Is Grand Central Sanitary Landfill's nonprofit Green Knight Economic Development Corporation trying to take over Plainfield Township?

This is the question that a reader posed to the editor of the Express Times (Lehigh Valley Live) in Easton, PA:

Area requested to be rezoned to Solid Waste in 2020, and rejected by Township BOS

The reader cited four facts, and posted links to their sources, the Township Board minutes posted publicly (click link above to go to article, and links):
  • In July 2020, the Plainfield Township Board of Supervisors (BOS) rejected Waste Management's request to rezone 211 acres of farmland to solid waste by a vote of 3-0-2.  Steve Hurni and Joyce Lambert abstained.
  • In the following month of August, Mr. Hurni, who also serves on the Green Knight Economic Development Corporation's Board, announced that he had requested that the State Ethics Board Counsel rule on whether he did not have a conflict of interest in voting on matters related to Green Knight and the landfill.  This is despite the fact that for 8-1/2 years he has recused himself from such discussions and votes on the advice of the township Solicitor.
  • In the next month of September, Mr. Hurni was informed by the Ethics Board Counsel that he does have a conflict of interest, and should not vote on these matters.
  • In October, BOS member Joyce Lambert made a motion to put the rezoning request back on the agenda.  There was no second, and her motion died for lack of a second.
Now Bob Cornman, who is also a Green Knight board member, is running for supervisor.  The same conflict of interest will exist for him.  There is a way for both Steve and Bob to technically eliminate their conflict of interest.   Even though they have been on Green Knight over 20 years, they can resign from Green Knight and the conflict goes away immediately, according to the State Ethics Board Counsel.  But if either did this, would it be viewed in the community as ethical?

Grand Central has no other option to expand, and without a change on the BOS they will not get what they need - space to build a new landfill across Pen Argyl Road.

As a candidate for supervisor, I have serious concerns about Green Knight board members being on the Board of Supervisors.  They have a conflict of interest due to their association with an international corporation operating a business in the community, and they can not vote on matters of great importance to our citizens.  When Green Knight was formed it said that it is an apolitical organization.  But one of it members is running as a politician in the community it serves, and if elected would join another.  It is impossible to be both an apolitical representative and an elected supervisor,


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