Politics & Government
Residents Honored for Decades of Service to Marple Township
John Liadis and Michael Seeds Sr. received standing ovations.
BROOMALL–Combined, John Liadis and Michael Seeds Sr. have served for 70 years.
On Monday night, the Marple Township Board of Commissioners honored John Liadis for 44 years of service on the Marple Zoning Hearing Board, and Michael Seeds for 26 years of service on the Planning Commission.
Liadis joined the Zoning Hearing Board in 1968.
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“Once they put him on the board, he was not easy to get off…He had too much knowledge to not have him on the board,” Seventh Ward Commissioner Daniel Leefson said.
Liadis is thought to be the longest-serving person on any township board, Leefson said.
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He received a round of applause and standing ovation from the audience.
Liadis thanked the crowd and said, “Believe me, I enjoyed every moment of it, working for the Zoning Hearing Board.”
“He’s just a great guy, an extremely knowledgeable man,” Fourth Ward Commissioner and Board Vice President John Lucas said.
Liadis left the zoning board in 2012. A.J. Baker took his place on the board, Board of Commissioners President Michael Molinaro told Marple Newtown Patch after the meeting.
Commissioners also honored Michael Seeds Sr. who sat on the Planning Commission from 1986-2012.
“Twenty-six and a half years is a lot of years,” Seeds said.
Seeds said he and his family moved from Havertown to Broomall 27 years ago, and shortly after that he met a commissioner who encouraged him to get involved with the township.
Six months later, Seeds said he began service on the planning commission “and I’ve been here ever since.”
Seeds said it was a “pleasure” to serve on the commission and he had met wonderful people in the process. He received a standing ovation from the audience.
Fifth Ward Commissioner John Longacre II said other than Liadis, Seeds may have served on a board longer than anyone else in the township.
Fourth Ward Commissioner and Board Vice President John Lucas said, combined, Liadis and Seeds have 70 years of service.
On Monday night, commissioners voted 7-0 to appoint Michael Noonan to fill Seeds’ unexpired term on the Planning Commission until the term ends on Dec. 31, 2013.
Because Noonan’s appointment left a vacancy on the Property Maintenance Code Board of Appeals, the board then moved to appoint Keith Harden to serve on the Property Maintenance Code Board until the term expires on Dec. 31, 2013. The vote was unanimous.
