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At the Newtown Township Reorganization meeting held on January 5, 2026, Elen Snyder voiced her opposition to appointing a newcomer to a Board of Supervisors (BOS) leadership position, specifically addressing the prospect of Ed Merriman becoming the Chair.
Ms. Snyder served as BOS Chair in 2025.
While Snyder acknowledged that Merriman would likely be "worthy in time," she maintained that appointing a beginner was not the "proper course of action". Consequently, she stated she would not nominate him for the chair, leaving that motion to be made by another member of the Board.
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Ms. Snyder's remarks seemed to be extremely ungracious. She argued that a Board member needed more experience to be lthe BOS Chair. However, her experience was minimal when she was elected Chair. Also, the Chair mainly has to know Roberts Rules in order to run meetings, a skill not mastered by Snyder who often had to be reminded of proper procedures.
The Chair also works with the Township Manager to create BOS agendas. That process can also involve collaboration with other Supervisors, again something that Ms. Snyder oftern did not do but instead acted unilaterally.
Ms. Snyder's leadership has often been criticized by Newtown residents. For example, at the 10 December 2025 BOS meeting resident John D'Aprile addressed the following remark to Ms. Snyder: "There are no Queens in Newtown!."
At the 12 November 2025 BOS meeting, Chet Zaremba, a resident of Newtown Gate, commented that there was a "my way or the highway attitude regarding specific issues going on in the township." He was clearly focused on Ms. Snyder's comments regarding "the law is the law" to defend the township ticketing parked cars on Fountain Farm Lane.