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Hershey right to support bill bringing fairness to selection of municipal authority board members

Even though it may not have been proposed by anyone locally, a recent bill in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives seems just about perfect for the current situation involving the Municipal Authority of the Borough of Lewistown and the Lewistown Borough Council, so much so that a local legislator has pledged his support for it.

And we are encouraged that he has.

On Thursday, state Rep. John Hershey, R-Mifflintown, whose 82nd District encompasses Lewistown Borough and some of the other municipalities serviced by MABL, expressed his backing for the bill formerly known as House Bill 2583, originally introduced in 2019 by Lancaster County state Rep. David H. Zimmerman, R-New Holland.

The legislation would make seats on a municipal authority board publicly-elected positions and would require municipal authority boards to include representation from all serviced municipalities.

Simply, it would allow the municipal authority’s customers to decide who sits on the board and it would give a voice to all areas who receive service. Currently, the board members are appointed by the incorporating municipality, who do not have to seek public input at all, nor provide representation from all serviced areas.

It’s why Lewistown Borough Council has the sole power to determine who sits on the MABL board, despite more than two-thirds of MABL customers living outside the borough.

We’ve been on record numerous times saying we don’t believe that is right. Even if the people currently sitting on any municipal authority board say they have only the best interests of their customers in mind, the current setup makes it far too easy for one municipality to exert undue influence trying to get what it wants at the expense of everyone else.

That cannot be allowed to happen.

We thank Hershey for his support of this measure and the house majority leader, state Rep. Kerry Benninghoff — whose district not only includes the MABL-served areas of Armagh, Brown and Union townships, but whose influence in the state House can help bring much-needed attention to this issue — for support he expressed in a message to The Sentinel on Friday.

Benninghoff said he puts his faith in Hershey and Zimmerman to do the right thing and if the bill comes out of committee Benninghoff will work to bring it to the floor. We’re thankful to have legislators of this caliber working on behalf of the residents of Mifflin County.

The municipal authority belongs to the people it serves. It shouldn’t be vulnerable to the whims of a majority of one borough council or one board of township supervisors. It should be governed with everyone’s interests in mind.

This bill would ensure municipal authorities everywhere — including here in Mifflin County — are.

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