New Commissioners Put Together Comprehensive Tranisition Team

From the Sahpiro-Richards team:

When Josh Shapiro and Leslie Richards were elected Montgomery County Commissioners on Nov. 8, they promised a smooth, yet active transition of governmental administrations. They also promised that the Shapiro-Richards transition team would include a broad range of talented and experienced professionals that would not only prepare for the change of government on January 3, but would also begin the 100-day review of county government that the Democratic candidates had promised during the campaign. That process has began on Nov. 15^.

Attorney Robert Fox of the firm Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox LLP heads the transition team. Fox, Shapiro and Richards assembled what they believe is a talented and experienced transition team comprised of an executive committee and five additional committees to look into how various aspects of county government are structured, with an eye towards finding ways to make county government more open, accountable, and efficient.

“I am proud to be heading this talented, bipartisan group of individuals,” Fox said. “I believe county residents will be well-served.”

Members of the transition executive committee include:

• Gail Weilheimer (transition co-counsel) – attorney, Wisler Pearlstine, LLP
• Karl Myers (transition co-counsel) – attorney, Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP
• Darren Check – attorney, Kessler, Topaz, Meltzer and Check, LLP
• Mary Jo Daly – senior financial officer, University of Pennsylvania Lab Animal Resource; and outgoing president of Narberth Borough Council
• Jim Shacklett – CEO, National Label Company
• Dan Woodall – Business Manager, Laborers Local 135

“These individuals have provided tremendous leadership,” Fox said, “and I would especially like to thank Gail Weilheimer and Karl Myers for doing a great deal of the heavy lifting in the early going.”

The following is a list of the committees that will look into the various aspects of county government and the members of those committees:

Economic Development

• Mimi Desouza, MBA, PhD (co-chair) – Early Development Project Leader, Merck Research Labs; member of Norristown Council
• Dave Schaaf (co-chair) – Business Manager and Financial Secretary, IBEW Local 180
• Dave Gannon – Business Agent, Carpenters Local 1595
• David Newman – Principal, Newman Development
• Ed Mullin – Partner, Hamburg, Rubin, Maxwell, Mullin and Lupin
• John Meyerson – Director of Legislative and Political Action, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776
• Sam Goldstein, CFO, The Galman Group
• Linda Rubin – President, Linda’s Loft
• Judith Kratka – Corporate Director for Facilities Planning and Sustainability, Abington Memorial Hospital

Planning/Environment/Transportation

• Kim Sheppard (co-chair) – Executive Director, Whitemarsh Foundation
• Ken Lawrence (co-chair) – Senior VP of Government, Community and Public Affairs, Temple University
• Ron Rosen – Managing Partner, Tabas & Rosen, P.C.
• Melissa Gilbert – Associate Professor of Geography and Urban Studies, Temple University; member of Lower Merion School Board
• Matt McTish – President, McTish, Kunkel & Associates
• David Cohen, AICP – Senior Manager of Program Analysis and Development, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania
• Jill Blumhardt – Senior Project Manager, AMEC Earth and Environment, Inc.
• Michael Kolodner—Community Organizer

Social and Human Services 

• Valerie Arkoosh (co-chair) – President, National Physicians Alliance
• Renee Amoore (co-chair) – President and CEO, Amoore Group
• Pastor Charles Quann – Pastor, Bethlehem Baptist Church
• Ruth Damsker – former Montgomery County Commissioner
• Maryann Roche – former county MH/MR official
• Dan Litman, J.D., M.F.S. – Litman Law Group
• Peter Cornog – social worker
• Gary Simpson – Member, Norristown Borough Council

Public Safety

• David Nasatir (co-chair) – Partner, Thorp, Reed & Armstrong, LLP
• Ed Wurster (co-chair) – Chief, Roslyn Fire Co.
• Michael Drossner – Principal, Drossner Law
• Will Holt – retired Abington police officer with 42 years experience; former candidate for county sheriff
• Ken Roos – Partner, Wisler Pearlstine
• Jamie Haddon – Executive Director, Second Alarmers
• Leslee Silverman Tabas – Attorney, Law Office of Leslee Silverman Tabas
• Missy Sterling – Attorney, Naulty, Scaricamazza & McDevitt

County Administration

• Brian Regli (co-chair) – CEO, Dakotas, LLC
• Ellen Toplin (co-chair) – strategic business and marketing consultant
• Barry Cohen – Partner, Cohen Partners, LLC
• Dottie Miller – President, Merck Independent Union
• Marc Brownstein – President and CEO, The Brownstein Group
• Joe Kluge – Principal, Wolf Brown
• Sheri Riser, CPA – Professor of Accounting Practice, Temple University