DOUGLASS (Mont.) >> So far, four township residents, including a former supervisor, have applied to fill the seat left vacant on the Board of Supervisors by Fred Ziegler’s resignation last month.
The resignation was part of a plea agreement which ended the criminal case against Ziegler, a former township police chief who was charged with theft and pleaded guilty to a second-degree misdemeanor charge of unsworn falsification related to a subpoena he handed to Boyertown Police Chief Barry Leatherman that matched no legal case in court.
Part of plea required that he resign immediately from the supervisors’s board.
During Tuesday night’s reorganization meeting of the supervisors – during which Anthony Kuklinski and Alan Keiser retained their positions as chairman and vice chairman, respectively – it was also revealed that four people have applied to fill the board’s third seat.
They are, Constable Josh Stouch; former supervisor John Stacik, whom Keiser ousted in 2015; Roger Updegrove, who has served on the township’s recreation and Act 209 committees; and resident George Kirkwood.
The supervisors announced Tuesday night they will interview the applicants publicly at a special meeting on Saturday, Jan. 14, at 10 p.m. in the township building.
Kuklinski said the board will continue to accept letters of interest from those who want to fill the seat until then.
By law, a new supervisor must be chosen by the remaining two board members by Jan. 19, otherwise the township’s vacancy board will take over the decision.
However, Kuklinski indicated the board intends to vote on appointing a new member at the meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 17.
In other business, in addition to naming their chairman and vice chairman Tuesday, the board also re-appointed:
* Peter Hiryak as township manager
* Barry Templin as police chief
* Robert Brant as township solicitor
* Matt Doll as the planning agency solicitor
* Gilmore & Assoc. as the township’s engineering firm
* Marcy Meitzler as the township secretary
* Cynthia O’Donnell as the treasurer
* Michael Heydt as the roadmaster
* Robert Dries as the zoning officer
