The Bucks County Board of Commissioners voted this week to appoint new members to the board of trustees for Bucks County Community College.
In a 2-1 vote, the two Democratic Commissioners Bob Harvie and Diane Ellis-Marseglia voted to have James H. Dancy Jr., who is already on the board, take over for the rest of William D. Maeglin’s term, which is set to end in 2026. This left five open seats, all which were filled during the meeting. Tabitha Dell’Angelo, Adrienne King, John Murray, Edward Tokmajian, and Vincent Magyar Jr. will all be added to the board, with their terms ending in 2030. They will be replacing Carol A. Shelly, Linda Mannherz, Elizabeth Fineburg, and Republican State Senator Frank Farry.
“It is an honor for me to serve on the board of trustees of the community college in the county where I was raised, where I currently reside with my family, and from which my brother graduated,” said King, an executive at Merck and board member of the Bucks County NAACP. “I am eager to work with my fellow board members and the administration to contribute my years of corporate and industry experience, along with my passion for building safe, supportive, and inclusive communities, schools, and educational opportunities. Together, we will meet the diverse needs of our students and prepare them for successful careers.”
Dell’Angelo appreciates the opportunities community colleges provide, having begun her higher education career at one herself.
“Having access to higher education and excellent professors at an affordable price made it possible for me to be where I am today,” said Dell’Angelo, a former Central Bucks School District board member and professor and interim dean of the school of Education at The College of New Jersey. “I am incredibly honored to have the opportunity to serve this board and support the mission of BCCC so that many other students have the opportunity to pursue their dreams, change careers, or just take classes for the sake of learning.”
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The voting of the trustees caused the biggest debate at Wednesday’s commissioners meeting. Republican County Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo, who voted against the new appointments, argued that during his time in the PA House of Representatives the members he respected the most were the ones who got to hold their positions in the house, even if party leadership changed. One such member that DiGirolamo mentioned was Clancy Myer, who served as PA House parliamentarian for 40 years.
“I’m just looking at these reappointments because the five people who are new appointments are taking the place of five people who have been on the board of trustees, and I believe all five of them would have liked to be reappointed, but they were not,” said DiGirolamo. “Telling the story about Clancy Myer, about doing a good job and being reappointed by both Democrats and Republicans who were in the majority, comes to mind when I look at the people being let go.”
Vice Chair Marseglia pushed back at some of the comments made by DiGirolamo.
“I would just add our appreciation for the people who have served,” she said. “One of the things that has happened at the community college is that there have been a series of financial dilemmas that have come up in the past few years. Very serious things that the board should have been dealing with.”
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The financial dilemmas Marseglia was referring to came from an audit done by the advisory firm Baker Tilly. The group said that there was “material weakness” in terms of the school’s statements on their finances, and said that there would need to be large financial adjustments to cover the weaknesses.
“I’m not sure why they weren’t dealing with it, but I think sometimes that happens when you have people who are on boards for six, seven, eight terms. They just don’t look at things new. So, I have to say, I’m kind of excited to be able to give the new president, who starts this month, more people to start a new board to keep a closer eye on things,” added Ellis-Marseglia.
