Macungie Council Could Replace Rick Hoffman Monday

If all goes as planned, the Borough of Macungie should have a new mayor by the end of Monday night’s borough council meeting, according to Borough Manager Chris Boehm.

The borough has been without a chief executive since the July 1 council meeting, when council officially accepted the resignation of Macungie Mayor Rick Hoffman. Hoffman ended his controversial term of office about six months shy of completion to retire in Virginia with his wife Sue.

Borough code requires council to appoint a new mayor within 30 days of accepting the mayor’s resignation, Boehm explains. At the July 1 meeting, after accepting Hoffman’s resignation, council announced that it would be accepting letters of interest for the position until July 11 at noon and holding interviews at its July 15 meeting. 

Boehm says that borough council has received three letters of interest from residents and will be interviewing those candidates during Monday night’s meeting. “I expect council to make an appointment that night,” Boehm says. “The Sunshine Law requires that all interviews, discussion and appointment of elected officials must be conducted in open session.”

Whoever council appoints to complete Hoffman’s term will hold the position until the end of the year, until whoever is elected mayor in the November general election takes over.

Gary Cordner, a Democrat, was the only mayoral candidate on the May 21 primary ballot. He will now face a Republican challenger - Ronald Conrad, who earned the slot on the Republican ballot with a write-in campaign during the primary.

Macungie Borough Council meets on the first and third Mondays of the month at The Macungie Institute.