Today – Thursday, May 26 – is the Voting Deadline.
CHCA Board Election information

The following people are candidates for the Chestnut Hill Community Association Board of Directors. Twenty-two (22) directors will be elected. Twelve (12) directors with the highest amount of votes will serve for three years. The next highest ten (10) directors will serve for one year. Members may vote for up to twenty-two (22) directors by placing an “X” in the appropriate box on the ballot.

Candidates (Alphabetical Order)
LOUIS F. AIELLO II
JANE D. BECKER
KERRY D. BIRD
TIA BURKE
MARY ANNA ROSS COWPER
MAXINE M. DORNEMANN
JANINE D. DWYER
MARTHA HALEY
JEREMY HEEP
TOM HEMPHILL
DINA HITCHCOCK
MARK KEINTZ
TOM KESSLER
CAROLINE KING
DANA KLEIN
JOSHUA KLEIN
SULJAN MALIKYAR
VIRGINIA MALLERY
JANICE MANZI
MITCHELL W. MELTON
CECILE MIHALICH
TAPAN PATEL
RON RECKO
NAYAN SHAH
ANN WARD SPAETH
JONATHAN STERNBERG
WALTER J. SULLIVAN
LAWRENCE WALSH
PAM WATERS

Biographies. Replies were not received from Mark Keintz, Suljan Malikyar, Tapan Patel and Nayan Shah.

Ballot Available for Chestnut Hill Community Association
Download a PDF of the official ballot for this year's election of the Chestnut Hill Community Association Board of directors.

Louis F. Aiello II
Aiello was born in Chestnut Hill, attended Our Mother of Consolation School and attended St. Joseph’s University for two years before transferring to Drexel for electrical engineering. He served in the USAF as a flight engineer and was an electrical engineering designer and engineer for Day and Zimmermann International, working on industrial/petrochemical/nuclear and pharmaceutical plants. He was twice a vice president of operations of the CHCA and served as executive committee member four times. He was chair for the building oversight committee for eight years and was on the aesthetics committee for eight years while Myrna Pope was chair.

Reasons for running
I believe the CHCA needs some sprucing up. The archives need to be dusted off and reviewed and revisited. The rules and bylaws must serve the best interests of the community, but we should work within the guidelines of those bylaws and not change them indiscriminately. Every five years or so things always seem to get in a disarray and some confusion sets in; I believe a year of detailed attention by previously experienced CHCA members can give us, once again, a good path forward so as to preserve and enhance this special unique community and its people.

I believe the new board will prove its capabilities once again. I personally am not all that dynamic, but I am serious about the future welfare of Chestnut Hill and will work hard to preserve and enhance this community for the future, the best way I can. This community did not just happen; many volunteers, historically and in the present, gave much of their time and energy to this Village. They were “Ernst und Ehrlich” (serious and honest) … they love Chestnut Hill.

Most important issues
I think the most important issues in Chestnut Hill are its people, but saying that, we are chartered to make this community a pleasant place to live. Attention to green space is essential. We require that our business district be a useful shopping area for our residents. Our streets should be maintained in proper order (e.g. Belgian blocks), trees pruned and unused business fronts maintained in a proper condition until rented. We need occasional town meetings where the entire community can express itself. A free press is essential, as is the continued protection of our Lentz policy at the Chestnut Hill Local. Community events such as the Garden Festival gives the community a chance to address itself, and finally, we must support the senior citizens in every way we can for where they are we also will arrive.

Reasons for running
In running for the board of directors it is my hope to bring a balance to the board.

It is also my hope to help carry on something that Maurice McCarthy began during his tenure as president of the CHCA board. In Maurice’s opening statement to the board of directors, upon his election as president, one of his goals “was to encourage civility among the board of directors and the community in general.” I will work toward the development of harmony. Toward this end I encourage the residents of Chestnut Hill to become active members of the CHCA, pay membership, run for the board, vote in the election; become part of the solution not part of the problem.

Remember, we are all volunteers, as were those who went before us and those who will follow us. The community of Chestnut Hill did not “just happen,” it took people of vision, dedication and hard work to build the foundation upon which we can also build.

In my traveling here and abroad, I have not found one community as interesting and beautiful as here in Chestnut Hill. I am proud and happy to call it “home.”

Important issues
In my view the most important issues facing Chestnut Hill in 2005 are: the number of vacant buildings; increase the membership in the CHCA; the lack of concern on the part of drivers: 1) not fully stopping at stop signs, 2) talking on cell phones while driving.

Kerry D. Bird
Kerry D. Bird grew up in Pembroke, N.C. and is an enrolled member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota and the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. He received a B.A. in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in social work from Washington University in St. Louis. Kerry was a Kellogg Fellow in 1994 with the American Indian Ambassadors Program. For the last several years he has worked as a senior consultant for ProGroup, Inc. in Minneapolis. Kerry is a certified local judge for the Miss America Organization, a past president of the National Indian Education Association in Alexandria, Va., and a current board member of the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center in Oakland, Calif. He and his partner, John Gurney, moved to Wyndmoor in December 2002.

