Palmer Hires New Township Manager

Come June 1, Palmer Township will have a new township manager at the helm.

On Monday, the township Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to hire Christopher Christman, effective May 16.  He will replace Robert Anckaitis, who is retiring on May 31.

“A couple months back we kind of got the bomb dropped on us,” said Supervisor David Colver of Anckaitis’ retirement announcement.

In March, Anckaitis announced that he would be retiring after 11 years as township manager. Calling it "bittersweet," Colver said although he is happy about hiring Christman, he is sad to lose Anckaitis.

“It’s an opportunity for me to work in a community that I grew up in,” said Christman of the new position.

A graduate of Freedom High School in Bethlehem Township, Christman currently resides in Hanover Township with his wife, Teena, and their 5-month-old daughter, Emily Rose. Most recently he was township manager for Hilltown Township, Bucks County, where he was on staff since April 2008. Christman is a graduate of Lehigh University, where he earned his master's degree in political science.

In Palmer, his annual salary will be $92,000. He earned $100,750 as Hilltown's manager.

Christman said he announced his resignation to the Hilltown Board of Supervisors on April 25. That board has yet to determine the next step for a replacement. The assistant township manager will fill the position in the interim, he said.

“We have a lot of faith that we have the right person coming on board,” said Colver.

“We made an excellent selection from those choices,” said Supervisor Robert Lammi.

“There’s a lot of opportunity here,” said Christman. “I knew that it would be a unique opportunity.”

Christman said he is excited to be working in a township that has a larger population, operating budget and lots of businesses.

“They’re big shoes to fill,” he said. “I’m looking forward to stepping in…anxious to come in.”

One day after Anckaitis’ retirement announcement, the township hired the consulting firm the Davidson Group from Mechanicsburg to start the search for a new township manager. Nearly 100 candidates applied, and that number was reduced in a three-round process, according to township officials.