Michael Wolk - Former South Whitehall Township Commissioner

The South Whitehall Concerned Citizens (SWCC) began the movement in 2018 to reduce the unprecedented massive development in the township and initiate changes dedicated toward land preservation. Commissioners Diane Kelly, Monica Hodges, Jacob Roth (and I among others) were original members of this SWCC advocacy movement. They have done their job as Commissioners and their work is coming to fruition with the referendum that will allow South Whitehall Township to raise funds to preserve open space and farmland. Now voters must do their job. I urge all South Whitehall voters to vote for this enabling landmark referendum.

Monica Hodges is running for re-election as a South Whitehall Township Commissioner. Monica has dedicated the last eight years toward transforming the South Whitehall municipal government to reach the point where the township has a viable Land Preservation Program and the ballot referendum that will provide the funding to achieve the goal. Monica provided leadership by speaking out to influence the voters to elect the current SWT Board of Commissioners who provided the extraordinary transformational strategies, direction, resources, referendum, and land preservation programs. The SWT Board of Commissioners is strong and successful. Monica Hodges must remain in office.

Chris Peischl was appointed to the SWT Board of Commissioners and has served in a very reliable, trustworthy, manner. Chris has lived in the township his entire life, raised his family here, and is fully dedicated to the township residents. Chris represents South Whitehall residents and businesses in a very honest, fair, and reasonable manner. Chris applies his past SWT infrastructure, volunteer fire, and EMS experience. He has emphasized the need for SWT to maintain local control over its excellent police department and fire services. Chris is a stalwart servant for South Whitehall citizens who must be re-elected.

The choice is very clear on Election Day. South Whitehall Township has become a model municipality under Monica Hodges and Chris Peischl’s leadership. South Whitehall voters must re-elect Monica Hodges and Chris Peischl to maintain a trustworthy, reliable, successful government.

Hello South Whitehall Township Voters !!!

The Election is less than three weeks away on November 4.

As a former South Whitehall Commissioner, I strongly endorse Monica Hodges and Chris Peischl for re-election as South Whitehall Commissioners.

I advocate for their re-election so that they may continue their excellent, transparent, successful governance that they provide for South Whitehall citizens, who should vote for Monica and Chris to continue their beneficial accomplishments which keep the township strong.

Monica and Chris have demonstrated strong leadership while presiding over the complete, challenging, transformational change that has made South Whitehall Township a model municipality.

The township has an extremely qualified top-tier Township Manager and Operations Director who serve the citizens and businesses with unquestionable dedication and work ethic; strong professional financial management and a balanced budget; a new exceptional Chief of Police; and three very strong volunteer fire companies and extraordinary Emergency Management Services.

South Whitehall has a new Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinances and land preservation is coming to fruition via the Landscapes Plan and innovative Farmland Preservation Program.

I am very proud of Monica Hodges and Chris Peischl for serving on the South Whitehall Board of Commissioners which has successfully accomplished all these tremendous achievements.

Vote for Monica Hodges and Chris Peischl to keep South Whitehall strong and successful.

Michael Wolk
Former South Whitehall Commissioner

As a former South Whitehall Commissioner, I strongly endorse Monica Hodges and Chris Peischl for re-election as South Whitehall Commissioners.

I advocate for their re-election based on their excellent transparent governance that they provide for South Whitehall citizens, who should vote for Monica and Chris to continue their beneficial accomplishments.

Monica and Chris have demonstrated strong leadership while presiding over the complete, challenging, transformational change that has placed South Whitehall Township in its current strong position.

The township has an extremely qualified Township Manager and Operations Director who serve the citizens and businesses with unquestionable dedication and work ethic; strong professional financial management and a balanced budget; a recently hired Chief of Police who has nearly three decades of exemplary performance at another police department; and three very strong volunteer fire companies and exceptional Emergency Management Services.

South Whitehall Community Development has a new Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinances and land preservation is coming to fruition via the Jordan Valley Overlay.

