COPLAY BOROUGH GOVERNMENT
THE GRAY PERIOD
CONTINUED
In our 55 year plus residency in Coplay, we have never seen anything that divided the community as did the following. Let us visit the issue of the Council President Mrs. B. Miller and the appointed Council Member C. Piskula, Chairman of the Fire and Water Committee and what was then known as the Coplay Fire Co. No. 1. Where does one start? Let's go to November of 2005 and the regular meeting of said Fire Co. No. 1. As a member of the Fire Co. (active for a number of years) I was in attendance. Mayor B. Leiner, Jr. was seated with C. Piskula and even Police Chief V. Genovese and Officer K. Reed were there in uniform. One of the items on the agenda was the application of C. Piskula to become a member of the said Fire Co. No. 1. A written ballot vote was taken and a resident in attendance made the tally public. It was 17 to 10 against membership for C. Piskula. This is not the end of the story. The following month at a December 19, 2005 meeting, borough council unanimously passed Ordinance 750, which in essence seperated the Fire Department from Coplay Fire Co. No. 1. The borough newsletter stated that the Fire Department is composed of the Firefighters who respond to your home in the event of an emergency, whereas the Coplay Fire Co. No. 1 is a group like a home association or (according to Mayor B. Leiner, Jr. at that time) a social club that runs the fire hall activities such as breakfasts, bingo, craft shows, etc. Seems funny to me that an ordinance would be enacted that quickly unless it was being considered prior to the action in December. Never heard of it until then. NUFF SAID!!!
The story goes on. At a Coplay Fire Co. No.1 sponsored Craft Show event, Council President B. Miller barricaded the public parking lot (owned by the borough) adjacent to the building and refused parking privileges to anyone attending the Craft Show. Council Member C. Piskula was allegedly involved at that time. Council President B. Miller and Council Member C. Piskula went on from there to contend that the Fire Co. Building was the property of the Borough of Coplay. This went on for quite a while and ended up in court where the Judge ruled that the Building at 165 Cherry St. factually belonged to Coplay Fire Co. No. 1. Legal cost to the Borough for this venture was said to be between $30,000 and $40,000. One mil of taxes generates approximately $50,000.
To continue - In 2007, approximately at the Labor Day weekend, Councilman M. Mazur contacted Council President B. Miller and informed her that he intended to run for the position of Borough Council President in January 2008. This led to Mr. Mazur receiving a scathing letter from then Mayor B. Leiner, Jr. because of the announcement. The General Election of 2007 changed a few things. In December of 2007, Mayor B. Leiner, Jr. resigned as Mayor of Coplay to become a Lehigh County Commissioner. Councilman John Milander was appointed to fill the vacant Mayor position. Mayor Leiner, Jr. appointed Ms. Rachel Luckenbill (a perceived follower of the Mayor) to fill the vacant council seat. The General Election of 2007 produced two new councilmen, David Royer, a native son and newcomer Marvin Mann II. In January of 2008, Mr. Mann announced his candidacy for Borough Council President. Council President B. Miller prevailed and retained her position for that year. Rachel Luckenbill, a Mayor Leiner, Jr. appointee to council, served during 2008 and in January of 2009, despite the perception of being a follower of the Mayor, proved to be a self thinker and, in my opinion, the catalyst that provided a positive change in the direction of Coplay Borough Government. At the council meeting of January 2009 she made a motion that placed the name of Marvin Mann II in nomination for Coplay Borough Council President. Mr. Mann was successful in his bid. Ms. Luckenbill served until mid-year of 2009, when due to employment and family commitments, she regretfully tendered her resignation from council. Coplay lost a community oriented person on Borough Council and if her personal situation were to change in the future, I strongly suggest that she consider seeking elective office again. Rachel, thank you for your efforts on behalf of the closest thing to Utopia, COPLAY. Mr. Lou Bodish, top vote getter in the primary was appointed to serve the rest of the term. Along with Mr. Bodish, Mike Mazur, incumbent, Joe Bundra (previous council member) and Joe Groller (previous council member and highly respected) were the successful candidates. Beverly Miller, the former Council President, was defeated in the primary. NUFF SAID!!!
Please continue to the next posting for the rest of the story.
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