Board of Commissioners: James Brown, President 1714 Crownwood Street 610-791-7993 Ward 4 Term Expires: 1/1/14 Robert Martucci Jr. Vice-President 1763 New York Avenue 610-797-9798 Ward 1 Term Expires: 1/1/12 Norma Cusick 535 E. Emmaus Avenue Ward 3 610-791-2738 nacusick@rcn.com Term Expires: 1/1/12 Joanne Ackerman 2572 Green Acres Drive 610-432-3067 Ward 5 Term Expires: 1/1/12 James Seagreaves 1532 Maumee Avenue 610-791-1841 Ward 2 Term Expires: 1/1/14 Treasurer: Mrs. Linda Minger, 2320 Honeysuckle Road Phone: 610-791-3290 Term Expires: 1/1/14 James Brown new board president Robert Martucci Jr. chosen vice president at township commissioners' reorganization By PAUL WILLISTEIN The new Salisbury Board of Commissioners was installed at the Jan. 4, 2010, reorganization meeting in the township Municipal Building meeting room. Re re-elected and newly-elected commissioners were sworn in and board officers were elected. From left: Commissioner Vice President Robert Martucci Jr., Commissioner Norma Cusick, Commissioner President James Brown, Commissioner Joanne Ackerman and Commissioner James Seagreaves. Salisbury Township Commissioner James Brown is the new president of the township board of commissioners. Commissioner Robert Martucci Jr. is the new vice president of the board. Brown, previously board vice president, and Martucci, holding a board-elected post for the first time, were elected by unanimous 5-0 votes at the Jan. 4 reorganization meeting. The meeting was held on a Monday night because of a Commonwealth board reorganization deadline. Also, Jan. 4, Brown, re-elected from Ward 4, was sworn into office by District Judge Anthony G. Rapp Jr., as were new commissioners James Seagreaves, representing Ward 2, and Joanne Ackerman, representing Ward 5. Brown, a Republican, ran unopposed for re-election in the 2008 primary and general election. Seagreaves, a Democrat, ran unopposed for election in the primary and general election. Seagreaves succeeds Larry J. Unger, a Democrat and former commissioners' president, who chose not to run for re-election after serving for two decades on the board. Unger cited managerial responsibilities of a new job with a financial institution in the Lehigh Valley. Ackerman, a Democrat, defeated Dominic Giles, a Republican appointed to represent Ward 5 after last May's resignation of Mary Yoder, a Republican, who moved to Bethlehem following her marriage. The board is now three Democrats (Ackerman, Seagreaves, and Martucci, Ward 1, and two Republicans (Brown and Norma Cusick, Ward 3). Previously, the board had three Republicans and two Democrats. Township Treasurer Linda Minger ran unopposed and was re-elected. Commissioner Cusick made the motion to nominate Brown for president. She also made the motion to close nominations for president. Cusick made the motion to nominate Martucci as vice president. Seagreaves seconded the nomination. Cusick moved to close the nominations for vice-president. Cusick was elected 5-0 as board president pro-tempore. Martucci made the motion to nominate Cusick. Ackerman seconded the nomination. Martucci closed the nominations. The president pro tempore fills in, in the absence of the board president and vice president, in running commissioners' meetings. Township Manager Randy Soriano was re-elected 5-0 as board secretary. Cusick made the motion to reappoint Soriano. Martucci seconded the motion. Assistant Township Manager-Finance Director Cathy Bonaskiewich was re-elected 5-0 as assistant township secretary. Cusick made the motion to reappoint Bonaskiewich. Ackerman seconded the motion. Commissioners voted 5-0 to reappoint Hanover Engineering Associates as alternate township Engineer. Cusick made the motion and Martucci seconded it. Commissioners voted 5-0 to table the appointment of John Burkhardt as sewage enforcement officer and of an alternate sewage enforcement officer. Cusick made the motion to table the appointment and Martucci seconded it. Commissioners voted 5-0 to reappoint three planning commissioner members, each to four-year terms. Richard Hassick represents Ward 1. Martucci nominated Hassick. Cusick seconded the motion. William Licht represents Ward 1 as the alternate. Martucci nominated Licht. Cusick seconded the motion. Keith Snyder represents Ward 4. Brown nominated Snyder. Cusick seconded the motion. Cusick thanked Edward Minger for his long service on the Zoning Hearing Board, but said she wanted to give other residents a chance to serve on the board and didn't reappoint him. Instead, Cusick nominated Todd Laudenschlager, representing Ward 3, to a five-year term on the zoning board. Martucci seconded the nomination. Commissioners voted 5-0 to appoint Laudenschlager. Commissioners voted 5-0 to appoint Scott Walker, representing Ward 2, to a six-year term on the Civil Service Commission. Seagreaves nominated Walker. Martucci seconded the nomination. Commissioner