Lansdale Appoints Yetter to Vacant Ward 3 Council Seat

Dan Sokil | The Reporter•

New Lansdale councilman Michael Yetter, center, receives his oath from Mayor Garry Herbert after being selected to fill a vacant seat from the town’s

Borough council now has another new addition.

Council voted on Wednesday night to appoint resident Michael Yetter to fill a vacant council seat from the borough’s 3rd Ward.

"I’m a resident, and I’m your neighbor. I’m also seeking to represent Ward 3 because I see opportunity all around Lansdale,” Yetter said.

In December the town said their farewells to longtime ward three councilman Denton Burnell, who held the council presidency for the last eight of his 12 years on council, and in January he was succeeded by new councilwoman Rafia Razzak, giving the group a majority of women for the first time in the town’s 152-year history. Two weeks later, council accepted the resignation of councilman Mark Ladley, a communications and marketing professional who had served on the borough’s economic development committee since 2015, and was elected to a four-year term on council in 2021. In early February council President Mary Fuller said the town had received nine applications for the vacancy, and that council could vote on an appointment during their Feb. 21 meeting if council members had met with candidates by then.

That vote came on Wednesday night, after Fuller kicked off the meeting by thanking all who applied.

"I think it’s safe to say we had unprecedented interest in this seat, and that is a fantastic thing,” Fuller said. "All the candidates are worthy, and could bring something special to this table.

"I wish them all the best of luck, and my only downside is that we only have one seat to fill. But I hope we see everybody remain interested,” she said.

Several of those candidates spoke, introducing themselves to council and making their case for the appointment. Yetter was the first to speak, saying he applied "because Lansdale is my home,” and that his family live in a 103-year-old home in the west ward that was revived by a local architect, his wife owns a Main Street business, and he sees plenty of potential in the town.

"I see the opportunity to highlight great things like we saw tonight, with our wonderful example of community policing and the mental health co-responder program,” he said, referring to initiatives by the borough police department that were highlighted in their annual report.

"Opportunities to fill up Main and Broad Street, some of the vacant places that we see, as well as dealing with some of the challenges, such as absentee building owners who benefit from tax benefits, but we have to see their vacant spaces. Those things, we have ways to address,” he said.

Yetter is currently a member of the economic development committee, a foundation board member for Montgomery County Community College, lives on West Mt. Vernon Street, and is a business executive working in technology leadership with Jefferson Health, bringing experience with large-scale budgets, complex projects, and effective communication, according to biographical info provided by the borough. In speaking to council and the public, Yetter added that he sees opportunities to keep the borough neighborhood streets safe, to support kids at play, study traffic problems, and deal with "some national-level issues.”

"I see us dealing with those on a local level: the unhoused, affordability of housing in our neighborhood. Those are things we can’t do by ourselves, we have to collaborate with the county, collaborate with the state, and try to set examples for how a local community can navigate those types of major issues,” he said.

During interviews with the current council members, Yetter added, he was "incredibly impressed by the people who represent us, and serve us, who give their time to represent us in the community, and I would be absolutely honored to serve with them.”

Five other candidates also spoke to make their case, and after other council business, Fuller explained the nomination procedure: each council member would be able to nominate one or more candidates, then they would vote in the order of nominations, with the first to secure at least five of the eight votes winning.

"No one is obligated to only vote for a person they nominated. So people can vote multiple yeses or multiple no’s, you don’t have to only reserve one vote,” she said.

Almost immediately after she opened nominations, councilman Andrew Carroll put forward Yetter, followed by a nomination from councilwoman Carrie Oglesby for candidate Peter Derstine, and from councilman Rich DiGregorio for candidate Richard Strahm. No other candidates were nominated, and Fuller then asked for a roll call vote on Yetter’s nomination: seven council members voted for him, and only DiGregorio voted no.

"We got more than five votes on the first candidate, so congratulations, Mr. Yetter, we can sign you in. Thank you to all the other people who valiantly stepped up, and rose to the challenge. I hope that you all remain engaged in some way,” Fuller said.

Lansdale’s borough council next meets at 8:30 p.m. on March 6, with various council committees starting at 6:30 p.m., all at the borough municipal building, 1 Vine Street. For more information visit www.Lansdale.org.

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