Township Manager's Contract Discussion Pushed to March

The discussion of Lower Merion Township Manager Doug Cleland’s contract was pushed from Wednesday night to March 6 after partisan disagreement and public disapproval of how and when the topic was communicated.

On Wednesday morning, Commissioner Jenny Brown expressed her dismay over finding out the Board of Commissioners was slated to take action on Cleland’s contract that night. The Administrative and Human Resources agenda listed only a “personnel matter.” 

Brown sent an email to her constituents accusing board President Liz Rogan of violating the Sunshine Act in her lack of straightforwardness, which Rogan denied.

The agenda item, which was scheduled for 7:55 p.m., just prior to the rest of the board meeting, was tabled by Commissioner Rick Churchill, who is the chairman of the Administrative and Human Resources committee.

“The report is, there is nothing to report,” Churchill said. “I will take responsibility for having this on the agenda. It should not have been on the agenda. I have nothing to report on the personnel matter. I apologize to the board if it caused some discomfort.”

During public comment, residents Bernie McNamee, Hugh Gordon and Bob Guzzardi, spoke out against the way the matter was handled.

“Calling it a personnel matter—it’s obvious, I think, this is not adequate to anybody,” Gordon said. “I hope this won’t happen again.”

Though Brown and Commissioner Lew Gould wished to comment on the matter, they were asked to wait until old business was brought up at the end of the meeting since the agenda item was tabled.

Brown outlined the contents of her email, saying though the “personnel matter” was included on the agenda she and other commissioners received last Friday, they did not find out it was in reference to Cleland’s contract until Wednesday. Cleland has been working without a contract since the end of 2011.

“It was the process that I was objecting to,” Brown said. “I’m very happy it was pushed off to March… I want to make it clear: This was on the agenda to be approved tonight. That’s why I sent out the email I did informing residents what was happening." 

Gould said when Cleland’s last four-year contract was approved, when Bruce Reed was board president, he did not find out about that vote until just prior to the board meeting. That contract involved a 5 percent increase over each of the four years, Gould said.

Cleland’s total salary is $224,449 per year.

“I do believe the most important responsibility of commissioners is in selecting who the manager of the township will be,” Gould said. “I have never been a part of something that has been as sloppily and poorly organized as this has been. There has been an absolute and complete total lack of leadership on this issue, and that is not right.”

Rogan said negotiations about personnel contracts are not subject to the Sunshine Act. However, a vote on those terms would happen in public, she added.

Rogan said she had believed the committee was close to coming up with a set of proposed terms, which the board could have discussed at pre-board meeting. She emphasized terms of Cleland’s new contract should have been confirmed 30 days prior to the expiration of his previous contract on Dec. 31, 2011.

“If anyone is interested, we’re putting it on the calendar for March 6, which is the next committee meeting,” Rogan said. “There will be discussion and action, hopefully, on the township manager’s contract… I apologize to anyone in the community who felt they did not have sufficient notice; you now have notice.”