Politics & Government

Hatboro Borough Manager Resigns

Steven Plaugher cites an hour-long commute as the reason behind his decision to leave his $80,000 a year post after only a year.

Hatboro Borough Manager Steven Plaugher, during an executive session Monday night, resigned his post with a week’s notice and no other job lined up.

“I would like to find something closer to my home in Downingtown,” Plaugher wrote in an e-mail to Patch. “The one-hour commute each way from Downingtown to Hatboro made for very long days and nights.”

Plaugher, who retired from the Downingtown Police Department after 30 years, served as Downingtown’s assistant borough manager for two and a half years before budgetary cuts had him seeking employment in Hatboro.

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following the in March 2011 after less than a year; and an involving Bill McCauley, the interim manager following Ryan.

Plaugher inherited oversight of the long-overdue expansion project, an effort that, since its has been , as well as being followed. During a borough council meeting in May, the governing body grilled Plaugher about ongoing issues.

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Plaugher, however, said his resignation was his decision alone and that he “learned a lot. Hopefully it will help to find me a new job.”

Borough Councilwoman Patty Fleming, the lone Democrat besides Mayor Norm Hawkes, said she was surprised about Plaugher's resignation.

“I walked in there totally not knowing that (Plaugher’s resignation) was happening last night,” Fleming said. 

Fleming said Public Works Superintendent Fred Zollers would serve as interim borough manager “for the time being.” She said that while Plaugher’s last work day is Friday, he is taking a week of vacation the following week. She said Zollers would likely begin serving in an interim capacity on July 16.

When reached for comment Tuesday Borough Councilman Mark Sheedy said that Plaugher’s replacement, or an interim manager, is “something that John Zygmont is going to make a decision on.”

“We have to get confirmation. We have to get an agreement and it hasn’t been done yet,” Sheedy said, adding that he did not know when the decision would be rendered. “John sets the time schedule for everything. Everything’s done on John’s timetable. John’s the president. John makes the final call. He sets the timetable for borough council.”

Patch was unsuccessful in reaching Zygmont for comment.

Sheedy chalked up Plaugher’s resignation to long commutes.

“I’ll take him at his word,” Sheedy said of Plaugher. “He said it was travel time.”


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