Plymouth Township Reorganizes, Appoints New Leadership

The Plymouth Township Council held its reorganization meeting Monday night. Incumbent Chris Manero and newcomer Katherine Bandish were sworn in for four-year terms on the five-member council.

The council voted unanimously to appoint Manero as Plymouth Township Council Chairman and Karen Bramblett as Vice Chairwoman.

Councilman Marty Higgins, who served as chairman for the last two years, said he was honored for the opportunity to lead council, but wanted to pass the torch to Manero.

“As we begin a new decade, I believe it’s time for new, fresh, younger ideas to lead us forward,” Higgins said. “Fortunately, we have a person on council who checks all those boxes.”

After thanking Higgins, Township Manager Karen Weiss and previous Council Chairman Dean Eisenberger for their leadership, Manero said he and his fellow council members are committed to the Plymouth Township community.

“I look at my colleagues on council and see people who genuinely care,” Manero said. “The township is in very good hands with those seated on my right and my left.”

For 2020, Manero noted a “busy agenda” full of various challenges, including a continued “robust discussion” related to the municipal campus and the expense of renovating or rebuilding it. The redevelopment of Plymouth Meeting Mall and the commercial center of Plymouth are other projects on the horizon.

Ultimately, Manero said he strives to “move Plymouth in a positive direction.”

In other business, the Plymouth Township Council unanimously approved the hiring of the police department’s 200th police officer, Kyle Lowery. A lifelong resident of Montgomery County, Lowery, 24, was raised in Audubon and graduated from Methacton High School in 2014. From there, he graduated from Widener University in 2018 with a degree in criminal justice and subsequently completed the police academy. He is the son of Ed Lowery, who works for the township’s highway department.