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Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who is running for Hanover Borough Council? Here's what to know about the May 20 primary
Voters in Hanover Borough will decide three contested council seats in this year's primary. In the 2023 elections, the following current council members were elected to four-year terms and are not on this year's ballot: First ward: Tim Kress Second ward: Scott Roland Third ward: Greg Bubb Fourth ward: Chuck Hegberg Fifth ward: Darlene Funk Related: Candidate Heidi Hormel suspends campaign for Hanover mayor to focus on family's health Here's a look at who is running for Hanover Borough Council in the May 20, 2025 primary. Voting location: Calvary Bible Church, 603 Wilson Ave. In Ward 1, incumbent Councilman Brian Fuentes is running unopposed on the Republican ballot after a challenger, Austin Graham, was removed due to a "procedural issue." Fuentes, who has lived in Hanover for 19 years, is the owner of Hanover's Gypsy Skull Tattoo, which has two locations in the borough. In announcing his run for re-election, Fuentes shared that serving on council has been "one of the greatest honors in my life," and that the "future holds many great opportunities to better our beloved Hanover." Fuentes serves as the chairman of the borough's Public Safety Committee and serves on the borough's Facilities Committee. Graham, who is continuing to run as a write-in candidate, said he had moved to Hanover three years ago and "fell in love with the town." Graham currently serves on the borough's planning commission, along with the Hanover Enhancement Committee as a citizen adviser, and on the borough's Reservoir Parks Master Plan Committee. His platform, according to his page, focuses on, among other aspects, transparency, safe housing, walkability, common-sense budgeting, and smart growth. Among specific programs in his platform, Graham emphasized the need for rental inspections, an ordinance that Fuentes had voted against, stating that he felt that implementing a program needed more time in order to answer questions about how it would operate. Voting location: St. Mark's Church, 129 Charles Street In Hanover's second ward, incumbent and current council President Bill Reichart is facing newcomer Brad Scott in the Republican primary. Reichart, one of the longest-serving members of council, was elected to council 12 years ago. In addition to his role as council president for the last eight years, Reichart currently chairs the borough's Water & Sewer Committee as well as its Stormwater Authority. Reichart also serves as one of two council representatives on the recently formed Reservoir Parks Master Plan Committee, providing the council's input as part of a large committee overseeing the development of a master site plan for the borough's Long Arm and Sheppard-Myers reservoirs. "When I get involved with things, I get very involved, and I don't dip my toe in," Reichart said of his time on council. In serving as council president, Reichart shared that he views his role as primarily focused on executing the process of government, and keeping meetings or procedures from falling off track. In that leadership role, Reichart draws from the 25 years spent as a football coach in Hanover of every level up through high school varsity football. "I bled for Hanover on its football field, and sweated through the practices as a coach," he added, "I like to think that I bring that same hard work ethic to serving on Borough Council." Among the biggest challenge facing Hanover, in Reichart's view, was how to hold onto the longtime traditions of Hanover while embracing and welcoming new schools of thought on how to tackle its issues. "I think it's for me, it's an unspoken responsibility of how to help balance the successes of our past and share the wisdom of our past, but yet be accepting of new concepts," he said. Challenging Reichart in this year's primary is newcomer Brad Scott, who cited two decades of experience in nonprofit healthcare in his case for the position. Scott, who moved from Maryland in 2021, said he quickly fell in love with the small-town character of the borough, sees Hanover as a "vital center for nearby communities," and that he was inspired to run to help build "a Hanover we can all be proud of." "Many residents feel excluded from important decisions, whether it is about sidewalks, road repairs, or how public money is used," Scott said, adding that he believes the most meaningful change begins at the local level. In citing his goals, if elected, Scott shared that he would like to see a public financial dashboard created, the launch of a sidewalk partnership program, improved communication, and to keep Hanover safe. A review of police and court records revealed that Scott was arrested following a domestic incident in Hanover that left Scott in York County Prison for over a month after he was unable to post $10,000 monetary bail. The case led to Scott pleading guilty on a summary count of harassment subject to physical contact as part of