By: Cynthia Williamson
NEW HOPE – A council meeting scheduled Monday night had to be canceled due to the lack of a quorum, fueling speculation that there was political mischief afoot when two of four missing members pulled out due to illness on the day of the meeting.
A third member, Robert Gerenser, said he never planned to attend Monday’s session because he had another commitment – helping friends move kitchen equipment from a restaurant – but that he had informed a Borough Hall employee of that at least 10 days earlier and can’t help it if the message never got delivered.
"It was a confluence of a whole mess of events," Mr. Gerenser said. "Don’t make me out here to look like the bad guy because I never said I was going to be there."
Mr. Gerenser said he couldn’t speak for fellow council members Sandra Trappen, who was absent due to an apparent case of food poisoning, and Bert Johnson, who called in sick early Monday, but he adamantly denied rumors that the trio conspired to steer clear of the council session knowing that it would be canceled if all three of them were absent.
The three have been at odds with the rest of the council over numerous issues, most recently a 4-3 decision last month to dismiss Borough Manager Victoria Keller. Mr. Gerenser, Mr. Johnson and Ms. Trappen voted against the action to fire Ms. Keller.
Mr. Johnson did not return a message left with a clerk at his Three Cranes Gallery in New Hope and Ms. Trappen did not return a message left on her home answering machine Tuesday.
Monday’s meeting was originally scheduled for July 25 but the session was moved to July 18 when it was learned that Councilman Jake Fell would be on vacation. The only meeting scheduled in July was moved yet again to July 17 to avoid a conflict with the New Hope Chamber of Commerce and a special event it held Tuesday at the Logan Inn.
Now that his commercial touring boat is up and running and it’s summertime, Mr. Gerenser said, his spare time is "calibrated" and that if the council continues to deviate from its regular meeting schedule, there’s a chance he might not be able to attend.
Meanwhile, Council President Richard Hirschfield, Vice President Sharyn Keiser and Mr. Fell sat tapping their fingers at the New Hope-Solebury High School cafeteria Monday waiting for Mr. Gerenser to show.
Mr. Hirschfield said he learned at 4 p.m. Monday that Ms. Trappen and Mr. Johnson had canceled, but he expected Mr. Gerenser to be there. Councilwoman Geri Delevich is on vacation for the months of July and August so her absence was anticipated, he said.
"About 50 people showed up and the general reaction I heard is that they were appalled," Mr. Hirschfield said. "Some people spoke out and what I heard is that it’s not the way you do business."
He said the council had several important matters to vote on, such as the new police contract and an agreement with the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad to lease adjacent borough property for parking, as well as routine business, such as approving bills for payment.
He said the agenda items would be moved to Aug. 1, when the council is set to meet next.
"I think it was a terrible thing to do," Mr. Hirschfield said. "The borough has business to transact.
"If they don’t want to do the job, they should resign."
Ms. Keiser was equally upset.
"It’s ludicrous," she said. "We needed four for a quorum, so you would think that if he (Mr. Gerenser) had any conscience whatsoever, he wouldn’t have committed to anything else."
Ms. Keiser said the borough stands to lose revenue over the canceled meeting because it may owe late fees on bills that will be overdue by the time they are approved next month. She also said she is concerned about the borough’s agreement with the railroad, which would have paid $1,600 to the borough if the contract had been signed this week.
"I feel very bad for the people in this town," she said. "To me, it was all a little suspicious."
If anyone should be criticized for missing meetings, Mr. Gerenser said, it’s Ms. Delevich.
"You miss a council meeting because you’re either sick or have another authorized reason," he said. "You don’t wander off and live the good life for three months."
He blasted Ms. Delevich, saying that she "defrauded" voters by running for the council and then taking summers off to vacation. Ms. Delevich is an elementary school teacher in Pennsylvania.
He also accused Mr. Hirschfield and Ms. Keiser of adjusting the council’s summer calendar so Ms. Delevich would miss only two meetings. The borough code allows for only two consecutive absences due to illness or "necessary absence from the borough."
Together with the agenda items from this week’s canceled session, the Aug. 1 meeting may be a long one, Mr. Hirschfield warned.
Union Square developer George Michael is expected to seek preliminary site plan approval for his proposal to redevelop the former feed bag manufacturing plant to a mix of offices, retail shops, a restaurant and convention center.
The council also is expected to vote on the police contract. The four-year pact calls for about 2 percent annual raises for the department’s five full-time officers. The raises would be retroactive to Jan. 1, said Mr. Hirschfield, who negotiated the new agreement together with Ms. Keiser.
For the first time, the agreement establishes a four-tier salary guide for new officers. In the past, the salary for a full-time officer jumped to about $40,000 after a one-year probationary period.
Under the proposed structure, Mr. Hirschfield said, it would take a full-time officer about four years to reach that salary, which would enable the borough to hire more officers rather than fill in with part-time help.
The borough also hopes to obtain a federal COPS grant that would supplement the salary and benefits of a full-time officer over the next four years for a savings of about $112,000. But Mr. Hirschfield said the grant is contingent on whether the council approves the new officer.
The council also was expected to vote on the creation of a director of public safety position when it met this week.
"We’ve given a lot of thought to this considering all the turmoil of the past year," Mr. Hirschfield said. "We wanted to created an overall umbrella position so that if it ever becomes necessary, we have someone who could be in full charge temporarily."
He said the council has no plans to fill the position and that it may "never fill the position."
"A lot of other townships have this kind of position," he said, "and it’s worked very well."
