Supervisors need to appoint replacement member before July 5
By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times
Michael Decker (from left) and Peter Scilla respond to questions from New Garden Township Supervisors Robert J. Perrotti and Betty Gordon at Wednesday’s meeting.
While many municipalities are pleading, cajoling and arm-twisting to get citizens to run for local offices, New Garden Township is bucking that trend: A sudden vacancy on the board of supervisors generated nine applicants.
The vacancy occurred when former Supervisor Warren E. Reynolds, 51, of Avondale, resigned in early June after he was charged with possessing child pornography. On Wednesday night, the supervisors held a public meeting to learn more about the candidates willing to fill the void, one of whom, Michael Decker, withdrew his name Thursday, citing time constraints.
The remaining contenders are Robert M. Abernethy Jr., Rudy A. Alfonso, Jim DiLuzio, Randy Geouque, Patrick J. Keeney, Norman S. Nunn, Peter D. Scilla and Richard Zimny. Abernethy told the board that he was unable to attend the meeting, Allaband said. Township officials said they did not know why Alfonso was not present.
Supervisors Chairman Stephen Allaband explained that the board must fill the vacancy prior to July 5. The individual selected will serve until the end of the year, about six months. Anyone wishing to serve the remaining two years of Reynolds’ term will need to take steps to get on the November ballot.
The ballot will have three openings: two six-year terms being vacated by Supervisors Bob Norris and Robert J. Perrotti and Reynolds’ unexpired two-year term. Both Zimny and Geouque said they are already candidates for the fall.
Allaband said another public meeting would be held at 6 p.m. on July 1 to continue the discussion and attempt to achieve the three-vote majority required to select Reynolds’ replacement. If needed, a meeting is also scheduled for 6 p.m. on July 3, Allaband said. And if the board ends up with a 2-2 split, township resident Allan Andrade will serve as tiebreaker, Allaband said.
The bulk of the approximately two-hour meeting focused on questions the board had prepared for Decker and Scilla because Allaband said board members knew some of the other candidates better. “Some don’t require an in-depth interview,” he said. Allaband and Supervisors Betty Gordon and Perrotti read questions in person; Norris, who was out of town, participated via speakerphone.
Scilla, a pharmaceutical manager who relocated to New Garden from New Jersey in 2011, said he believed he could bring a fresh perspective to the township. He said he has already served as a volunteer firefighter and on the township’s zoning hearing board. He said he had not made a decision about whether to pursue the unexpired term.
At the conclusion of the questioning session for Scilla and Decker, Allaband offered the podium to the other candidates. All but Nunn, a longtime township employee as well as a former supervisor and planning commission chairman, took the opportunity.
DiLuzio, a licensed social worker and resident since 1991, said he believed his leadership skills and zoning expertise would benefit the township. Zimny, a six-year resident, said he felt his background as a CPA, would serve the township well as it grapples with numbers and budgets. Geouque, a 15-year resident with a human-resources background, stressed his negotiating skills and the need for residents to get involved in local government. Keeney, a township resident since 1975 and a former supervisor, touted his experience and focus on the “big-picture.”
According to resumes submitted to the township, Abernethy is a lifelong resident and entrepreneur, and Alfonso, an engineering project manager for Boeing, currently serves on the school board.
