Newberry supervisors approve conditional offer to Farzad Sharif as police chief amid calls to delay

The Newberry Township Board of Supervisors voted to approve an employment agreement with Farzad Sharif for the position of police chief, conditional on the successful completion of required background checks, clearances and certifications.

The board opened the meeting by reading a statement describing a competitive search conducted with the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association: the board said it received 11 applicants, used video-based exercises and multi-day testing reviewed by association representatives, scored candidates according to established criteria, and that "Mr. Sharief" (transcript variant) emerged as the highest-scoring candidate based on that process. The motion to approve the employment agreement included language authorizing township officials to execute the agreement and related documents if pre-employment requirements are met.

Residents who spoke during public comment urged the board to delay or reconsider the decision. "I still think that he should be considered for this position," said Dave Lash, referring to the acting chief (Lieutenant Diddy). Dominish Miller said the item was added to the agenda with only 24 hours' notice and urged the board to table the vote and hold a special meeting to allow more community input: "24 hours is really short notice," Miller said. Mike Moser told the board several residents he spoke with that day opposed the last-minute adoption and again voiced support for Lieutenant Diddy.

The board proceeded with the motion and the chair called for a voice vote; the transcript records one board member announcing an abstention for personal reasons. The motion passed; the transcript does not record a full roll-call tally. The approved motion was explicitly conditioned on completion of all pre-employment requirements.

The board's statement emphasized Sharif's law enforcement background, noting "33 years of distinguished service with the Pennsylvania State Police" and experience in internal affairs. The statement described the process as "thorough, fair, and transparent." Several public commenters and speakers at the meeting disputed that characterization or said the community had insufficient notice to respond.

Next steps recorded in the motion require completion of the stated background checks and clearances before the employment agreement is executed.