Chadds Ford Township Supervisor Frank Murphy will chair the township Board of Supervisors again in 2020. He and fellow Supervisor Noel Barbone voted to elect Murphy as chair during the state-mandated reorganization meeting on Jan. 6. Murphy has served as supervisors’ chairman since 2015.
Supervisor Samantha Reiner was appointed vice-chairman. She was not on hand for either of those two votes because of a prior commitment but did arrive shortly after.
Murphy said during a brief discussion after the meeting that his priorities for 2020 include continuing to preserve open space and expanding the number of volunteers. During the meeting, he said the township is truly grateful for the volunteer efforts of many residents who serve on the various committees and commissions. He said those efforts include “thousands of hours.”
During the reorganization, Maryanne Furlong was reappointed as township manager, Mike Schneider as township engineer, and Mike Maddren was reappointed as township solicitor. Maddren was also appointed as township Planning Commission solicitor, replacing Patrick McKenna.
Also replaced was Tom Nelling as the township fire marshal. Phil Wenrich will serve in that capacity.
Supervisors also added a position, naming Janet Ebert, a long-time member of the Open Space Committee, as the township botanist working on open space matters.
At the start of the meeting, Judge Wendy Roberts administered the oath of office to Murphy and Swatee Patel. In November, Murphy was re-elected to another six-year term as supervisors and Patel was elected to a six-year term as auditor. Following those ceremonies, Furlong administered the oath for a host of others who were appointed to various committees.
Announcements
• There will be a presentation on an official Chadds Ford Township map on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 6 p.m. At the conclusion of that, there will be a joint meeting with supervisors and the Planning Commission at 7. At 7:30, the Planning Commission will have its regular meeting.
• Chadds ford Township offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 20, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
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.
