McCandless Town Council unanimously elected Michael Tarle of Ward 3 as council president during its reorganization meeting on Jan. 3.
“We all have an equal voice. We’re all here to work together to better the community. We may disagree but when we do we’ll do it with civility and respect because we are all neighbors,” he said.
Tarle replaced Kimberly Zachary of Ward 1, who served as president since January of 2018. Tarle noted that Zachary had often cut back her hours of a full-time job to do township work.
“Your dedication to the town is unprecedented even in front of the harsh critics, nothing stopped you, which is a great trait,” said Tarle.
Zachary said she has been in support of establishing term limits to give others a chance to serve and was ready to do so as president.
“I think it’s good to get other perspectives and give other people an opportunity to be in a position,” said Zachary, a nurse anesthetist.
Carolyn Schweiger of Ward 6, who was sworn in to another term, was elected vice president on a 4-3 vote, defeating Patricia Cloonan of Ward 7.
Two new council members took their seats, Robert “Jack” Casey representing Ward 2 and Jason Singer representing Ward 4. Their terms and Schweiger’s expire the first Monday of 2026.
Former council members M. Michele Sponholz of Ward 2 and David E. Smith of Ward 4 did not seek re-election.
Council meetings are held the second and fourth Monday each month at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall on Grubbs Road. The meetings can also be viewed online through a link at www.townofmccandless.org.
