Middlesex Township residents are premature in their calls for board of supervisors chairman David McMaster's resignation.

McMaster has missed three consecutive meetings because he is locked in as a manager at the Penreco plant in Karns City, where a strike has been in progress since Feb. 13.

McMaster has indicated to the board that he does not wish to resign, but at a supervisors meeting on April 19, some residents suggested that McMaster's missing three consecutive meetings was grounds for his removal. Not so.

Under the current circumstances, McMaster should be allowed to remain, since he has not indicated that he would remain a no-show when there is a resolution of the labor dispute.

That thinking would not be valid if McMaster's employment routinely prevented him from meeting attendance. In such a cirumstance, a resignation or removal would be appropriate.

With the knowledge of why McMaster hasn't been present for meetings, it's logical to question what motivations might be behind the calls for his departure from the supervisors board.

In this era when it is increasingly difficult to find people interested in serving in municipal offices and in such important community roles as firefighting, the people of Middlesex ought to be grateful for McMaster's dedication to public service.

If they don't like the job he has done, or certain decisions he has made, they will have the option to vote against him the next time his seat is up for election. The Penreco labor dispute is not a valid excuse for sending him to the sidelines.

The fact that McMaster's situation has generated discussion about the possibility of expanding the current three-member supervisors board is not unreasonable or shortsighted. With Middlesex in the path of growth moving north from Allegheny County, it might be the right time to expand the municipality's governing body.

If McMaster's employment situation will require him to ignore his local government role over the long run, he should give up his seat. However, at this stage, it would seem that at some point in the not-too-distant future, developments at Penreco will free him from the situation in which he currently finds himself.

It is to be hoped that the other two Middlesex supervisors, Alonzo Van Atta and Mark Vincent, will not succumb to the calls for McMaster's removal at this time.

Regarding McMaster's related duties of being Middlesex' representative on the Saxonburg Area Authority, it would seem that either Van Atta or Vincent could attend meetings to keep in touch with what the authority is doing.

It is important that Middlesex remains informed, since the authority is engaged in a major sewer project that includes Middlesex.

The situation at Penreco is unfortunate for many families. No doubt McMaster would prefer not to be locked in at the plant as part of the contract dispute.

Punishing McMaster for complying with a situation beyond his control, tied to his main source of well-being, should not be embraced by the people of Middlesex — and probably isn't by most.