LOWER SAUCON TWP., Pa. — Council couldn’t even get through the roll call before disagreements started at a six-hour meeting Wednesday.
The township is back on the hunt once again for another manager after its most recent hire, Sheldon Hudson, of Millsboro, Delaware, stepped down on Monday after only two days in the role. He's the second township manager hired in two months.
Council set Hudson’s salary at $155,000, with the new manager allowed to work 20 hours per week for his first 45 days on the job.
But Hudson appears to have had a change of heart, according to a news release from the township website.
“As some of you already know, I am a family man, and, now that I am actually in the role, I am finding I cannot bear the thought of being away from/relocating my family."Lower Saucon Township Manager hire Sheldon Hudson, who resigned Monday
“As some of you already know, I am a family man, and, now that I am actually in the role, I am finding I cannot bear the thought of being away from/relocating my family,” Hudson said. “I apologize for not doing enough soul-searching before accepting your offer, and I apologize for the inconvenience my decision will cause you.”
After voting July 24 to hire Brian S. Bond to the manager role at a salary of $142,500 — and even posting a news release to the township website saying he had taken the job — officials confirmed he declined the offer and they would pursue another candidate, leading to Hudson.
Assistant Township Manager and Finance Director Cathy Gorman still will work as acting township manager for now, as she has since April.
Gorman and her administrative assistants, Stacey Werkheiser and Carol Schneider, are also in for raises thanks to a unanimous vote from the panel. That'll be $15,000 more for Gorman and $3,000 each for Werkheiser and Schneider, all tacked on to their previous salary increases approved in May.
Resignations across the board
After former Township Manager Mark Hudson resigned in March to take a similar position with Hanover Township, Northampton County, Lower Saucon has had trouble filling the position.
But it doesn't stop there:
- Mark Freed was appointed township solicitor at the turn of the year, but he only lasted 16 days on the job
- Freed’s role is now filled by Steven Goudsouzian, who served in an interim capacity before being voted into the township solicitor role in the months following
- Freed replaced Lincoln B. Treadwell, who worked as township solicitor for 23 years
- The township is currently searching for its newest zoning officer and building code official since the former officer, Jim Young, stepped down after more than five years
- The township in April brought on a new law firm to help with labor matters
Executive session sanctity
Council President Priscilla deLeon later motioned to rearrange the agenda to instead introduce the new Junior Council members before discussing the pre-meeting executive session about the manager situation.
Banonis wasn’t having it.
DeLeon told him, “I don’t have a time limit for that. I will get to that, so just be patient for a change.”
“What I think is important here is the fact that we’re not going to talk about what happened in the executive session, what’s taking place within the township.”Lower Saucon Township Councilman Jason Banonis
“Stay tuned,” Banonis said. “ … I think it’s great that we have Junior Council people that are willing to serve on this council and see how to behave and see what kind of nonsense takes place in local government.
“But what I think is important here is the fact that we’re not going to talk about what happened in the executive session, what’s taking place within the township.”
As deLeon told Banonis the executive session wasn’t part of her motion, Councilman Thomas Carocci had the following to say: “Vladimir deLeon, he’s an elected official. He has the right to speak.”
'You jeopardize our township'
A news release about the outgoing manager had already been posted on the township website before the meeting, so the public already had an idea of what happened with the previous manager, Banonis said.
Councilman Victoria Opthof-Cordaro then said to Banonis, “You jeopardize our township, you jeopardize our community by continuously talking about what happens in executive session. You know better than to talk about what happened in executive session.”
Banonis and Carocci both said they were left out of the hiring process, never even getting a look at the candidates’ qualifications.
“Hopefully the public is smart enough to weed through what is not true being said and what is true being said."Lower Saucon Township Councilwoman Laura Ray
Carocci said he wasn't at the municipal building on Thursday or Friday, but he figured Hudson worked with the council majority for about 48 hours before "hightailing it out of here."
“So the public can draw whatever conclusions they want to from that,” Carocci said, chuckling.
“Hopefully the public is smart enough to weed through what is not true being said and what is true being said,” said Councilwoman Laura Ray. “The lies have been repeated over and over.
“I’d like to move on and conduct our township business.”
DeLeon told the audience, “You have to understand that not everything you hear up here is the entire truth.”
The meeting's Youtube live stream currently has over 500 views.
