Election 2025: Tara Grunde-McLaughlin For Newtown Borough Mayor

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.

NEWTOWN BOROUGH, PA — Two candidates are running for the position of mayor in Newtown Borough.

Voters are being asked to pick between Democrat Tara Grunde-McLaughlin and Independent Nicole Rodowicz. Both are former members of the Newtown Borough Council.

Whoever wins the race will replace Republican Mayor John Burke, who decided not to run for re-election.

Biological Information

Name: Tara Grunde-McLaughlin
Age: 57
Town of residence: Newtown Borough
Position sought: Mayor
What Towns Does Your Position Cover: Newtown Borough
Party Affiliation: Democratic
Family: Tara and her husband have raised their four children in the Borough over the last 26 years.
Education: MS.Ed. in Counseling Psychology, University of Pennsylvania; B.A., Colgate University
Occupation: At home/Community Volunteer

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

I love Newtown Borough because it is a unique, welcoming, and close-knit place to live. That is why I am dedicated to serving our community with passion and commitment in the care of our beloved town. As mayor, I will continue to contribute, in a positive and open manner, to fostering the rich, vibrant, and historic character of the Borough while using the knowledge and resources I developed while on Borough Council.

In my 10 years on Council, I served as vice president and later president. My positions as liaison for the Recreation Board, Zoning Hearing Board, Shade Tree Commission, Environmental Advisory Council, Traffic Committee, Planning Commission, Budget and Finance Committee, Police Committee, and Fire Services Committee gave me unique insights.

Before joining Council, I spent six years on the Borough Recreation Board. All these experiences have given me a deep understanding of the Borough’s needs, values, and operation. I also have volunteered for the Youth Orchestra of Bucks County for the last decade, judged Speech and Debate at Council Rock North, volunteered with the CRNHS marching band, taught religious education at my congregation for 17 years, volunteered at Goodnoe, and was a Girl Scout troop co-leader for several years. I am passionate about reading and studying research and books on the issues affecting small towns, and will continue to learn and use that knowledge.

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

A thriving business district is essential for the well-being of the Borough. I will dedicate time to regular visits and communication with business owners to hear their concerns, share relevant information, and act as liaison with the Borough government. Other essential issues for me include improving town center maintenance, community safety and promotion of the Borough to a wider audience.

While I was on Council, we obtained a grant which provided us the Newtown Borough Safety and Walkability Review, a no-cost study of Borough pedestrian and bicycle safety problem areas with recommendations. I worked closely with the firm conducting the study, including co-presenting at the Pennsylvania Annual Planning Association conference. One of my goals is enacting priority recommendations from the study, including pedestrian facilities that will promote walking to school safely.

Part of our historic character includes the Chancellor Center, and I have been focused on promoting its continued use by the school district. If that should not succeed, I will strongly advocate for options to preserve the Chancellor Center for community use.

A critical long-term issue for the Borough is the transition from primarily volunteer fire services to primarily paid fire services as seen across the state and even the nation, and it is important that we protect the safety needs of Borough residents and provide the support required for our fire service providers while also being fiscally prudent.

Newtown Borough continues to face large development plans, and it remains important to me to support Council in working with our engineer and solicitor to be sure all ordinances and procedures are followed and that input from the planning commission, HARB, and community members is heard and considered. I will also support continuity of parking availability as appropriate throughout these processes.

3. As mayor, you are the liaison to the police department. Do you have any ideas for improving safety in the borough?

My years serving as president and vice president of council have contributed to my good working relationship with our police department. I’ve always been a strong advocate for public safety. I worked with our chief on a major update of the police policy manual, and when on council reviewed and approved funding for the process of borough police department accreditation through the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Program.

While Newtown has historically had a comparatively low crime rate and a strong police department, we need to be increasingly vigilant to threats such as online scams and other emerging challenges to public safety. I will work closely with the police department to ensure that we support them in addressing these new threats.

We live in a walkable town, and keeping that walkability safe is crucial, but drivers speeding and failing to stop at stop signs have been recurring and noted issues. While on Council, we installed speed boards, and I will support our police department continuing to seek and use grants for pedestrian safety programs. I would also like the Borough to develop the reputation of a place where one both does not speed and automatically stops for pedestrians, and to that end support increased enforcement. With the support of Council, we can also add structural traffic calming mechanisms to key areas. Additionally, traffic calming will improve the pedestrian experience in our business district.

Looking forward, it is important to me to emphasize continued support of the value of community policing as we plan for the future. This perspective is essential for the sort of small-town relationship we all value.

4. As the town’s chief cheerleader, what are your plans for improving the town and enhancing the business district?

I am deeply committed to safeguarding the borough’s historic and small-town character, promoting walkability, and supporting the vitality of our business district. As a resident of over 26 years, I have always valued growing community spirit with enthusiasm through our places and our events, and as mayor will continue to do so.

It is important to me to be responsive to residents when concerns are expressed. This is why I support, in addition to quick and respectful responsiveness, an improved borough communication through a modernized website with updated capabilities.

I also plan to initiate and promote age-friendly community practices to be more inclusive of older residents, such as actively encouraging and creating opportunities for involvement in and contribution to Borough events, boards and committees, and other volunteer activity.

I will establish regular and increased communication with business owners in the Borough. As noted in the “top priorities” section, I have the time to visit on a consistent basis and I believe it is valuable to have a strong and reliable source of connection who actively reaches out from borough government.

Sidewalk cleanliness and maintenance is the responsibility of the property owner, but many of our town center property owners do not live in the area, leaving beautification to busy business owners or the Borough itself. We will continue to encourage owners to maintain and improve their properties, but minor streetscape tasks are often left undone. This is why in addition to improved town center maintenance, I also support Borough contractors focusing more detailed care on the Town Center as well as developing sources of volunteerism. A more project-oriented goal is to promote improvements and signage at the Borough gateways and around parking areas.

I will also engage in regular communication with Visit Bucks County to promote Borough events and therefore increase public visitation of our business district and will support and assist with the America’s 250th in Newtown event as well as other Borough and community events on State Street and the adjacent blocks, which preserve and enhance our community character. In addition to specific events, it is important to me to advocate for and support our nonprofit organizations.