Reasons for running
As a newer resident of Chestnut Hill, I value the quality of life that I have found here. I would like to see the community maintain its sense of charm while developing stronger resources for day-to-day living. While Chestnut Hill should continue to promote itself as a viable tourist destination, it should be first and foremost a vibrant living community for its local residents.

I would bring a new perspective to the CHCA. I have a variety of board experience in nonprofit and philanthropic organizations and see this as a good opportunity for me to be involved in the community in which I live.

Important issues
• Retail resources for local residents. I like to shop where I live and feel we have lost some of the resources that are valuable to the day-to-day quality of life of Chestnut Hill residents. The CHCA should work harder to attract good businesses to the Hill, which will likewise attract good residents.

• Vacant properties and storefronts. The CHCA should become a better business companion with property owners and work with them to attract good tenants for vacant properties.

• Maintaining the aesthetic beauty of the shopping district. The charm of Chestnut Hill is unbeatable. The CHCA should continue to work on improving the public common spaces that are the first things people see when visiting the Hill.

• Coalition building among organizations serving Chestnut Hill. More can be done if organizations addressing issues impacting Chestnut Hill work together. By focusing our resources and attention in a strategic manner, more can be accomplished.

K. Tia Burke
Burke has lived in Chestnut Hill since 1990 and has served on the CHCA board since 2001. She is currently vice president of the social division. She is a graduate of Temple University and Temple Law School and an attorney in private practice.

Reasons for running
The CHCA is the vehicle that drives many of the events and activities that make Chestnut Hill such a fantastic place to live. I have loved coordinating the Pastorius Park concert series, helping the Black and White Gala move from dream to reality and becoming involved in many other events because of the strong sense of community they help to build. Not to mention the fantastic people to befriend along the way.

Most important issues
Moving Chestnut Hill forward. We need to have a dream of what we would like our neighborhood to become and, while respecting our rich history, not be held hostage to visions of what it was.

Mary-Anna Ross Cowper
Ross Cowper has been a Chestnut Hill resident for over 50 years, 20 of them on the CHCA board of directors. She has served on the health committee, the human relations and race relations committee and as chair of the membership committee. She has also served on the Water Tower’s board, helped to launch the “Orange Ell” (former teen headquarters) and is one of the founders of the Pipeline and the Green Party. She was born and raised in Upper Darby, is a graduate of Ursinus College and is presently an active member of the Chestnut Hill Rotary Club.

Reasons for running
Because this is the way to be deeply involved in this remarkable community — in its present activities and in its future.

Important issues
Topping the list of 24 issues facing Chestnut Hill recently published in the Local by a group of concerned CHCA members is that we return fully to the concept that all pertinent matters in the community be brought to the CHCA board of directors for final approval.

This is the only way we can be sure that all decisions are made by elected representatives who are on the board because the membership of the community association chose them. It also assures that there are open discussions of each item and that they are fully publicized in the Local so that the whole community can read and reflect and criticize or agree. This way all members can be informed about everything and can join in the discussion by talking about it with their neighbors, by writing a letter to the Local, and/or attending board meetings and speaking out there.

The bylaws state, “The board exercises all powers of the association …” It is only by adhering to that concept that we can continue to have a democratically run, proactive, quasi-governmental organization that provides leadership, looks to the future and has strong persuasive powers or even veto power over those who thoughtlessly or selfishly seek to undermine our values and the quality of life in this fine community.

By bringing every decision to the board we can focus on all of the problems. The executive committee’s failure to bring matters to the board is a very serious problem. The number of storefronts conspicuously vacant is another. The failure to keep current as well as historical records in the office weakens our organization and interferes with daily functioning. The proposed acquisition of additional real estate is inspiring, but must be dealt with with the utmost financial responsibility. And the control of the editorial policy of the Local by the editor is absolutely essential to the concept of freedom of the press.

Maxine Dornemann
Dornemann grew up and was educated in Georgia, where most of her relatives still live with the exception of her brother and a nephew, who have joined her in Chestnut Hill.  After a brief stint teaching school, she ended up in Wilmington, N. C. working with the YMCA for 18 years. Her interest in “wellness programs” was piqued during these YMCA years and she worked for the E.I. DuPont polyester plant in Wilmington developing onsite wellness programs. This led her to the exploration of spiritual wellness; in mid-life, she entered the University of the South, where she received a masters of divinity degree. She was ordained as an Episcopal priest in 1990. 

Reasons for running
I have lived in Chestnut Hill for almost 12 years now and have grown to love it and appreciate it as only someone who discovers it later in life can.  I first became involved in the Chestnut Hill Community Association by helping with blood drives and volunteering at the Pastorius Park concerts in the summer. It is such a powerful moment to experience this community working together toward a common goal, and making this corner of the world just a little bit better.

