Politics & Government

Supervisors Select Candidate to Fill Open Seat

Lifelong Warminster resident Dan McPhillips was chosen from a field of 13 applicants.

With a 3-1 vote, the Warminster Board of Supervisors chose longtime township resident Dan McPhillips to fill the seat left open by Ellen Jarvis' . McPhillips will be sworn into office at the next scheduled supervisors meeting on April 5, and he will serve out the remainder of Jarvis' term, which ends in 2013.

McPhillips was one of for the open seat. His experience on several township boards and committees was one of the main reasons for his selection, according to Supervisor Tom Panzer, who made the nomination.

"I'm very happy and very eager to get to work," said McPhillips. "I'm really pleased that the board expressed their confidence in my abilities."

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McPhillips will join his fellow Republicans, Panzer, Mark McKee and Chairman of the Board Leo Quinn for a 4-1 majority over Democrat Frank Feinberg. Feinberg expressed disappointment that the open seat was not filled by Jim Scott, who in last November's general election.

"I hoped, in the spirit of bipartisanship, if we had a qualified Democrat, he or she would be selected to fill a Democratic seat," said Feinberg. "I thought we had a qualified Democrat with Jim (Scott). However, I know this was not a political choice and that you chose Dan according to his abilities."

Find out what's happening in Warminsterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

McPhillips pointed to the fact that his previous appointments to township committees have been by unanimous, bipartisan votes, including affirmatives by Feinberg.

"I look forward to working closely with Frank," he said.

A lifelong resident of Warminster, McPhillips attended Willow Dale and Log College before graduating from Archbishop Wood and attending La Salle University. As chairperson of the Environmental Advisory Committee, McPhillips was instrumental in securing a grant that helped install solar panels at the Warminster Library.

He currently serves on the Finance & Budget Advisory Board and the Zoning Hearing Board, seats he will have to give up when he is sworn in. McPhillips hopes to stay involved with those committees as supervisor liaison, a position now held by Panzer.

The board also thanked the remaining 12 candidates for applying to the position and were impressed by the diverse backgrounds and qualities of each applicant.

"It was humbling to interview each candidate," said Panzer. "Any five of them could take our seats today and do an outstanding job, that's the caliber of people that stepped up. To those 12 people, I would say, don't go away. Stay involved. Every one of them has value to add."


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