Rita Graef appointed to fill Ferguson Township supervisor seat

After a special round of voting Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors appointed Rita Graef as the township’s fifth supervisor.

Graef will fill the seat that was declined by supervisor-elect Colleen Unroe on Jan. 4. Unroe was elected for Ward 3.

A suit filed by the township on Dec. 31 contended that Unroe did not meet township requirements to serve as a supervisor. The suit was dropped after she withdrew.

The township began advertising the open supervisor position and taking applications on Jan. 12. Township Manager Mark Kunkle announced on Jan. 18 that the board would be interviewing applicants in February and had 45 days from the date the seat was vacated to find a suitable candidate.

In early February, the township announced six individuals had applied for the supervisor role — Steven Balkey, Drew Clemson, Graef, Andrea Harman, Bradley Lunsford and Michael Radis. Tuesday marked the last day the township had to appoint a supervisor before the issue was taken before the county Court of Common Pleas.

Township solicitor Joseph Green was temporarily appointed board chairman Tuesday in order to put the board “on a completely even basis,” according to Chairman Steve Miller. Green announced there would be three rounds of voting in order to narrow down the candidates for the board to make a final appointment.

In all rounds, Green said, if a single candidate garnered enough “yes” votes, the board could make a motion to appoint.

No candidates were eliminated during the first round, according to the votes that were read aloud to the attendees. Supervisors took time between rounds to discuss their voting decisions and who they felt was qualified.

All candidates agreed that Radis’ conflict with attending Monday meetings was a detractor.

Supervisor Janet Whitaker made a strong case for Lunsford, saying his presence and strong leadership would be a benefit to the board. She also cited his knowledge of the Centre Region as a whole.

Whitaker also supported former supervisor Clemson, who had lost to Unroe during the general election. She cited his experience with the board, which would avoid any learning curves should he be appointed.

Vice Chairman Peter Buckland and Supervisor Laura Dininni showed strong support for Graef, saying she answered questions well during the interviews and would complement the board well.

Following the second round of votes, Graef garnered three “yes” votes from the board — enough to earn her a motion to be appointed. Whitaker was the only board member who voted against her.

The board unanimously agreed to appoint Graef. Kunkle said a time will be scheduled to have her sworn into her position at a later date.

Graef, who was in attendance, was congratulated by other attendees. She declined the opportunity to make a statement.

This story was originally published February 16, 2016 at 7:58 PM with the headline "Rita Graef appointed to fill Ferguson Township supervisor seat."