Attending the organizational meeting of Tredyffrin’s Board of Supervisors last night, all I can say is, “What a difference a year makes!”
Last year with only two years of service as a supervisor (and neither as a vice chair) Michelle Kichline was chosen by her fellow supervisors as chair of Tredyffrin’s Board of Supervisors. Historically, this leadership position would have gone to the most senior serving member of the Board, John DiBuonaventuro. Instead, DiBuonaventuro was named second in command, ‘vice chair’, under Kichline, for 2012.
At last night’s 2013 organizational meeting of the Board of Supervisors, Kichline received a vote of confidence from her fellow Board members for a second term as chair. Then came the vice chair announcement. In what appeared to be a vague cover story, Kichline explained that supervisor DiBuonaventuro had removed his name from consideration as vice chair. She stated that for the next 2 months, DiBuonaventuro will be attending a canine training certification program and he did not think he had the time for the position.
The position of vice chair on the Board of Supervisors is for the most part ceremonial – I attended every 2012 BOS meeting, and to my knowledge Vice Chair DiBuonaventuro was never ‘acting chair’ in Kichline’s absence. DiBuonaventuro does not have time to serve in the ceremonial position of vice chair on the Board of Supervisors but he does have the time to serve as supervisor. Interesting.
The supervisors themselves decide the choice of who serves in the leadership roles of chair and vice chair. With a unanimous vote, Mike Heaberg was selected vice chair for 2013.
2012 proved to be a challenging year for Tredyffrin’s Board of Supervisors and some of their decisions not always popular:
- C1 zoning ordinance change to permit assisted living (Duffy property in the Daylesford community)
- 2 Tredyffrin police missing a criminal District Court hearing (due to clerical error)
- Trout Creek Stormwater Overlay District (Richter property in the Glenhardie neighborhood)
- Township Manager Mimi Gleason’s resignation and her township consulting contract
- $49K Police Department consultant’s study
- Costly arbitration of Police-township collective bargaining agreement
- $40 Million unfunded retirement liability
- DiBuonaventuro’s controversial personal letter using township resources which appeared on the township website, resulting in a township ‘communication policy’