Election 2025: Valerie Mihalek 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.

Biological Information

Name: Valerie Mihalek
Town of residence: Newtown Township
Position sought: Newtown Township Supervisor
What Towns Does Your Position Cover: Newtown Township
Party Affiliation: Republican
Family: Husband and two children
Education: Master’s Degree +
Occupation: Non-Profit Advocate / Mother

Questions

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

Newtown Township is a beautiful and bucolic town that is often considered the heart of Bucks County. Over the years though, the essential look and feel of Newtown has been in jeopardy from a lack of leadership and transparency. We’ve watched our town grow and change in ways that many residents don’t appreciate. Those changes are often made without the input of residents, or addressing issues raised by them. The Board of Supervisors has willfully disregarded township planning and zoning regulations and recommendations.

My previous experience as a Yardley Borough Council member during two historic flooding events led to major changes in Yardley after working with Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick, the county and FEMA. That gave me an experience base for navigating bureaucracy and substantial changes to an area while considering resident concerns and holding true to local regulations and principles. That was the same in Newtown where a major traffic safety issue was highlighted by residents of an unsafe mid-block crosswalk on Newtown-Yardley Road and Tara Boulevard. This led to my advocacy, which included reducing the speed limit and building a pedestrian safe crossing area for all residents.

On the state level, I helped local 9/11 families navigate the state bureaucracy to designate the 9/11 Memorial Garden of Reflection in Lower Makefield as the state’s official 9/11 memorial; advocated with terminally ill Pennsylvanians to enact the Right to Try Legislation giving them access to potentially lifesaving treatments; and recently had the state formally recognize May as skin cancer awareness month with the first Monday as Melanoma Monday. On the federal level, I was proud to help coordinate a nationwide advocacy effort for the passage of the Right to Try legislation, which now allows any terminally ill American access to potentially lifesaving treatments that they were previously barred from.

In each case, it never mattered where the issue emanated from or who it impacted. A terminal disease, flood mitigation, pedestrian safety, cancer or the 9/11 attacks don’t ask what party you are affiliated with - issues like that don’t care. Local officials shouldn’t work by party but rather for what is best for the people they serve. Results that make lives better are what really matter. Accomplishing these outcomes necessitated working in a bi-partisan fashion on all levels of government, including with township Supervisor John Mack, State Rep Perry Warren, State Senator Santarsiero, Governor Wolf, former Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick and leadership in both chambers of Congress. I would find anyone willing to work alongside me to ensure we achieve the results necessary – to make lives better, which is the same focus I would bring as Newtown Township Supervisor.

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

Newtown Township is at a historic tipping point right now where many residents see the township, they either grew up in or moved to, as changing – changing in some ways that doesn’t match the character of the area we all call home. A top issue of concern for many residents is the $9 million spent to build a sewer plant on the Newtown Bypass – without public input - which would cost Newtown residents $200 million when done. The plan was conceived without public vetting and without on-the-record objections by the current Board of Supervisors - until resident opposition grew. That in and of itself is a failure of both the sewer and the supervisor board’s process and transparency, which our residents deserve. I have been and remain firmly opposed to building this unnecessary sewer plant, which would only do three things: stink up Newtown, pollute our area and cost residents more money in sewer rates and lower property values.

Our development regulations have also been hijacked by developers’ dollars versus doubling down on township codes. Our planning and zoning and hearing boards have lost their voice due to overriding by the current supervisor’s board who has repeatedly waived local regulations and zoning ordinances to appease developers. This has been wrong. The codes and regulations were carefully enacted to protect the look and feel of Newtown, something a Board of Supervisors should always uphold via supporting the recommendations from their own volunteer boards, vs catering to developers.

The grocery bag policy needs to change and is not about pollution - it’s about politics and costs Newtown residents more – while surrounding communities pay less. Since Newtown already has a high cost of living, enacting nuisance regulations that exacerbate this is not the right answer. It only impacts hard-working families. Policies to protect our environment should be practical, not politically driven and, in many ways, incentivized vs. penalized – something a new Board should address and change. It also seems hypocritical for the current Board of Supervisors to have tacitly allowed the development of a sewer plant, which would have polluted local creeks and lakes – but enacted a bag regulation, which does little environmental protection and actually costs residents more.

Safety and security are also a top concern. As the roadways and area gets more congested, traffic and pedestrian safety take on a new priority. This increased population and development also point to the need to be prepared to protect families and property with any emergency. We’ve had a jet fuel pipeline pollution leak north of us and daytime home fire south of us – all requiring a rapid response, which included Newtown’s first responder community – which are not equipped to meet modern public safety demands. The current Board of Supervisors have never adequately done that, and it’s time we change that to ensure the high cost of living in Newtown is served by a ready and capable first responder community.

3. What are your ideas for improving Newtown Township?

We must first ensure that Newtown Township and its residents have a Board of Supervisors that will address their concerns and make caring for them and the township a top priority. We must manage our growth and preserve our community’s character with smart development by ensuring our zoning and codes are followed. We should mandate comprehensive traffic, infrastructure and environmental studies for any large development project and create incentives to preserve open space while incentivizing resident engagement.

To keep our town beautiful and clean, we should expand stormwater management initiatives, especially in new development zones. We need to ensure our township’s “sustainability plan” has measurable goals and empower the volunteer EAC board to challenge any plans that impact our township. For our roads and infrastructure, improvements are needed to make driving and walking them safer. We should look to promote more walking and biking along safe pathways, ensuring any new developments have clear ingress/egress points and better signage across the township to guide pedestrians and drivers. To build community, we can create a “Shop and Eat Local Newtown” days program with discounts to support our township's businesses. We need to create more public spaces (benches, lighting, landscaping) to encourage foot traffic and make areas more attractive for having local events.

For public safety, we need to encourage volunteerism with our fire and EMS services and incentivize our youth to get involved. We need to ensure our local emergency notification system is adequate or enhance it to ensure residents have ready access to alerts. Police presence is also a key to deterring unwanted behaviors and we should work to increase community policing presence and outreach programs with meet‐and‐greets, neighborhood watches and more public safety education – especially for our elderly residents who are often the most victimized by fraud. Newtown deserves smarter growth, a safer community, better infrastructure planning, safer mobility, more community involvement while preserving our township’s character – for a better Newtown!