Matt Ross became the latest Yardley Borough Council member to resign from the position after fellow members voted 6-0 to accept his resignation, effective Dec. 31, at the Tuesday, Jan. 3 meeting.
Ross, a Democrat, did not attend the meeting. He had served on council for five years after first being elected in 2017 and reelected in 2021. The majority Democrat council is planning to appoint Ross’ replacement within the next month.
Whoever is appointed would serve through 2023 but would have to run and win in this year’s election to retain the seat. After council appoints a seventh member to replace Ross, all seven will then be up for election this year.
The departure of Ross is the fifth council resignation in the last four years, including David Bria and Chris Campellone in 2022. The surge of resignations was cited by resident Earl Markey and others as one of the main reasons they successfully petitioned to get a referendum on the Nov. 8 ballot to reduce council’s size from seven to five members. A smaller council would mean fewer resignations and be less disruptive, they reasoned. The referendum was defeated.
After the Jan. 3 meeting, council President Caroline Thompson said Ross is resigning to be able to spend more time with his family, including a 5-year-old child. Thompson called Ross’ contributions to council invaluable, including his work as chair of the Public Works Committee, where he helped obtain grants for and guide the North Main Street sidewalk installation and other projects.
In other news from the meeting, Thompson responded to questions from residents Albert Celini and Frederick Rabena on the status of their suggestion made at a December meeting to approve formation of a special committee that would explore possible financial advantages of merging police departments with neighboring Lower Makefield Township, or paying that township’s police force to patrol Yardley.
Thompson said council members are exchanging emails and still considering their “plan of attack” regarding the proposed committee. She added council might not make a decision this year but could possibly time it more to coincide with the expiration of the current contract with Yardley’s full-time police officers on Dec. 31, 2025. Thompson assured Celini and Rabena they would receive updates.
The idea of a merger was last explored in 2012 and voted down by Yardley Council.
Resident Shirley Lee Corsey is head of an organization called Gather Place that is restoring an old African Methodist Episcopal Church at 188 S. Canal St. and turning it into a museum dedicated to local African American and other history. She announced that the museum is opening to the public on a limited basis.
Initial hours will be noon to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, with a plan to gradually expand the days and hours of operation, Corsey said.
Council also voted 6-0 to award a $307,700 contract to Caddick Construction for elevation of a building at 81 N. Delaware Ave. The money for this and other elevations is coming from a $2 million Federal Emergency Management Agency grant awarded to the borough in April of 2021.
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