Tilden Township supervisor resigns following ‘turmoil’

bdowlin@berksmontnews.com
The search for a new township supervisor will begin in Tilden following the resignation of Judy Romig.

Effective June 30, Romig’s position as township supervisor will be vacated following her submission of a letter of resignation on June 25.

According to Romig, her decision was made after “a little turmoil behind the scenes” with some other township employees in regards to the upkeep of the grounds behind the township building. She said some of her comments were deemed offensive and Russell Werley, Tilden’s chairman of supervisors, said she should apologize to the other employees.

“I’m 70 years old and I don’t need someone else to say to me who I must apologize to for what,” said Romig.

Township supervisor Gene Schappell said he was aware that a verbal conflict had occurred, but he was not aware of the issue at hand.

“I understand that there were some exchange of words,” said Schappell. “I don’t know what it’s in reference to. I don’t want to get in the middle of that.”

Township manager Cheryl Haus was also aware of the situation but said that Romig’s resignation letter did not cite the clash as the reason for the resignation.

“Apparently there were words between her and one of the other supervisors,” said Haus. “At the time it happened, the three of us, Judy, myself and the other supervisor, were there. We all left and assumed that everything was okay. And we got her resignation on Monday morning. The email that I received just said that she was resigning as of June 30. It did not give a reason.”

Haus and Schappell both praised Romig for the work she performed during her time as a township supervisor. They likewise spoke of the fact that Romig never took a salary during her time as a supervisor, but instead donated the money to a fund that was utilized for such township events as Christmas and Halloween parties and Easter egg hunts.

“Everything she did was for the township, to better the township,” said Schappell. “She had her heart and soul in Tilden Township.”

One of Romig’s big concerns in regard to the township was the height limit of buildings. She wanted to control the height of structures in order to maintain a good view of the mountains.

“She was extremely adamant about the 35-foot building height in Tilden Township, to protect the Blue Mountains,” said Haus. “She was very instrumental in getting our ordinances changed to have a 35-foot height limit.”

Haus also stated that Romig was influential in keeping the development in the township confined to the area around the intersection of routes 78 and 61.

Following Romig’s departure, township supervisors Werley and Schappell have 30 days from her date of resignation to appoint someone to fill the vacated position. If they fail to appoint somebody within the allotted time, the township’s vacancy chairman would then join the supervisors in an attempt to remedy the situation within an additional 15-day period.

If the additional 15-day period proves unfruitful then the matter goes into the hands of the Commonwealth Court for appointment of a supervisor.

Regardless of who is appointed to fill her position, Romig said she will struggle with driving around the township, as she is used to staying alert for potential trouble spots.

“Say a sign is covered over by tree branches, a speed limit sign, you’re always looking for things like that,” said Romig, who served as a supervisor for over six years. “I loved doing the job. I loved the people.”

“She will definitely be missed,” said Haus. “She did a lot for Tilden Township.”

“There’s no question that we’re going to miss her,” said Schappell. “She was a big asset to the township. However, I understand she has submitted her resignation, with no negotiations. It’s final. And we just have to move forward now.”

Supervisor Russell Werley did not return a phone call for comments.