Lee Steinert stood and announced at Monday's East Greenville Borough Council meeting that he was there to save the Upper Perk Police District.

                Steinert told the audience at the East Greenville Fire Company that an officer in the department recently helped to save the life of his step-daughter, a 25-year-old kidney recipient.

                Steinert's comments came as council debated a motion by Marita Thomson to extend the date to dissolve the Upper Perk Police Commission an additional 13 weeks, to June 1, 2017. The motion eventually passed, 5-2, with Steinert and Jennifer Moran casting the opposing votes.             

Steinert then motioned to reverse the previous measure and extend the deadline to the end of next year. That motion failed by one vote.

                Ryan Pugh and Jennifer Moran also voted for Steinert's measure, which would have allowed the borough to remain in the commission unil the contract with the department's officers expires.

                Robert McCluskie, Thomson, Joe Arahill and acting council President Tracey Hunsinger voted against the motion, which sent more than half of the nearly 100 people in the audience to the exits.

                Keith Gerhart, a borough resident who expects to run against Mayor Ryan Sloyer next year, called out Arahill for previous votes on the same issue.

                On Nov. 22, Arahill voted for a motion to hold off leaving the commission until Dec. 31, 2017. Mayor Ryan Sloyer's vote snapped a 3-3 tie. Steinert did not attend that meeting, and did not cast a vote. Gerhart also claimed Arahill recently voted in favor of a measure to extend the deadline to June 30. 

                "I feel like I'm being played," Gerhart said during the meeting. "You are making a lot of people wonder."

                Arahill told Gerhart he misunderstood the motion that would have delayed the dissolution until the end of next year. 

                "It seems like every time Mr. Steinert is not here, you vote yes," Gerhart said. "When he is here, you vote no."

                Municipal officials chose the June 1 date in order to allow mediation with Pennsburg to proceed, according to Hunsinger. After the meeting, she cited several delays in the process for resetting the meeting date.

                Hunsinger said they would be willing to consider pushing the deadline back to the end of the year should they see progress in the mediation with the neighboring municipality.

                Council also voted to have Sloyer, Hunsinger and borough Solicitor Stephen Kramer represent East Greenville at the table. The mayor told the audience that officials from both communities will hold a pre-mediation meeting this week.