​Supervisors Delay Appointment To Newtown Sewer Authority Board

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — The Newtown Township Board of Supervisors at its June 11 meeting tabled an appointment to the Newtown, Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority until its next meeting.

In a 4 to 1 vote, the board put off the decision to give members more time to vet the candidates who have stepped forward to fill a vacancy on the six-member board created by the resignation of township resident Linda Bobrin.

The candidates include planning commission member Craig Deutsch and engineering consultant Marc R. Bjorkman. Following the meeting, a third candidate, Keith Terry, withdrew his application from consideration, citing a potential conflict of interest.

Before the motion to table, Supervisor Dennis Fisher had nominated Deutsch for the post, citing his knowledge of the township from his years on the planning commission.

“Craig has a very professional resume, and he knows the township,” said Fisher. “He has the best combination, in my opinion,, of resume and knowledge of the township. I know he will be a good board member.”

Supervisor John Mack opposed the nomination of Deutsch, citing what he perceived as the candidate’s pro-development stance and the need for sewer capacity.

The board's only Republican, Kyle Davis, agreed with Mack. “I have nothing against Mr. Deutsch. He has served the township well for many years. I just think Mr. Bjorkman is the better candidate for this seat. I want someone in there who is absolutely going to say no sewer plant in Newtown Township.”

Davis’s remarks brought applause from the audience, many of whom had urged the board during public comment to nominate Bjorkman, the only candidate who they said had publicly said he would vote against any motion to build a sewer plant in the township.

The comments from the public prompted chairwoman Elen Snyder to say the candidates’ stance on a new sewer plant is a mute issue since there's no support on the board of supervisors for a plant.

“It doesn’t matter who is appointed. They will have no input on whether a sewer plant is going to be built. They are there to fill a space and they are who we think is going to be the right person for the job," said Snyder.

Whoever is appointed will join the township’s two other representatives on the board - Supervisor Elen Snyder and Jerry Schenkman. The other three members of the board are Newtown Borough residents appointed by the borough council. They are Bob Walker, Chris Gusty and Christine Sciarrotta.

Earlier in the meeting, Snyder again declared plans for a new sewer plant officially “dead.”

Her declaration came after residents, fearing a vote could resurface at the municipal authority level to move forward with the project, asked the board for reconfirmation that plans for a plant are indeed off the table.

“For the sewer plant to even happen, it would require this board to authorize the township engineer to amend the township’s Act 537 Plan to include a new sewage treatment plant,” explained township manager Micah Lewis. “Until the board does that, there’s no forward progress with the plant.”

Added Snyder, “There will not be a sewer plant on that property. That I can tell you 100 percent. We are not for it,” she said after taking an informal poll of the board and finding no support.

Supervisor Phil Calabro suggested inviting the authority’s manager, Mike Manditto, to attend a future meeting “to reassure the public that this is not going to happen … and finally put this to rest.”