I want to continue to be part of a board that is looking toward the future and open to all possibilities for this community. I want to continue the positive momentum that was created by the board during these past few months – a momentum that appreciates the past and is still willing to look at positive changes.

In the past year, the Chestnut Hill Fund, the Chestnut Hill Local and the Chestnut Hill Community Association all ended their fiscal year in the “black” financially.  I want to continue their good work.  I want to continue the relationships they have built with other community leaders.  I want to continue the example they have set in being inclusive and trying to get young and old, male and female involved in community activities.

The demographics of Chestnut Hill are changing.  Young families with children are moving into the area and are willing to put their energy and time into being the architects of the future.  The work begun must be continued.  I wish to part of that good work.

Janine Dwyer
Dwyer was a CHCA board member from 1990 and 2001, serving two terms as CHCA president and two terms as Physical Division vice president during that time. She is the proprietor of Janine Salon de Coiffure on Germantown Avenue and is the granddaughter and daughter of Hill business owners. Since marriage in 1976, she has lived on the unit block of West Gravers Lane.

Reasons for running
Plainly speaking, my interest in running for the board is this: The Chestnut Hill Business Improvement District is in its first full year. I know that the BID will do its best to make presentations and make information public. Over the next three years many issues will be coming through the Physical Division of the CHCA to the board.

Important issues
Neighbors on the unit and 100 blocks east and west of Germantown Avenue would benefit by having a proactive way of informing themselves about zoning issues before they arise and representation within the CHCA when they do arise. I believe that the BID process will be the process through which the vacancies on the Avenue will be remedied. Quality of life issues are important and should be incorporated. If I were to propose a name for this concept it might be Avenue Neighbors for Sensitive Development. I would not do this alone, but I have experience and understand the process. I feel that it is important for people to be proactive, organized and informed, and be seated at the table, for the process to be fair and smooth.

By living in 19118, the CHCA gives you a place to deal with many kinds of issues and an independent newspaper to give you information and a voice (and a vote for a representative if you have the Local delivered.) The bylaws of the Chestnut Hill Community Association were created for clarity of process and participation by all.

Martha Haley
Haley is a native of Greensburg, Pa. and graduated in 1959 from Seton Hill College. Having taught in both elementary and secondary schools, Haley “found social work and it found me.” She retired from Camden’s welfare board after 25 years in 1995. She has lived in Chestnut Hill (Ardleigh Street) since 1998.

Reasons for running
This entry into my first “political race” is precipitated by the sparse attention paid to the concerns of ordinary decent citizens — issues of personal safety, availability of goods and services provided by commercial enterprises on the Avenue, awareness and concern for the impact on both businesses and homes by rampant landlordism.

Important issues
The bylaws of the CHCA state that its goals are to encourage a sense of community and to improve its quality of life. Implied is that this community is all of us, east and west of Germantown Avenue, uphill and down. Often it seems that the opposite is true and the tacit ambition is to create Just Another Roadside Attraction. We can fix this. 

You know, Esse quam videre. To be, rather than seem to be.

Jeremy Heep
Heep, a partner in the law firm of Pepper Hamilton LLP, has a background that combines private industry, government and nonprofit work, including five years in Africa. Prior to moving to Chestnut Hill in 2000, he served as the director for the International Foundation for Election Systems program in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, elections supervisor for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Bosnia, trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division (Washington, D.C.), clerk to Judge Edmund V. Ludwig in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, human rights intern in the Burkinabé Movement of Human & Peoples’ Rights in Burkina Faso (West Africa), public affairs specialist for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 3 (Philadelphia), peace corps volunteer in Comoros (East Africa), and Congressional intern to U.S. Rep. Peter H. Kostmayer. He served as Bucks County counsel for the Rendell and Kerry campaigns, participates in low profile volunteer activities and is a member of various nonprofit organizations. He grew up in Doylestown and holds degrees from Boston University (1984) and University of Minnesota Law School (1994).

Reasons for running
Heep would like to apply his experience gained in Europe, Africa and Washington, D.C., together with his more recent four years in Chestnut Hill, to make his community a better place.

Important issues
Heep believes that Pennsylvania is being destroyed by uncontrolled sprawl that is caused by a combination of structural problems inherent in the way the state is organized and a lack of vision and leadership at all levels. He believes that vital town centers are a crucial part of the solution to this massive problem and would like the CHCA to play a key role in maintaining and improving Chestnut Hill as a vibrant center of business and community. For the CHCA, this role includes sensible property ownership and management, initiatives to promote full business occupancy on the Avenue, and sponsoring community activities that make Chestnut Hill an attractive place to live and visit.

