Middletown Township Manager Placed On Administrative Leave

MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — After being on the job for less than a year, Township Manager Eden R. Ratliff has been placed on administrative leave, officials said.

Township officials provided no reason for the decision, but stated that the issue will be addressed at the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday.

"As this is a personnel matter, the township cannot provide additional details at this time," Supervisors Chairwoman Bernadette Hannah told Patch on Thursday.

She said supervisors will address this matter at a public meeting scheduled for Monday, and that township operations will continue under existing administrative staff.

At a meeting last June, the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors officially appointed Ratliff as township manager.

He began his duties on July 9, following the retirement of longtime Township Manager Stephanie Teoli-Kuhls.

At the time of his hiring, township officials said that Ratliff brought "more than a decade of municipal leadership experience and a strong track record of effective governance, crisis management, and community-focused service."

He had served as Deputy City Manager for Administration in Charlottesville, VA. Before that role, he was the township manager and chief administrative officer in Kennett Township, where he led "significant recovery efforts" following a major fraud investigation and was instrumental in recouping over $3.4 million in stolen funds.

A native of West Chester, Ratliff earned his Master of Arts in Employment and Labor Relations and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.