I am very proud of Monica Hodges and Chris Peischl for serving on the South Whitehall Board of Commissioners which has accomplished all these tremendous achievements.

Vote for Monica Hodges and Chris Peischl in the May 20 Primary Election !!!

I strongly endorse Chris Peischl for South Whitehall Commissioner!!!

Chris Peischl is a man with genuine personal character who has unquestionable integrity and who is undeniably trustworthy. His communication is clear, direct, and straightforward. He expresses his thoughts and is not afraid to start difficult conversations. He does not mince words. Chris says what he means and means what he says. His actions line up with his words. Chris speaks the facts and the truth. His decisions will be very logical, rational, and reasonable in accordance with the law. He serves all the people and does not play to any special circumstance or constituency. Chris gets things done !!!

Chris has lived his entire life and raised his family in South Whitehall. Chris has always naturally been dedicated to the community. He is a life-time member with over 30 years of active volunteer service at Greenawalds Fire Company who served as Assistant Chief. Chris also served on the Public Safety Commission for 12+ years and Emergency Management Team for 15+ years. Chris will place paramount priority on public safety.

Chris has critical Emergency Management field experience. When people have their worst day, he gets the call. People trust Chris with their family’s safety. Chris makes tough decisions in crucial times. Voters can trust that Chris will serve all residents with the same sense of urgency, perseverance and resolve to meet their needs.

Chris will govern to achieve moderate development and land preservation by following the new Comprehensive Plan and make Zoning Ordinance and SALDO revisions, all in accordance with the law.

Chris will control township costs and streamline processes to reduce costs and prevent tax increases. Chris had past responsibility for the township water and sewer. He worked to contain costs and regulate business’s discharges into the sewer. This is just one example of Chris’s strong management capabilities.

Chris will ensure that annual audits are completed on schedule. He will ensure that there is an open, transparent, efficient, budget process.

Chris will continue to have public meetings to be broadcast and recorded so that any resident can view the meeting at their convenience.

Chris has a passion for history and wants to see township history preserved for our grandchildren.

In summary, Chris is a loyal “Salt of the Earth” candidate who is determined to represent South Whitehall residents and businesses in a very honest, fair, and reasonable manner. He is a grassroots person who is the heartbeat of the community. He is a common person who has served the residents and businesses. He will continue to serve the community as Commissioner and will never forget where he came from.

Chris will be a loyal, reliable, stalwart on the board who will always work hard to meet residents’ expectations.

May 16 – Primary Election - Vote for Chris Peischl for South Whitehall Commissioner !!!

PRIMARY ELECTION - SOUTH WHITEHALL COMMISSIONER

I strongly endorse Diane Kelly, Jacob Roth and Chris Peischl for South Whitehall Commissioner.

I do not endorse Ben Long because he is not trustworthy and, in my opinion, not qualified to serve as Commissioner.

In June 2021, Ben Long was appointed as a Commissioner to fill a vacant position for only seven months. I didn’t vote for Ben Long for this position because he was, in my opinion, one of the least qualified applicants. The OLD BOARD hand-picked him to preserve their agenda. He didn’t do anything to change my opinion while we served together as Commissioners. My opinion is even lower after reading his continuous deceitful campaign mailings.

INTEGRITY

South Whitehall Township made a positive transition over the past two elections to become a fully functional government where the Commissioners govern with integrity in a respectful manner that residents can trust. Candidates Diane Kelly, Jacob Roth and Chris Peischl meet these qualifications.

Ben Long has sent many communications to voters which make false misleading statements about his accomplishments:

• Ben Long tells voters that he “delivered a no-tax increase, no water/sewer fee increase budget”. FACT: Ben Long approved the 2022 Budget that included a 7.1% water rate increase.

• Ben Long takes credit for “one of the most significant land preservation projects in township history at no cost to taxpayers”. FACT: All he had to do is vote YES. SWT received an unexpected and unsolicited 27-acre land donation. There was no actual land preservation project. The cost to the township was nominal – the closing costs.

