Manager set to switch towns

WEST CHESTER The borough of West Chester has hired a new manager: Michael A. Cotter, now the manager in West Whiteland Township.

Cotter, who holds a law degree from Cleveland State University and a master of business administration from the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, has been a township manager in West Whiteland for six years.

"I am honored to have been offered the position by Borough Council, and anticipate a smooth transition from my current responsibilities in West Whiteland to my new duties to West Chester over the course of the next few weeks," Cotter said in a statement.

West Chester has been searching for a new manager since the spring, when longtime borough manager Ernie McNeely left for a job in Lower Merion Township.

West Chester Borough Council President Jordan Norley said in a statement that Cotter, who has about 20 years' experience in municipal government, has the right "skills, perspective and experience" for the job.

He is expected to start in mid-September, after his hiring is approved by the Borough Council.

- Tricia L. Nadolny