Election 2025: Zach Bark For Yardley 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.

YARDLEY BOROUGH, PA — Zach Bark is running for a four-year term as mayor in the Nov. 4 general election.

Bark, an Independent Party candidate, is among the candidates running to replace Mayor Chris Harding, who opted not to seek re-election.

The mayoral race also includes Yardley Council President Caroline Thompson, Republican Earl Markey, and Brad Oyler as a Write-In candidate.

Biographical Information

• Name: Zach Bark
• Age: 28
• Town of Residence: Yardley Borough
• Position sought: Mayor of Yardley Borough
• Are you an incumbent? No
• What Towns Does Your Position Cover? Yardley Borough
• Party affiliation: Independent
• Family: I come from an awesome family of strategic thinkers and business leaders. I have two brothers, older and younger. I am currently single, and available to spend my time for our town as I do not have my own family yet.
• Education: High Point University, N.C.
• Occupation: Pharmaceutical Communications

Candidate Questions

1. What is your stance on the police department's future?

Yardley Borough needs guidance on how we can preserve our police force most efficiently and effectively. This includes retaining an adequate number of officers, fairly compensating and incentivizing them, empowering their professional growth with training, and properly equipping them to do their jobs. Which is what I view as a very tough and important job to our town and for our residents. The crucial task will be to do this and not raise costs for our residents, such as taxes. But rather, how can we optimize the existing budget, and look to creative solutions to fill in the gaps. I like finding economies of scale, increasing public donations, running lean, but it's going to be a combination of adjustments, not a singular thing. It will require a deep dive into the ongoing council-sponsored policing assessment, long conversations with our officers, borough residents, and borough staff.

2. What are your thoughts on political violence in the country?

I'm not a politician, but violence towards other human beings is vehemently unacceptable, especially political, or that which is based on others' viewpoints or perspectives. This trend is scary, and seems to be increasing. There is no place for it anywhere, especially not in Yardley.

Not only do I not condone violence, I'm firmly against negative talk about other candidates, political speech or rhetoric. That's because I believe in being authentic, valuing diversity of opinion, and maintaining productive focus on solutions to our challenges, together.

In a small town like this, it's not hard to consider everyone's voice, this is a no 'ego' job, no personal objectives, no need for a politician. Just solution oriented action and follow-through.

3. What are the biggest challenges to the borough in the future?

• Preserving our Police and taking corrective action with at least the Public Safety budget to start, we need a real solution to this — not a Band-aid.
• Maintaining an affordable cost of living for our residents, preventing or slowing any increases.
• Retaining our small town charm, autonomy, and improving what our residents rank most important.
• Planning for the future and inevitable growth of Yardley. This includes enhancing borough processes like zoning/permitting, treating applicants expediently and equally, ensuring checks and balances for agencies of the borough, and complete streets, and parking.
• Unwavering support for local businesses, families, and community events.
• Potential challenges with utilities like sewage, trash, water, electricity. Specifically, Morrisville Treatment Plant has not been treating sewage to current standards for a while now. It had been recommended to build a new plant south of the existing about 1 mile. In 2015, they estimated $117 million, the current plan could be an estimate of $165 million and six years to complete. It's very likely Yardley Borough will be responsible for our fair share of the costs because of our sewage flows. We must solve our police challenge and be in excellent financial standing for this in order to not raise taxes.

I work tirelessly already, but now's not the time to do less when we need to enact actual change. These facts have been known for years with inaction. I am the person to do the work and I hope to see that result on Nov. 4.