Tom Hemphill
Hemphill was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, and received a B.F.A. from Drake University. He worked in creative advertising and marketing before becoming creative director at the former Earle Palmer Brown in Philadelphia. He left that position to join his wife, Susan, in their own business, Red Dot. His community involvement consists of a short, volunteer position with the marketing committee of the CHBA, “being a card-carrying member of the Chestnut Hill Public Library with a very few overdue charges and, of course, a proud subscriber to the Local.”

Reasons for running
Susan and I live and work here, just a couple of blocks off the Avenue. Frank cuts my hair. We shop weekly at Kilian's and enjoy a beer and a glass of white wine with dinner at McNally's. What affects Chestnut Hill affects us. There are serious issues on the agenda for the CHCA and I believe it's time to approach these problems with thinking that's outside the box — more creative, if you will. From empty storefronts to traffic problems (our street has become a raceway at most any time of day with SEPTA one of the main offenders), to an overall recognition of the spirit of Chestnut Hill, the work of the CHCA needs a not-too-gentle jab in the rear end. We have to stop whining and take action. Consider carefully first, yes, but then take responsibility and do something. Not just talk. Not just "what if,” but do something.

Important issues
Okay, which one comes first? Empty storefronts have to be right up there. That's where we need to think outside the box in solving the problem. That's where we need to approach the situation with a determination born out of innovation — not the same old thinking. But as I said earlier, I believe we need to emphasize the spirit of Chestnut Hill. We see it every day when we walk up to the Avenue in small and wonderful ways — neighbors helping and really caring for neighbors. Someone stopping to pick up an errant piece of trash on the street or sidewalk. Giving directions to some lost soul in his Hummer from Montgomery County. You've seen it in the smiles of people passing on the street. In the genuine welcome of our merchants. There's an energy here that can solve the toughest problems we face. We just have to apply it to the tasks that need to be accomplished, stand back and let it work. In many cases, we have to get over ourselves and our own self-importance. If we can do that, 2005 will be a year of progress, growth and revitalization for all of us. How good would that be?

Dina Hitchcock
Hitchcock has lived in the area since 1967, when she attended Beaver College, graduating with a degree in English Literature. She also holds degrees in veterinary science technology and computer science.

Reasons for running
I have been involved with the CHCA since Maurice McCarthy urged me, in 2000, to get more involved with my community.  I served first on the board and then on the Executive Committee as secretary for the past four years, as well as on the various fundraising committees, the bylaws committee and the budget and finance committees.  I feel that I have a very good grasp of the issues facing the CHCA today.

Most important issues
One of the most important issues is that of funding the CHCA and the Community Fund. If we are going to continue to fund worthy grantees, such as the Teenagers Inc, Senior Center, the Pastorius Park concerts, we get the message out to the community that we need their help.  We need to tap all possible grant sources (local, state and national) for funding. There is funding out there; our job is to find it.  I hope we can continue to move Chestnut Hill forward.

Mark Keintz
Keintz grew up in East Detroit, a blue-collar suburb of Detroit, just two blocks north of Eight Mile Road. He earned a B.A in math at a small Michigan college and spent two years in the Peace Corps in southern India. He came to Philadelphia to get a masters in economic development at the University of Pennsylvania and has lived here ever since, “except for two years as the trailing spouse in Baltimore.” Currently he is a data analyst at Penn; he has lived in Chestnut Hill for about eight years.

Reasons for running
I have been a board member of the CHCA for six years and have served on a number of committees. Among other roles, I initiated the creation of the Chestnut Hill Local long term planning group, which recommended strategic goals for the paper and then dissolved. As a believer in volunteerism, I am running for the CHCA simply because it is an effective forum for discussing local issues, and can be addressing change in our community.

Most important issues
Among the important issues facing Chestnut Hill in 2005, I believe the one most specific to the CHCA agenda is an impending decision on whether to make a major building purchase. Although discussions with the seller have been going on since October, the board has not yet seen relevant financial data, and, more importantly, has not begun to have full discussions on whether the purchase is the best way to further the CHCA mission. While I agree with the CHCA president that we need to recognize providence in this opportunity, we have now gone for six months without discussing evidence, such as whether the CHCA has demonstrated an ability to effectively manage its current properties.

Tom Kessler
Kessler moved to Chestnut Hill from Society Hill in 1979 and lived here until after graduating from college in 1992. He returned to Chestnut Hill in 2002. He holds a B.A. from Connecticut College and a J.D. from Villanova University School of Law (1997). He is employed as a project manager for Toll Brothers; prior to that, he was an associate at Morgan Lewis. He is president of the executive board of the Chestnut Hill Academy Alumni Association and has been a member of the board of trustees at CHA (alumni representative) from 1999-2001 and again since 2004. He has also been a member of the executive board of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation.

Reasons for running
Having grown up in Chestnut Hill, I have a strong affinity with the community as well as its residents. I feel a strong commitment to the growth and success of Chestnut Hill. As such, I want to be involved in the planning and implementation of Chestnut Hill’s strategic objectives.

