This is what playing politics looks like 🫠

Did you hear we have a new auditor in Chadds Ford? The township auditor is an elected position. Our previous auditor moved out of the township and consequently resigned. It was all above board; no funny business. 👍🏻

In accordance with the state code, our three supervisors appointed a new auditor to replace the former until the *next* election.

Why *next* you ask? Let me tell you a little story about how partisan politics ~~loves~~ does not love democracy, that system of government that, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “a form of government in which the people elect representatives to make decisions, policies, laws, etc. according to law.” (bold emphasis mine)

First, you need to know three things about Chadds Ford Township and Pennsylvania’s municipal code.

Chadds Ford Township is a “second-class township” per Pennsylvania law (based on population information).
When the auditor resigns, the position is not considered “vacant” until the board of supervisors accepts the resignation. The BOS has up to 45 days to accept the resignation.
The board of supervisors appoints a new auditor to fill the vacancy until the next election that is at least 60 days after the role becomes “vacant.”

Are you with me?

In other words, the Board of Supervisors has a 45-day window after they find out the existing auditor will vacate the position to “accept” the resignation. The longer they wait, the more they push back the “60 days until the next election” window.

Now, let’s walk through the timeline for the transition to the new auditor.

Early August 2025: Ben Simons notifies the township that he is moving and resigning.
August 13 (83 days before next election day): Board of Supervisors agenda notes that the BOS will accept Simons’ resignation. At the meeting, the township manager begins to address this item, and the BOS says, “No, we’re not doing that today,” with no explanation. Weird.
August 21 (76 days before the next election day): Finance Committee meets—resignation letter from Ben Simons on the agenda. Committee moves to accept. Some weird shuffling and looks. They don’t “accept” it. (I’m not a lawyer, but it probably wouldn’t have mattered? The code says it must be accepted by a majority of the BOS at a public meeting.)
September 10 (55 days before the next election): Board of Supervisors accepts Simons’ letter of resignation at the public meeting.
November 4, 2025: Election Day

As I watched that August 13 Board of Supervisors meeting on Zoom, skipping over such a simple agenda item seemed so odd to me. Now it makes sense. By delaying the resignation acceptance, they pushed past the 60-day window and avoided giving the public a voice in voting for an auditor in the upcoming November election.

Do I think it has a material impact on our township operations? Probably not, but it’s intentionally anti-democratic. That’s disappointing.
Do I think the person they chose is unqualified? I don’t know him. His professional experience seems relevant. I have no reason to assume he’s unfit for the job. I hope he’s great!
Do I think it was a partisan move to maintain power? Yep.
Do I think this would happen somewhere else under Democratic leadership? Most likely.
Do I aspire for our township to operate above partisan politics? Also yes. (Wishful thinking, maybe, but a girl can dream.)

Let me be clear. This is not a commentary on Ben Simons at all. I know him personally. He has coached my children in sports. His children are friendly with my children. We had a lovely conversation about the position on the finance committee he held until his resignation. Our interactions have been only positive.

I don’t know the new auditor, Peter Ferentinos, so I have no reason to assume ill intention. His professional background aligns with the job requirements. This is not a commentary on him either.

We can critique a system without indicting every person who participates in it.

Democracy loves elections. Unfortunately, political parties do not. Sigh…

✏️ On that note, let’s bring civic education back to school, because elections love informed citizens. Reading and math are important, but school is about way more than just reading and math.

If some of our friends in Washington are any indication, we could really use a refresh on our civics and history curriculum. Let’s start with Civics 101: There are three branches of government. They provide critical checks and balances on each other. 🫶🏻

Here’s a fun video to get us started!