Log In


Reset Password

Council member seated in Lehighton

Lehighton’s newest borough council member has taken her seat at the table.

At a special meeting of borough council on Monday, Jordyn Miller was sworn in by Mayor Ryan Saunders.

Earlier this month, council on a 4-0 vote appointed Miller to the vacant council seat. Council members John Kreitz and Autumn Abelovsky were absent.

Miller, whose background is in hydrology, said she previously served as a junior council member when she was in high school, and was born and raised in the community.

Miller’s appointment comes after council at a special meeting last month tabled the appointment of a new council member.

Councilwoman Becky Worthy, who made the motion earlier this month to appoint Miller to fill the vacant seat on council, cast the sole vote at last month’s special meeting in opposition of tabling the appointment.

Three candidates applied to fill the vacant seat: Kyle Elsasser, Joe Flickinger and Miller.

Flickinger had previously served nine years on council before he resigned in December 2022.

In his resignation letter, Flickinger cited a change in his employment obligations as the reason he chose to leave council.

Earlier on at last month’s special meeting, council accepted the resignation letter of former Councilman Ryan Saunders.

Saunders was officially sworn into office as the borough’s new mayor as part of a ceremony at the borough municipal building on Nov. 8.

At that time, borough solicitor Jim Nanovic swore in Saunders, who was joined by his wife, Tracie, and daughter, Nicole.

Upon taking his oath of office, Saunders pledged to fulfill the duties of his new position.

Earlier last month, borough council on a 3-1 vote, with one abstention, appointed Saunders to the vacant mayoral post.

Council member Grant Hunsicker was opposed, while Councilwoman Autumn Abelovsky abstained because the mayor is in charge of the police department, and she is married to police Chief Troy Abelovsky. Kreitz was absent from that meeting.

After that meeting, Hunsicker, who had been handling mayoral duties in the wake of the death of former Mayor Clark Ritter, 78, said he believes that council should have advertised to give others a chance to apply for the position.

Saunders, who had served on council for the past seven years, will fill Ritter’s term, which runs through 2025.

The appointment of Saunders, who was a sitting councilman, created an open seat on borough council, as well as on the Civil Service Commission.

New Lehighton Borough Councilwoman Jordyn Miller is sworn in by Mayor Ryan Saunders at Monday’s special meeting. TERRY AHNER/TIMES NEWS