Vacancies to Fill

Although borough council wasted little time in filling the tax collector vacancy Wednesday night, there are still a few vacant positions up for grabs.

As part of the annual process of filling posts on boards and commissions, council will vote Monday on filling nine open spots, with a tent
h vacancy being filled in February.

One seat on the Pottstown Borough Authority is open and two people have applied to fill it. It is currently filled by plumber Aram Ecker, who is seeking a second five-year term. However, newly elected Borough Councilwoman Sheryl Miller has also asked to be appointed.

Sheryl Miller

With Miller's defeat of Jeff Chomnuk for the third ward seat on council, the authority board currently has no member of borough council, a role Chomnuk had filled.

Chomnuk remains a member of the authority board but, obviously, no longer is a member of borough council.

Miller has also asked to be appointed to the Blighted Property Review Committee, an organization that re-appoints four members every year and is charged with reviewing run-down properties in town and declaring them blighted in order to force the owners to repair them, or lose them.

That committee has traditionally been headed by Councilman Dan Weand and, in addition to a member of the codes department, also includes a resident of the borough and traditionally the council person for the first ward "since that's where most of the blighted properties are located," Council President Stephen Toroney explained Wednesday night.

If that tradition is to be followed, newly elected Councilman Ryan Procsal would be appointed.

There is one open seat on the Pottstown Zoning Hearing Board, which carries a three-year term, and incumbent Richard Patrizi has applied to be re-appointed. As of Wednesday night, there were no other applicants.

The Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority has three open seats, each of which carries a five-year term.

Ross Belovich

Three people, Nichole Taylor, John Armato and former mayoral candidate Ross Belovich are being
recommended for the seats by the PDIDA board, said Main Street Manager Sheila Dugan.

Newly elected Mayor Sharon Thomas is "automatically" a member, Toroney said Wednesday.

There is also one open seat on the Pottstown Planning Commission, but the term on that seat does not expire until Feb. 1.

Rosedale resident Jim Derr has asked to be re-appointed to another four-year term.

Miller had applied to be appointed to this post as well, but Toroney told her the planning commission cannot have more than two members of council and since he and Weand both already sit on that board, and their terms are not up, she cannot be appointed.

In theory, there is still time to apply to fill most of these posts, although there are certain requirements for the PDIDA position.