PW Grad Running For Office Hopes To Serve With Former HS Teacher

PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP, PA — Every government teacher hopes to improve civic engagement in the student body. But not too many wind up holding elected office together.

That's exactly what could happen on the Plymouth Township Council as voters head to the polls for the Pennsylvania primaries on May 18.

Nick Whitney, a 2015 graduate, was taught senior year by Christopher Manero, who is also the Plymouth Township Council Chairman.

“His class is what got me engaged in politics,” Whitney, now 23, said. “It was all, ‘here’s the information. You synthesize it. You analyze it and you reach your own beliefs.’”

Manero, Whitney said, knew how to convey information about how government works without politicizing it. It was a lesson in objectivity that stuck with Whitney, who says he's committed to considering policy objectives from all sides and parties. Though he's been a Democrat since the Trump era, he was formerly a Republican.

“You get new information, you analyze it, and you realize this is the better path,” he said. “It feels like I’ve come full circle. I started learning from (Mr. Manero), but also learned from many other places."

Manero, 41, said he was not surprised by Whitney's aspirations, but pointed to it as proof of the impact which teachers can have.

“Students who want to serve in government, that’s a dream,” Manero said. “Having Nick say that our class at Plymouth Whitemarsh influenced him serves as a reminder that we do have a chance, as teachers, to help create that next generation of leaders."

Whitney is running unopposed in the Democratic primary in Ward 1 for a seat that was vacated by David Gannon. In the Republican primary, Paul DiSanto is also running unopposed in Ward