January 5, 2016

DelCo Council and DA take oath of office

DelCo Council and DA take oath of office

Three members of Delaware County Council – Vice Chair Colleen P. Morrone, John P. McBlain and Michael F. Culp – were sworn in to begin four-year terms on Council at an Induction Ceremony Jan. 4, along with District Attorney John J. Whelan.

President Judge Chad F. Kenney presided over the ceremony at 10 a.m. on Jan. 4 in The Honorable John V. Diggins Ceremonial Courtroom at the historic Delaware County Courthouse.

After the Induction Ceremony, County Council held its organization meeting where Chairman Mario J. Civera Jr. and Vice Chairman Morrone were reelected to their positions. Marianne Grace was reappointed executive director for another two-year term.

At the ceremony, Morrone was administered the oath of office by Court of Common Pleas Judge Richard M. Cappelli; her introduction was by Dominic Pileggi, chairman of the Concord Township Board of Supervisors; the presentation of the Certificate of Election was done by Hugh A. Donaghue, and the Bible was held by her husband, Anthony, and their children, Katherine, Joseph and Brynn.

McBlain’s oath was administered by Judge Michael F.X. Coll. His introduction was by his mother, Helen M. McBlain; the presentation of the Certificate of Election was done by his children, Tara, Claire and Grace; and the Bible was held by his wife, Barbara.

Culp’s oath was administered by Judge Anthony B. Scanlon. His introduction was by Michael V. Puppio Jr.; the presentation of the Certificate of Election was done by his children, Ryan, Lexi and Colin; and the Bible was held by his wife, Nicole, and their children.

Whelan was administered the Oath of Office by Judge Gregory M. Mallon. His introduction was by Robert J. Willert, president of the Ridley Township Board of Commissioners; the presentation of the Certificate of Election was done by his daughter, Courtney Whelan, a senior at Catholic University of America; and the Bible was held by his wife, Peg, and their children, Kyle, Courtney, Colin and Ryan.

The invocation and the benediction for the ceremony were given by Rev. Robert P. Hagan, associate athletics director at Villanova University.

At an afternoon induction ceremony, Judge Anthony Scanlon, Margaret J. Amoroso and Pa. Sen. Dominic F. Pileggi took the oath of office as judges on the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas.

(Photo: With their friends, family and colleagues packing The Honorable John V. Diggins Ceremonial Courtroom at the Delaware County Courthouse, District Attorney Jack Whelan, left, took the oath of office along with Delaware County Council members John McBlain, Michael Culp and Vice Chair Colleen Morrone. They are all beginning four-year terms in office.)

 

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Pocopson supervisors make county history

Pocopson Township Supervisors Alice Balsama (from left), Elaine DiMonte, and Ricki Stumpo comprise the first all-female board in Chester County.

Pocopson Township quietly made Chester County history on Monday, Jan. 4.

Township Secretary Susan Simone, who is also a notary, administered the oath of office to incoming supervisors Alice J. Balsama and Elaine DiMonte. They joined incumbent Ricki Stumpo, creating the county’s first all-female board of supervisors.

During a collegial, 50-minute reorganization meeting attended by fewer than 10 residents, Stumpo was elected chair, and DiMonte, vice-chair. All three said they were looking forward to working together.

The supervisors typically meet on the second and fourth Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. However, because of Monday night’s state-mandated reorganization meeting, the supervisors will not convene on Jan. 11. The board’s next scheduled meeting will be Jan. 25.

During the reorganization, the supervisors voted to reappoint township employees as well as assorted consultants, representatives, and members of various township boards and committees, a litany that ranged from tax collectors to solicitors.

Emergency service providers will continue to be Longwood and Po-Mar-Lin fire companies and Longwood Ambulance. Troopers from the Avondale barracks of the Pennsylvania State Police will again provide police protection.

Balsama will serve as the supervisors’ liaison to the Historical Committee and the Planning Commission. DiMonte will work with the Stream Team, Deer Management Committee and the PennDOT Highway Project while Stumpo will oversee the Park Recreation and Trails Committee, Founders Day Committee, and Public Works and Roads.

 

 

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

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New supervisor, solicitor and engineer in Chadds Ford

New supervisor, solicitor and engineer in Chadds Ford

Chadds Ford Township supervisors appointed Michael Maddren to replace Hugh Donaghue as township solicitor during their Jan. 4 organization meeting.

