New Abington Township Manager Starts Tenure

ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA —Christopher Christman is the new face in town.

He's now the man in charge of the township's day-to-day operations, starting his tenure on Monday as township manager.

While Christman may have big shoes to fill in replacing the retired Township Manager Richard Manfredi, the longtime municipal government administrator is up for the challenge.

After all, he's been down this road before.

"I'm looking forward to really learning about Abington Township, the staff, the communities, and the residents," Christman told Patch Friday. It's a learning curve."

But while Christman —who turns 52 in February —may be new to Abington Township, he isn't new to the Philadelphia region in terms of his municipal government service.

Christman previously served as township manager in Hilltown Township, Bucks County, and Palmer Township in the Lehigh Valley.

He got his start as assistant township manager for Limerick Township, Montgomery County, after working seven years as a legislative aide to the Lehigh County commissioners.

For the past six years, Christman served as township manager in Derry Township, a community in Dauphin County that includes the famous Hershey's chocolate factory and amusement park.

Christman announced his resignation at a Nov. 26 Derry Township Board of Supervisors meeting.

Officials there said that Christman's "leadership, dedication and exceptional management has contributed significantly" to the township’s success. They extended their "sincere gratitude for his hard work and commitment."

"I set up a succession plan for Derry Township," he said.

In May, Manfredi announced that he would be resigning at the end of 2024.

Manfredi had prior manager stops in Warminster Township and Conshohocken Borough.

Christman holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Penn State University and a master’s in political science from Lehigh University.

He is married to his wife Teena and has two children.

Terms of Christman's contract were not disclosed. His hiring was approved at the Abington Township Board of Commissioners' Nov. 12 meeting.

"For me, I saw the job posted and my colleagues told me it would a great opportunity," Christman said. "I knew there would be a lot of strong candidates for the position. But I have 25 years of experience in this profession. So I went through the process and they chose me."

The township manager serves as the chief executive and administrative officer of Abington.

He directs and administers all executive and non-legislative activities of the township, except as otherwise provided by statute or ordinance.

The organizational structure includes the selection of key department heads and other management positions and professional consultants for ensuring the goals and objectives of the Board of Commissioners and Administration are met, the township's website states.