The Manchester Enterprise
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Board fires chairman
Bisco says his dismissal may not have been legal
By Ed Patino, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: May 10, 2007
A decision on the future of Bridgewater Township's Planning Commission left several residents unhappy and confused last Thursday.
Advertisement
In a 4-1 vote, the Bridgewater Township Board dismissed Planning Commission Chairman Mike Bisco.
While the board's decision was nearly unanimous, many residents, including Bisco, are questioning whether the ruling was made legally.
Bisco said under the new Planning Act, township zoning and planning officers' terms shouldn't be interrupted by a governing body, and that the status of members of the commission is an issue that should be dealt with administratively.
He also said the Planning Act protects members of the commission for their entire three-year term.
Under the old Planning Act, members of the commission were appointed by the township boards.
"They potentially didn't follow the rules, and I'm finding out if they did this legally," Bisco said Tuesday.
Bisco said that while he received a letter from the Township Board May 2 regarding a "public hearing as part of the regular board meeting to decide on the status of the Planning Commission chair," it didn't clarify much information about dismissing him.
Among the reasons for dismissal that the board presented to the audience included a shift of government, lack of progress on the township's master plan and differing philosophies.
Bridgewater Township Supervisor Jolea Mull said the time was right for a change with the Planning Commission's leadership. The move comes seven months after the current Township Board took office.
"This is common when you go through a turnover," Mull told the audience. "We evaluated the contracted chair for six months, and we've decided it was time for a shift in leadership in the Planning Commission."
Bisco and many residents questioned the move, fearing that it interrupts the progress already made by the Planning Commission. They also questioned whether issues regarding his performance should have been dealt with at an administrative level by the commission.
"Planning is a long-range process, and it shouldn't change when administration changes, Bisco said. "How can those working on the master plan look toward the future when there's changes every four years?"
The audience became uneasy when the board and Bisco's political ties came into play.
"The supervisor asserted that I was a Democrat, and I'm not sure the relevance of that," Bisco said. "Party affiliation should have no part in the hiring process."
Bisco previously has run for office as a Republican.
Township Trustee Shelly Pike was the lone board member to vote in favor of Bisco. She said the board should have given more time to discuss his status and agreed that different philosophies shouldn't come into play.
"It's too heated of a topic right now, and we should have further discussion," Pike told the board. "Mike might have been blindsided by the decision to remove him. Differences of opinion are alright to have."
Bisco also said progress was slowed because the Planning Commission had to wait for the board to budget money and amend ordinances for the master project. He said that the commission applied for, but didn't receive proper notification until the amended ordinances were signed last month.
"We requested budgeted money for the project, but couldn't begin work until they were signed," Bisco said. "By law, we can't start until the notification is received."
Despite the circumstances, Bisco is thankful for the support he received from Bridgewater Township residents and hopes the commission continues to make progress.
"The support I have is wonderful, and there's a lot of good people in the township who believe planning for the future is a long-range process," he said. "I hope the township does well and action of the Planning Commission continue to keep the best interest of the township in mind."
Staff Writer Ed Patino can be reached at 428-8173.
Not all stories are guaranteed to appear
online. The Web edition contains a reasonable
sampling of the print edition stories.
For the most complete news coverage, we invite you to
subscribe
to the print edition of the paper.
TOP JOBS
