Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
A Bristol Borough Council member has resigned.
At Monday evening’s meeting, Council Member Tony Devine announced he was resigning from his seat representing the North Ward.
Advertisements
“I’m going to be resigning today as a council member. Moving forward, I think we need to get some new faces, younger people, different faces with different ideas to get involved,” said Devine, who has two years left on his term.
“I will be resigning tonight from council,” Devine stated.
On a recording of the video, a person, most likely a council member, can be heard quietly exclaiming: “Oh, thank god!”
Advertisements
“I’m here as a voice to the people, for transparency,” Devine said. “I’m not going to spin my wheels and fight a fight that people don’t really care about.”
Devine has clashed with Council President Ralph DiGuiseppe and other member of the borough’s governing body, who often vote with DiGuiseppe, during his time in office. He has questioned the closeness of some council members and local community organization Bristol Borough: Raising the Bar, been upset at how several personnel issues have been handled, and protested what he said was the lack of transparency on the sale of the Grundy Arena in 2020.
Advertisements
In August, Devine and DiGuiseppe spared over the sale of the Grundy Arena. Devine complained that he has had to fight to get information on the sale through the Right To Know process.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
DiGuiseppe challenged Devine at the August meeting to either find something “illegal or improper” that he did or resign from council. He further accused Devine of not show respect for the borough manager, which Devine denied.
Devine, a teacher in the Neshaminy School District, has long said other members of council did not fill him in on key issues and he only gets information during public meetings.
Advertisements
Devine has compared the council majority to a “middle school clique.”
Devine was featured on the hit show “Shark Tank” in 2012 seeking to get funding for his product, The Original Profender. The Original Profender is a mobile training device used in basketball programs across the nation.
Advertisements
Devine didn’t get the “sharks,” a group of wealthy business owners, to invest, but he has continued to sell the product to college and NBA basketball programs.
DiGuiseppe suggested appointing Council Member-elect Maria Figueroa, who will represent the North Ward, to replace Devine at their next meeting. Figueroa is set to become the second North Ward councilperson in January, replacing outgoing member Dave Girard.
Advertisements
Report a correction via email | Editorial standards and policies
