5 nominees seeking 4 spots on the Republican ballot for Fox Chapel council; 2 Dems running unopposed in primary
Share this post:
Editor’s note: The Herald is only spotlighting contested races in the primary election.
The race for Fox Chapel council is drawing a lot of attention this year, with seven nominees vying for four open positions.
According to the Allegheny County Office of Elections unofficial candidate list, there are two Democrats and five Republicans competing for a spot on the November ballot. The two Democrats, Sarah Hanna and Jessica Demoise, are running uncontested in May and are guaranteed a spot on the ballot this fall. Here are the responses to Tribune-Review questions posed to the Republicans seeking office:
Andrew Bennett
Andrew Bennett did not respond with answers to the questions.
Bradley Harrison
• Why did you decide to run for election?
“I decided to run for Fox Chapel council because I believe strongly in the importance of community service,” Harrison said. “Local government has such an important impact on our daily lives, for example, with snow removal, road paving, public safety and taxes. I would like the opportunity to ensure the impact is a positive one.
“I can think of no better way to give back to our community than to serve on the council of our local government. As George Washington stated in 1775, ‘When we assumed the soldier, we did not lay aside the citizen.’ I have served our nation in other capacities, as a military officer and a congressional staff member, and running to take on the role of a member of council in a nonpartisan civil office falls within my duty to continue to serve our nation and our community. I am thankful for the opportunity to run for Fox Chapel council.”
• What is the biggest issue that needs to be addressed?
“Communication — from recent discussions with many Fox Chapel residents throughout the campaign process and based on my experiences in the military, as a small-business owner and in nonprofit volunteer board assignments, it is evident that communication from the borough government is the biggest issue that needs to be addressed,” Harrison said. “Communication from the borough to residents as well as from residents to the borough can drastically improve, and this would be one of my primary tenets if elected.
“Regardless of the topic, from service contracts to street paving to more serious issues affecting public safety and welfare, the communication from the borough to the residents and the mechanism to receive communication from the residents to the borough must be improved, and I will work tirelessly to do just that.”
• What should voters know about you?
”I am a U.S. Navy Veteran and a former congressional staff member looking to serve our community on a local level,” Harrison said. “I am a husband, a father of three and a principal of a manufacturing business. I serve on several nonprofit boards and would bring a sense of teamwork to Fox Chapel council. I would fight for continuous improvement across all facets of borough government and would ensure the borough provides excellent services to all citizens in as many areas as possible.
“I would continue to build bonds, maintain public safety and infrastructure, connect those in need to critical services and preserve natural and develop assets with an eye on improvement. I would listen to all viewpoints and perspectives, regardless of political party. I would truly enjoy giving back to a community that has much to offer but can always improve. There should be no politics in local government.”
Harrison Lauer
• Why did you decide to run for election?
“I care about the Fox Chapel community, and my experience over the past 15 years in serving on council makes me uniquely qualified to continue serving,” Lauer said. “I grew up in the area, attended the Fox Chapel public schools and returned after my four years at Harvard. My wife of 23 years, Karen, and I have lived in the borough and raised our three children here.
“I began serving the borough over 15 years ago, first on the planning commission and soon after on council,” Lauer said. “I’ve chaired the planning commission and finance committee, and led labor negotiations,” Lauer said. “As a lawyer and former CPA, I understand the laws that govern the borough and its finances.
“This community has experienced 15 years of unprecedented success. We did this while balancing our budgets and keeping our taxes low.”
• What is the biggest issue that needs to be addressed?
“We have a great community. Our biggest issue is staying the course during these times of transition in national, state and local government,” Lauer said.
“We have a local government system that works. The past 15 years during which I have served on council is a testament. Our list is long: we have enhanced our parks, established the Fox Chapel Park Conservancy, built the Cooper Siegel Library and public works building (in progress), and upgraded our roads.
“Our public works provides our residents with the best winter road service anywhere, and our doorside waste collection system is the most user-friendly in the county. We completed this with fiscal responsibility including keeping our real estate tax rates in the lowest 12% of communities in Allegheny County. This kind of effective government can only be accomplished locally and with thoughtful leaders. I will continue to help.”
• What should voters know about you?
“My philosophy of leadership has been the best way I can serve is to listen, learn and lead,” Lauer said. “As council members, we are stewards of the community. My approach on council and as chair of planning, finance and labor negotiations committees has been to hear all sides of the issues, be willing to change my mind and make informed and fair decisions.
