Blogger's Note: This is the fourth installment of Brad Osborne's questionnaire to South Whitehall Tp Comm'r candidates.
November 20, 2019. There was no advertisement. There were no interviews of any kind, The published agenda failed to include the appointment of a vacant Commissioner's seat. Yet as the midnight hour approached, that's precisely what happened. South Whitehall Board of Commissioners rejected the voters’ fourth choice for three available positions in favor of Joe Setton to fill a vacancy. The Morning Call headline read “Catcalling, lack of transparency, mistrust: South Whitehall residents lash out at commissioners over appointment”.
This sleight of hand has since resulted in several consequential and permanent pro-development decisions in 3-2 votes, and has angered many residents.
Today’s Candidate Question: Should vacancies on the Board of Commissioners and volunteer boards/commissions be advertised and interviews conducted in a public setting before an appointment is made?
Christina “Tori” Morgan (R): No response.
Joe Setton (D): No response.
David Kennedy (R): Yes, all positions and vacancies should be advertised. There are many SWT residents who are highly qualified and capable; full transparency is a must. This process should always be “in the sunshine.”
Monica Hodges (R): Yes. The vacancy should be announced in a timely fashion; the description and responsibilities of the position as well as the application deadline and term expiration should be clear; the advertisement of the vacancy should be rigorous; and the public should be able to watch the interviews, know what questions were asked, know the responses, and have a clear idea as to why the final appointee was chosen.
Thomas J. Johns (D): Yes. In addition to allowing transparency in the appointment process, the advertisements of the vacancies may alert other residents who are unaware of the opportunity to serve their community.
11 comments:
Morgan has been using her secretive process to pack the boards & commissions with her cronies. It's all about the Queen. It's disgusting.
Tori Morgan is very transparent. She makes it clear she will do anything to stay in power.
Morgan needed Setton to back her in her plans to support every developer that comes along.
Mark Pinsley and Vicki Morgan are to blame for the present state of affairs....as well as Glenn Block, Dave Bond and Matt Mulqueen former commissioners who enabled Pinsley and Morgan to select the Sleep Joe Setton. Any and all trust for the township was destroyed that evening.... Disgusting. That is day zero of the problems, transparency and civility in the township
Anonymous 3:11 brings up a good point.
All five members of the old board are to blame. Pinsley left to continue office hopping - just watch...he's rumored to run for statewide office next year. Apparently the guy can't hold an elected office for more than three years before he needs a bigger title to suit his massive ego. Mulqueen attempted to run for re-election in 2019, but he got demolished in the primary. Block and Bond, as lame duck Commissioners, also voted for the "midnight appointee" Joe Setton.
Last, but certainly not least, there's South Whitehall's "forever Commissioner", Her Majesty The Queen Christina "Tori" Morgan. She's the only member of the old board left, and is completely responsible for all of South Whitehall's problems over the past ten years, considering the fact that she has been Board President since 2012. Her resume (or rap sheet) includes 10 years of no audits, massive high-density developments, and excessive property taxes, which have increased by 78% since she became Board President.
Like I said, Morgan is the only one left from the old board. It's time for her to go.
Tori Morgan has been the president of the board since 2012. She knows what’s best for the township. If she wants this person or that on a particular board or commission, she has the right to get what she wants. Everyone else is just a naysayer and don’t know what they’re talking about. Leave her alone.
I’ve been reading this blog since it started. There are many facts being brought out that might point to Tori’s shortcomings as a leader, but I am still going to vote for her. She’s put her time in, and I like her as a person.
Uh oh. Based on the comments by Anonymous 9:10 and Anonymous 9:37, it looks like Morgan's Minions are back. I wonder who it is. Mark "Office Hopper" Pinsley? Mad Matty Mobilio? Maybe it's her newest little puppet, Ben "All Hail Tori Morgan" Long, who is seeking the appointed spot on the Board and has the unwavering support of Morgan -- probably because Ben Long can't think for himself and will only do whatever Morgan tells him to do.
No matter who it is, it's pretty clear Morgan surrounds herself with a bunch of shady cronies. The statement "she has a right to get whatever she wants" is completely asinine. She's only one member of a five-member board. In 2019, voters rejected her candidates in favor of change-oriented candidates. Hopefully the voters will do the same next week.
#MorganHasGottaGo #DethroneQueenTori
It’s sad that some of these people you mentioned as part of the past problem have been recycled into the township again? That Morgan got them back in?
Didn’t I read in the newspaper that Pinsley and Mulqueen were chosen by Morgan to be on some board last year?
What the heck is happening in south whitehall? It used to be a nice quiet place. But over the past 5 years it’s gone downhill fast.
I supported Tori in the past as well, but I just can’t do that anymore. She has disappointed so many people, including township employees, that I think it is time for her to go. One last point . . . even suggesting a loser like Benny Long who can’t hold down a job for commissioner?? How desperate can she be for someone, anyone to carry her water? Oh, sorry, that might be Lehigh Valley Water Systems!
Totally agree...although I voted for Tori Morgan in past years when I wasn't following SW politics, I certainly won't be voting for her on 5/18! She has shamelessly aligned with Mobilio and Setton the past two years, and hopefully this will be her final year as a SW Commissioner!
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