Donaghue told the board in November that he no longer wanted to serve. Maddren had been the township’s alternate solicitor.

Additionally, the board named Michael Schneider, of Pennoni Associates, as township engineer. Schneider had been the engineer for the Chadds Ford Planning Commission.

The appointments were announced after Samantha Reiner and Noelle Barbone were sworn in as supervisors. Both were elected in November.

Barbone thanked the voters of Chadds Ford for their confidence in her and said she would do her best to represent the township.

Reiner, who was initially appointed last year to serve out Keith Klaver’s unexpired term, said she and Barbone pledged to serve with “robust accountability” and to have the community thrive by balancing the needs of home and business owners.

She also said they would pay attention to decisions made in other municipalities that impact on Chadds Ford. Reiner added, “…by taking the oath of office, we are the foot soldiers of democracy.”

Supervisor Frank Murphy, who was reappointed as board chairman, commented that having two women on the board might be historic, but that it would be “demeaning” to refer to them as women supervisors. He said he was looking forward to serving with “two highly qualified individuals.”

Reiner was appointed as vice chairman.

Other appointments included the reappointment of Amanda Serock as township and Sewer Authority manager, roadmaster and emergency management coordinator, and Matt DiFilippo as township secretary and right to know officer. Barbara Biedekapp was reappointed as Sewer Authority assistant secretary/treasurer and township treasurer.

J.P Kelly, of Kelly and Close Engineering, was named alternate township township engineer and Barbara Kearney was appointed the code enforcement officer and building inspector.

With the exception of this month, the Board of Supervisors will keep the same meeting schedule as last year, with the regular supervisors’ meeting being on the first Wednesday of the month and the workshop being held on the last Wednesday of the month.

The board will conduct its regular meeting this month tonight, Jan. 5, at 7 p.m.

All other commissions and committees will keep the same schedule as last year. For a full list of those meetings, go to the township website at http://chaddsfordpa.gov/public/index.php and click on the meetings, agendas and minutes tag on the upper right corner of the page.

(Top photo: Noelle Barbone, right, takes the oath of office as administered by Judge Wendy Roberts. Barbone’s husband, John, is holding the Bible for the ceremony.)

About Rich Schwartzman

Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.

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Teen girls select 5 agencies to share $22,500

Five Chester County service agencies received grants totaling $22,500 from the Chester County Fund for Women and Girls as part of the 12th cycle of its award-winning grant-making program.

Members of the 2015 Girls Advisory Board convene to make selections of grant recipients.
Members of the 2015 Girls Advisory Board convene to make selections of grant recipients.

Through the Girls Advisory Board (GAB), the fund educates a new generation of young women about the importance of philanthropy and community service. While serving on GAB over a three-month period, 20 high school girls from across the county learned about the economic, social and health needs of girls in our community, set funding priorities, created a grant application, visited nonprofit agencies and recommended specific programs for funding, according to a press release from the fund.

The Girls Advisory Board awarded grants to organizations that address the girls’ top funding priorities of educational opportunity, mental health, drug abuse, security, and human trafficking.

The 2015 GAB grant recipients were the Crime Victims Center of Chester County, Inc., which received $5,000 for its female teen and adult sexual assault support groups and its human trafficking initiative; the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County, $5,000 for its Girls’ Club; Friends of Farmworkers, $5,000 for legal services to victims of labor trafficking; the Garage Community and Youth Center, $5,000 for after-school programs for girls; and Kennett After School Association; $2,500 for the After-the-Bell program, the release said.

The GAB Wrap-up Celebration will take place in January at Biztract in Malvern for all GAB girls and their families as well as fund board and committee members. The 12th class of GAB will reflect on their experiences, share how this program changed their lives, and discuss why the five agencies were selected for funding.

To date, GAB has awarded nearly $200,000 to programs that improve the lives of girls and young women in the county. Anyone interested in serving on the 2016 Girls Advisory Board or receiving more information on the program should contact Michelle Legaspi Sanchez at michelle@ccfwg.org or visit www.ccfwg.org/girls-advisory-board.

 

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

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Photo of the Week: Chilly Blue

Photo of the Week: Chilly Blue

The first work day of a new year blows in cold, but with clear blue skies over the Brandywine Creek.

About Rich Schwartzman

Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.

Photo of the Week: Chilly Blue Read More »

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