Connoquenessing Township residents voice transparency concerns with supervisors
For months, Connoquenessing Township residents have grown increasingly frustrated with what they see as a pattern of secrecy and poor communication from their local government.
Several residents donning white shirts boldly emblazoned with pink lettering spelling out the words “No Comment!” attended the board of supervisor’s meeting on Wednesday to symbolically protest what they claim is a troubling lack of transparency from certain members.
Specifically, Supervisor Ricky Kradel has faced criticism for frequently answering questions with a terse “no comment,” fueling concerns about his willingness to work with the public.
Residents have accused him of withholding information surrounding critical decisions, most notably regarding township’s Act 537 sewage plan.
At the May 14 meeting, many residents, including Renfrew’s Laura Mason, questioned Kradel’s ability to effectively communicate what Herbert, Rowland & Grubic Inc. have uncovered while drawing up the plan for a $53 million sewage plant that would come with a $252 per month user fee, barring any supplemental grants.
According to prior meeting minutes, Mason told Kradel that he is the longest standing supervisor of the three, which means he “should be the most experienced, the strongest adviser and the most communicative with the citizens.”
However, she said he does not have a township email where residents may contact him and questioned how he intends to hear the residents when he does not have an email address where he can be contacted.
Another resident, Susan Coen, agreed with Mason during the meeting, saying that “there’s no give and take” and therefore she “does not trust a lot of what comes out of the monthly meetings.”
While Kradel wasn’t present for the June meeting, residents asked supervisors Bruce Steinhiser and Angela Fleeger why he was reimbursed $1,588 from the township to attend the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors conference last month.
Despite there being evidence that he went to the event, there was no proof of what classes or training sessions he participated in while he was there, the residents claimed.
Kradel, whose current term expires on Jan. 5, 2026, did not respond to a request for comment regarding the situation.
Resident Mark Williams has been a consistent critic of some of the township’s key decision makers.
“Some of the supervisors are less transparent,” he said. “Over the past few years, it’s leading to the mistrust of the community.”
Williams recently won a Republican primary that will put him in the driver’s seat for a two-year term on the board. With no apparent opposition from the Democratic Party heading into November’s general election, he proceeds to the November ballot, likely to become a supervisor himself at the onset of 2026.
Not all supervisors have faced criticism. As residents await a change in leadership, several community members have praised Fleeger for improving communication and offering clearer explanations behind township decisions.
Resident Ken Dambaugh said he appreciated Fleeger’s demeanor in running Wednesday’s meeting and thanked her for being honest with the public, which sparked a round of applause among those in attendance.
Williams echoed that sentiment, saying Fleeger is already making appropriate changes to how the board conducts its meetings.
“She is adding information when they’re making a motion. She is adding information to explain things that have not been historically done,” he said. “As a community member now, that’s all we’re looking for — tell us why you’re doing it and how you’re doing it.
“It doesn’t have to be a big long presentation, it just needs to be a couple of sentences.”
