I am asking for your support in the 2025 Board of Supervisors race in Silver Spring Township. This year, the primary falls on Tuesday, May 20th; and the general election on Tuesday, November 4th.
Why am I running?
Our Township needs to look ahead 50 years or more when implementing policies and building infrastructure. We do not need to develop every spare parcel of land today, as many developers seem to be keen on, and it is important that we leave land for future generations to make the same choice we have: to develop, or preserve. Our infrastructure should also be built to last and maintained well enough to outlive its original life expectancy; we should never be in a position where a bridge, a culvert, or plow truck replacement takes us by surprise.
I believe our Parks & Recreation department does an amazing job with our parks, but as the last of the zoned residential lots are completed and Recreation Impact Fees dry up, we need to identify alternative sources of funding. Our parks should serve as the nexus for pedestrian and bike travel in our community, an ideal shared by our Parks & Recreation department and some of our current Supervisors. Forming these pedestrian highways is the first step in making our community safely walkable and bikeable, and I believe that this, along with my first point, should be the top priorities of the Township.
I am already involved in our local government as the secretary of the Recreation Advisory Council, and a frequent attendee of both Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors meetings. I do this not because I want to spend my afternoons listening to engineering updates, long conversations about fire apparatus turn radii, curb alignments, and sidewalk fees. I do this because I believe the best way to have your voice heard isn’t at the ballot box, it is to be involved in your community and to personally hold your elected officials accountable.
I may only be 27, but as Supervisor or citizen, I am dedicated to building a better community for my future grandchildren.
Democrat
I may be running as a Democrat, but that does not mean I am unwilling to talk to or work with Republicans. In fact, I agree with many of the decisions our entirely Republican Board has made since I started attending meetings.
I support the Republican lead initiative to preserve farms and forests within the township. With nearly 1,000 acres preserved in perpetuity so far, I believe that it is the most impactful project this Township has undertaken so far this century. Our children and grandchildren will not know the same township we do, but they will still be able to look out over the valley from the Blue Mountain and see farmland.
I support the Republican Board’s decision to take on the developers of the Trindle Spring Trade Center instead of rolling over and allowing a 1,000,000 sqft warehouse to be developed in a predominantly residential area. Even though a prolonged legal battle is likely, and my tax dollars are going towards that, I believe the cause is just, and the Board has done the right thing.
I support the Republican Board’s 3-2 decision to adopt the Carlisle Pike Transportation Study, which is an analysis on making the Carlisle Pike friendly to bike and pedestrian travel. This study, which does not institute any changes on its own, allows the Township to apply for bike/ped grants, make modifications to crosswalks, install streetlights, and make the Carlisle Pike safer for all of us. Its adoption was the first step in getting PennDot approval to make modifications to the Pike, and take our community back from a dangerous road. Republican Supervisors Carl Machamer, Laura Brown (seeking reelection), and Nancy Konhaus Griffie (not seeking reelection) voted to approve. I would like the privilege of being the third vote in split decisions like this that guarantee a safer place for our community.
In fewer words: Republican, Democrat, Independent, or unaffiliated should have no impact on our ability to come together as a community and do what's best for all residents.