4 seeking 3 seats on Fox Chapel Council

Four candidates are vying for three open seats on Fox Chapel Council.

Incumbent Betsy Monroe is on the Democratic ticket.

Candidate Michael Pohl is running as a Republican.

Incumbent Fred Leech and candidate Jonathan Colton earned enough votes in the spring primary to be placed on both the Democratic and Republican tickets.

Here are their answers to questions posed by The Herald.

Jonathan Colton

Age: 48

Political affiliation: Democrat

Occupation: Attorney

Education: Bachelor’s degree in mathematics, Drexel University; J.D., University of Pittsburgh School of Law

Elected or political experience: Allegheny County Democratic Committee Member, Fox Chapel District 3

What is the community’s most pressing need?

“We need to carry on the legacy of not only preserving, protecting and maintaining the beautiful parks, wooded areas and hiking trails we cherish so dearly in Fox Chapel, but also continue to better connecting them to residents, which in turn fosters even greater appreciation for those invaluable community assets,” Colton said.

“Our ongoing need for ever-improving stormwater management runs hand-in-hand with our need to carry on that legacy.”

How would you solve it?

“I will help ensure development, construction and maintenance within the borough is consistent with Fox Chapel’s shared community priority of respecting our natural resources,” Colton said. “Given our terrain and layout, adding and improving safe walking and riding routes around our community and to our parks is a tall task but one I am willing to try tackling.

“I also look forward to helping provide even more and better community events and activities in our parks.”

What skills would you bring to council?

“With a degree in mathematics, I quickly grasp budgetary concepts associated with meeting our community’s needs in a cost-conscious way,” Colton said.

“The critical thinking skills I have developed throughout my legal career will enable me to understand municipal issues thoroughly from multiple perspectives to determine the best path forward.

“I can identify and appreciate valuable insight from residents, borough employees, council members and knowledgeable experts, and incorporate that insight into my decision-making.”

Fred Leech

Age: Did not provide

Political affiliation: Registered Democrat, but also will appear as a Republican after receiving write-in votes in the primary

Occupation: Retired corporate lawyer

Education: University of Michigan; Northeastern University

Elected or political experience: Fox Chapel Area School Board, 14 years; Fox Chapel Council, seven years.

What is the community’s most pressing need?

“Fox Chapel benefits from a high level of public safety because of our volunteer firefighters and our police and public works departments,” Leech said. “We enjoy a wonderful park system, and we value tempered development.

“In our current long-range planning process, borough residents urge the continuation and enhancement of these attributes, including the development of safe walking and biking paths. Our need is to implement our community plan as a living and implementable blueprint for our future.”

How would you solve it?

“Council has the responsibility to ensure that our comprehensive plan be implemented with the involvement of borough residents,” Leech said. “Borough council also has the responsibility to actively seek input from borough residents regarding enhancements to the plan.

“As a member of council, I commit to these responsibilities.”

What skills would you bring to council?

“I retired last year after practicing 40-plus years as a corporate lawyer,” Leech said. “During my career, I developed skills in resolving legal and business issues through a collaborative approach. “I value public service, and I am an experienced volunteer public servant.

“On council, I worked with the police and public works departments to extend the contracts for those departments on mutually beneficial terms. I have also been active in the development of the borough’s long-range comprehensive plan.”

Betsy Monroe

Age: 53

Political affiliation: Democrat

Occupation: Nonprofit finance and administration

Education: MBA and MHA, University of Pittsburgh

Elected or political experience: Elected to Fox Chapel Council in 2019

What is the community’s most pressing need?

“Fox Chapel is about to publish its first comprehensive plan since 1985. That was an excellent plan, but a lot has changed in the last 38 years,” Monroe said. “Our roads see more traffic and heavier vehicles. Our parks and open spaces are threatened by invasive species and erosion.

“Extreme weather affects our parks, our roads and our homes, but we haven’t updated our ordinances to reflect that.”

How would you solve it?

“Public input in the comprehensive plan was clear: We need to do better at managing stormwater, and we need to build streets that are safer for bike and pedestrian use,” Monroe said. “Our community put a lot of work into creating an implementable strategic plan, and I will commit to moving forward with making that plan a reality.”

What skills would you bring to council?

“I listen to our experts, but I’m not afraid to ask questions and push back when necessary,” Monroe said. “I look for solutions, and I’m willing to negotiate because that’s how things get done.

“I take the fiduciary duty of a council member very seriously, and I make sure taxpayer dollars are going to the best use possible.”

Mike Pohl

Age: 28

Political affiliation: Republican

Occupation: Manager of real estate for a national retailer

Education: Master’s degree in management, Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame; bachelor’s degree in history, University of Notre Dame

Elected or political experience: Fox Chapel deputy emergency management coordinator and member of the Fox Chapel/O’Hara Joint Comprehensive Plan Committee

What is the community’s most pressing need?

“First, ensuring that the borough is financially stable for the future. There are looming financial challenges on the horizon including increasing expenses, over $7 million in debt service requirements from 2023-2044 for the general obligation bonds of 2019 and a below-market garbage contract that expires in two years,” Pohl said. “Second, limiting the role and influence of government. Each resident — not the government – should be trusted to know what is best for their family and their property.”

How would you solve it?

“By ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent on need-to-have things and minimizing spending on nice-to-have things, I would work to ensure there is no need to take on additional debt for future capital expenditures, nor is there a need to raise taxes,” Pohl said. “The borough likes to note that Fox Chapel has one of the lowest millage rates in Allegheny County, but with generally high property values our tax bills are not trivial.”

What skills would you bring to council?

“I hope to bring skills in real estate, finance and business gained by working for one of Pittsburgh’s largest companies,” Pohl said. “I would also bring over 10 years of emergency services and emergency management skills acquired through my role as a firefighter, and now lieutenant, of the Fox Chapel VFD.

“While current members of council have business, legal, nonprofit and other skills, there is no one on borough council with extensive experience as a first responder.”