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<\/p>\nBENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA \u2014Bensalem Township School Director Stephanie A.G. Ferrandez will try to unseat longtime Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo in the November general election.<\/p>\n
The Bensalem Democratic Organization announced its slate of candidates for Mayor and Township Council on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Besides Ferrandez for mayor, the Democratic council candidates running in the May 20 primary election are Jesse Sloane, Ed Tokmajian, and Joseph Wenzel Jr. <\/p>\n
Also on the Democratic ticket are Santos Ramos and Zach Winters, running for treasurer and auditor, respectively, BDO Chairman Bryan Allen announced.<\/p>\n
Ferrandez, an attorney operating a law practice in the township, is serving her second term on the Bensalem School Board. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are at a turning point in Bensalem,\u201d Ferrandez said. \u201cIf we don\u2019t take steps now to create a vibrant small business community, which is family friendly and rooted in assuring a safe, small-town feel, then we will be overrun by opportunistic development, discarded buildings, and vape shops.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the school board, Stephanie has been a clear voice for improving transparency,\u201d Allen said. \u201cShe\u2019s known for consistently demanding answers on behalf of the community, most recently, insisting on transparency and consideration of what the taxpayers can bear when considering the possible middle school construction project.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked why she is challenging a 32-year mayoral incumbent in DiGirolamo, Ferrandez said, \u201cI\u2019ve realized that to ultimately achieve the best for our kids, we must improve the whole township.\u201d<\/p>\n
She highlights the need for a comprehensive planning process \u2014 one that\u2019s proactive and forward-looking. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs a township, we should be planning ahead,” Ferrandez added. “Everything from proactively revitalizing the Neshaminy Mall properties, to bringing in social opportunities for young adults, teens and families, such as a community indoor sports and pool complex.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ferrandez isn\u2019t the only name voters will recognize on their ballots come Election Day.<\/p>\n
Former council members Sloane and Tokmajian are seeking election for another council term. They are by Union carpenter Joseph Wenzel Jr.<\/p>\n
\u201cJesse and I were very productive during our first term on Council,\u201d Tokmajian said. \u201cWe preserved more than 25 acres of open space, supported sensible development projects while pushing back on ones that did not benefit residents. We strived to make sure that residents\u2019 tax dollars were put to good use by supporting our first responders and ensuring those services were well-funded.\u201d<\/p>\n
“The experience Ed and I have working to improve township services, prioritizing the safety and security of our community, combined with Joe Wenzel’s energy and work ethic, will be that spark that drives Bensalem forward,\u201d added Sloane. \u201cWe\u2019re all raising families here, which is why we are deeply invested in ensuring the brightest possible future for Bensalem.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
(Bensalem Democratic Organization)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA \u2014Bensalem Township School Director Stephanie A.G. Ferrandez will try to unseat longtime Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4403,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[191,193,192,194],"class_list":{"0":"post-4402","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bensalem","8":"tag-bensalem","9":"tag-bensalem-headlines","10":"tag-bensalem-news","11":"tag-bensalem-township"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}