Most important issues
Like most organizations, the Chestnut Hill Community Association’s biggest challenge is to develop a clear and focused strategic plan. While many of the projects the CHCA wishes to implement will serve to benefit the community, it is essential that the CHCA not unduly stretch its resources (whether financially or otherwise). The CHCA must prioritize its objectives so that it is not overextended, and therefore unable to accomplish any of its objectives. Only through the implementation of a defined strategic plan will the CHCA be able to achieve its objectives, thus preserving the continuity and growth of Chestnut Hill.

Caroline King
King has lived in Chestnut Hill for eight years. She grew up in Center City, moving here as a newlywed, and has since had two girls - ages six and three. Her connection to Chestnut Hill began many years ago when her older brother attended CHA and continued through friends. She has been a fundraiser for various nonprofits in and around the city, and was director of development at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood before quitting full time work to be home with her daughters. She currently works part time as a development consultant, her client right now being Keystone House, a 19-bed restored Victorian home on Stenton Avenue that provides comprehensive hospice services to the terminally ill.   

Reasons for running 
I serve on the board of Youth Service, Inc. and have numerous hours of volunteer experience with different nonprofits. I would like to serve on the CHCA board because I would like to be more connected to this community and more supportive of the programs. I feel my fundraising expertise would be an asset and I'm eager to be helpful in promoting Chestnut Hill.

Dana Klein
Klein grew up in Elmhurst, Pa, outside of Scranton. She earned a B.S. in early childhood and elementary education and masters in applied technology with a focus on education at Chestnut Hill College. She has been a volunteer for the Pastorius Park concerts for four years, doing promotion and helping with the raffle tickets and snack sales at the concerts. She has lived in Chestnut Hill for over 11 years.

Reasons for running
I am running for the CHCA to become even more involved in the community. I have lots of ideas and feel that bringing them to the CHCA would benefit the community as a whole. I have seen the importance of having community functions. Having attended the Black and White Gala, spring and fall festivals, Wine Tasting at the Woodmere Museum, Stag and Doe Nights and other community activities. I would like to head other events where people can enjoy themselves and meet neighbors. Being a young member in Chestnut Hill, I hold a strong interest in helping to increase the businesses on the Avenue. I know my support and willingness to be part of the CHCA will be positive in many ways.

Important issues
The Chestnut Hill community is facing several issues in 2005. At the top of the list is the amount of open storefronts. Encouraging new stores and restaurants in Chestnut Hill would bring stronger crowds and create an area where people will come and enjoy themselves all week long.

Joshua T. Klein
A native of Honesdale, Pa, Klein has lived in Chestnut Hill for four years. He received a B.A. from Moravian College in 1997 and a J.D. from Widener University School of Law in 2001. He works as an associate in the financial services department at Fox Rothschild LLP in Center City. Recent community activity includes providing pro bono legal services to indigent clients in Philadelphia through the Consumer Bankruptcy Assistance Project.

Reasons for running
I am running for the CHCA because, as a younger resident, I believe having diversity in membership and an intergenerational board is important to the growth and vitality of the CHCA. Chestnut Hill residents that are younger, just like all residents, have an important interest in the community and how it is governed. I believe that I can bring a youthful and fresh viewpoint to the board that will benefit the CHCA as well as the entire community.I also think that continuing the tremendous work and achievement that has been accomplished by the CHCA since its inception is essential and believe that by dedicating my time and energy to the CHCA I can assist in achieving new goals for the community.

Important issues
It is my belief that there are several important issues facing the CHCA in 2005. First, I think it is essential that the CHCA continues to work with the business association in halting the decline/loss of businesses on Germantown Avenue, as well as finding ways to draw people to Chestnut Hill. Second, the events planned and carried out by the CHCA (Pastorius Park concerts, the Black and White Gala, etc.) are significant in terms of fostering a community spirit among all Chestnut Hill residents because they bring the community together. I think that ensuring the continuation of such events and even the development of new events will allow that community spirit to grow. Third, the restoration and improvement of the Water Tower Recreation Center is of ever increasing interest to the community, as it will provide space to serve numerous community programs. Finally, it is vital to continue the CHCA’s recent policy of fiscal responsibility in order to ensure the future financial health of the CHCA so that it can carry on its quality service to the community.

Virginia Mallery
Mallery holds a B.A. from UCLA (1947), an M.A. from Mexico City College (1950) and a B.F.A. from the Philadelphia College of Arts (1981). Her past community activity includes service as a CHCA board member. She was vice president of the social division from 1965-78 and 1983-90, and an at-large board member and executive committee secretary from 1998–2001.

Reasons for running
To restore CHCA’s fiscal accountability and reverse current deficit spending. To alter the secretive, authoritarian style leadership to one that is open and democratic. To ensure the CHCA leadership treats all employees fairly and works with them effectively.

