EAST WHITELAND TWP, PA — East Whiteland Township voters approved expanding their Board of Supervisors from three members to five in Tuesday’s election, delivering a significant change to local government after opposition to a proposed 1.5-million-square-foot data center prompted a resident-led referendum, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The measure received approximately 64% of the vote, despite opposition from both major political parties. About 62% of eligible township voters participated in the election.
The decision will increase the number of elected officials responsible for township budgets, conditional-use applications, personnel appointments and development decisions. Supervisors serve six-year terms.
The referendum emerged from a dispute over a data center project originally approved by the township’s three supervisors in 2024. Opposition intensified after developers sought to expand the project, drawing residents to public meetings and prompting legal efforts to prevent construction.
Organizers argued that a five-member board would provide broader representation and additional perspectives on development proposals affecting the township, which has approximately 15,000 residents.
The campaign succeeded despite neither the Democratic nor Republican Party endorsing the proposal. Both parties encouraged voters to reject the expansion.
The outcome does not reverse the data center’s existing approval or automatically halt construction. Instead, it changes the composition of the governing body responsible for future township decisions, including potential subsequent phases or amendments involving the development.
The Inquirer reported that residents voting on the referendum expressed concerns about the influence of large development projects on local government.
“When they’re doing all these data centers and all that, I think that it becomes crucial having multiple points of view,” Rajie Mangan, 55, explained to The Inquirer after voting in favor of the expansion.
Another resident, Madeline Marcotte, 60, acknowledged that the referendum would not stop the previously approved project but expressed expectations for the expanded board.
“The group that’s pushing the referendum has promised qualified candidates, and I look forward to seeing who they put forward,” Marcotte told The Inquirer. “But I don’t want to see the corporate class taking over the supervisors.”
Board Chair Scott Lambert indicated that he respected the electorate’s decision and that his commitment to serving the township remained unchanged.
The result represents a lasting institutional consequence of the data center controversy, extending beyond the immediate dispute over the development itself.
East Whiteland was one of three Chester County municipalities where voters approved changes to their local government structures Tuesday.
In Malvern, nearly 60% of voters supported reducing Borough Council membership from seven to five.
The referendum followed a resident petition campaign arguing that the seven-member council created administrative burdens and complicated decision-making in the borough of approximately 3,500 residents.
Organizers also cited difficulties recruiting qualified candidates for council positions.
The reduction will occur without immediately removing any incumbent council members.
According to the borough’s implementation schedule, the five-member structure will take effect Jan. 3, 2028, with two council seats elected in 2027 and three in 2029.
Tredyffrin Township voters approved a separate measure updating the municipality’s Home Rule Charter, with approximately 70% supporting the changes.
The revisions represent the township’s first comprehensive charter overhaul since the 1970s and address outdated provisions, technology, financial procedures and administrative organization.
A home rule charter establishes the framework through which a municipality exercises its governing authority, making the approved revisions significant for the township’s administrative operations.
Together, the three referendums will reshape municipal governance in different ways: East Whiteland will expand representation, Malvern will reduce its council membership, and Tredyffrin will modernize its governing charter.
The election results remain unofficial pending certification by Chester County.
For additional reporting on the East Whiteland referendum, the data center controversy and the municipal election results, read The Philadelphia Inquirer’s full article at https://www.inquirer.com/news/pennsylvania/chester-county-east-whiteland-election-20261104.html.
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