Exeter BOS admits selection of Bell was illegal and improper
Six candidates vie for open seat on board in interviews that were conducted on Thursday night
The Exeter Township Supervisors held a candidate interview night on Thursday, interviewing six candidates, one of whom will replace Dave Hughes. But the news of the night was that they’ve finally admitted that the placement of George Bell was illegal and highly improper.
At the beginning of the meeting, Chairman Jack Piho read the rules that would be observed in the selection process, and nowhere did it include the use of the Vacancy Board Chair (VBC). He laid out the process, just as proscribed by Section 407 of the PA 2nd Class Township Code, the law they broke in January in the clear collusion between Supervisors Hamm, Kircher, VBC at the time Dianna Reeser, and Solicitor Chad Schnee in the unlawful and shameful appointment of Bell, who was routed in the election of 2023. The fact that they did it right is both encouraging and discouraging. Encouraging that they did it right, discouraging that even a blind mouse could see the clear collusion involved in the criminal Bell appointment.
The interviews themselves went off without a hitch. There were some bizarre questions from the board, including one asked of each candidate that involved whether they were going to be running for open seats in the BOS election next year. What does that have to do with township business? That question was clearly put in so that George and Michelle could gauge who their potential opposition might be in the 2025 municipal elections. It had zero relevance to the picking of a township Supervisor.
Piho asked questions that delved into their bonafides and their every day work lives to sort out whether the candidates were a good fit and had proper skill sets for the open position. Bell asked pertinent questions, for the most part. Hamm and Kircher added nothing to the conversation, except to say that the candidates answered the questions on the questionairre. This is what usually happens in township meetings, as neither has shown any perspective on any issue in their time on the board.
There was no public comment period included. Special meeting or not, that is a Sunshine Act violation, as the people didn’t have the opportunity to weigh in on the issues covered. Not that we’d have been able to, because the list of candidates was never shared with the public. So once again, the lack of transparency is a major problem in Exeter Township governement. Time and time again, this township government refuses to put information out to the public. I’d have liked to have seen a candidate speak to that.
As mentioned, six candidates were interviewed. Andrew Witzel, Mohammad Mohammad, Jonathan Scaccia, Dave Vollmer, Dave Scheidt, and Amanda Johnsen. For a proper write up of their interviews, I’d point you to the Exeter Informant, as Mike did a much better job than I would of summarizing their viewpoints.
My prediction for who the BOS will pick is Amanda Johnsen. Kircher has made it abundantly clear that she wants another woman on the board, and this is an opportunity. So, she’ll nominate Johnsen, and Hamm and Bell will be duty bound to honor their obligation to her in the collusion to put Bell back on the board in January, with Schnee and Reeser’s help.
All of the candidates did a good job in their interviews. If the board was smart they would pick either Scaccia or Scheidt, as they present the two best candidates in their qualifications. But this board is NOT smart, and they’ll do the political consideration first. That’s how $805,000 of our money stupidly went into getting rid of their political enemy.
Whatever happens in the selection process, no matter who they pick, the waste by this BOS will continue. The political payoffs will continue. The disregard for transparency will continue. Because one person’s vote cannot change a culture of corruption as deeply rooted as that of Exeter Township government.