Under this administration, four key employees have either resigned or been fired: Katie Worrall, editor, Local; Peter Mazzaccaro, Local business manager; Marie Lachat, community manager; and Sally Cornbrooks, executive secretary.

Most important issues
Maintenance of a free press; restoration of an open, democratic process; installation of a leadership that is open, democratic and knowledgeable of the CHCA’s 50-year history and theory.

Janice Manzi
Manzi grew up in Massachusetts and was introduced to Chestnut Hill while at Vassar College in the 1970s by a roommate whose family had lived in Chestnut Hill and its environs for generations. “What I loved about Chestnut Hill were the beautiful stone houses, the abundance of green, the friendliness of the shopkeepers, and the proximity to the incredible resource that is Fairmount Park,” she writes. Manzi moved with her husband, Harold K. Cohen, onto East Bells Mill Road in 1983 and has lived there since.

Reasons for running
Having recently made a midlife career change from advertising and marketing to real estate, I have seen our neighborhood through fresh eyes and fully understand its appeal. It is our task at the CHCA to work as stewards of Chestnut Hill and to move the neighborhood toward the future without sacrificing its glorious past. The CHCA must make every effort to include everyone who cares about Chestnut Hill in the decision-making process. It will be my commitment to encourage everyone to get involved in the community at whatever level. The more people involved, the more vital Chestnut Hill.

With the crucial help of my neighbors, we succeeded in working with the CHCA in getting the City of Philadelphia to make East Bells Mill Road one-way in 1992. We have since adamantly opposed, again with the help of CHCA, the city’s plan to widen and straighten Bells Mill Road and turn it into a thruway.

On a more positive note, I have raised funds for the CHCA by chairing last year’s Wine Tasting Party at the Woodmere. I have worked to increase membership to the CHCA. I have helped coordinate the creation of the new Web site for the Chestnut Hill Community Association. Over the years, when called upon, I have answered the call to help the Community Association in any way I could. My candidacy for the board will allow me to be an integral part of the day-to-day operations of the Community Association and play a more formal role in decisions that affect the future of the neighborhood.

Mitchell W. Melton
Melton is a native of North Philadelphia, where he resided for 47 years. He is a graduate of the Philadelphia public schools, Pennsylvania Institute of Criminology and the Antioch Graduate School of Education, where he earned a masters degree in counselor education and state certification in elementary and secondary school guidance. He served as a member of the Democratic County Executive Committee for 26 years and served as a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly for two terms, from 1969–1972. During this time, 56 of his House bills became law and he was one of the co-founders of the Black Legislative Caucus of Pennsylvania. He has lived in Chestnut Hill for 15 years.

He is presently employed as a general tipstaff for the Family Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas of the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania. Previous to this assignment, he served as a judicial tipstaff to Judge Levan Gordon (retired), for 9 1/2 years. He has been married for 47 years to Evelyn Jean and is the father of three children and two grandchildren.

His has been an at-large director of the CHCA for the past decade, serving on the fundraising committee, membership committee, trash recycling committee, Town Watch committee and Pastorius Park committee.

Reasons for running
I have been a community activist all of my life, working to effect change in order to provide dignity and respect for all. I picketed SuperFresh for months until they decided to allow meaningful input from the community with regard to a huge construction project until we got the results which we found acceptable under the circumstances.

I am running as an at-large director of the association in order to assure that there is at least one minority director representing the minority community of Chestnut Hill.

Important issues
• I served on the Town Watch committee and I believe that we all have a continuous duty, obligation and responsibility to ourselves, our loved ones, to our neighbors and to each of us to keep our eyes peeled, open wide and focused for acts of lawlessness. It is our individual responsibility to notify and cooperate with authorities in identifying and testifying against the culprits. If in fact they are indeed the culprits, then the judge and jury shall carry on from there, examining the evidence and basing their decision from the evidence and testimony gathered.
• Excess speeding in Chestnut Hill and the closing of Winston Road at Mermaid Lane and Germantown Ave. I am unalterably opposed to the closing of Winston Road at Mermaid Lane and establishing of an open-air farmers’ market at this location by the organization named Farm to City.

What I would propose to deal with the speeders is that the Highway Division of the Streets Department place six traffic lights strategically at the problem sites and the Chestnut Hill Community Association foot the cost for the purchase of 6-12 cameras to accommodate said traffic signals.

We would strongly suggest that City Council pass an ordinance that would allow the speeding fines to revert to the general fund of the CHCA. Specifically, all fines from speeders caught speeding in Chestnut Hill will revert to the general fund of the CHCA.

Cecile Mihalich
Mihalich was born and raised in Chestnut Hill and has lived in the community, or the surrounding area, all of her life. She holds a degree in architectural history from Temple University and has been employed with Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc. for over 20 years. She is currently a project manager for Soarian Clinical Solutions, a Web-based healthcare service. She has been actively involved with The Stagecrafters since she was a teenager, participating in productions on stage, behind the scenes and as a member of their board. She is a contributing member of the Parents Association for the Springside School and volunteers when and where she can for the church of St. Martin in the Fields.

