Borough of Macungie

Macungie Council Elects Christopher Becker President

Jean Nagle vacated her seat immediately.

In a reflection of the national stage, the Borough of Macungie also experienced a peaceful transfer of power Monday when Council voted Christopher Becker into its top seat. In a 5-2 vote, Jean Nagle was voted out of the president's chair. Council members Debra Cope, Joseph Sikorski, David Boyko, Linn Walker and Becker voted for the change. Gregory Hutchison and Nagle voted against. The issue was introduced by Cope right after the meeting began during the "Council Compliments, Complaints, Petitions and Appeals" segment of the meeting." She began with an analysis of 2012, citing decisions that were made with past councils often hanging inappropriately in the background. "Maybe some council members have not made peace with past council," she …

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Borough of Macungie

Macungie Family Misses 'Kitty'

The "not knowing" what happened to the Cope family's cat is tearing at their hearts.

Christmas was somber for the Cope family from Village Walk Drive in Macungie. Cat owner Debra Cope has taped detailed flyers to area mailboxes: "Hi my name is Debra Cope and I live at 208 Village Walk Dr., Macungie. Our family is missing our cat named "Kitty." He stepped into our yard as well as our hearts on Thanksgiving Day 2007. Although he's still scared of people he doesn't know, we managed to socialize this little guy enough that he became comfortable living as part of our family. He came into our lives at a time our hearts were heavy with the loss of my father. He managed to always find ways to make us smile. Although he is adventurous, he'd never be away from the house for more than a day. He had it good, heated cat house and …

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Bill

8:50 pm on Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Also I just gave a similar cat some treats, thats been to my door many times. Its funny cause I thought it was a neighbors, but I say kitty and it comes over to me? Maybe that is the one. Cherry Lane Macungie.   more ›

Borough of Macungie

New Council Member Resigns, Returns

Debra Cope submitted a letter of resignation then rescinded it.

Debra Cope, one of the Macungie Borough Council members who was elected in November and sworn in in January, recently asked council to accept her letter of resignation, and the action was indeed on the agenda for the April 2 meeting. But she changed her mind and subsequently asked them to ignore it. Cope recently had surgery on her shoulder, said Council President Jean Nagle. "She felt she wouldn't be able to perform her duties," Nagle said, "but then she reconsidered." The earliest Cope may return is the next meeting at 7:30 p.m. April 16 at the Macungie Institute. "I told her that we would understand," Nagle said, also indicating that she told Cope that a minimum of three months was an understandable and reasonable recovery time. However…

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Macungie Tax Hike Could Shoot Much Higher

Council reorganizes then votes to reopen the 2012 Budget.

Macungie Council reorganized at it's Tuesday meeting with the addition of Debra Cope, Linn Walker and Greg Hutchison. Once sworn in, Hutchison moved to nominate veteran council member Jean Nagle to be president of council. With a second by council member Walker, the motion was passed in a 4-3 vote with Cope, Joseph Sikorski and David Boyko dissenting. Walker then moved to appoint Hutchison vice president, and Hutchison seconded his own nomination. The second vote mirrored the first. After addressing new procedures for the new council, Borough Manager Chris Boehm appealed to the board to reopen the 2012 budget that was passed Dec. 27. "I am asking council to adopt a budget that will restore the quality of life in the borough. "I have a …

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VOTE: NOVEMBER 8, 2011

Six Candidates Vie for Four Seats on Macungie Council

Three are four-year seats. The other is for a two-year term.

It’s hard to explain what’s happened in Macungie Borough politics, but one council candidate took a shot at it. “I was on borough council a few years ago, and I used to call Macungie another ‘Mayberry RFD,’ ’’ said Linn Walker, who was born in 1942 and has worked at local high-tech companies all his career. “People used to give me a hard time, saying it was more exciting here than in Mayberry. Well it would be nice if we could get back to Mayberry now.’’ In the last couple of years, Macungie has been more like “Blazing Saddles.” Here’s just a taste of it in recent months: *Macungie Police Chief Edward Harry Jr. was given the OK to live in Hazleton, four years after he was hired. * Five borough council members wrote a letter backing police …

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another voice

9:37 am on Tuesday, November 8, 2011

I find it interesting that you have a problem with where the chief lives. Are you aware that not only has he never missed a day of work but that he is in the office at least 30 minutes before his shift starts? That he has always been there in an emergency? That even during the worst snow storms he not only arrives for work a minimum of ONE HOUR before his shift begins, but has made it in when …   more ›

VOTE: NOVEMBER 8, 2011

Macungie Council Candidates Express Views, Hopes, Plans

Each gave opening and closing statements and answered voters' questions.

Only four of six candidates for three four-year seats and one two-year seat on Macungie Borough council attended the Nov. 3 candidates' forum sponsored by the Lehigh County League of Women Voters at the Macungie Institute. Council president and veteran Guy Ramsey and newcomer Kim Scherr, a write-in candidate, did not attend. Still, four council hopefuls answered voters' questions: Chris Becker, Debra Cope, Greg Hutchison and Linn Walker allowed about 50 residents a glimpse of their thought processes, what makes them tick and their plans for making the borough a better place to live. All four clearly want Macungie to be "out of the papers," a reference to the ongoing turmoil between Mayor Rick Hoffman and the Macungie Police Department that…

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ron

11:27 pm on Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Whats wrong with reporting the facts mr drudy, oh wait i guess mr hutchison and mr hoffman do not like it when the facts are reported like the fact that the mayor now wants the residents to pay his court costs on top of all the legal fees we are paying because of him and the fact that he has started a new attack on the chief. Wasting residents hard earnd money and attacking our police force seem …   more ›