UPPER POTTSGROVE — Township commissioners on Monday night appointed five new members to the newly reconstituted township planning commission.
Earl Wagner, Chris Mullen, Wayne Weaver, Matt Hartzell and Manny Cartagena were appointed.
Because the planning commission is being restarted after it was dissolved four years ago with the votes of all sitting commissioners except Don Read, it was necessary to make two appointments for four-year terms; two for three-year terms and one for a two-year term, said Commissioners’ Chairman Trace Slinkerd.
However, when the appointments were made, the only appointment specified publicly was that of Wagner, who will serve a four-year term.
Later in the meeting, former commissioner Martin Schreiber, who thanked the commissioners for reinstating the planning commission, said the terms of all five new planning commissioners should be outlined for the public. He received no response.
All five of the newly appointed planning commissioners were nominated by Vice President Hank Llewellyn, who briefly outlined their qualifications.
Wagner “is an electrician;” Mullen is “a business owner;” Weaver is “a manager and currently a member of the (Pottstown Metropolitan Area Regional Planning Commission);” Hartzell “is a public school teacher, and our archery coordinator” and Cartegena, “is a lieutenant paramedic in the Philadelphia Fire Department and is also the president of a local homeowner’s association.”
Commissioner Cathy Paretti cast the only no votes, voting against the appointment of Wagner, Hartzell and Cartagena.
There also were two other nominations to the planning group but were rejected by a 3-2 vote. They were Fred Remelius, a former Pottsgrove School Board member who has been critical of board actions both in person and online; and former commissioner and former planning commission chairman Elwood Taylor, who the board majority tried to oust several years ago.
Both of those nominations were made by Paretti, and earned support only from her and Commissioner Dave Waldt. She said both reached out to her and supplied substantial resumes outlining their qualifications, which she shared with the other commissioners prior to Monday night’s vote.
Both Read and Slinkerd spoke against Taylor’s appointment.
“I thought the one thing we were all in agreement on, and everyone in the audience, is we’re really conscious of over-development,” Read said. Taylor “was very instrumental in this whole Kummerer Road area. Our friends at Summer Grove, they were here day one saying you guys have to curtail this thing. When putting someone on the planning commission, I went to disqualifiers first. I disqualified him because of that. I was surprised you sent that because you were very instrumental in shutting down the planning commission,” Read said to Paretti. “What changed?”
“I wasn’t aware we were just going to nominate people,” Paretti replied. “I thought we were going to bring resumes to evaluate people depending on how much they know about planning. We’re setting five new people and it’s not like we’re rotating a board member where the new people who come in can count on the seasoned people to help them understand how everything works.”
She added, “Yes, I did vote to disband the planning commission and looking back, that may be a vote I’m not too proud of.” Taylor, whom she acknowledged she knew would be “a controversial nomination,” approved the controversial Kummerer Road project “as a sitting commissioner and we do not have to do that. We take their recommendations, but we don’t have to enact them because we’re the people who vote on what goes through and what doesn’t. I was just looking at his experience, all in all.”
“The biggest threat facing Upper Pottsgrove is overdevelopment,” said Read. “Trace and I had a meeting with a developer a couple weeks ago and he mentioned putting five, high-density housing projects. Our supporters, and our taxpayers, we may disagree on almost everything, but overdevelopment is a common thread in this community.
“Putting 400 units down in that valley, how are they ever going to get these people and the traffic? I’ve talked to Mr. Taylor, he’s a pretty smart guy, I actually like talking to him, but I’m sorry. The common thread through the five (people nominated by Llewellyn) we talked about over development and they’re all of the same thoughts. I like independent thinkers,” said Read.
“We have to be very cognizant of that, and whoever takes these seats in future years have to have an understanding, because all it takes is one weak board of commissioners and you get projects like that down there,” he concluded.
“I’m really glad you got to talk to all these people about these appointments because that’s what I was hoping to do, is talk to them about the appointments and what they want to bring to the table,” Paretti replied.
“While you’re on that, you remember, Mr. Taylor did vote for those projects with Artisan that we’re in court with now. Also remember, he sued the township,” added Slinkerd.
The lawsuit to which Slinkerd referred was related to the conflict that arose out of his attempt to oust Taylor as a member of the planning commission in 2019.
In this 2019 file photo, then-Township Commissioner Elwood Taylor, right, and his attorney Joan London, face the board of commissioners during the Oct. 7 hearing to remove him from the planning commission, where he has served for 20 years. (MediaNews Group File Photo)Slinkerd, who had just ousted Taylor from the chairman’s position, pushed for a resolution that said, in essence, that commissioners could not hold seats on other boards or commissions. Taylor had served on the planning commission for years.
Taylor argued that the resolution was unconstitutional and refused to resign from the planning commission and hired an attorney to fight the process. Before they could vote to remove him from the planning commission, Taylor asked for a hearing, a process set out in the law.
The township commissioners held the hearing in October of 2019 but never took action on removing Taylor.
That may have been because Taylor lost his reelection bid that year, the argument became moot because Taylor was no longer a commissioner. He did, however, still have a year left on his term on the planning commission.
Four days after Taylor filed his motion, the township commissioners, with little public discussion, voted unanimously at its Jan. 21 meeting to advertise its intention to dissolve the planning commission.
In an email response to questions posed by The Mercury at the time regarding the rationale for dissolving the planning commission, Slinkerd responded: “The intent is to vote on rescinding the ordinance on 3 Feb; the rationale is to create a planning committee (a provision provided by the municipal planning code) that supports the governing board,” which is the board of commissioners.
Slinkerd added, “The majority of the board of commissioners feels that the current planning commission disposition does not do this.”
No planning committee was ever formed and the wave of development proposals which followed were dealt with by staff and the commissioners themselves.
The township issued a press release regarding the five new appointments which read, in part, “the planning commission is a critical body within local government, tasked with shaping the township’s future through careful planning and oversight of land use, zoning, and development. Its key responsibilities include:
• Master Plan Development: Establishing and updating the township’s long-term vision for land use, housing, transportation, and open spaces.
• Development Review: Evaluating proposals for new developments, rezoning, and site plans to ensure alignment with community goals and zoning laws.
• Zoning Recommendations: Advising on ordinance updates to guide responsible growth and building standards.
• Public Engagement: Facilitating community input on projects and planning initiatives.
• Infrastructure and Environmental Oversight: Assessing the impacts of development on roads, utilities, schools, and natural resources.”
“The planning commission is essential in fostering balanced growth while preserving the values and character of Upper Pottsgrove,” the press release said. “The new planning commission will start its work in March, however information for them to start reviewing will be coming sooner.”
“The board extends its heartfelt thanks”, the press release said, to the five appointed to the planning commission “for stepping forward to serve the community.”
Source: Berkshire mont