Experience Yardley President To Run For Mayor

YARDLEY, PA — The race for mayor of Yardley is heating up, with the entry of the president of a prominent local nonprofit group.

David Appelbaum, 56, an IT professional and president of Experience Yardley, has announced he'll challenge incumbent Mayor Chris Harding in the race. In Pennsylvania, municipal primaries are set for May 18, with the general election scheduled for Nov. 2.

Appelbaum said his top priority as mayor would be to create new partnerships between borough government and other local leaders to promote Yardley.

"My mission is to improve the quality of life for the residents, to attract visitors through our events so that we become another destination for tourists to discover great things about Bucks County," Appelbaum said.

Experience Yardley, which runs community events to promote the borough, organizes "Music on Main," "Canal-O-Ween" and other local events. Most recently, it was responsible for the "Greetings From Yardley" mural on South Main Street.

A Yardley resident since 2008, Appelbaum is director of strategic partnerships for ArchiTechs, a Delaware County-based IT company. He and his wife, Larisa, a biochemist with Merck, have two children, Emily and Isaac. Their stepdaughter, Vera, is an emergency room doctor in Atlantic City.

Appelbaum ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat for borough council in 2017.

As president of Experience Yardley, Appelbaum said he has worked with local business owners during the coronavirus pandemic. In October, the group teamed up with The Spearhead Group, a local design and manufacturing company, to distribute 20,000 masks to local businesses.

The partnership also delivered masks to local police, fire and medical personnel at a time when masks were hard to find, he said.

"Our businesses are suffering; our residents are suffering from pandemic stress," Appelbaum said. "I want to make sure that, as we come out of the restrictions, we take care of residents and businesses so that we can once again flourish and thrive."

Meanwhile, Harding, a Republican who has served two terms as mayor after a stint on borough council, said he plans to seek re-election to the post.

"Over the past eight years, it has been one of my greatest honors to represent Yardley Borough as mayor," Harding said Monday in an email to Patch. "During this time, I have hosted community forums on critical issues and championed bipartisan efforts. We have focused on transparency and community outreach, and have been proud to promote this fantastic borough, while also advocating tirelessly for our veterans.

"I am humbly asking for the community's continued support and vote on Election Day, as it would be my honor to serve one final term as Yardley Borough's mayor."

Be the first to know what's happening in your town and area. Sign up to get Patch emails and don't miss a minute of local and state news: https://patch.com/subscribe.