Board appoints Eden Ratliff as Middletown township manager; he pledges collaborative start

The Middletown Township Board of Supervisors on Monday announced its selection of Eden Ratliff as the township’s next manager following a competitive national search and unanimously approved his appointment.

Chair Mike Kiesak said the board engaged an outside consultant, interviewed a strong candidate pool and included department directors in the vetting process. Kiesak nominated Ratliff, summarizing his municipal experience: deputy city manager in Charlottesville, former township manager for Kennett Township (Chester County), and prior municipal management roles in Greencastle Borough and Ford City. Ratliff is pursuing a master’s in public management at Johns Hopkins and volunteers as a firefighter.

Nut graf: The board praised interim manager Nick Valla for managing daily operations during the transition and said Ratliff’s experience handling municipal operations and past crisis management were decisive factors. Ratliff acknowledged Middletown’s professional staff and said he was eager to begin.

Ratliff introduced himself to the board and residents, noting he is a Pennsylvania native and has family ties to the region. “I really am honored to be here. I’m so excited to partner with the board of supervisors, with the township staff, and the residents of Middletown Township,” Ratliff said. He said he had spent time with staff earlier in the day and looked forward to joining the township team.

The motion to appoint Ratliff carried 5‑0. The board also adopted routine housekeeping items to raise bond limits for the manager/treasurer positions to $4,000,000 and to add Ratliff as a bank signatory; both motions passed unanimously.

Ending: Ratliff’s start date and employment contract details were not specified at the meeting; staff indicated the township will complete onboarding and administrative steps in the coming weeks.