ABBEY ROBERTS

LOCK HAVEN — Lock Haven City Planner Abbey Roberts was unanimously appointed to serve as interim manager at a special meeting Thursday night.

The decision comes days after council voted 4-3 to suspend and ultimately terminate former manager, Gregory Wilson, from the role at its regular meeting on Monday night.

Roberts will assume Wilson’s former duties as manager and clerk effective immediately and receive a $5,000 monthly stipend on top of her current salary.

Roberts told The Express she feels honored to be appointed to the position by council. She added she is grateful for the support provided by her fellow city staff as they work through this transition.

“Working under the former city manager has allowed me to grow personally and professionally and ultimately feel more comfortable in stepping into this role temporarily,” Roberts said. “While city hall may be going through a transitional period, we continue to be committed to increasing the quality of life for city residents and taxpayers.”

Roberts further asked residents to be patient with staff as they handle day-to-day operation without a full-time manager.

“There are a number of employees taking on additional roles. I kindly ask for patience as we navigate forward,” she said.

Residents may visit the city’s website, www.lockhavenpa.gov, to find contact information for city departments and stay up-to-date on city business.

Roberts has served as the city’s planner since June of 2019. She came to the city after graduating from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Community Planning and Development.

Since taking over the role from former planner Maria Boileau, Roberts has brought a variety of large and small-scale grant opportunities.

Under her purview the planning department, while working in partnership with other staff, local, state and federal entities, has brought upgrades to a number of city parks, including the nearly completed Hoberman Park with its skatepark.

In the vein of community improvement projects, Roberts’s department assisted in improvements to the central business district with upgrades to the Fallon Alley Parklet and the adopt-a-bench program along East Main Street.

The department also helped in securing grant funding for infrastructure projects such as the stoplight replacement.

Outside of searching for grants to offset costs to the city, Roberts also played a role in creating the city’s Comprehensive Plan, which all staff look towards to further its goals of making Lock Haven a place to live, work and play.

In 2025, she helped create the Active Transportation plan with a number of community stakeholders to improve biking and pedestrian travel in the city.

She currently staffs the city’s planning commission and commercial loan committee, is a liaison for Downtown Lock Haven, Inc., is a member of the Clinton County Housing Coalition, Clinton County Housing Authority, Penn State Extension Clinton County Council and serves as board chair of the local STEP, Inc. board.

Residents offer comment on manager’s termination

Two members of the community attended Thursday’s meeting, speaking during public comment about council’s decision to remove Wilson from his position.

The first to speak was former councilmember Ted Forbes. Forbes explained he served roughly a decade ago with former member Steve Stevenson and current member Rick Conklin. He told council he was a part of the group who hired Wilson as assistant city manager in 2014.

He expressed his disappointment in the council’s seemingly sudden decision to remove Wilson from the position.

He attempted to ask council multiple questions about the process they chose, including why it was done so quickly and if council had a formal process in evaluating its employees prior to termination.

Mayor Joel Long said council doesn’t have a formal process, and in the interest of not speaking disparagingly of the former manager he said, “he was well aware of my feelings about his performance.”

When Forbes went to ask further questions, Council Member Jeff Brinker stopped him, asking if he had a statement or if he intended to simply “quiz” council.

Forbes said he did, but wanted to ask council if they’d answered a number of questions before making their decision.

“How did you come to the conclusion you came to? Why the rush to judgement to terminate rather than suspend? It just seems to me there is something peculiar that is not common in my eight years during my time (on council),” he said.

He encouraged council to reconsider the decision, and perhaps motion to reverse its choice. He further said they should create a formal evaluation process for its employees.

“Create an annual evaluation process and procedure for your employees and realize the strengths and successes of this manager as this town grew… the ways he’s grown and the way the city has grown. I am so disappointed in my council, and I say you’re mine, we voted for you. I wanted you to do well and you have been doing quite well most of the time, but this is a problem,” he said.

Also to speak was retired medical professional, Dr. Praful Bhatt, who had an office along Church Street for many years.

Bhatt told council he understood their issues with communication in relation to Wilson’s performance.

Though he noted he had few interactions with him, he did run into a roadblock during the repaving and update to sidewalks along East Church Street many years ago.

Dr. Bhatt said a piece of equipment had been placed on the edge of his property during the process. He attempted to call the former city manager, but didn’t receive a response.

“I left him a message, told him my name and gave him my cellphone number,” he said. He noted the equipment was moved about two or three days later.

However, he said the lack of communication felt troubling to him.