Horsham Township Falls Under New Leadership

HORSHAM TOWNSHIP, PA — The Democrats are now in control of the Horsham Township Council, claiming all five seats on the board.

Three new Democratic council members were sworn in at the township's reorganization meeting on Monday night by District Justice Todd Stephens and State Rep. Melissa Cerrato.

They are council members Ruth B. Patterson, Elizabeth Thomson, and John McCarty. The tree will join holdovers Samantha Slaff and Ellen Zschunke.

Slaff was named as council president while Zschunke was elected vice president. Thomson will serve as the board's treasurer.

Meanwhile, the council has also changed its monthly meeting schedule for 2026.

Township Council meetings will now be held at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, except for November, when the council will meet on the first and third Wednesdays due to the Thanksgiving holiday. (The council used to meet once a month on Monday nights.)

The council's next meeting will be at 6 p.m. on Jan. 14.

"I am honored to have been selected to serve as Vice President of the Township Council," Zschunke told Patch on Wednesday. "Two years ago, I started my term on township council and have learned so much over the course of those two years. I'm excited for Ruth, John, and Liz to have similar opportunities to learn about and serve our community, alongside Sam and I."

Zschunke responded to Democrats now having full control of the council and what that means for the township.

"My goal is to represent residents, all residents, and ensure their voices are heard," she said. "Maintaining and improving quality of life here in Horsham is a top priority, what that realistically means on the local level is ensuring tree branches and bushes aren't blocking the view of a stop sign which could cause an accident, ensuring roads are maintained, and residents are aware of the resources available to them in the township. While I'm a pretty hands-on individual, the real backbone of our community are the staff who make all these things happen. As a council, our job is to ensure each department has the resources they need to do a great job while ensuring that we are mindful with taxpayer funds."

Also on Monday night, several residents were appointed to numerous township advisory boards and commissions. They are:

• Veronica Hill-Milbourne – Vacancy Board
• Karina Caddick – Planning Commission
• Jeffrey Martell – Planning Commission
• Daniel Fuchs – Planning Commission
• Valerie Mebert – Horsham Water & Sewer Authority
• Janine Solley – Park & Recreation Board
• Kelly McPeak – Park & Recreation Board
• Christopher Wolcott – Park & Recreation Board
• Colleen Rodriguez – Police Pension Advisory Board
• Susan Chiriaeva – Horsham Industrial & Commercial Development Authority
• Keith Hoerth – Zoning Hearing Board
• Deanna Martin – Environmental Advisory Board
• Kelly Eberle Boetefuer – Historical Advisory Commission
• Eric Glemser – Historical Advisory Commission
• Milton Kunz – Library Board of Directors
• Allison Keene – Library Board of Directors
• Elizabeth Thomson – Horsham Land Redevelopment Authority
• Natasha Scott-Lawson – UCC Board of Appeals
• Samantha Slaff – Military Installation Remediation & Infrastructure Authority

"I am proud of the community I call home and honored to have the opportunity to lead us into the future. One of our goals is also to ensure that all residents who hope to volunteer in the community have the opportunity to do so," Zschunke said. "I am proud of our appointments to Boards and Commissions that were motioned and passed at Monday's meeting. The individuals appointed to those seats represent a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences, and we look forward to giving more residents the opportunity to volunteer in that capacity in the future."

Anyone interested in being appointed to a seat can follow the instructions by clicking here.

(Horsham Township)