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Newtown Township has welcomed a new member to its board of supervisors.
Gerry Couch, a longtime resident of the township, was appointed during a 3-1 vote to the board Wednesday evening after a seat was left vacant by Mike Gallagher, who left the board last month to hold position as Bucks County Controller.
Couch, who has lived in the township with his wife Cindy since 1999, has a personal business background and currently works in financial services. He also served as a member of the Newtown Business Association, the Newtown Township Economic Development Committee and the Newtown Merchants Group.
Township solicitor Jeff Garton said Couch, a Republican, will have to be sworn and take the oath of office before he can carry out any official duties and receive official documents. The board expects Couch to be officially sworn in before the next board of supervisors meeting.
“I would like to thank my fellow board members that voted to appoint Gerry and welcome Gerry to the BOS. I look forward to working with him and my fellow Board members in a spirit of cooperation as we all try and be good stewards of the Township we all care so much about,” noted Chairman Kyle Davis on his Facebook page.
The board also considered Steve Bacher and Mark Joseph, both Democrats, for the open supervisor seat but they did not gather enough votes.
Gallagher, who served as a supervisor for nine years, spoke at Wednesday’s meeting and listed the accomplishments of the board. He also said he looks forward to moving to the controller job and looking out for the taxpayers of Bucks County.
