VOTE411 Voter Guide

Bensalem has many great features, and many residents want to keep it that way. I do too! But we are stagnant and becoming faded. We are nearly overrun by opportunistic development, discarded buildings, and vape shops. Large tracts were sold to developers but sit as eyesores either overgrown with weeds or vacant buildings. Street Road is little more than a drive-through to better areas. We need redevelopment, not overdevelopment which takes our remaining open spaces and trees. We lack proactive planning to address vital infrastructure including storm water management, a lack of sidewalks which compromise safety, and safeguards to address speeding in our neighborhoods. Now is the time to take steps to promote a vibrant small business community, family friendly with community social spaces for our children and young adults, and assure a safe, small-town feel. We need a Mayor with the energy and determination to not stop until we have found a way to achieve this tranquility.

I never before considered running for Mayor. A strong education changed my life, making my two terms on Bensalem's School Board a good fit. The reason I accepted the call of my party to run for Mayor lies in a deep-seated belief in the power of community and the urgent need for a fresh perspective. I come from very humble beginnings – a survivor of pediatric cancer, raised by a single mother for whom making rent was always a struggle. To succeed I had to work hard, never give up, and in my faith know that He would guide my path. Bensalem is a beautifully diverse community, with much talent and promise among us, yet run as if only a few of us have a say. For 30 years just two families represented us as Mayor, State Representative and State Senator. We have had the same Mayor for 32 years and now he wants another four years! But this campaign is not simply to replace a long-serving leader; it is about ushering in a new era of collaboration, innovation and responsiveness.

I have been an attorney for 30 years here in Pennsylvania. While my practice is in family law, I have experience in general contracts and as a unionized attorney, personally negotiated union contracts. Working at a non-profit legal agency for 17 years, I have experience in grant-writing and looking for alternate revenue sources. On School Board we are responsible for an $180mil budget, twice that of the Township. Were I not in the minority party, I would insist on transparency and reducing unnecessary spending which bloats our budget. Most importantly, I will bring the same tireless dedication and passion as I have to our School Board. My professional background is not in development or urban planning. It is in bringing together the right people, thinking outside of the box, cutting through bureaucratic excuses to identify productive action steps, and harnessing the energy and ideas of all of the stakeholders. My first priority would be to hold townhalls to hear from neighbors.