Election 2025: Edward Merriman For Newtown Township Supervisor

Candidates running in the Nov. 4 general election are providing background about themselves and their positions on the issues to voters in these profiles, which will run in Patch individually for each candidate who submits a profile.

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — Four candidates are vying for two open, six-year seats on the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors in the General Election.

The candidates - Democrats Ed Merriman and Melissa Merk and Republicans Valerie Mihalek and Todd McGonigal - have stepped forward to serve on the township's governing board.

The two winners will replace Democrats John Mack and Dennis Fisher, who are not seeking re-election and are stepping down from the board at the end of December.

Biological Information

Name: Edward Merriman
Age:55
Town of residence:Newtown Twp
Position sought: Newtown Twp Board of Supervisors
What Towns Does Your Position Cover: Newtown Twp
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Family: Abby (wife), 4 kids
Education: BA Music Rutgers
Occupation: Software Developer

Questions

1. Why are you running for supervisor? If elected, what will you bring to the table?

I want to give back to the community. I have lived in Newtown for the last 10 years, and Newtown is a wonderful place to live. My children are grown and I feel I have the time to do more in my community. What I bring to the table is a desire to help Newtown continue to be an amazing place to live. As a software developer, I have learned that it is more important to produce the right software than it is to be “right.” The key to doing this is to be able to listen to people, and work with people to get to the right solution. I believe the same is true for being a supervisor. It will be my job to listen to what folks in the township want and need and help create solutions that meet those needs.

2. What are your top issues and how do you plan to address them?

In 1970, Newtown had about 2000 residents. Today, Newtown has just under 20,000 residents. It is amazing to me how many people live in Newtown, but how we have kept the small-town feel. It is important to me that we keep the small-town feel, while continuing to offer Newtown residents the amenities we all enjoy. In addition to the growth in residents, the number of businesses has grown. Much of the growth has been done well, but some of the growth has not been well planned. I’m sure every resident of Newtown knows the area I’m referring to. I believe Newtown needs to protect the green spaces we currently have and manage development. I don’t believe we can, or should, stop all development, but I believe we can manage development so it is a benefit to Newtown. In addition to development, I believe we need to make sure that Newtown is providing its residents with modern, well-trained and properly equipped public safety and emergency services organizations.

3. What are your ideas for improving Newtown Township?

As part of the campaign I have spoken to hundreds of people in Newtown. I have introduced myself as a candidate for the Board of Supervisors, and I have asked folks how they feel about Newtown. My takeaway from asking all of those people about how they feel about Newtown is that folks love Newtown. Other than development, which is, by far, the biggest issue folks talk about, some other issues that came up repeatedly included ways to slow down traffic in developments and improve walkability. For slowing down traffic, I believe we need to investigate some of the approaches already implemented in Newtown, which include increased monitoring by police, reducing speed limits, and possibly adding speed reduction tools like stop signs to roads where speeding is an issue. Walkability is a complex issue. As Newtown has grown, so has traffic. Crossing busy streets is the largest impediment to Newtown being more walkable. The current Board of Supervisors has created some active crosswalks, such as the one at Silo Drive and Sycamore Street. We need to continue to investigate how to make crossing streets safer to allow Newtown residents to walk freely through Newtown.