MACUNGIE BOROUGH, Pa. – It was standing-room only with more than 50 members of the public Monday night as Macungie Borough Council officially accepted the resignation of its vice president.
Council voted 4–2 to officially accept the resignation of Vice President Ron Karboski. The high-stakes meeting comes amidst a massive legal battle spanning both state and federal courts.
Applause could be heard from many members of the public when the resignation was announced on the agenda. It marks a massive structural shift as the borough fights two separate lawsuits.
Karboski maintained in a letter submitted to council that his departure was due to a conflict with a new career position.
“I have recently accepted a position that would create a conflict with serving in any municipal role,” he wrote.
However, the empty seat changes the political playing field as the borough navigates a web of legal challenges.
Borough council recently hired special legal counsel to defend against a state lawsuit brought by Macungie’s own mayor, Robert Sell, over police oversight power. Sell sued the borough after council voted to strip the mayoral office of its authority over the police department.
Meanwhile, a separate battle is playing out in federal court. In a 19-page lawsuit, Macungie police officers Sgt. Travis Kocher and Cpl. Michael Mullen allege Karboski and council targeted them in a campaign of retaliation for launching a criminal investigation into a councilmember. The federal civil rights lawsuit alleges the retaliation severely impacted the officers’ livelihoods and diminished their pension values.
Mullen spoke with 69 News about the dispute at the council meeting on Nov. 26.
“We conducted an investigation on an incident that Councilman Karboski was a complainant in. He was not happy with the end result of that investigation,” Mullen said at the meeting last year. “Our mayor deemed the matter closed. He is not happy with that determination. That’s why we’re here today.”
A Lehigh County borough is hiring an outside attorney to investigate its police department.
At that November meeting, borough council voted 6-1 to authorize its own investigation into the police department and to take away oversight power from the mayor and give it to council instead.
Mayor Sell is now suing the borough, claiming that move was a violation of Pennsylvania law. However, in November, attorney Christopher Gerber argued that council did nothing illegal.
At the podium Monday night, some residents openly celebrated Karboski’s exit. Mullen also spoke with 69 News about the civil rights violation lawsuit and the overwhelming support they’ve received as the room filled up with local citizens.
“The public has been very supportive of our police department,” Mullen said. “You would come to the meetings, there’d be three people here. Now there’s 40 or 50 people here. So it says something about the people in the borough. Very encouraging.”
Mullen and Kocher simply told 69 News they’re sorry it had to come to this, but that they stand by the lawsuit as filed.
When asked about what law enforcement hopes to achieve as the legal process moves forward, Mullen emphasized a desire for transparency.
“What we want to see from this lawsuit is the truth to come out and accountability for the people responsible. That’s what we’re looking for,” Mullen said. “The politics and the lawsuit will work itself out. We’re here for the people of the borough. That’s our primary concern.”
Local business owner and resident Tim Romig didn’t hold back at the podium during public comment, calling on the community to stay engaged.
“The citizens of Macungie should be very proud of themselves. They stood up; they stayed united,” Romig said. “They continued to apply constant pressure and forced this tyrant to resign. He has committed so much harm to this community and the borough employees.”
Romig also directly addressed Borough Solicitor John Armstrong during the meeting, challenging previous warnings from leadership regarding public criticism.
“We’ve endured a lot from this council,” Romig added. “The liberation of Macungie has just begun.”
69 News reached out to Karboski for a comment regarding the specific allegations outlined in the federal complaint, but he did not respond.
Following the resignation acceptance, a divided council also shot down a motion to immediately fill the empty borough council seat with fifth-place election finisher Tom Ashelman. An initial push to amend the agenda resulted in a deadlocked 3-3 tie, which required a “yes” vote from the mayor to break, but the subsequent appointment vote ultimately failed in a 2-4 defeat.
This means council now has exactly 30 days to fill Karboski’s vacant seat.