• Ben Long takes credit for completing outstanding audits. FACT: The audits were completed by other people, not Ben Long. Ben Long did absolutely no work on the audits except to approve the audits in his first month in office. The years of audit work were completed by others well before he took office.

A recent Ben Long mailing to voters states that “There’s only one candidate we can trust.” He is essentially stating that Diane Kelly, Jacob Roth and Chris Peischl are not trustworthy. This unfounded statement is obviously ludicrous.

Ben Long’s false and misleading statements, which are debunked above, are listed on the backside of that recent mailing. In effect, he proved himself to be untruthful and not worthy of voter’s trust.

In recent mailings, Ben Long made deplorable and misleading attacks on a SWT Commissioner who is running for office. SWT had a previous dysfunctional OLD BOARD which was fraught with uncivil, contemptable, disrespectful behavior generated by certain Commissioners who were voted out of office. With this mailing, Ben Long is demonstrating the same type of behavior as the OLD BOARD. SWT cannot afford to regress back to this uncivil dysfunctionality.

LAND USE

As the elections since 2019 have shown, Ben Long is out of step with voters on growth and land use development policy. He is in favor of large development. He has stated that developers have been treated unfairly and that he thinks “there are some injustices that are going on.” This statement is not substantiated by recent SWT land development facts:

• FACT: The OLD BOARD facilitated and approved the massive Ridge Farm in accordance with the new Zoning Ordinance they enacted in 2014. The Ridge Farm developer did not suffer any injustice.

• FACT: The OLD BOARD approved a significant majority of land development waivers. The OLD BOARD was not unfair to the developers in granting so many waivers, but may have been unfair to its citizens.

Ben Long is a throw-back to the OLD BOARD which was voted out of office by voters who were dissatisfied with their performance which created unprecedented and excessive land development. Ben Long was perfectly aligned with the OLD BOARD and voted with the OLD BOARD on almost all board votes. SWT residents want Commissioners to create moderate development. Diane Kelly, Jacob Roth and Chris Peischl have clearly stated that they will meet voters’ expectations. Ben Long has not made this commitment and his proposed policies would facilitate future large land development.

The choice is clear!!! South Whitehall should move forward and not regress to the past!!!

On May 16: Vote for Diane Kelly, Jacob Roth and Chris Peischl for South Whitehall Commissioner!!!

I know Jacob Roth.

Jacob is one of the most honorable and extraordinary people who I have ever met in my entire life. Jacob has unquestionable integrity. He always speaks the FACTS and the TRUTH with complete transparency.

I know Ben Long.

I didn’t vote for Ben Long when he applied to serve as a Commissioner in 2021. I thought he was one of the least qualified applicants when the OLD BOARD hand-picked him to preserve their status quo agenda. He didn’t do anything to change my opinion while we served together as Commissioners. My opinion is even lower after reading his continuous deceitful campaign mailings.

Ben Long has made false misleading statements about his accomplishments as Commissioner. He continues to publish false, reprehensible, mud-slinging information against the most honorable and qualified Jacob Roth. He is insulting voters intelligence by expecting voters to believe his extraordinary dishonest and deceitful hyperbole.

Ben Long was appointed by the OLD BOARD which was voted out office by voters who want new leadership to move South Whitehall in a new positive direction. During his seven months in office, Ben Long was perfectly aligned with the OLD BOARD and voted with the OLD BOARD on all board votes. Ben Long did not demonstrate any independent thinking and he failed to make any progress in a new direction. As the greatest irony, he expects voters to believe that he will make progress as a new board member after making incredibly disrespectful and divisive comments against the current Commissioners and Candidates.

South Whitehall voted to removed OLD BOARD members who behaved in an uncivil and disrespectable manner. Ben Long would bring his untrustworthy, uncivil and disrespectful behavior back into the Board of Commissioners. South Whitehall cannot afford to regress backward toward this type of dysfunctionality.

