Pete LaRosa Resigns from West Pottsgrove Board
STOWE PA – West Pottsgrove Commissioner Pete LaRosa, who has served in that elected position since January 2012, tendered his immediately-effective resignation Wednesday (Feb. 2, 2022) from the township Board of Commissioners. LaRosa recently joined a new employer in the Fort Washington area, and said he felt he would be unable to “devote the time necessary” to best serve township residents.
Township Manager Scott Hutt at the board’s direction has begun the process of calling for resumes or letters of interest, to be submitted by no later than Feb. 15 at 5 p.m., from individuals who want to be considered to fill LaRosa’s vacancy. His term expires in two years. Commissioners hope to interview successor candidates during their workshop meeting later this month.
“I didn’t want to resign,” LaRosa explained Thursday (Feb. 3). “I really enjoyed working with people in the township. I liked the activity. I liked working with Scott,” he said.
A lengthy commute each way to work and back, however, and the possibility of more-than-occasional traffic disruptions on U.S. Route 422 and the Schuylkill Expressway caused him to think twice. “It wouldn’t have been fair,” he said, to the township or his employer.
LaRosa has a long history as a successful manager of commercial and residential properties, and remains on that career track in his latest position. “I handed in my township keys last night” as he delivered his letter, LaRosa added, although his resignation announcement was not listed on the board’s Wednesday meeting agenda. Apparently only a few people had advance indication of his decision.
Although he will no longer serve the township in an elected role, LaRosa pledged he will continue to work with it in a volunteer capacity. “I know what our community needs. I think I can continue to be of help,” he said.
Hutt agreed. He said LaRosa had been instrumental in the production of the township’s revived newsletter, distributed during Fall 2021. The 16-page, full-color publication offered reminders, tips, an overview of activities written by Hutt, news of police department employment as well as the dedication of the South Grosstown Road bridge, and a variety of other items.
Interested in the commissioners’ vacancy?
Under state law, specifically Section 530 of its First Class Township Code, only letters of interest or resumes from individuals who are registered electors of West Pottsgrove – that is, those who live in the township and are registered to vote – can be considered to fill the commissioner’s vacancy, which expires Jan. 1, 2024.
All resumes or letters of interest must be submitted via e-mail to the Township Manager, Scott A. Hutt, at wptmanager@comcast.net; or hand-delivery to the township building, 980 Grosstown Rd., Stowe PA 19464, according to a township Facebook Page post.
“The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, February 15, 2022 at 5:00pm, ” it added. “The Board will allow applicants to speak on their behalf at the scheduled Board of Commissioners Workshop Meeting on February 16, 2022 beginning at 7:00pm at the Township Building.”
West Pottsgrove municipal building photo by The Posts