“Other fun facts: my wife of 23 years, Karen, is from Robinson Township and disproved the myth that Pittsburghers don’t cross the rivers. Fox Chapel is indeed a melting pot. I played competitive tennis and paddle tennis for years, ran marathons and enjoy golf and hiking. While my sports are de-intensifying, they remain a great way to stay in touch with my friends in the community.”
Fred Leech
• Why did you decide to run for election?
“As an incumbent Fox Chapel council member, I want to continue to learn about the issues facing our residents and work towards resolving them,” Leech said. “In my six years on council, I have come to appreciate how volunteer resident involvement in parks, land use development, environmental and others, brings out the best of Fox Chapel.”
“I have learned that the committed administrative staff, the public works department and our police and volunteer fire first responders work tirelessly and without need for public acclaim to keep our borough safe and running well. Through my involvement with the joint Fox Chapel-O’Hara task force, which is working on a joint long-range plan between the municipalities, I am coming to understand that the borough is not in this alone. We need to continue to work collaboratively with our neighboring communities in order to address some of our most pressing issues.”
• What is the biggest issue that needs to be addressed?
“I believe that the intertwined issues of stormwater mitigation and sanitary sewer infrastructure together present the biggest issue to be addressed,” Leech said. “The risks raised by these interrelated issues range from depression of property values to the risks of serious personal injury and property damage.
“These issues need to be addressed on the wider playing field of Fox Chapel and its adjacent communities, with support and funding from the county, state and public authorities.”
• What should voters know about you?
“I like the saying ‘In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few,’” Leech said. “I feel that I have a beginner’s mind.
“I have lived in Fox Chapel for most of my 66 years and served for 14 years on the Fox Chapel Area School Board (1997-2011) prior to my service as a council member. Yet, I do not profess to have the answers. Instead, I try to listen and learn from others. In this manner, I work with an eye to the future and to the best of my ability to maintain Fox Chapel as a wonderful community.”
Michael Pohl
• Why did you decide to run for election?
”I love Fox Chapel,” Pohl said. “Having lived in the borough my entire life, serving in our volunteer fire department since 2010, serving on multiple borough committees and becoming a homeowner in the borough, running for borough council seems fitting as the next logical step to show my love of — and a way to continue to serve — the place that many of us choose to call home.
“I am running for council to ensure that Fox Chapel remains an attractive place for both longtime residents and new families looking to purchase or build a home. This means making Fox Chapel work for us. Local government must be accessible, responsive to its citizenry, respect the wishes of property owners, capable of maintaining excellent services and capable of financial planning the does not involve accruing additional debt or frequent tax increases.”
• What is the biggest issue that needs to be addressed?
“Priorities of borough council,” Pohl said. “Many residents I have spoken with agree that the rollout of covid-19 vaccines in Pennsylvania was a disaster. Things are getting better, but if council could set up a help desk for residents who must change their address, why couldn’t council organize a help desk to assist those residents who spent hours on a computer or phone trying to chase down a vaccine appointment?
“We have decades-old public works facilities that are literally rusting away, areas prone to flooding, overgrown vegetation along our roads, declining EIT revenue and debt to repay, yet council busies itself renaming roads and parks, deciding whether trees can be removed on private property or telling residents where they can/cannot install solar panels.
“Council should prioritize public safety, sustainable financial planning and granting property owners more freedom rather than less. We cannot abandon common sense and good values.”
• What should voters know about you?
“I know Fox Chapel Borough,” Pohl said. “Not only have I lived here my entire life, but in my decade of service with the Fox Chapel Volunteer Fire Department, I have spent time on every road, trail, private lane and corner of our beloved borough. I understand our unique topography and features, and I have witnessed the challenges they bring when responding to incidents caused by flooding, fallen trees, snow and ice, unique roads and more. Further, I have well-established relationships with our police and public works departments and Foxwall.
“In my role as Secretary of the Fox Chapel VFD, I have experience working with the borough’s staff, and I currently serve on the Fox Chapel-O’Hara joint comprehensive plan committee. No other candidate for council has the perspective of a lifelong resident, the experience of a homeowner who navigated numerous and costly ordinances and extensive knowledge of emergency management.”