Dems Sweep Yardley Council Election (ICYMI)

YARDLEY, PA — Democrats swept the election for Yardley Borough Council on Tuesday, taking all three open seats according to unofficial results.

Three Democrats and three Republicans were competing for three open seats on the seven-member council. Among them were current board members Bryon Marshall, the board's president, and Ryan Berry. They are both Republicans.

They were joined on the GOP side by candidate Dan Mohn, an internet technology professional and former council member.

For the Democrats, John McCann, Patrick McGovern and Kim Segal-Morris were seeking to join the board. McCann is a teacher, McGovern is a software architect and Segal-Morris is a manager with Educational Testing Services in Princeton, N.J.

With Yardley's lone voting district reporting, the unofficial vote total was:

• Segal-Morris (D): 558
• McCann (D): 555
• McGovern (D): 532
• Marshall (R): 475
• Mohn (R): 470
• Berry (R): 441

"Thank you to all the Yardley residents for your support. I truly enjoyed meeting so many wonderful people throughout the campaign ...," Segal-Morris said late Tuesday on her Facebook page. "I am grateful for this opportunity and I am looking forward to serving the residents and the town that Abby and I are proud to call home."

On his page, McCann said he was "lucky to be part of an incredible wave for Democrats in Bucks County."

"I am elated to serve the community and looking forward to the next four years to improve our borough," he wrote.

Current council member Mike Tuttle, whose four-year term expires this year, was not seeking re-election. The victors on Nov. 5 will join incumbents David Bria, Sandi Brady, Matthew Ross and Caroline Thompson.

Bria and Thompson are Democrats and Brady and Ross are Republicans.

RELATED: Yardley Councilwoman Resigns, Citing Racist Facebook Posts

During the run-up to Tuesday's vote, candidates on both sides of the political aisle were emphasizing quality of life issues in the election, including traffic and pedestrian safety and keeping crime low. Most were not aggressively pushing partisan viewpoints in the election, focusing instead on local issues.

Berry, 37, emphasized infrastructure, including sidewalks, crosswalks and street paving, as well as reforming flood plain ordinances to protect neighborhoods in his campaign.
Marshall, 63, said he would promote fair, nonpartisan leadership, improve walkability and parking and apply rules and regulations fairly and equally in the borough.

McCann, 41, focused on better planning to maintain Yardley's quality of life, curbing tractor-trailer traffic, speeding and noise and building a "civic-minded" council.

McGovern, 55, said he'd use technology to engage more citizens in government, work with council through consensus building and work to finish the North Main Street sidewalk.

Mohn, 53, also said he'd use technology to make it easier for residents to engage with government, as well as promoting parking solutions downtown and reforming flood plain ordinances.

Segal-Morris, 53, campaigned on promoting fairness and respect, finishing the North Main Street sidewalk and pedestrian safety downtown.