Meet Andrew Runion, Running For A Two-Year Term On The Upper Moreland School Board

UPPER MORELAND, PA — As Patch continues its pre-election coverage, meet Andrew Runion, a Republican running for a special two-year term on the Upper Moreland Township School Board.

See below Runion's responses to a Patch candidate questionnaire.

Age (as of Election Day)

45

Party Affiliation

Republican

Family

Married, with 2 children, ages 16 and 8

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Art, with concentrations in drawing and graphic design.

Occupation

Creative Professional

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

N/A

Campaign website

facebook.com/AndrewRunionForSchoolBoard

Why are you seeking elective office?

I’m seeking office because I believe we are in a critical moment in public education where we can demand a say in how our local schools are run. I believe if we don’t seize that opportunity now, we will look back and wish that we had. For the benefit of our children and the township in which we live, we must all become more involved in the governance of our schools. Having not seen much evidence that such representation will happen on its own without those who will lead by example, I’ve decided to run for School Director.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing the school district is a lack of trust. I intend to demonstrate trust in the community, including parents, through the decisions I make regarding curriculum, safety, and health. When members of the community see they are being represented, they will be more likely to trust the board, and more willing to get involved in solving problems together.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

The differences are ideological. I believe that the school should be focused on the basics of educating students to prepare them for future careers, by focusing on math, science, language, history, art, music, athletics, etc., and that morality and culture ought to be the domain of parents. I also believe that fiscal responsibility is good representation. Not everyone in our township has a lot of money, so it’s important to provide rationale for budget decisions.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

I am a candidate in the 2-year special election resulting from a School Director stepping down. Failure is a strong word. It’s my hope that nothing is so far gone that it can’t be corrected. There is an opportunity in this election to return to the fundamentals of why board governance is important; to demonstrate support for members of our community, and to represent taxpayers, parents, teachers, and staff to the administration, not the other way around.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I believe in local representative government because citizens ought to have a say in how they live, how they spend their hard-earned wages, and how their children are educated. As we see a shift towards more authoritarianism at a national and state level, it is important that local representatives safeguard liberty and autonomy, particularly in matters of culture and health.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

In my career in advertising, my success depends greatly on my ability to hear and understand the thoughts and ideas of a group of people with varied viewpoints. My experience leading and participating in practical collaborative dialog, promoting teamwork, generating creative solutions and providing useful and effective output has equipped me for this role.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Breathe. Almost nothing requires an immediate response. Listening and asking questions is more likely to expose the problem that needs to be solved than to react to someone’s first words, particularly if those words are difficult to hear. Give others the benefit of the doubt. When someone knows you’re interested in solving a problem with them, they move quickly from adversary to advocate, anxiety to enthusiasm….and you may just end up solving a bigger problem than was initially expressed to you.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I’d like to know that the voices of the people of our township, who come from such varied backgrounds, will always matter more to me than those of officials from Harrisburg or Washington. You deserve to be represented. You are entitled to it. I intend to see that it happens.