Financial Accountability is one of the voters most critical issues. Here’s a simple comparison between Jacob Roth’s and Ben Long’s record on Financial Accountability:

+ Jacob Roth voted for a Balanced 2023 Budget where Revenues exceed Expenses, which protects against future Tax Increases. Jacob Roth’s responsible vote safeguarded taxpayer’s financial security.

+ Ben Long aligned with the OLD BOARD and voted for an Unbalanced 2022 Budget where Expenses exceed Revenues, a practice which would inevitably lead to future Tax Increases. Ben Long’s vote was a pure and simple irresponsible act which does not protect tax payers interests.

Ben Long is not trustworthy and is not qualified to serve as Commissioner.

I am extremely proud of Jacob and his accomplishments. I am honored that Jacob was appointed to succeed me as South Whitehall Commissioner. Jacob and I have the same vision for South Whitehall and share the same core values. Jacob will do an even better job than me governing South Whitehall. Jacob Roth deserves your vote in the Primary Election.

Vote for the honorable and highly qualified Jacob Roth for South Whitehall Commissioner !!!
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In his Facebook post below, Jacob Roth sets the record straight against Ben Long’s latest false allegations.

I know Jacob Roth. I have worked very close with Jacob on extremely important matters related to South Whitehall since we met five years ago. Jacob is one of the most honorable and extraordinary people who I have ever met in my entire life. I am extremely proud of Jacob and his accomplishments. I am honored that Jacob was appointed to succeed me as South Whitehall Commissioner after I resigned from office. Jacob and I have the same vision for South Whitehall and share the same core values. I expect that Jacob will do an even better job than I could in governing South Whitehall. Jacob Roth deserves your vote in the Primary Election.

I know Ben Long. I didn’t vote for Ben Long when he applied to serve as a Commissioner in 2021. I thought he was one of the least qualified applicants and he didn’t do anything to change my mind while we served together as Commissioners.

Ben Long only served as Commissioner for seven months. He has made false misleading statements about his accomplishments as Commissioner. He has resorted to publishing false, despicable, reprehensible, mud-slinging information against the most honorable and qualified Jacob Roth. In his Facebook post below, Jacob Roth sets the record straight against Ben Long’s false allegations.

South Whitehall voted to removed old board members who behaved in an uncivil and disrespectable manner. Ben Long would bring his untrustworthy, uncivil and disrespectful behavior back into the Board of Commissioners. South Whitehall serves better.

Ben Long is not trustworthy and is not qualified to serve as Commissioner.

Vote for the honorable and highly qualified Jacob Roth for South Whitehall Commissioner !!!

Throughout this campaign, I’ve focused on the issues important to South Whitehall residents. I believe that voters are best served when candidates openly discuss the issues without resorting to personal, false attacks. However, a recent mailer sent to voters by a fellow commissioner candidate, containing misleading statements about me, calls into question my experience and fitness for office.

It’s time to set the record straight:

CLAIM: I “recently graduated high school.”

TRUTH: I graduated in the top 3% of my class at Parkland High School, Class of 2020, and just recently graduated at the top of my class from Penn State’s Schreyer Honors College, completing a four-year degree in just three years. During this time, I also held a wide variety of jobs in order to gain real-world experience and make ends meet.

CLAIM: I do “not pay property taxes” because I am not a homeowner.

TRUTH: Thousands of township residents, who either rent or live with their families like me, cannot afford to own a home. I pay annual local income tax to South Whitehall Township based on the income I’ve earned working for a local small business.

CLAIM: I “served one year as Township Commissioner.”

TRUTH: I was appointed to the BOC by a unanimous vote back in November 2022. This other candidate was also appointed to the BOC for just a seven-month term by a 3-2 vote, with Commissioners Tori Morgan, Joe Setton, and Vacancy Board Chair Keisha Champagnie voting yes, and Commissioners Diane Kelly and Mike Wolk voting no.
Over the last five years, I have held volunteer and hired government roles at the federal, state, county, and municipal level. I’ve also attended over 140 BOC and Planning Commission meetings since 2018.

