Ross Twp. Trustee Ellen Yordy tendered her resignation letter Nov. 3 and her last day is Saturday. There is one year left on her fifth term in office.
Yordy was a dedicated public servant for 19 years and said she decided for a variety of reasons to end her career. Officials said they have “big shoes to fill” with her departure.
She told the Journal-News “it’s just time” now that her husband is retired, she wants to spend more time with their three grandsons, their daughter Bonnie is getting married next year and other events in her personal life prompted her decision.
“When you know it’s time to move on, it’s time to move on,” Yordy said. “Greg’s retired and a lot of our friends are taking all these little vacation trips and we want to do the same stuff, either with them or just the two of us. I’ve got my grandkids and they’re the biggest joy, my daughter is getting married, I want to do that kind of stuff.”
She did get a little emotional however, thinking back on her long career, “there’s nothing better than being a trustee, there really isn’t, for the friendships you make, it was great.”
Fellow Trustee Jen Patterson, who was appointed earlier this year to fill former Trustee Tom Willsey’s seat — he passed away after battling cancer — said there will be a big void in township leadership with her departure.
“This is a big loss for the township she has such a depth of knowledge, about why things were done, or the story behind the decisions,” Patterson said. “I think anytime you lose that in a community that’s a real loss and will take use some time to build back that capacity.”
She said after Yordy leaves office she hopes people remember “her genuine care for the township, she really truly loves Ross Twp. and from what I’ve seen she’s really always acted in the best interests of the township as she saw them.”
Staff Writer Denise Callahan contributed to this report.
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