During a May 28th special meeting regarding the cancellation of the 4th of July Parade in Whitemarsh Township, the township’s supervisors reversed course and voted 5-0 to hold the parade as originally scheduled. The supervisors voted 5-0 on May 8th to cancel the parade, citing concerns from the chief of police regarding the township’s ability to safely stage the event.

Supervisors Fran McCusker, Elizabeth Moy, and Vincenet Manuele were in attendance, while Patrice Terrune and Jacy Toll attended online.

The announcement of the cancellation led to backlash from the community over concerns about transparency and the public’s affection for the long-running tradition. During an initial special public meeting on May 22nd, Supervisor Fran McCusker apologized for the lack of transparency (the issue appeared on a single agenda and did not reflect an intent to vote about whether to hold it).

The May 28th was just 10 minutes long. It was announced that the supervisors would vote, and a motion was made to hold the parade. The supervisors thanked the emergency personnel for developing a plan to enhance the safety of the parade. However, details of this plan were not discussed. It was also announced that the Parks & Recreation Department is working to plan the parade, as well as the surrounding events and entertainment. No members of the public chose to make public comment when offered.

Regarding MoreThanTheCurve.com’s article on May 28th regarding a township official seeking to cancel a contract with a vendor over a Facebook comment criticizing the township over the cancellation. MoreThanTheCurve.com spoke with Township Manager Craig McAnally and Chief of Police Christopher Ward, who are to provide a statement on the issue in consultation with the board of supervisors. We did learn that the “police personnel” involved was a single administrator and not an actual police officer. The official attributed the initial concern about the comment to “police personnel.”

More to come.

Correction – A previous version of this article stated that Jacy Toll was not in attendance. We are told she attended online. The vote was 5-0, not 4-0.

Photo: Amy M. Schwab Photography.