Middletown Township Manager Terminated

MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — The Middletown Township Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Monday night to terminate its township manager.

Township Manager Eden R. Ratliff was terminated just days after being placed on administrative leave. He had been on the job for less than a year.

"The Board of Supervisors of Middletown Township has made the decision to terminate the township manager," the board said in a statement at Monday's meeting. "As this is a personnel matter involving an appointed employee rather than an elected official, it is the board's policy not to comment further on the specifics of that decision."

Ratliff’s termination is effective on June 13.

Township officials said they would honor his contract, and provide him with 60 days of notice for his termination.

Ratliff is being replaced by former Township Manager Stephanie Teoli-Kuhls. She retired last summer and was replaced by Ratliff.

"The township has a clear plan in place to ensure continuity in leadership and operations," the statement continued. "We have full confidence in our township staff and department heads, and we expect township services to continue without disruption."

Supervisors said they will proceed with a search for a new township manager immediately.

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.