Bethel Park hires new municipal manager
Bethel Park Council promoted from within to find its new municipal manager, although the top administrator is a relative newcomer to Bethel Park.
At its June 12 meeting, the council appointed Shawn Arbaugh to the position of municipal manager, replacing longtime manager William Spagnol, who retired earlier this year.
Arbaugh came to Bethel Park about nine months ago, when he was hired as director of community services. Arbaugh moved to the municipality about the same time and the 36-year-old said it didn’t take long for Bethel Park to feel like home.
“I am proud to be a resident of Bethel Park,” he said at the council meeting. “The municipal staff is great to work with. They are second to none.”
Arbaugh previously lived in central Pennsylvania. He was manager of South Londonderry Township in Lebanon County from 2015 to 2016. Before that, he was a water quality specialist for about ten years at the state Department of Environmental Protection.
He and his young family decided to move to Bethel Park to be closer to extended family members, who also live in the municipality.
The decision to hire Arbaugh was not unanimous. Councilman Don Harrison dissented, citing a concern that council was passing over the assistant municipal manager, Judith Miller, who he said was Spagnol’s logical replacement. Harrison said he meant no offense to Arbaugh, but the situation “demonstrates the ineptness of this governing body.”
Council President Tim Moury responded that Harrison had ample opportunity to voice his concerns during the hiring process, but chose not to do so. Moury said he favored hiring Arbaugh because he would take the municipality in a different direction.
Arbaugh said he looks forward to working on the municipality’s recreation plan to improve parks and make the town more pedestrian friendly. He wants to hold a town hall meeting soon to update residents on various projects and to discuss stormwater management and other issues.
Arbaugh is an Army combat veteran and deployed to Iraq in 2003. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Keystone College and a master’s in public administration from Kutztown University.
In another matter, the council voted to relax some residency requirements for some municipal employees. Under the amended ordinance, council can vote to waive the residency requirement. However, uniformed police officers and some other employees will continue to be required to live in Bethel Park.