CLAIM: I “voted to raise water and sewer fees on local residents.”

TRUTH: In December, the BOC unanimously made the fiscally-responsible decision to raise water and sewer fees. This action was necessary, due to the previous Board’s reckless decision to deplete our fund balance, which should have been used to prevent fee increases. In December 2021, this other candidate voted to raise water fees by 7.1%, contrary to his statement that he delivered no water fee increase.

Over the last few years, South Whitehall voters have made their view clear: cheap political tricks and personal attacks have no place in our community, much less on the Board of Commissioners. We must continue to elect commissioners who prioritize trust and integrity.

I strongly endorse Jacob Roth for South Whitehall Township Commissioner.

I was honored when Jacob was appointed to succeed me after I resigned as South Whitehall Commissioner in late 2022. Jacob was the absolute best person to succeed me and likewise to be elected into his first full term in office in 2023.

I know Jacob extremely well from our close association during the past five years. Jacob is a man with unquestionable integrity, intelligence, work ethic, maturity and wisdom. He will always work tirelessly to protect residents’ quality of life. Jacob has become highly educated about municipal government. As a citizen advocate, Jacob attended over 140 BOC and Planning Commission Meetings. He is highly qualified to serve as Commissioner.

Best of all, Jacob will continue our shared values and accomplish important goals for South Whitehall – moderate growth, financial accountability, public safety and transparency. He will always govern to ensure a balanced budget and strive for no tax increases. He will implement the Comprehensive Plan via Zoning Ordinance revisions to ensure that township growth is reduced to a level that is acceptable to township residents.

Jacob Roth is extremely trustworthy and qualified.

Jacob Roth deserves your vote on May 16.

I strongly endorse Chris Peischl for South Whitehall Township Commissioner.

I have known Chris for 24 years. He is a man of great personal character with unquestionable integrity and trustworthiness. Chris has lived his entire life and raised his family in South Whitehall. Chris has always naturally been dedicated to the community.

I first met Chris in 1999 when he did an outstanding job as a Grandlawn Association President and baseball coach, which was just a first indication of his organizational capabilities and focus on families.

Chris has served township residents in various capacities over the past 30 years. Chris is a life-time member with over 30 years of active volunteer service at Greenawalds Fire Company ascending to the position of Assistant Chief. Chris also served on the Public Safety Commission for 12+ years and Emergency Management Team for 15+ years.

As Commissioner, Chris will listen to the residents and broaden his governance to provide moderate growth, open space, financial accountability and transparency. Voters can trust that Chris will honor his commitments and accomplish goals that will provide a benefit to South Whitehall residents.

Vote for Chris Peischl on May 16!

I endorse Diane Kelly for South Whitehall Township Commissioner.

Diane Kelly and I won election in 2019 and served together as SWT Commissioners for three years (2020-2022). We worked together and demonstrated great determination and perseverance to improve the township despite many challenges by incumbents to maintain the status quo.

We hired a new Township Manager with outstanding values, experience and maturity who is doing an excellent job in managing the township administration and operations. Our Township Manager created the Director of Operations position and appointed the most highly dedicated extraordinary manager who always works extremely hard at all hours of the day to serve the residents. SWT now has the strongest management team ever.

We completed several years of financial audits (2016-2021) after a ten-year gap with no audits. We created a new Financial Fund Balance Policy. We finally know the township financial position via the policy and the audit completion.

We consistently voted against Land Development Conditional Use and waivers when necessary to protect public safety.

Across the arc of four years and two election cycles, we made extraordinary progress transforming SWT government and operations to better serve the township residents.

Diane Kelly deserves credit for all these accomplishments. Diane will keep South Whitehall moving in a positive direction without any regression to past government and operational failures. She and other like-minded board members will ensure that the Comprehensive Plan is implemented effectively, new land development complies with township ordinances, financial audits are completed on schedule and public safety is given paramount priority.

