SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — A heated interview for an alternative position on South Whitehall Township Zoning Hearing Board is causing township commissioners to consider policy changes.
Commissioner Jacob Roth on Wednesday introduced potential changes to the appointment policy for citizen boards, which include the Planning Commission, Zoning Hearing Board and the Parks and Recreation Board.
- A heated interview for a vacant Zoning Hearing Board alternate position caused South Whitehall Township commissioners to consider policy changes
- One change would be that commissioners would not have to seek input or recommendations from the chair of the citizen board when interviewing candidates
- In other news, the 2023 Lehigh County Envirothon will be at Covered Bridge Park in South Whitehall Township
Roth said that during the board’s interview of resident David Burke, who was applying for a Zoning Hearing Board alternate position, board Chairman Don Klein “took the opportunity to lambaste” Burke, questioning his impartiality and knowledge of the issues.
Roth also said Klein “took it upon himself to attack this board and our intentions.”
Burke withdrew his application after the interview, according to Roth.
The changes proposed by Roth would remove language from the policy that required the board to seek input or recommendations from the chair of the citizen board when interviewing candidates.
“An interview is a two-way street. And what occurred during that meeting, in my view, is exactly what an interview should be."Brad Osborne, South Whitehall commissioners
Commissioner Brad Osborne said he values input from the chairs of the boards, and he feared the board may be "overcorrecting."
“An interview is a two-way street," Osborne said. "And what occurred during that meeting, in my view, is exactly what an interview should be."
“Is the applicant truly interested in the position after going through that process? In this case, the applicant wasn't. The process worked.”
Roth disagreed, saying no board member should be given more of an opportunity than another to provide input.
“I think that allowing the Board of Commissioners, elected by the public, to make the decision as to who we put on our citizen boards, and not allowing current members of those citizen boards, appointed in years past, to put their thumb on the scale is one of the ways that we can fairly work on making improvements,” Roth said.
Board chairs still would be able to comment as residents during the public comment section of the meeting if the changes are implemented.
The board did not vote on the changes Wednesday, but likely will in the future.
Environthon coming to South Whitehall
The Lehigh County Envirothon is changing locations again.
Township commissioners on Wednesday unanimously agreed to hold the event in the township.
Envirothon is a Lehigh County Conservation District program that invites county high school and middle schools students to come together and learn about natural resources and environmental sciences.
Student teams will compete in challenges, and the winners will receive scholarships, prizes and the chance to compete in the statewide Envirothon.
Township long-range planner Chris Strohler is a former board member of the Lehigh County Conservation District and worked at the Wildlands Conservancy. He thanked the board for considering holding the event in the township.
“I think it's an honor to have it here in South Whitehall, and I can say the district has done a great job for many years," Strohler said. "And it's a wonderful event.”
He said the Lehigh County Conservation District decided to change locations of the event to have more space to expand.
Last year, the event took place at Trexler Environmental Center in North Whitehall Township. Before that, the event was held for many years at the Wildlands Conservancy in Lower Macungie Township.
The event will take place on April 25 and 27 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Petrucci said there will be about 125 to 200 attendees anticipated for each day of the event.
Other business
The board voted unanimously to appoint Matthew Peterson to the Parks and Recreation Board. He is an Eagle Scout who has installed a Little Free Library in the community.
“I was impressed with his work, passion for the outdoors and to serve his community,” board President Diane Kelly said.
Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong visited the board to answer any questions they had for him. He said he just visited Washington, D.C., and was chosen to have a one-on-one meeting with President Biden.
“Lehigh County now is on the map," Armstrong said. "I'm really, really proud of that."
