Plymouth Twp. Council, Residents Bid Councilwoman Farewell

The Plymouth Township Council, both current and past, along with members of Harmonville Fire Co., and residents, paid a tearful adieu to outgoing Plymouth Township Councilwoman Lenore Bruno. Monday marked Bruno’s last Council meeting.

Her Ward 4 seat will be filled come January by Katherine Bandish.

“I’ve got some big shoes to fill and I know that,” Bandish said to Bruno during the meeting. “The township is much better off for having had you.”

Bruno served two consecutive four-year terms on Plymouth Township Council beginning in 2012. Prior to that, she filled two years of an unexpired term in 2002 before beginning her first elected term in 2004.

Everyone who spoke Monday shared positive accolades about Bruno and said what a privilege it was to work alongside her.

“She is very dedicated and beloved and will be missed,” said Council Chairman Marty Higgins, who served on Council with Bruno for six years.

Throughout her years of service, Bruno saw the dedication of the Plymouth Township Service and Devotion Monument in 2013, the first Veterans Day ceremony in 2018 and aligned with her fellow Council members in 2019 to forego selling the township sewer system. Bruno recalled attending parks and recreation meetings and hearing attendees discuss the possibility of a community center and saw that idea blossom into reality.

“I want to thank the previous council people that served Plymouth Township for their foresight and developing the township into a first-rate community,” Bruno said during a tearful speech. “There are many accomplishments that have made Plymouth Township what it is. They were all done by teamwork.”

Bruno recognized township volunteers, as well as employees from every department.

Councilwoman Karen Bramblett called Bruno a “wonderful mentor” and said she’s enjoyed working with her the last two years.

“Politics are put aside, and we work on what’s best for the township,” Bramblett said. “That has always been Lenore’s guiding principle.”

Previous Council members fought back tears as they spoke about the honor of serving with Bruno.

Representatives from Harmonville Fire Co. presented Bruno with a plaque. Fire officials described Bruno as “always there for us.”

Higgins, on behalf of the Township Council, also presented Bruno with a plaque.

Plymouth Township Council Vice Chairman Chris Manero acknowledged Bruno not only for her nearly 15 years on the Council, but also for her previous time serving on the Colonial School Board.

“Dedicating yourself to public service is not easy,” Manero said.