Five newly elected commissioners in Lower Merion took their oath of office on January 5, officially launching the board’s 126th year of governing the township, writes Denali Sagner for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
During the ceremony that was attended by family and friends, the commissioners described the major challenges and opportunities the board will address this year. They highlighted accomplishments from the past year, including a new method for establishing board priorities, restrictions on gas-powered leaf blowers and plastic bags, progress on capital projects, hiring a police superintendent, support for affordable housing, and the various efforts to increase police staffing after a post-pandemic decline.
They also emphasized what is awaiting the new board, such as negotiating two critical collective bargaining agreements, supervising the multi-phase redevelopment of the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary property by Main Line Health, and grappling with the harsh financial realities after the board authorized an 8 percent property tax increase last month following ten years of keeping the rate nearly unchanged.
“We’re solving problems, we’re moving forward, and we’re even having a little fun,” said Commissioner V. Scott Zelov, who started his sixth term.
Read more about Lower Merion’s new commissioners in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
