A Former Boyertown Area School Director Is Running For State Senate In The 24th District

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA —A former Berks County school director and longtime area community advocate has announced her bid to replace retiring State Sen. Bob Mensch in Pennsylvania's 24th Senatorial District.

Jill Dennin, formerly a school board member in the Boyertown Area School District, said she hopes to win election to the newly drawn 24th District, which now will include parts of Berks and Montgomery Counties that were previously part of other legislative districts, such as Amity Township in Berks County, and Upper Gwynedd Township and North Wales Borough in Montgomery County.

Dennin released a statement saying she is running for office because the current leaders in Harrisburg are "out of touch with the needs of our families here in the 24th District and are leaving our families behind — from education funding, to property tax relief, infrastructure investments, and finding affordable long-term care solutions for our seniors, I'm ready to fight for our community in Harrisburg and to ensure our families get their fair share."

Dennin said she has been active in the community since first moving to the area 25 years ago back in the mid 1990s, and that she spent time on the school board fighting for fair funding of Pennsylvania public schools "so all students can remain in the classroom in a safe environment and receive the quality education they deserve."

"Our friends, families, and neighbors deserve someone who will rise above partisan politics and special interests to address the problems that have been ignored for far too long," Dennin said in her statement. "I'm ready to take my experience to Harrisburg and bring solutions home for the 24th District."

She and her husband of 35 years, Ned, have four boys, all of whom graduated from the Boyertown Area School District.

In addition to her time on the school board, Dennin says her community involvement has taken other forms. She has volunteered with the likes of Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts of America, Meals on Wheels, Boyertown Area YMCA, Kennedy House Catholic Soup Kitchen and the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.

The race for the 24th Senatorial District is shaping up to be a competitive one.

Patch has already profiled some of the other announced candidates, including Skippack Township Supervisor Nick Fountain, former Pottstown School Board member Emanuel Wilkerson, and State Rep. Tracy Pennycuick.

State Sen. Bob Mensch, a Republican, announced last fall that he would not be seeking reelection to the 24th District.

Dennin, a Democrat, would be facing Wilkerson in the primary election to see who would compete in the general election.

The newly drawn 24th District, according to Dennin, would include areas that are currently included in districts represented by State Sens. Katie Muth and Maria Collett, both Democrats.