authority

• Molly Philbin to the Shade Tree Commission

• Mark Taffera to the Shade Tree Commission

• Joe Guzek to the IPMC appeal board

• Ben Pisanchyn to the Lackawanna TCC

• Virginia Kehoe to the second position of Lackawanna TCC

• Artie Frank as EMA (Emergency Management Agency) director

• Kehoe as manager/secretary

• Jenn Basalyga as part•time assistant secretar

• Sarah Lodwick as treasurer

• Basalyga as code enforcement/zoning officer

• Chris Yarns as police chief

• Gary Wilding as sewerage enforcement officer

• Joe O’Brien as labor solicitor

• Bob Sheils, Jr. as zoning hearing board solicitor

• Michael Cowley as planning commission solicitor

• Dougherty, Murphy, & Co. as borough auditor

• Colwell Naegele as borough engineer

The regular meeting began immediately afterwards.

In his police report, Yarns announced that the police department will start utilizing body cameras on March 2.

In other business, Mitchell said that he met with representatives of South Abington Township and Waverly Township. He mentioned that they haven’t approved their letters of intent because they want to meet with the Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED) for more information. he said that a DECED peer consultant, who is a police chief of Chester County, spoke to him about how to invite Clarks Green to the study. He said that South Abington Township would invite Newton and Ransom townships, and Waverly Township would invite Glenburn and North Abington Township. Mitchell explained that the data from each municipality will be collected and will be part of the study. He explained that the formula is going to tell each of them what they have to pay.

“From my perspective, I think that makes sense,” he said.

Mitchell said that the next step is to invite Clarks Green to participate. Councilman Dave Jenkins asked whose idea it was to invite municipalities to a regional police force. Mitchell replied that their data is going to be needed to be part of a study.

“In all likelihood, they’re (municipalities) are going to be covered by a regionalized force,” he said. “So you don’t want to run all these formulas not accounting for these residents, not counting for these miles of road that are going to be needed to be covered by a regionalized force.” Jenkins said that he agreed with Mitchell.

“It’s either going to be us or reorganization, or they’re (municipalities) going to end up going with state police,” he said. “And at some point in time, the state police is going to have to sit back and re-evaluate all these little situations with providing coverage for everybody, and all of a sudden, the price is going to go up.”

Mitchell said that it’s a data-driven process.

“There are formulas used to determine how many offices you need based on national benchmarks,” he said.

Mitchell said that the municipalities can refuse regionalized police force. But he still recommended to invite municipalities to a study to have the best recommendations.

In other business, council voted to approve Resolution 2022-01, which is the disposition of surplus personal property.

Council will have the work session on Wednesday, Jan. 26. It will be virtual.