Tina Giovinazzo, Active Hatboro Resident Who Was Running For Borough Council, Dies At 41

HATBORO, PA — Christina “Tina” Giovinazzo was only 17 years old when she began her activism within Hatboro, the Montgomery County community in which she was born and raised.

Giovinazzo started a petition campaign to prevent the historic Joshua Potts house from being demolished.

Over time, her community involvement continued. She became active with the Millbrook Society, she got appointed to a vacant seat on the Hatboro Zoning Hearing Board, and she eventually announced a run for elected office.

Giovinazzo was actually in the midst of a Hatboro Borough Council run leading up to the November 2021 election. Sadly, her campaign will never come to fruition.

Giovinazzo passed away on Sept. 17 after a battle with breast cancer. She was just 41 years old.

“She was pretty much one of those residents who when you needed something done, she stepped up and did it,” Hatboro Borough Manager Diane Hegele told Patch.

Giovinazzo got heavily involved in municipal matters a couple years back when a giant Wawa was planned for Hatboro. She strongly opposed the plan, something that ultimately led to her joining the Zoning Hearing Board, according to Hegele.

“She did not want Wawa in the worst way,” Hegele said.

Others, too, opposed the Wawa being developed at the corner of York and Horsham Roads. Patch previously reported on the divisive issue, with some in the community worried the development would bring extra noise, congestion, and in other ways negatively affect the neighborhood.

Wawa ultimately won that battle, however, after a judge ruled the Zoning Hearing Board had acted improperly when it denied the project. The Wawa has still not been built, but the proposal is still moving forward, according to Hegele.

Meanwhile, Giovinazzo used the experience as a catalyst to get more involved in the community.

When a vacancy opened up on the Zoning Hearing Board, Giovinazzo threw her hat in the running. She ended up getting appointed on July 17, 2019.

She was serving as co-chair of the board at the time of her death. She was also integral in starting the recently created Zoning Subcommittee, which was formed in response to the Wawa situation and tasked with reviewing the borough’s entire zoning code.

“Tina was an extraordinary woman, dedicated to her family and her community,” State Rep. Nancy Guenst, D-152, said to Patch in written remarks. “Full of life and love, she will be missed by so many. God bless her and her courageous journey.”

Guenst was Hatboro’s mayor before she got elected to the state House of Representatives.

The courageous journey Guenst references dates back to 2017 when Giovinazzo was first diagnosed with breast cancer.

“She was a warrior,” said Hegele, the borough manager. “She fought it.”

Still, Giovinazzo managed to maintain her management role with a growing manufacturing business as well as continuing to take care of her family, according to a bio on the website for the Hatboro Democrats.

Her LinkedIn page says Giovinazzo had been senior materials manager at Horsham-based AWE Tuning for the past six-plus years. Before that, she served as supervisor of materials for the company for close to a decade.

Her bio on the local Democrats website said Giovinazzo was the right person for the borough council spot because of her dedication to the community and knowhow when it came to local decision-making.

“Tina’s extensive leadership experience and her passion for teamwork make her the right candidate for the Borough Council,” the website wrote. “Her years of service to her community have prepared her to make well-informed decisions for Hatboro.

“As a long-time activist for the borough, she will service our residents, uphold the character of our town, and continue to work toward a shared vision of our future,” the site continued. “As your councilwoman, she will act as the voice of our residents, striving to provide the highest quality of life and making decisions based on the interests of the community.

Giovinazzo was also chair of the Hatboro Historic Commission, president of the Hatboro Resident's Association, and she volunteered with local parades, the farmer’s market, and H.A.T. Packs, which is a program that partners with schools, community groups, religious congregations, businesses and individuals to help fill weekend hunger gaps to local children, according to its website.

Giovinazzo is survived by her husband, Dave Colon, her two children, Meghan and A.J., and her mother, Victoria Giovinazzo.

Funeral arrangements and additional information can found in Giovinazzo's complete obituary.