When it comes to local government, sometimes smaller is better, said Yardley Borough resident Earl Markey in filing a petition with Bucks County that aims to reduce the size of borough council from seven to five members.
The petition with 151 signatures, the required 5 percent of all registered voters in Yardley Borough, will be the subject of a county court hearing scheduled for Sept. 8. The court will then decide whether to certify the question of council size and place it on the Nov. 8 ballot as a referendum.
Among the other advocates for a smaller council is borough resident and frequent council critic Dawn Perlmutter. She ran unsuccessfully for council in 2021 and was one of the main leaders of the petition drive.
She, Markey and others feel that because of resignations, there have been too many appointed council members in recent years not elected by borough voters. Fewer council members should mean fewer resignations, they reason in pointing out what they believe would be one advantage of a smaller council.
There have been four council resignations in recent years, including two instances where people were elected to council and then resigned before even taking their seats. The most recent resignation came at the Aug. 16 council meeting when David Bria announced he is stepping down after more than four years of service on the borough’s governing body.
“Few residents appear committed to volunteering the considerable time, effort and expense that comes along with running for and holding office,” Markey wrote in an email to The Herald. “The resignations result in appointees (picked by the remaining members of council) who are more beholden to members and staff than the voters.
“Our neighbors in Lower Makefield Township have five supervisors governing a municipality more than 10 times larger than Yardley Borough. Five council members could govern our one square-mile borough with its single stop light just as effectively.”
In a responding email, borough council President Caroline Thompson indicated she disagreed with the contentions made by Markey and other advocates for the change.
“I agree that vacancies are disruptive to borough business, but I do not necessarily understand the thought process that less seats will mean less vacancies,” Thompson wrote.
“A five-person council would mean that vacancies will be far more disruptive than they are now,” she continued. “Borough business would need to be conducted and spread thinly across just four council persons rather than six.”
Thompson wrote that other municipalities with less than seven elected governing body members have a lot more paid staff members to help run business. Yardley Borough has one full-time non-police paid staff member, she pointed out.
“I do not believe it (smaller council) is what is best for the town,” Thompson added in the email. “As my grandmother said ‘Many hands make light work.’
“I haven’t and won’t lose any sleep about this petition. My hope is that good and honest people continue to be elected to serve who want what is best for the town, whether that’s five volunteers or seven volunteers.”
Join our readers whose generous donations are making it possible for you to read our news coverage. Help keep local journalism alive and our community strong. Donate today.