Ackerman thanked JoAnne Kraft, representing Ward 5, for her service on the Civil Service Commission. Ackerman said she is in need of applicants who would want to serve on the commission. Ashley was to determine if a resident from outside Ward 5 could be appointed if no applicant can be found from that ward. Commissioners voted 5-0 to table the appointment. Ackerman made the motion to table the appointment. Martucci seconded it. Seagreaves thanked Dallas Heckman, representing Ward 2, for serving on the Vacancy Board. He has not received applicants for the one-year term on the board. The board voted 5-0 to table the appointment. Seagreaves made the motion to table the appointment. Cusick seconded it. Commissioners voted 5-0 to reappoint Bruce Burchard to a three-year term on the Environmental Advisory Council. Martucci made the motion to re-appoint Burchard. Cusick seconded it. Seagreaves said he received two applications for an appointment to a five-year term on the Recreation Advisory Committee and spoke with both applicants. Seagreaves thanked Randy Moyer for his past service Seagreaves nominated Antonella DiMatteo. Ackerman seconded the motion. Commissioners voted 5-0 to appoint DiMatteo. At the Jan. 14 township meeting, the Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners voted to reappoint Atty. John W. Ashley as solicitor and David J. Tettemer as engineer. Commissioners voted 3-2 in separate votes Jan. 14 to reappoint Ashley and Tettemer. The voting for each appointment was identical. Voting for the reappointments were Commissioner President James Brown, Commissioner Vice President Robert Martucci Jr. and Commissioner James Seagreaves. Voting against the reappointments were Commissioners Norma Cusick and Joanne Ackerman. In separate motions, Martucci nominated and Seagreaves seconded the motions to vote on Ashley and Tettemer. Prior to the votes reappointing Ashley and Tettemer, motions were made to vote on other law and engineering firms. Cusick nominated and Ackerman seconded a motion to appoint King, Spry, Herman, Freund & Faul as township solicitor. The motion was defeated 3-2. Voting against the appointment were Brown, Martucci and Seagreaves. Voting for the appointment were Cusick and Ackerman. Cusick nominated and Ackerman seconded a motion to appoint Spotts Stevens & McCoy as township engineer. The motion was defeated 3-2. Voting against the appointment were Brown, Martucci and Seagreaves. Voting for the appointment were Cusick and Ackerman. Commissioners voted 5-0 at the Jan. 4 reorganization meeting to table a vote on the appointments of township solicitor and engineer. Commissioners met 6 p.m. Jan. 11 to review requests for proposals from several law and engineering firms. The meeting concluded at about 10 p.m. Three commissioners, Cusick, Martucci and Ackerman, were present. Two commissioners, Brown and Seagreaves, were absent. Brown and Seagreaves said they were each comfortable voting Jan. 14, even though they did not attend the Jan. 11 presentations because they were provided summaries of the presentations. Presentations for the township solicitor post were made by the firms of Fonzone & Ashley; King, Spry, Herman, Freund & Faul; and Tallman, Hudders & Sorrentino. Ashley is a partner in Fonzone & Ashley. Presentations for the engineering post were made by the firms of Spotts Stevens & McCoy; Hanover Engineering Associates; Ott Consulting, Inc.; Benchmark Civil Engineering Services, Inc.; and Keystone Consulting Engineering, Inc. Tettemer works for Keystone Consulting Engineering, Inc. At the Jan. 4 meeting, Cusick made and Martucci seconded motions to table the appointment of township solicitor and engineer. Commissioners voted 5-0 at the Jan. 14 meeting to: Reappoint Todd C. Bushta as township independent auditor at a $12,000 stipend; Reappoint John Burkhardt as township Sewage Enforcement Office; Reappoint Hanover Engineering Associates as township SEO alternate; Appoint Samuel Darrohn for an unexpired term, through Jan. 1, 2012, representing Ward 5, to the Civil Service Commission; and Appoint Randall Moyer to a one-year term, the Vacancy Board. During the Jan. 14 workshop, township officials discussed moving up the starting time of the twice-monthly board of commissioners from 7:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Meetings would still be held the second and fourth Thursdays. This article was reprinted, with permission, from the Jan. 13 and 20 editions of the Salisbury Press. Press Photo By Paul Willistein. This photo was reprinted, with permission, from the Jan. 20 edition of the Salisbury Press. Swearing in Ceremonies 1/4/10 Swearing In - The Honorable Anthony Rapp, District Judge, presides while Commissioners-Elect James Brown, James Seagreaves and Joanne Ackerman take the Oath of Office. Left-right: Commissioners Cusick, Martucci, Brown, Seagreaves, Ackerman