Beaver Borough Council reorganizes: Roberta Good elected council president; Whitney Learn‑Conjeski chosen vice president

Beaver Borough Council completed its 2026 reorganization on Jan. 5, electing Roberta Good as council president and Whitney Learn‑Conjeski as vice president and moving a slate of routine reappointments and appointments.

Mayor Lincoln Kretchmar called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. in the community room. Judge Deborah Lancos DeCostro was noted in the minutes as having sworn in Mayor Kretchmar on Dec. 15, 2025, and the mayor administered the oath of office to five council members.

In leadership votes, council opened nominations for president and vice president. Whitney Learn‑Conjeski nominated Roberta Good for council president; Good was elected by voice vote. For vice president, Todd Hindman nominated Whitney Learn‑Conjeski; she was approved by voice vote.

Council moved and approved a series of reappointments for borough officers and service providers. The minutes record motions to reappoint the law firm Santicola, Steele & Fedeles, P.C. as borough solicitor; Daniel Madgar as borough manager and treasurer; Rebecca Phillips as borough secretary and Right to Know officer; Martone Engineering as borough engineer; Butler Agnew & Associates, LLC as independent financial auditor; and Berkheimer as earned income and per capita tax collector. Most motions passed by voice vote; several votes recorded an abstention (for example, Robert Bickerton abstained on the solicitor reappointment) or opposition (noted for the media‑contact designation below).

A contested procedural item designated Borough Manager Daniel Madgar, or his designee, as the official media contact and spokesperson authorized to speak for the borough and the Beaver Borough Police Department and to oversee borough-controlled social media. Margaret McKean moved to table that designation; the motion to table failed and the original designation passed by voice vote, with McKean and Jarrod Thomas recorded as opposed.

Council also reappointed municipal roles and boards: Dan Martone (Martone Engineering) was reappointed zoning officer; Middle Department Inspection Agency was reappointed building code inspector; the Beaver County Times was reappointed as the borough’s official publication; planning commission, HARB and zoning hearing board members were reappointed as listed in the minutes; and the council adopted Robert’s Rules of Order for meetings and work sessions.

The council accepted the resignation of Council Member Sean Snowden, effective Jan. 5, 2026. Solicitor Garen Fedeles reported two vacant two‑year Ward 2 seats; letters of interest were presented. Council appointed Thomas Hamilton to fill one two‑year Ward 2 term (expiring Dec. 31, 2027) and later appointed Phil O’Shaughnessy to fill the other two‑year Ward 2 term (also expiring Dec. 31, 2027). The minutes record that Ms. McKean opposed both appointments and that Mr. Hindman abstained on the O’Shaughnessy appointment.

During public comment, Ellen Kretchmar of Ward 2 congratulated her brother, Mayor Kretchmar, said she was "disappointed in Council’s choice for Council Vice‑President," and expressed interest in a Ward 2 seat. Rick Granati of Ward 1 offered congratulations and said he is "praying for unity."

The meeting recorded routine financial motions, including reappointing PNC Financial Services Group as the official depository and approving authorized signers for the borough’s PNC accounts (Michael Deelo, Roberta Good, Daniel Madgar and Rebecca Phillips); the minutes show an abstention by Todd Hindman on the authorized‑signers motion. Butler Agnew & Associates, LLC was reappointed to perform a real estate tax audit.

Council canceled its scheduled Jan. 13, 2026 meeting and adjourned the reorganization session at 8:24 p.m. Minutes were submitted by Rebecca Phillips.

Votes at a glance: multiple motions were adopted by voice vote (reappointments of solicitor, manager, secretary, treasurer, engineer, auditors, zoning and inspection agents, official publication, adoption of Robert’s Rules); the media‑contact designation passed with two recorded oppositions; appointments to fill two Ward 2 vacancies passed with one opposition and one abstention noted in the minutes. Specific roll‑call tallies were not recorded in the minutes; where the minutes record abstentions or opposition those are reported above.