Metro

The Logan Township supervisors Thursday appointed longtime township Planning Commission member Wesley Barnhart to the seat on the Board of Supervisors left vacant by the May 4 death of Supervisor Joe Metzgar.

One of nine applicants, Barnhart was chosen unanimously by the four remaining supervisors, each individually reviewing the applications and making a choice that was communicated to Township Manager Tim Brown, officials said.

Barnhart, who turned 65 Thursday, was sworn in by Chairman Jim Patterson in front of about a dozen individuals who attended the meeting in support.

“I have no agenda,” Barnhart said after the swearing in. “I’m happy to be here to do what needs to be done.”

The other supervisors all complimented Barnhart, some with humor.

“I’ve known him a long time,” said Supervisor Ron Heller. “He’s a good person. He taught me how to do burnouts and wheelies on motorcycles.”

Barnhart for years operated Barnhart’s Yamaha on Mill Run, a business now known simply as Barnhart’s.

“You never taught me to do burnouts,” Patterson said, pretending to complain.

“You already knew how,” Barnhart responded.

Supervisor Patrick Jones had multiple vehicles reconstructed at Barnhart’s, and all those jobs all went well, Jones said.

“You’ll be a great addition,” Supervisor Ed Frontino told Barnhart.

Asked after the meeting why he decided to apply for the seat, Barnhart recalled the aftermath of a 2019 Board of Supervisors election, in which he lost to Jones.

He couldn’t have lost to a better person, and after the defeat, he decided he wouldn’t run again — but that should an opportunity arise to serve that didn’t involve running, he would consider it.

The vacancy unfortunately occasioned by Metzgar’s death fulfilled those conditions, he said.

“I couldn’t win with thousands of votes, so maybe I’ll win with four,” he said, with a chuckle.

If he hadn’t been chosen this time, he wouldn’t have been upset, he added.

He not only has no agenda at this point, but wouldn’t change anything about the township if he had the power, he said.

His term will go until the end of 2027.

He plans to run for a full term in the spring 2027 primary.

By accepting the supervisor’s seat, Barnhart gives up his seat on the Planning Commission, where he’s served since 2014, after several years on the township Zoning Hearing Board.

The supervisors will appoint a replacement for Barnhart on the Planning Commission, according to Board of Supervisors solicitor Dan Stants.

Barnhart, who lives in Mill Run, was born and raised in the Glendale-Beaver Valley area.

He began working at the Mill Run business in 1992 — a business started by his father in 1965.

He is married to Kristi Barnhart and has three children: Lane Burk, 35; Brooke Barnhart, 27; and Maxwell Barnhart, 10.

Barnhart attends New Life Community Church on Bell Avenue.

The eight applicants who weren’t chosen were “well-respected citizens,” all with “much to offer in different areas,” Patterson said.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.