By Mark Rosman
Staff Writer
ALLENTOWN – Robert Schmitt Jr. and Thomas Fritts were sworn in to begin serving three-year terms when the Allentown Borough Council reorganized for 2017.
Municipal officials held a reorganization meeting on Jan. 3 at Borough Hall. Borough Clerk Laurie Gavin administered the oath of office to Schmitt and Fritts.
Schmitt was a councilman who was re-elected in the Nov. 8 general election. Fritts won his first term on the governing body after falling just short of election in 2015. Their new terms will run through Dec. 31, 2019.
Allentown’s governing body includes Schmitt, Fritts, Angela Anthony, Robert Strovinsky, Johnna Stinemire and Wil Borkowski.
The reorganization meeting saw Mayor Greg Westfall and members of the council make appointments to municipal boards and commissions and honor two men for their service to the community.
Mike Conroy, president of the Allentown First Aid Squad, and Steve Gomba, chief of the Hope Fire Company, were each presented with a plaque in recognition of their efforts on behalf of the borough during 2016.
In other business:
• Westfall appointed Joseph Fidler and Vicki Bogdan to the Planning and Zoning Board. Fidler’s term will run through Dec. 31, 2020 and Bogdan’s term will run through Dec. 31, 2018.
• The council appointed the firm of Sobel and Han as borough attorney. Greg Cannon, of the firm, attends council meetings and represents the governing body in legal matters.
• The council appointed the Roberts Engineering Group as borough engineer. Carmela Roberts, of the firm, represents the governing body.
• Rhonda Eiger was appointed as municipal prosecutor.
• Raymond Raya was appointed as public defender.
• The council approved a shared services agreement with Plumsted Township for the services of a chief financial officer. June Madden serves as the CFO for both municipalities.
• The council approved a shared services agreement with Plumsted Township for the services of a municipal court.
• Council members appointed Joseph McGrath as Allentown’s code enforcement officer, housing inspector and zoning officer.
• The council appointed Roger Fort as the borough’s construction inspector.
• Borkowski was unanimously elected by his fellow council members to continue as the council president. Borkowski was appointed to the Planning and Zoning Board.
During public comment, Joan Ruddiman, representing the Allentown Public Library, thanked the mayor and council members for their continued support of the library, both financial and with in-kind services such as snow plowing.
Ruddiman thanked the council for allowing Stinemire to serve as the liaison to the library. She said the position of a council liaison “is critically important for us. It is an extraordinarily wonderful service you provide that serves the public well. The liaison comes to our meetings and can help us when we have questions relating to the borough.”
Borkowski was appointed to serve as the council’s liaison to the library for 2017.
Ruddiman asked the mayor and council members to “please remember us at budget time.”