Politics & Government
Dean Out, Willis In
The Abington Board of Commissioners appoints Matthew Willis as Ward 7 Commissioner; he replaces now-State Rep. Madeleine Dean who resigned in August.
After some endorsements and some chippy comments, the Abington Board of Commissioners appointed Republican Matthew Willis as Ward 7 Commissioner, filling the spot vacated by Democrat Madeleine Dean. Dean resigned in August and is now State Rep. for the 153rd District.
Commissioner Peggy Myers “proudly” nominated Willis, who by a margin of 65 percent to 35 percent (about 360 votes) to take Dean's place on the board.
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Commissioner Wayne Luker nominated Democrat Ben Sanchez, a CPA and real estate attorney.
The vote went down party lines 9-5 in favor of Willis.
Find out what's happening in Abingtonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The Republican-controlled board also picked a Republican to fill the seat vacated by Democrat Les Benzak in June.
Prior to the vote, several residents spoke in favor of both Sanchez and Willis.
Most of the residents fell into one of two categories:
1) The Republican-controlled board should appoint a Democrat to fill Dean’s role as 65 percent of the Ward 7 voters voted for Dean.
2) Dean left her role as Ward 7 commissioner; Republican majority rules
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