a plea. In the charging documents for the summary harassment charge, police alleged that Scott had kicked a victim's leg and had scratched the victim's face, leading to "visible injury." According to the affidavit, police spoke with Scott, who allegedly "made admissions to having a disagreement with the victim but denied being the aggressor." Following a guilty plea to the summary offense of harassment on Dec. 14, 2023, records show Scott paid a total of $909.75 in fines from the case. When asked about the records, Scott told the Evening Sun in a statement that, out of respect for his ex-partner's privacy, he was limited in what he could say about the records and incident. "What I can say is that court records clearly show there was no criminal conviction," Scott said of the plea to only the summary offense. "This experience has been deeply personal and has taught me a great deal about resilience, and how misunderstandings within the legal system can impact individuals and families." "Nothing in my record legally or ethically disqualifies me from serving the Borough of Hanover," Scott added. Reichart, who is facing Scott on the primary ballot, told the Evening Sun that he was deeply troubled by the criminal record of his opponent. Reichart said that the incident raises several "difficult concepts," such as any potential interaction Scott would have in overseeing the Hanover Borough Police Department if elected to council, with the department having arrested Scott in 2023. Voting location: Utz Pavilion, 861 Carlisle St. (off of Eichelberger Street) Incumbent third ward councilwoman Carol Greenholt, who is up for re-election this year, shared that she had applied for re-election but, due to what she said was a minor oversight, York County denied her petition. Because of that, no candidates are listed on the ballot for this year's primary. Greenholt told the Evening Sun that, if she receives enough write-in votes, she would be happy to accept the position once again. Greenholt currently serves on the borough's Public Safety Committee, along with the Governance & Policy Committee. Moving to Hanover when she was young, Greenholt has lived and worked in Hanover for most of her life, she said. Greenholt owned and operated a laundromat and dry cleaner with her husband for over 25 years before retiring in recent years. Speaking not only for herself, Greenholt emphasized the importance of the institutional knowledge that can come with incumbents, noting that it takes a new council member "a good two years to understand what's going on and who the players are." In citing a highlight of her four years on council, Greenholt said she felt like the rental inspection saga was among the accomplishments she was most proud of, as she felt like passing both the registration and inspection ordinances at the same time was "pushing the envelope too fast without starting small." Instead, she said, she thought it was important for the council to approach the issue more slowly, and to take it a step at the time to see how it feels for the public. "I don't want to hurt anybody, landlords or tenants," said Greenholt, "and so I thought that the separation of the two items was really important." Among the main issues Greenholt sees in Hanover is the balancing act of growth. "We can't stop progress," she noted. "There has to be growth." "I'm hoping that, together with council and with public input, that we can find something that we can grow together happily." Write-in candidates for borough offices that have no candidates on the primary ballot can qualify for the November ballot through obtaining at least 10 write-in votes on the primary ballots. Should no candidate be nominated in May or elected to the vacancy in November, the vacancy will be advertised for ward residents to be appointed to. Voting location: St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 30 West Chestnut St. In the fourth ward, councilwoman Barb Rupp, the only Democrat running for council, has an uncontested primary. Rupp, who was elected to council in 2017, chairs the borough's Governance & Policy Committee , serves on the Hanover Enhancement Committee and serves as the council's representative for the borough's Recreation Committee. Rupp additionally joins Reichart as the second council representative on the Reservoir Parks Master Plan Committee. Rupp, who retired as superintendent of the South Western School District in 2017, has over the years served on the board of the Hanover YWCA, Hanover Hospital and the Hanover Borough planning commission. Voting location: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 127 York St. In Hanover's fifth ward, incumbent Councilman Ed Lookenbill Jr. will face newcomer Christopher Topper in the Republican primary. Lookenbill was appointed to his seat on council in 2023 after the passing of Councilman Christopher Lockard in the middle of his term. Lockard had served on council since 2018. Lookenbill, who said he was born and raised in Hanover, described himself as a longtime small business owner in the borough, owning