At a special meeting July 31, Bethlehem Township Commissioners voted 4-0 to appoint Howard Kutzler, 52, to its five person board. He is well known in Bethlehem Township government since he worked there for 14 years, both as a planning director and as township manager.

Kutzler is filling the vacancy created by Kim Jenkins when she resigned, for personal reasons, as a third ward commissioner after just 18 months in office. Kutzler will only succeed her until the end of the year.

In November, voters will decide who represents them at an election in which the county parties name the candidates.

Kutzler is a Republican, while Jenkins is a Democrat. Nothing in the First Class Township Code requires that an appointed commissioner be a member of he same party as the person who was elected.

Kutzler was selected from among four candidates. The remaining three include business consultant Gene DePalma, Seafarers’ Union official Joe Sorei and Upper Macungie Township Administrative Assistant Sheri Eichlin.

Kutzler, who with his wife raised his son and daughter in the township, left Bethlehem Township in 2013 for a position in South Whitehall Township as director of administration. He was was named township manager there in 2015.

Earlier this year, he took on a new challenge as a planner for David Jaindl. Noting he spent 27 years in the public sector, he said he’d like to work in the private sector.

But not completely. He said he is still hooked on local government. He calls it an interest he gets from his father, a police officer, and his grandfather, a former Northampton mayor.

His first job was as a basket boy at the Northampton pool.

He said serving as interim commissioner is “an opportunity to give back to this community, which has been so generous to me.”

Kutzler is the first township commissioner to be appointed to the board since 1985. Tom Nolan pointed out that’s when he was appointed, but he was defeated in the election that year.

Kutzler graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in planning.

He said he expects to run as the Republican nominee.

“Howard, God help you!” said President Mike Hudak after the appointment.