The Radnor Township Board of Commissioners held a regular meeting on September 8, 2025, at 6:30 PM. The board approved several resolutions, appointed a new Fire & EMS Chief, and received a presentation on the Wayne Master Plan. All votes were unanimous.
25. Um tonight we have a special occasion, so we're gonna call in the color guard for the pledge of allegiance. If everybody can please stand up for the cover. If everyone would join me for the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you. If you um wouldn't mind staying in position until we go ahead and um I'm polling item three A from the business agenda to the top of the agenda because we have such a wonderful showing here. Um and I would like to go ahead and get that done so you guys can go off and have more fun than a board of commissioners meeting. Um item three A is resolution 2025-130, confirming the appointment of James P. Smith Jr. as Radner Township Fire and EMS Chief and adopting a memorandum of understanding. Mr. White, you want to start us off. Thank you, Madam President. I am excited uh to recommend for the board's consideration the appointment of James P. Smith as the township's first ever fire and EMS chief. As the board is aware, uh that this process began back in January where I gave uh a presentation to the board and the community highlighting the needs of this position. Um in a as a means uh to bring expertise uh onto the township staff with regard to these ongoing conversations with the fire and EMS service. We understand um the volunteer fire companies that we work with are absolutely professional, they're doing a fantastic job, but we also understand that the long-term uh implications of the the profession are in question with regard to vol decreasing volunteer numbers and concerns with the EMS uh staffing and finance uh the financial wherewithal of that as well. So bringing this position on board uh was critical at this time so that we can ensure that the service remains uh as top notch as it is today going forward for the community. Uh I'm happy to bring Mr. Smith uh to the board tonight. Um I will try to get through this quickly. Mr. Smith's experience includes eight years as director of fire chief for Ocean City and Rescue Services at both in New Jersey, obviously. He where he supervised two deputy chiefs, four battalion chiefs, twelve captains and personnel totaling sixty-seven career fire and EMS, operating from three different stations, uh including a fire-based emergency medical service. Mr. Smith also served nine years as deputy emergency management coordinator for Ocean City Management, emergency management, uh, where he was responsible for protecting the Barrier Island with uh tax rateables of over 13 billion in a population ranging from 25,000 to 150,000, depending on the time of year. Um this position also included management level decision making administration, including budgeting, human resources, master and contingency planning, logistics, operational command and control, communication, special operations, public education, and public information. Uh the process that the township uh went through for the last six months included uh an initial advertising, which uh generated 44 qualified candidates. Uh it was we through the services of MGT. Uh we're narrowed the field down to nine nine candidates that were initially screened, then down to four, then down to two, then down to one, and happy to bring Mr. Smith here before the board tonight um for his appointment. Thank you. Um could I get a motion to approve resolution 2025-130? So moved by Commissioner Agnew and a second. Second by Commissioner Riley. Is there any public participation on this issue? Seeing none, I'm gonna call a vote on resolution 2025-130. All in favor? Aye. It's unanimous and with general support, I know from Commissioner Mulrooney, who couldn't be here tonight as well. Thank you. So please raise your right hand. I, James P. Smith. I James P. Smith, do solemnly swear. You solemnly swear that I will support. That I will support obey and defend. Obey and defend the Constitution of the United States of America.