Reasons for running
I am a very fortunate person. I have an amazing family, a good job, a nice home, good friends and I live in this wonderful community. Because I am so blessed, I feel that it is important to give back in some way. Doing volunteer work for my church, school and community is one way that I can give back for all the good that I have in my life. I am running for the CHCA because I have lived here all of my life. I have seen Chestnut Hill grow and change, for good and bad, over the years. Chestnut Hill has to continue to grow and change to stay vital and vibrant. Maintaining balance, however, between the old and the new, the people who live and work in the community and those that visit, is important. I am hoping to bring the voice of reason and perspective, as well as enthusiasm and a can-do attitude to the board. My project management skills should also come in handy.

Most important issues
The most important issue facing Chestnut Hill is balancing the budget and bringing more money into the Fund to off set expenses. Maintaining Germantown Avenue is critical to this issue. Shops need to be occupied and offer a variety of wares that will appeal to the community and to the people that come in for a day of shopping. The CHCA needs to stay focused and put individual agendas on the back burner for the greater good of the whole community.

Ronald A. Recko
I am a retired print broker. My education consists of a B.A. from Holy Cross College and one and one-half years at Vanderbilt University Law School. I was a single parent of two children for 22 years. I have resided on W. Chestnut Hill Avenue for the past 35 years. I remarried in 1993 and have two stepchildren and three grandchildren.

Reasons for running
A dozen people asked me to run — I’m assured of at least 12 votes. Also, my wife thinks I need a project and what better project than trying to bring some sense of reality rather than dreams to the CHCA.

Important issues
Curb self-serving interests
Organize priorities
Maintain independence of editor of Chestnut Hill Local
Mandate strict adherence to the bylaws
Understand the concerns of the general membership
Neutralize the exclusivity of the executive committee
Initiate dialogue with Richard Snowden re: the deplorable condition of empty storefronts
Try to give our members what they want instead of telling them what they should have
You have to be held accountable for all decisions re: agreements supporting variances, etc.

Ann Ward Spaeth
Spaeth grew up in Michigan, “in a family for whom art and nature was an integral and important part of life.” She was educated at the Brookside and Cranbrook schools (1939-1946), the Kingswood School (1946-1952) and Smith College (1952-1955). She studied weaving and metalwork at the Cranbrook Academy of Art and interior design, metalwork and drawing at Wayne State University.

In 1958, she married George Spaeth, and two years later moved to Chestnut Hill where they have lived ever since except for a two year interval in Washington D.C.

In 1966, in an effort to assist the VFW in restoring their building on Germantown Avenue, and with the assistance of Chestnut Hill Local editor Ellen Newbold, Spaeth helped to raise a little more than $32,000 in a few weeks time. She enlisted the help of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in opening a special account for the monies raised so that they would be tax deductible.

Spaeth was one of the three incorporators, along with Nancy Hubby and Lloyd P. Wells, of the Chestnut Hill Historical Society, serving as that group's first president. The drawing up of its bylaws introduced the concept of interlocking directorships with the CHCA, leading to her being appointed to the CHCA board and later running as an at-large member. She was on the board for a total of about 18 years and served as co-chair of the bylaws committee with Hubby.

Reasons for running
I am running for the board because I believe in what it has stood for, and believe that it provides the best chance for people in Chestnut Hill to affect positively the future of our community. In order for that to happen we must include all Chestnut Hillers in identifying its problems and seeking solutions that benefit the entire community. Current policies seem designed to restrict community input and that is a great loss. I want to open up the process and hear what people have to say who also love Chestnut Hill but who have not felt welcomed or heard.

Important issues
The biggest problem I see right now is a lack of respect shown by the administration for our employees, for the members of this community, for members of the board, for the work which has been done over the last fifty years, for the traditions we have sought to uphold over the years — freedom of the press, open meetings and our bylaws which demonstrate respect for all those entities.

Jonathan Sternberg
Sternberg was born in New York City and educated at the Juilliard School, New York University (1935-39) and Harvard (1940). After military service (1942-46), he began a conducting career, working in Vienna, Belgium, New York and Atlanta. He is presently musical/artistic director of the Bach Festival of Philadelphia and has served on the faculty at Temple University and Chestnut Hill College.

Reasons for running
I have been a resident of Chestnut Hill for 15 years, and would like to see the area returned to its residents and not sold to the highest bidder. Its unique village atmosphere should be maintained.

Important issues
Circulation of traffic during daily rush hours is getting increasingly heavy throughout the community and on Germantown Avenue during weekends. Crime, as listed in the Local, seems to be increasing at an alarming rate. There needs to be an intelligent restriction of commercial development.

