The makeup of Archbald Borough Council has completely changed since January.
Madonna Munley was appointed Wednesday to fill Tom Aniska’s seat. He resigned on March 27 after denying a data center developer a zoning permit.
Then, Munley said — as she was filling out the paperwork to serve on council — council member Marie Andreoli handed in her resignation alongside those of Dave Moran and Richard Guman.
Moran and Guman were not at Wednesday’s meeting.
Larry West and Lisa Osborne, who also applied for Aniska’s seat, were then appointed to two empty council seats.
The wave of changes mean council members Erin Owen and Louis Rapoch are the only elected officials left serving on what's supposed to be a seven-member board.
Council member Joseph Altier was appointed to fill John Shnipes III’s seat in January after Shnipes resigned, and one seat still remains open.
March regime change
Andreoli, Moran and Guman were among a then-majority who approved a controversial data center overlay for the borough in November, despite residents asking for more time to zone for the new industry.
The three former council members were also voted out of their council leadership roles on March 18.
Residents have also been circulating and signing a petition calling for the removal of Moran, along with Solicitor James O’Connor and borough manager Dan Markey. Moran has, as noted, now resigned.
Reasons for resigning
Moran cited violence against other elected officials in his resignation letter and concerns for his family. He also said that social media is "proving to be the downfall of good government."
"At the direction of my doctor, I will resign my position on Archbald Borough Council effective immediately," the letter says.
Andreoli's letter says she took her position seriously and with the "intention of working in the best interest of the community."
Her decision to resign is because "of the current direction of borough governance."
"And the practical realty that I will no longer be in a position to effectively contribute to council decisions given that decisions are being made without the input of nearly half of the council," Andreoli's letter says.
She also said she is worried about the exposure to potential litigation.
Guman thanked the borough employees in his resignation letter and listed the ways he has devoted himself to the community.
"It's a shame that one topic has taken over the entire council of Archbald Borough," Guman's letter says.
'Where can I do the most good?'
Munley said she was reluctant at first to be on council. She was enjoying her work with the Stop Data Centers in Archbald Group.
“I'm with the people who say, let's give the young people a chance. But as time went on, you just realized that people in their 30s and 40s, they're raising their families. They're working at least 40 hours a week.”
“But then I thought, well, where can I do the most good?”
Munley was among many residents who started showing up to council meetings because of the influx of data center campus proposals. There are six campuses planned for Archbald, the most of any municipality in the state.
“As we were going to council meetings, we were exposed to all these other issues connected with the town right that are important and need to be addressed,” she said.
She acknowledges that she’s connected with the data center opposition.
“But that's an existential crisis for us right now,” she said.
Munley said the new council will look over the data center developers’ zoning applications "with a fine-tooth comb."
“Just to make sure that we do the due diligence that's expected of us at this point,” she said.
Speaking generally, Munley said she wants to promote transparency among borough officials, which she said was lacking before, and continue the community spirit that’s formed out of the data center opposition.
“This has been a unifying movement and such enthusiasm and all because they really want to keep the town as it is, so we can't waste that enthusiasm and that support that we have from the community right now,” she said.
