MACUNGIE, Pa. — Two candidates looking to join the Macungie Borough Council appeared before council members Monday for a job interview of sorts.
At council's next meeting, members will vote to fill a vacancy on the council created by former councilman Barry Bloch’s resignation this month.
Under state law, the body can select from any registered voter who has lived in Macungie for at least a year.
As of Monday night, the borough’s website and social media channels did not include an announcement of the vacancy.
Borough residents interested in joining the council can submit a letter of interest until Monday, June 2.
So far, two candidates have submitted letters of interest: Kaleb Wassa, who works for Lehigh County, and Megan Sell, owner of Mad Dogs hot dog stand.
Candidates' stances
Wassa, a recent graduate of Lehigh Carbon Community College and a Lehigh County employee, grew up in Macungie.
“I would like to do this as an opportunity to step in and show that people for my generation do have an interest in our communities and politics."Macungie Borough Council candidate Kaleb Wassa
“I would like to do this as an opportunity to step in and show that people for my generation do have an interest in our communities and politics,” he said.
If appointed, he said, he would push to create new green space, expand the borough website, create new traffic safety measures and join the bi-county Lehigh Valley Breathes air monitoring project.
A former elections worker, Wassa also said he wants to get borough residents more involved in elections.
Megan Sell, currently waging a write-in campaign to claim a seat on the council in Tuesday’s municipal primary, said she is looking for an opportunity to help shape the future of Macungie.
“I would like to be an advocate for a community voice. I think that we can come together and help make our decisions in the last two years.”Macungie Borough Council candidate Megan Sell
“I would like to be an advocate for a community voice,” Sell said. “I think that we can come together and help make our decisions in the last two years.”
Sell told the council she would work to build relationships with other members of the council and work toward compromises.
She did not come to Monday’s meeting with specific policy aims in mind, Sell said, other than helping more residents to pay attention to and get involved with borough government.
Shrinking borough council
Council also discussed shrinking its size from seven members to five or three, a discussion initiated by member John Yerman.
“I had two council people approach me over this topic, and I thought rather than it just swirl around, I'd get the right information in front of those council people,” said Yerman, who added the topic to Monday’s agenda.
In Tuesday’s municipal primary, only two candidates have filed to run for four open council seats.
Council lacks the power to change the number of members. Instead, the process begins when a group of registered voters from the borough ask Lehigh County Court to step in.
If at least 5% of the borough’s registered voters — that amounts to 121 people, using figures from the 2024 general election — sign a petition asking for a smaller council, a judge will create a ballot question asking all borough voters to weigh in.
Shrinking the body then would require approval from a simple majority of referendum voters.