Walter J. Sullivan
A lawyer with offices in Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy, Sullivan served on the CHCA board from 1980 to 1984 and 2001 to present. Community involvement: founder and first president, Chestnut Hill Town Watch; Philadelphia Council of Neighborhood Organizations, vice president 1982-85; Philadelphia Citizens' Committee on Public Safety, co-chair 1983-85; chairman of the Nuclear Freeze Movement, 1983-85; Ravenhill Academy PTA president, 1976-77; Red Cross former regional director; O.M.C., Parish Council president 1982-83; active in numerous ministries and committees.

Reasons for running
My years of experience, including with the CHCA, are something of a community asset; because I have new ideas not yet implemented; because, however imperfect, CHCA is the best vehicle for preserving and improving our special community; and because I see CHCA as potentially on the verge of another of those periods of unnecessary personalized discord that historically from time to time have arisen, which my skills may avoid or moderate, enabling us to focus on the real issues we need to address.

Important issues
(1) The high rate of commercial vacancies is dangerousin that it potentially threatens deterioration. The market is the primary corrective, but it works only when property owners respond to market forces and, after a reasonable period for necessary renovation, lease the properties they own. When some of them (even at the loss to themselves of fair rental income) leave properties unoccupied, the community, presumably through the Chestnut Hill District (formerly BID), must support market forces. The CHD has quasi-taxing powers over commercial properties. It should consider seeking authority for incremental increases upon properties left vacant unreasonably long. Such action would be unlawful if there were not a reasonably profitable tenant market for these properties but is justifiable precisely because there is. Other measures before and far short of this ultimate and problematical option should be pursued now.
(2) The weak or absent real connection between many residents and their community organization. Some board members, including many terrific newer ones, give unstintingly on committees and projects. But something is amiss unless at any board meeting residents twice outnumber board members and unless members elected at large (and others) have responsibility for communicating directly on an ongoing basis with residents (dues paying members or not) — not only to increase membership (and therefore revenue), not only to secure contributions to the Community Fund and trust, as desirable as those goals are, but more fundamentally to make sure every family knows what their association is doing and is contemplating, and then to listen to those families, bring back what they say are their concerns, and involve far more of them in the decision-making as will as the work of their association.

This connection starts with assigned board members or other association representative visiting every new family within two weeks after they have moved in. This is an idea which may never be fully realized, but without working toward the ideal, we risk becoming perceived, fairly or not, as a clique unrelated to the people, rather than as the elected representatives of them. Implement this and you'll have no shortage of contested elections, contested over percolating ideas, and no monopolies on ideas.

Lawrence Walsh
Walsh was raised in East Falls, attending elementary school in Chestnut Hill and high school in Wyndmoor. He has been a Chestnut Hill homeowner since 2000, with two children in public school (J.R. Masterman). He attended the University of Pennsylvania (BA, 1967, J.D. 1985), Cambridge University (1968-69) and was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard in 1979. He has worked for the Detroit Free Press, CBS News (Saigon bureau), The Texas Observer, The Washington Post and The Progressive, and taught at Penn, Duke, University of Texas, Portland State and Radcliffe College. He is under contract to Knopf for a book on small wars of the late 20th century (Afghanistan, the Philippines, Cambodia, Bosnia, Nicaragua, Angola, Eritrea). 

Reasons for running
• To help fend off efforts at gutting the Local's independence from advertisers, real estate bigfoots, self-absorbed Germantown Avenue speculators and, above all, from CHCA leaders who so tirelessly and wantonly cater to such people.
• To help with the Water Tower initiative.
• To help block the vanity-driven Hiram Lodge purchase and other real estate ventures that do nothing to add economic vitality to Germantown Avenue.
• To call attention to the needless secrecy and cliquishness infecting the CHCA's current leadership.

Important issues
Real estate lust, anti-democratic habits of mind at the board, the open dislike shown by responsible people for even the most rudimentary display of independent journalism by the Local. 

Pamela Waters
Waters grew up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and attended Hunter College. She worked in the fashion industry for 10 years before returning to school to study interior design at the Fashion Institute of Technology while working for the architectural firm of Ellerbe Becket. She continued her studies at Philadelphia University in East Falls. She has lived in both Seattle and Boston, but “my husband, Mark, and I discovered Chestnut Hill eight years ago and we feel as if here, we have found our true home.” Their daughter, Aislind, 5, is at Springside School and son, Preston, 3, attends pre-school at The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill.

Important issues
• Safety and security of the homes and businesses from crime.
• Working with the Business Association to encourage development of the business corridor and promote economic health of the community.
• Preservation of green spaces and community integrity.
• Encouraging community development with respect for unique character of the neighborhood. 
• Addressing issues of traffic safety for pedestrian shoppers.

Editor’s note: Replies were not received from Suljan Malikyar, Tapan Patel and Nayan Shah.