After seven years as township secretary, Maryann Furlong has resigned. Her last day was July 30. The township does intend to find a replacement, but there is no timetable, according to Supervisors’ Chairman George Thorpe.
According to Furlong, “It’s time for mom to take a break.”
She said the job came at a good time for her. It helped pay the bills getting her two children through middle school, high school an into college.
She has no immediate plans, but will continue to do the books for her husband’s business and she will remain as the tax collector for Chester Heights.
Close to two dozen people attended an impromptu party for Furlong at Turner’s Mill on her final day. Among them were residents, committee people and state rep. Stephen Barrar and two members of his staff.
Barrar referred to Furlong as a “great person, a lovely lady.”
Tracy Plunkett, one of Barrar’s aides, said to Furlong, “I’ve just been overwhelmed dealing with you on a personal and professional level. It’s been a privilege.
Thorpe said that all who have dealt with Furlong would miss her.
“I’m very unhappy and sad that we will be without you,” Thorpe said. “I know you’re happy, but you can’t please everybody, you have to please yourself. You’ve done a terrific job for us. Our community is much better off with you having been involved.”
Thorpe also asked Furlong not to change her cell phone number “just in case we have a problem. All of us will have a hard time getting along without you.”
Furlong called working for the township the past seven years “a tremendous experience.”
“I think we were able to change a number of things for the better, hopefully,” she said
Furlong said the township is now much more in the 21st century than it was when she became secretary in 2002.
“It may be coincidental with moving into this building, but things seem to just have just taken off,” she said. “There’s certainly a need for a bigger staff and a fulltime staff.”
She added it was a pleasure working for the township because the supervisors were always understanding of her needs when it came to her own family commitments.
She joked, saying she always e-mailed requests for time off to Thorpe because she knew it would be a month before he would read the e-mail. When he finally would, he’d call to ask what the e-mail was about and she’d reply, “It’s fine, George. Don’t worry about it.”
Furlong received a going away gift, a print of Paul Scarborough’s “Chadds Ford Days.” On the back will be affixed a paper with farewell comments from those who attended the party.
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.
(1 votes, average: 1.00 out of 5)
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Mrs. Furlong’s resignation is a tremendous loss to Chadds Ford Township. She will be greatly missed by everyone on both a professional and personal level. Maryann managed to keep township business running smoothly in an efficient manner, and did it with a smile on her face.