Meeting attendees watched, took pictures and applauded as three newly-elected members of Lower Saucon Township Council were sworn into office Tuesday.
Lower Saucon Township Council’s new Democratic majority took office Tuesday before a standing room-only crowd, with well-wishers overflowing the Lower Saucon Town Hall meeting room.
The meeting began with Northampton County Court of Common Pleas Judge Brian Panella administering the oath of office to Democrats Laura Ray, Victoria Opthof-Cordaro and Priscilla deLeon, who as the Saucon Valley Together slate ran on a reform platform that included promises to mend relations with the borough of Hellertown, improve transparency, reduce spending on litigation, restore an agreement with Hellertown Area Library and oppose a proposed expansion by Bethlehem Landfill, among other things. Above all, they said, they plan to listen to township residents.
Priscilla deLeon, who has served 37 years on Lower Saucon Township Council, takes the oath of office to begin her tenth term. DeLeon was later elected council president at the meeting. (Contributed photo)
“Our resolution to our residents is to be better,” said deLeon, who began her tenth term on council at the meeting. “Laura, Victoria and I will be working really hard to turn this township around.”
“I look forward to turning things around in our township,” said Ray, who also has a long history of service in the township.
Opthof-Cordaro encouraged residents to communicate their concerns to the new council by email, phone or other means, and to attend future council meetings.
“I feel democracy is very important to honor and to save,” she said.
DeLeon encouraged residents to sign up to receive email notifications on the township website, so they can see meeting agendas and receive other important information in a timely manner.
During their swearing in ceremony, a chart listing the three winners’ vote totals was displayed on the room’s overhead projector along with the words “Congratulations” and “Mandate for Change.”
Combined, deLeon, Ray and Opthof-Cordaro captured more than 60 percent of the total vote in November’s election, in which they faced an uphill battle due to the voter registration advantage Republicans have in the township. Adopting a coalition approach for their campaign, a significant number of township Republicans ultimately crossed party lines to vote for the Democrats–and against incumbents Sandra Yerger and Mark Inglis, who along with Susan Blair made up the GOP township council candidate slate. Some of those Republicans were in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting, for which a jubilant atmosphere prevailed throughout much of the evening, with the newly-elected members receiving congratulations from family members and friends.
The meeting was opened by councilman Jason Banonis, a Republican who served as council president until deLeon was elected president by a 3-1 vote and took the meeting gavel from him.
Ray was then elected vice president; again, by a 3-1 vote, with Banonis voting “no.”
Councilman Tom Carocci, who is a Republican, was absent.
In other business at the meeting, council voted 3-1 to appoint a new township solicitor. Attorney Mark Freed of Curtin & Heefner LLP of Yardley was chosen to replace solicitor Linc Treadwell.
Freed said he is also the solicitor for Solebury Township and Ivyland borough in Bucks County and has working relationships with other municipalities in southeastern Pennsylvania.
By a 3-1 vote, council also approved an updated agenda policy and code of conduct for meetings that will no longer limit the ability to comment to township residents and taxpayers.
Significantly, under the revised rules speakers will have the ability to comment on individual agenda items as each item is discussed by council, instead of only during an agenda item comment period at the beginning of the meeting.
“That is the way we operated several years ago and…it really didn’t seem to be a problem,” said Ray.
“This is a good thing for our township,” added Opthof-Cordaro.
Previously, speakers had to adhere to a three-minute time limit, but under the revised rules the time limit has been extended to five minutes and council can grant further extensions upon request.
Also sworn in at Tuesday’s meeting was newly-elected township controller Lynn Hill, who won a write-in campaign for that office.
The next township council meeting will be a special budget meeting on Thursday, Jan. 11 at 6:30 p.m., when the 2024 township budget approved last year will be reopened and discussed.
Council president Priscilla deLeon shakes hands with Northampton County Court of Common Pleas Judge Brian Panella after being sworn in to a tenth term on Lower Saucon Township Council Tuesday.
Councilwoman Victoria Opthof-Cordaro was joined by her family for her swearing-in by Northampton County Court of Common Pleas Judge Brian Panella.
Council vice president Laura Ray takes the oath of office during her swearing-in by Northampton County Court of Common Pleas Judge Brian Panella Tuesday.
Victoria Opthof-Cordaro, her family members and others react after she was sworn in as a Lower Saucon Township Council member Tuesday.
A room filled to capacity with well-wishers applauds the new Lower Saucon Township council members.
Lynn Hill, who won a write-in campaign to become the new Lower Saucon Township Controller, was also sworn in to office by Northampton County Court of Common Pleas Judge Brian Panella Tuesday.