Lookenbill's Auto Sales and Services on York Street since 1992. Lookenbill has served on the Public Safety Committee and the Hanover Enhancement Committee. In citing projects he has been involved with and was proud of, Lookenbill said that he was currently most proud of assisting with the upcoming addition of a pavilion to the Baer Avenue playground, along with working towards designing and building a community skatepark in the borough, which he notes his constituents have been requesting for several years. Lookenbill said that his belief is that the borough should "fix what we have before we start any new projects," and asked "what street doesn't need paved?" In noting this, Lookenbill said he would like to see additional grants go towards street improvements. Running against Lookenbill is Christopher Topper, a 1999 Hanover High School graduate who has served as an elected state constable for Hanover for more than a decade. Topper had previously undertaken campaigns for the local district judge races in 2017 and in 2023. In a prior interview with the Evening Sun in 2017, Topper cited his extensive experience as a public servant in the Hanover area, of which he had, as of 2017, 23 years of service, 10 of which were in leadership roles, and eight years of judicial law experience. In his leadership roles, Topper had shared that he would often have to "hold hearings, weigh the facts and make a decision based on the rules of the organization." The Evening Sun reached out to Topper, but hasn't heard back. Harrison Jones is the Hanover reporter for the Evening Sun. Reach him at hjones@ This article originally appeared on Hanover Evening Sun: 2025 Hanover Borough, Pa. council primary election guide for May 20
Associated Press
28-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Associa Appoints John Reichart as Regional Vice President for the Northeast Region
DALLAS, Texas, April 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Associa, the community management industry's largest company, proudly announces the appointment of John Reichart as Regional Vice President for its Northeast region. In this role, Reichart will oversee operations across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and New York state. Reichart brings more than 24 years of leadership experience in real estate and community association management, along with a strong background in public service and legislative advocacy. His career includes executive roles at top-tier property management firms, including Towne & Country Management and FirstService Residential, where he led operations for high-rise communities across New Jersey. He also spent over a decade at Silverman, a Jersey City-based real estate development firm, serving as Director of Operations and Broker of Record. Beyond his operational expertise, Reichart has held key roles in local governance and industry advocacy. He served as President of the Historic Downtown Jersey City Special Improvement District and was an elected member and Vice President of the Jersey City Board of Education. He currently serves on the Legislative Committees of both the New Jersey Apartment Association (NJAA) and Community Associations Institute – New Jersey Chapter (CAI-NJ) and is the co-founder and former chair of the Jersey City Apartment Owners Association (JCAOA). Earlier in his career, he served over two decades in law enforcement, retiring as a Sergeant with the NJ Transit Police. He holds a New Jersey Real Estate Broker's License and remains an active leader in the real estate community. 'I'm proud to join Associa as Regional Vice President for the Northeast,' said Reichart. 'This is a great opportunity to work alongside strong leadership across the region, supporting teams, improving operations, and driving performance. Associa's mission to deliver meaningful value and positive impact to every community resonates with me, and I'm grateful for the trust placed in me to help move that mission forward. I'm excited to build on our momentum and contribute to our continued success.' Associa's Senior Vice President for the Northeast-Central Region, Nancy S. Hastings, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, added: 'I am very much looking forward to his leadership in the region. His enthusiasm, care for customer experience, and ability to build dynamic teams will no doubt have a wonderful impact on our team and customers.' With Reichart's appointment, Associa strengthens its commitment to excellence in service, leadership, and community support across the Northeast region. About Associa With more than 300 branch offices across North America, Associa is building the future of community for more than 7.5 million residents worldwide. Our 15,000+ team members lead the industry with unrivaled education, expertise, and trailblazing innovation. For more than 45 years, Associa has brought positive impact and meaningful value to communities. To learn more, visit Media Contact: Tiffany Mershae [email protected] (972) 661-4429 Attachment Tiffany Mershae Associa 972-661-4429 [email protected]
