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On Nov. 3, 2020, West Chester Mayor Dianne Herrin was elected to serve as Pennsylvania State Representative for the 156th District. In the weeks following her win, debates and inquiries swirled around what would happen to the mayoral position and when she should resign. The questions were partially answered on Feb. 2, 2021, when a Borough Brief was posted to the Mayor Dianne Herrin website.
The Borough Brief — which was also posted to the official Mayor Dianne Herrin Facebook page — stated that Herrin would be vacating the office of the mayor on Feb. 18, 2021. The date was purposefully selected, with Herrin explaining that it was done in an effort to better support the new West Chester police chief, and that it would allow for the mayoral position to be filled by appointment rather than election.
In the Borough of West Chester, the mayor serves as the public-appointed head of the police department. Before her State Representative win, Herrin had been involved in the process of restaffing the understaffed department. Four new police officers had been hired, despite the borough entering 2021 with a $600,000 deficit, and she had planned to present to Borough Council an additional police department candidate at the Feb. 17 Borough Council Voting Session. In her brief, Herrin stated that “there is nothing more important than public safety when it comes to municipal services. I made a promise to our new Police Chief I would not leave him so desperately understaffed during these times of crisis and challenge — and I meant it.” Further asserting her decision to leave office after securing a fifth new officer.
Additionally, Herrin explained that the Feb. 18 departure date was chosen as a means of giving borough residents the most influence over the mayoral transition process. According to borough code, vacating office before Feb. 17 triggers a special election in May: by vacating on Feb. 18, the Borough Council is, instead, required to appoint the Interim Mayor. Herrin argued in her Borough Brief that the appointment process would be the most democratic, going on to say that it “creates opportunity for any Borough resident to apply for the Interim Mayor position regardless of political affiliation. The appointment process also gives all residents the opportunity to participate in the selection and interview process and to make their voices heard to their duly-elected Borough Council representatives.”
The announcement of Herrin’s departure date was posted on Feb. 2, 2021. On Feb. 4, a post was made on the official Borough of West Chester Facebook page seeking residents interested in filling Herrin’s unexpired term; also included in the post was a short list of requirements and a link to the Interim Mayor application. At the bottom of the application were important dates: the open application period was Feb. 4 to Feb. 12, the council interview of applicants would be held virtually on Feb. 17, and a virtual Special Borough Council Meeting would be on Feb. 18 at 7:00 p.m. to appoint the Interim Mayor. The borough calendar (located on the official West Chester Borough website) lists the Borough Council Meeting on Feb. 17 but makes no mention of the interviews, and the Special Borough Council Meeting is listed on Feb. 18. The interviews and council meeting are also mentioned in an agenda document for the Feb. 16 Borough Council Worksession.
From the time that the Interim Mayor application was made public on Feb. 4 until the interviews took place on Feb. 17, it’s mentioned a total of three times on the borough website and social media. Borough residents didn’t receive an email, automated phone message or newsletter regarding the interviews.
Herrin argued that the process of appointing an Interim Mayor would be more democratic than a special election due to the participation opportunities that residents would have by communicating with Borough Council representatives. However, out of the seven candidates, only Kyle Hudson and Eric Lorgus announced their bids and participated in campaign interviews prior to Feb. 17.
The Feb. 17 virtual Borough Council Meeting was open to the public via Zoom, with the interviews beginning well into 7:00 p.m. after the council accepted the resignation of Mayor Herrin. Applicants for the Interim Mayor position were interviewed as follows: David Baldino, Kyle Hudson, Diane LeBold, Eric Lorgus, Jordan Norley, Beth Ann Rosica and Bonita Tyes. The process took several hours, with the Special Borough Council Meeting to appoint the Interim Mayor set for the following day. In the time between the interviews and the decision, no formal information was shared with borough residents about the candidates’ positions, and according to several residents, no councilperson reached out to them regarding input on the decision.
On Feb. 19, borough members were introduced to their new Interim Mayor via a post on the Borough of West Chester Facebook page, congratulating Jordan Norley on being sworn into office. Council members voted 5-2 in favor of Norley — the former council president and 2017 Interim Mayor will serve the remainder of Herrin’s 10-month term.
Emma Bickerstaffe is a fourth-year English major with a minor in Journalism. EB891492@wcupa.edu