04/02/2026
Tonight, at Malvern's Borough Council meeting, Fred Mannis of CMR presented the following proposal to Council, both orally and in writing. The written document reads as follows:
BOROUGH OF MALVERN
MINORITY REPRESENTATION PLAN
Proposed Election Structure.
Beginning in 2027, and every fourth year thereafter when four Council seats are on the ballot, the two Democratic candidates who receive the most votes and the two Republican candidates who receive the most votes shall be elected.
Beginning in 2029, and every fourth year thereafter when three Council seats are on the ballot,the three candidates who receive the most votes — regardless of party — shall be elected.
WHY THIS NEW STRUCTURE MATTERS.
For decades, Malvern’s seven-member Borough Council has been primarily composed entirely of members from a single political party — at times Republican, and currently Democrat. But after each of the last few elections, Borough Council has consisted entirely of members from a single political party.
Yet Malvern’s 2,600 registered voters are politically diverse:
* 1,200 Democrat (46%)
* 1,000 Republican (38%)
* 400 Independent or Other (15%)
Our community is politically diverse, but our Council does not reflect that diversity.
This plan offers a simple and fair approach. It ensures that the majority party will continue to hold an advantage that is sometimes 5-2 and sometimes 4-3 but never 7-0, while guaranteeing that the minority party always has a meaningful presence at the table.
Importantly, this proposal is not proportional representation. It does not attempt to allocate seats based on exact vote shares or predict how Independents may vote in any given year.
Independent voters often lean toward one party or another, but their registration reflects a desire for political balance and independence — and the structure of our governing body should reflect that diversity.
The goal is structural: to prevent any single party from holding 100% of the seats in a politically mixed community. A guaranteed minority presence strengthens deliberation, improves accountability, and builds public trust without threatening majority control.
Every voter deserves a voice at the table, and this structure ensures that voice is present.
STATE LAW PROVIDES A PRECEDENT.
Pennsylvania law requires minority party representation on county boards, including the three member County Commissioner structure used statewide. In Chester County, this means two commissioners from the majority party and one from the minority party; all three can never be from the same party.
The purpose is straightforward:
* To ensure diverse viewpoints are included in decision making, and
* To promote community engagement by giving all voters confidence that their interests are represented.
This proposal applies that same principle at the local level.
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Fred asked Borough Council to put this proposal on its Agenda for discussion at Council's next "workshop" meeting, which will be March 3, and to vote on it at its March 17 meeting. If Council does not vote on the proposal on March 17, or votes not to adopt it, CMR will begin the procedure under Malvern's Home Rule Charter to place the proposal on the ballot for Malvern's voters to decide in November.
Council did not make any comments or react to the proposal.
In the event that Council does not vote to adopt the proposal, we will need helpers to obtain signatures in support of the proposal, and to campaign to persuade Malvern voters to adopt the proposal.
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