Meet the Lansdale Council Ward 1 Republican Candidates

Ward One Lansdale Borough residents Jean Fritz and Michele Coyle are running for the two open seats in the ward on Nov. 5. The seats are held, at present, by Democrat Mary Fuller and Independent Jason Van Dame. 
Fuller, Van Dame and Democrat Jeff Howard are also running for the two open seats.
Coyle has lived in Lansdale since 2005 and has been active in the Lansdale Republican Club. Her prior political experience was as a District 1-3 poll worker. Coyle works in drug store management. She holds a bachelor of science in marketing and management. 
Fritz, a widow, is a longtime borough resident and current Lansdale Republican Club secretary. She is retired from management at Verizon Communications and spends her free time getting involved in thoroughbred horse rescue. She has an associate's degree in business administration from Peirce College.
Coyle believes she is qualified to serve on council because her skills and experiences have been culled from her years in retail sales.
"The preeminent rule in retail sales is that the customer is always right. Borough governance should be no different. We cannot lose sight of the fact that, as elected officials, we must listen to and serve the will of the borough residents."
Coyle said the fact that it's about what residents want for the borough is lost on some councilpeople.
Fritz said her 38 years with Verizon has made her a pragmatic problem-solver who analyzes all aspects of an issue before making a decision.
"I am a person of strong convictions. I’m not afraid to ask questions and I’m 
not easily intimidated. I’d treat my role as a borough elected official the same way I treat anything else important in my life: I’d be professional, diligent, loyal, passionate, and hard-working," Fritz said.
Coyle and Fritz share the same opinions on what the main issues are for residents: Reject tax increases, eliminate wasteful spending, return fiscal responsibility to the borough, stop spending money on "ill-advised" projects and expensive consultants, and return the tax collector office to borough hall. 
"I plan to bring a problem-solving, results-orientated approach to addressing these issues. I think that council members, once they are seated, often forget what motivated them to run in the first place: that is properly serving the residents," Coyle said.
Coyle believes in connecting with residents daily—and not just in election years.
"The dialogue and import of the borough residents’ concerns doesn’t stop once they vote for us," Coyle said.  "We work for the residents; we are accountable to them. If elected, I’d like to make that forgotten notion a reality."
Fritz said Lansdale must stop wasting money on ill-advised projects.
"To me, I think it is not only perfectly reasonable to expect council to be as cost-conscious with the borough’s checkbook as with their own checkbooks—it is a pre-requisite of the job," Fritz said.
Stay tuned for the Lansdale Council Ward One Democratic Candidates report.

Here are the polling locations for Lansdale Borough:

LANSDALE 1-1  
FAIRMOUNT FIRE COMPANY | 100 VINE ST (& SUSQUEHANNA AVE) | LANSDALE, PA 19446

LANSDALE 1-2  
PENNDALE MIDDLE SCHOOL | 400 PENN ST | LANSDALE, PA 19446

LANSDALE 1-3  
NORTH PENN YMCA | 608 E MAIN ST | LANSDALE, PA 19446

LANSDALE 2-1  
LANSDALE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH | 300 N BROAD ST | LANSDALE, PA 19446

LANSDALE 2-2  
ELM TERRACE GARDENS | 660 N BROAD ST | LANSDALE, PA 19446

LANSDALE 2-3  
KNAPP ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | 698 KNAPP RD | LANSDALE, PA 19446

LANSDALE 3-1  
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS HALL | 258 W 8TH ST | LANSDALE, PA 19446

LANSDALE 3-2  
TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH LANSDALE | 1000 W MAIN ST | ROOM 108

LANSDALE 3-3  
YORK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | 700 YORK (& MITCHELL) AVE | SOUTH SIDE