SELINSGROVE — The race for Borough Council seems a lot like a grudge match. A recently fired borough worker and his cousin are two of the five Republicans vying for three council nominations Tuesday.
Michael Moyer, a nine-year borough employee, lost his job in December when the position was cut from the budget. Moyer publicly questioned why he was singled out, and council members were unable to provide an answer.
Since then, Moyer and several friends and relatives have attended monthly borough meetings, asking questions that showed their distrust of council decisions, as well as a dislike for borough manager John Bickhart.
Moyer did not return repeated calls this week asking for comment about his decision to run for council. His cousin Kimberly Riegel will also appear on the ballot. Riegel said Moyer has been difficult to track down because he has a new job and is working 10-hour days.
Admitting that the first time she attended a council meeting was in December to support Moyer, the lifelong Selinsgrove resident said she “became interested in the doings of the Borough Council, and found there were maybe some shortcomings in our community.”
“It definitely opened up my eyes,” she added.
She has attended council meetings since then, and has witnessed others in the community bringing up issues she hadn’t known about.
She said, “I had some time freed up, and thought a fresh set of eyes would valuable to my community.”
“I thought I could give back, make informed decisions,” she added. “I have no experience, but I have capabilities and willingness and eagerness to learn.”
The Susquehanna University graduate and human services worker said some people may be intimidated about coming to express concerns at a council meeting.
“You need people on the Borough Council who are welcoming and value everybody’s opinions,” she said.
Riegel has served with Selinsgrove Relay for Life, the Central Susquehanna Autism Group and is a Red Cross instructor.
Incumbent Shane Hendricks, a Republican, is also running again, along with incumbent Erik Viker, whose name will not appear on the primary ballot because he is running on the Libertarian ticket.
M. Elaine Herrold, who has lived in the borough for 43 years and has been active in community events, said she is running because “I just want to see Selinsgrove be a good place for people to live, kids to grow up. It’s already a good place, and I want to help keep it that way.”
Her children grew up in the Selinsgrove School District, she said, and two of her grandchildren are attending Selinsgrove schools.
“I am happy to say we have all been happy here,” she said.
Herrold has served on several committees for Selinsgrove Projects Inc. for the last six years, including chairing the Market Street Festival for 2011, and coordinating the 2010 White Christmas tree-lighting ceremony. She is serving on the facade committee, and is involved with Relay for Life through her church, Selinsgrove Church of the Nazarene, which has raised more than $120,000 for the cause since 2001. She graduated from Leadership Susquehanna Valley and serves on its board of directors. She is also the majority inspector of elections for the Third Precinct. She is retired from Bucknell University School of Management, where she was an academic assistant for 26 years.
She and her husband, a native of Selinsgrove, have two sons and daughters-in-law.
Another longtime Selinsgrove resident, Richard Mease, is also running for council.
“I’m the third generation person that’s living in the house that my grandfather built,” he said, adding that his father taught at Selinsgrove High School.
“This is time for me to give something back to the community,” he said.
Mease commended the council for its fiscal responsibility in recent years, but said now that seats are available, he wants to be a part of the decision-making process.
Mease has been employed at Penn Fire Protection in Selinsgrove for about 10 years, graduated from Selinsgrove High School, and attended Susquehanna University, where he served as the baseball coach in the late 1990s.
He has served on the Selinsgrove Brew Fest and swimming pool committees.
“I’ve been involved in the community, in the area, in several different aspects,” he said, “but never directly in the decision-making, and it’s something I want to pursue.”
He and his wife, Carol, have been married for 20 years.
Tim Charles, Republican, who was voted in to fill the vacant seat of Councilwoman Margaret Siro, who stepped down after a year, will be on the ballot for the remaining two-year term. He is unopposed.
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Fired Selinsgrove borough worker Michael Moyer and his cousin Kimberly Riegel are running for two of three Republican nominations for Borough Council. Robert Inglis/The Daily Item
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Fired worker, cousin running for council in Selinsgrove
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