“I have been a business guy. A businesses owner. Being a finance guy, I look at the balance sheet, making a profit,’’ Welch said.
“When I became a trustee I became community-minded. I’m going to miss having a hand in West Chester’s future.”
Though he won’t be making decisions anymore, Welch said he still plans to keep up with decisions the new board makes.
“I’ll end up sitting back some and take a break,” Welch said. “But I will watch the meetings.”
While disappointed he didn’t win a fourth term in the November election, Welch said he will use the 20-25 hours he spent weekly on township business to focus on family and his business.
“Politics is a drug. When you get in a position like this, you get attention, people ask your opinion, you want to go out on your own terms – that didn’t happen,’’ Welch said.
“Sometimes you get so attached to something, you’re not listening anymore. God has to step in and do something different. I’m waiting to see what’s next. All things work together … for those who love God and are called to his purpose.”
With an engineering background, Welch prided himself on his data gathering before making decisions.
“I spend the time doing the research and drilling down into the facts because we need to know the facts to be fiscally responsible, and carry out our fiduciary responsibilities to the taxpayers in West Chester,” Welch said.
Only twice in his tenure did Welch say he violated that.
“Most recently with the moratorium (on new projects along Union Centre Boulevard). It was a knee jerk reaction. We were able to correct most of that in the couple of meetings that followed,” Welch said.
“The other one was the splash pad. I didn’t find out what experiences other communities around us had.”
But he said, he thinks the problems experienced this summer will be corrected.
“I think we’re on the right path at this time with the splash pad. It’s going to be an amenity that the township can enjoy and that’s a wonderful thing.”
Administrator Lisa Brown thanked Welch for his data gathering and his service, calling the trustee’s position a “thankless job.’
“We’ve had a lot of discussions around data and decision-making and all those kinds of things. We’ve been very like-minded in that way,” Brown said.
“I’ve appreciated those conversations and having someone to talk numbers with and things like that because most people don’t think of that.”
Fellow trustees Lee Wong and Ann Becker both said they appreciated the time Welch put into being a trustee and his research – even when they didn’t agree with him.
“In the last 12 years I worked with Mark Welch we went through a lot. Not all of our decisions were right but we sit down, discuss about it and sometimes I change my mind,” Wong said.
Fiscal officer Bruce Jones had high compliments for Welch.
“You work with integrity, honesty, diligence and we can’t ask for any more from an individual. You’ve been an exemplary public servant,” Jones said.
As chairman of the board, Welch ended his last meeting simply.
“God bless you and God Bless West Chester. We are adjourned.”
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