Vote for Diane Kelly in the Primary Election on May 16!

Hello South Whitehall Voters !

My wife and I moved to Southern Delaware in late 2022. Consequentially, I regrettably resigned as South Whitehall Commissioner. I was honored to serve as your Commissioner and I am grateful to everyone who trusted in me to represent you for three years.

I strongly endorse Diane Kelly, Jacob Roth and Chris Peischl as the most qualified candidates for South Whitehall Commissioner. Diane, Jacob and Chris share my core values and are running on the same basic platform as when I ran for office – moderate growth, financial accountability, public safety and transparency. These three candidates will keep South Whitehall moving in a positive direction that improves residents’ quality of life. I wholeheartedly encourage you to vote for Diane, Jacob and Chris.

I am still very much informed about South Whitehall government including the upcoming Primary Election on Tuesday, May 16. There are four Republican candidates running for three Republican positions on the Primary Election ballot.

I know all four candidates personally. I have great first-hand knowledge about their qualifications and campaign platforms.

Diane Kelly and I served as SWT Commissioners together (2020-2022). We demonstrated great perseverance despite many challenges to maintain the status quo. We made extraordinary progress in transforming SWT government to better serve the township residents.

Jacob Roth was the absolute best person to succeed me as South Whitehall Commissioner. Jacob is a man with unquestionable integrity, intelligence, work ethic, maturity, and wisdom. He will always work tirelessly to protect residents’ quality of life. He is highly qualified to serve as Commissioner.

Chris Peischl and I have known each other for 24 years. He is a man of great personal character with unquestionable integrity and trustworthiness. Voters can trust that Chris will honor his commitments and accomplish goals that will provide benefits to South Whitehall residents.

Ben Long and I served as SWT Commissioners together for seven months (2021). I have first-hand knowledge about how he governed and about his current campaign platform.

After evaluating all four candidates’ vision for the township, core values, qualifications, and campaign platforms, I firmly believe that Diane Kelly, Jacob Roth and Chris Peischl are the most qualified candidates for South Whitehall Commissioner. They are the candidates who will work for township residents to achieve moderate growth, financial accountability, public safety and transparency without any regression to past government and operational failures.

These three candidates will keep South Whitehall moving in a positive direction that improves residents’ quality of life.

Vote for Diane Kelly, Jacob Roth and Chris Peischl on May 16 !!!

GOOD NEWS !!!

Commissioner Brad Osborne just posted some exciting news on his page about SWT Land Preservation. Brad and I are working together on the SWT Land Preservation Committee to develop recommendations about how to move forward to preserve open space, farmland, etc. Brad’s post follows this introduction. Please join us at the 5/18/22 BOC Meeting to learn more and provide your feedback.

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Commissioner Brad Osborne Facebook Post

SWT Land Preservation Committee
May 13, 2022

IMPORTANT: Exciting News for Land Preservation in South Whitehall!!

Commissioner Mike Wolk and I were recently appointed to the Land Preservation Committee, and we wasted no time in getting to work to fulfill one of our top campaign promises and those of our colleagues on the Board of Commissioners.

We’ve developed a plan that, if adopted, will enable our community to position itself to do what many surrounding communities have already begun to do: preserve FARMLAND, OPEN SPACE, and MORE! By collaborating with state and local governments, citizens and landowners, this initiative will help protect our quality of life and enhance South Whitehall’s status as one of the best and most attractive places to live in the Lehigh Valley.

However, we're reaching out because we need your help. It is critical that you attend the next Board of Commissioners meeting to provide feedback on our plan. This will truly be a game-changer for our community if we gain your support to move forward.

The time is NOW!

Please plan on attending either in person or virtually to express your views. We look forward to hearing your input! Details for the meeting are below:

DATE: Wednesday, May 18th
TIME: 7:00 pm
LOCATION: South Whitehall Township Municipal Building, 4444 Walbert Avenue