Editorial: The newly seated Upper Pottsgrove Board of Commissioners has, to put it mildly, experienced a rough beginning. Commissioner Elwood Taylor recently remarked that “Upper Pottsgrove has had a great fall,” characteristically spinning what has developed into a serious organizational and financial disaster for the Township away from himself. Taylor used the line “had a great fall” in a childish play on the Humpty-Dumpty poem to mask the Township’s staff and committee members’ reaction to his return. The financial threat comes from the lawsuit concerning the Gilbertsville municipal building site brought by Taylor and the two other new commissioners, Albert Leach and Tyron Robinson, against the Township they now govern.
As for the staff and committee members’ reaction, the highly regarded Township Manager Michelle Reddick announced her immediate retirement. Soon after, the Township’s outstanding Police Chief Jim Fisher resigned, both a significant loss of leadership and institutional knowledge. From the Open Space and Recreation Board, both Chairman Greg Churach and Vice Chairman Chuck Note stepped down, with one longtime member stating that he could not support or advance the agenda of the new board. When experienced leaders depart in rapid succession, it signals serious concern about the direction and stability of the Township, as well as concerns of Taylor’s return (for a related article on Taylor link here https://upperpottsgrovejournal.com/taylor-overdevelops-taylor-runs-again-taylor-sues/).
In the financial arena, Upper Pottsgrove is now facing payment demands from prime contractors who executed binding contracts to construct a new police, administration, and public works facility near Gilbertsville Road. Those contracts total approximately $9 million, and some payments have already been made. Taylor, Leach, and Robinson filed a lawsuit that halted construction in a political move eight months after the Township selected the building site.
The case, currently on appeal in Commonwealth Court, will reach the Court later this year and is widely anticipated to be resolved in the residents’ favor. Even so, delays, legal expenses, and contractual exposure carry real financial risk for residents. Additionally, look for Taylor to gather the commissioner he controls and attempt to quash the appeal. Corresponding to how Taylor and his commissioners will manage this attempt, they hired Kilkenny Law, the same firm that filed their suit (for which these new commissioners paid one dollar), as the Township solicitor.
The need for new facilities is not in dispute. The current township administration building — essentially located in the basement of the firehouse — has long exceeded its useful life and has been plagued by persistent mold and air-quality issues. Recent testing revealed elevated levels of toxic mold, forcing the building to close indefinitely and leaving the township without a public meeting space. The police facility is similarly outdated, undersized, and increasingly expensive to maintain.
Township employees have endured these unsafe conditions for years, including at least one employee becoming seriously ill due to mold exposure. They remained committed because the prior board of commissioners spent more than four years carefully planning a replacement project. By the summer of 2025, all design work and regulatory approvals were complete. The project was fully funded without raising taxes or incurring debt. Long-term projections showed the new facilities would save money by eliminating costly emergency repairs and inefficient operations.
The path forward is clear. Commissioners Taylor, Leach, and Robinson have the authority to withdraw their lawsuit and allow construction to begin immediately. Failure to do so risks forfeiting funds already spent, exposing the township to additional legal claims, and delaying a project that has been decades in the making. Continued obstruction for political purposes could ultimately cost taxpayers millions while leaving township employees and police without safe, permanent facilities.
Residents want their township and its leaders to succeed. That requires setting aside campaign rhetoric and focusing on responsible governance. It is time to stop suing the Township and its residents and instead authorize the project manager to move forward without further delay.
The coming weeks and months will determine whether Upper Pottsgrove regains its footing and restores public confidence — or continues its unnecessary “great fall.” The choice belongs to the commissioners now entrusted with governing.