Beth Burckley Seeks Reelection To Phoenixville Borough Council

Pennsylvania's Primary Election is May 18. Beth Burckley is seeking reelection to Phoenixville Borough Council where she's represented the Middle Ward since 2018 and serves as chair for the Police, Personnel, and Public Safety Committee.

She explained why she is running for reelection.

Beth Burckley

Age: 39

Position Sought: Phoenixville Borough Council, Middle Ward Councilor

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Family: Brian Howell, partner

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?: No.

Education: Master of Science in Education

Occupation: Board Certified Behavior Analyst

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: Phoenixville Borough Council Middle Ward 2018-2021

Why are you seeking elective office?: When we moved to Phoenixville and started our business, I was very encouraged and inspired by the sense of community, support and involvement in Phoenixville. That lead to my involvement in a number of volunteer opportunities and with various organizations in our area. I wanted to give back to the community that supported us in our business and personal endeavors.
My involvement in those areas made me appreciate our community more and more. I have felt rooted in a community and part of something bigger during my time here. When the opportunity to run for Council came about, I viewed it as the ultimate way to give back and help facilitate the betterment of our community. I attended every committee and council meeting I could. I researched our projects and initiatives. I developed relationships and communication with residents, staff, and other elected officials.
It was a great learning process. I was able to start in the new role with confidence coming from a very informed perspective as a result of my attendance at meetings, involvement, and research. We have accomplished a lot of good things in the last three and a half years and learned a lot.
I look forward to the opportunity of potentially continuing this work.
I have enjoyed getting to know our community, how municipal government works, and its members more through this work. I feel I strike a careful balance of listening to those in our community, learning about various projects and situations, then taking all information to make reflective and informed decisions that consider all aspects and perspectives.

The single most pressing issue facing our borough is: There are many important topics and priorities. I think our biggest focus of any issue, project, or initiative is always looking at the short-term and long-term impacts as well as how it fits into short-term and long-term goals,
always considering what will be the impact of decisions in the coming months, the next year, over several years — and even 10, 20, or 30 years from now.
Today, we are in a unique time globally and will need to consider recovery from COVID-19’s impact for residents and businesses. We have many initiatives in place to improve our infrastructure, public safety, and economic development including our new fire station, the open-air initiative, and careful strategic planning to address responsible development and parking as well as budget balancing.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?: I have been working in the community in a variety of ways. I have learned from my involvement and participation in the community. I bring a data-based decision-making perspective. I value the balance of working with and for your community, listening to all ideas, ideals, and perspectives to make decisions that consider all aspects and impacts.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform: Living in, working in, and owning a business in the downtown, I do believe we need to look at parking, transportation, and development. We are a community with a variety of perspectives, goals, and even challenges. But we can work together to maintain our strong sense of community, value our history and continue to grow and improve together in creative ways that consider all stakeholders.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?:

• Leadership opportunities with our local organizations and non-profits
• Experience in program development, training, and management within my full-time career
• Fundraising and management of the all-abilities playground project
• Owning and operating a small business
• Data-driven decision-making processes
• Public Safety initiatives and priorities such as new fire building and the current update to police and personnel study
• Judicial Reform to decriminalize cannabis
• Improving our process to engage residents to apply and be appointed to Borough committees and commission thus increasing community involvement
• Environmental sustainability with sponsored vehicle charging stations, solar-powered street building, water waste facility, and yard waste toters
• Developing and improving our open-air concept to support businesses during the global pandemic
• Overall support of the community to access resources from non-profits and information during the global pandemic.

The best advice ever shared with me was: My grandmother always told me to try anything new, worthwhile, or challenging twice so the second time you could learn and improve upon the first time.
When student teaching, my mentor told me that we are most successful when we are reflective and constructive of our own work. When I was challenged with something or it did not go as planned, she would tell me that she was not concerned with my future success because I was constantly reflective and evaluative of myself to improve upon my work every day.
Warren Brown, a long-time Phoenixville resident, leader, business owner, and Phoenixville enthusiast has shared with me much about the history and rebirth of Phoenixville. Over a milkshake, he has shared many words of wisdom. When I started this process, running in 2017, he warned me not to be afraid of development and growth. He explained, "When done right and only when done with care and responsibility, it is how towns like ours become self-sustaining and thrive."

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?: I am very thoughtful in my decision-making. I consider all angles, seek out information, do research, vet creative solutions, and look at what makes the most sense and overall impact. I value data-based decision-making but also the importance of getting to know people and situations. I may not share your perspective or experiences but I do need to learn about them and try to understand them if I am going to represent you.

Pre-COVID-19 I often hosted Coffee with your Councilwoman and even a few Cocktails with your Councilwoman as a way to connect and get facetime with my constituents. Since we don't have an "office" to meet it was, "office hours out and about in the community." As things become safer I hope to revisit these.

Burckley's webpage can be viewed here.