EMMAUS, Pa. — Emmaus Borough Councilman John W. Hart announced during Tuesday's meeting that he will not seek reelection for the term beginning in 2024.
Hart said he will become president and board member of the newly formed Emmaus Community Foundation, which will have the mission of funding "larger dream projects that cannot appropriately be the burden of individual taxpayers."
- Emmaus Borough Councilman John W. Hart will not seek reelection and instead will become president and board member of the new Emmaus Community Foundation
- The new nonprofit foundation will seek to fund projects around the borough that the municipal government may not be able to
- The announcement is in the hopes of giving ample time to finding qualified candidates to fill the spot on the council who wish to run for office
"Serving on Emmaus Borough Council for five years will have been an honor and a privilege in addition to a learning experience in better appreciating the wonderful community in which we reside," Hart said at the meeting.
"Do not expect a lame duck or non-engaged role from me in my final 12 months."
Hart said he made the announcement to allow for an orderly transition and enable qualified candidates sufficient time to seek office in the election process through the petitioning process.
He said he hopes there will be candidates with a balance of financial and business acumen with the ability to make tough decisions for the betterment of the entire community versus succumbing to special interest group or individual pressure.
His position is among four council seats up for election in the fall — the others being held by Chad Balliet, Chris DeFrain and Teri Sorg-McManamon.
"Serving on Emmaus Borough Council for five years will have been an honor and a privilege in addition to a learning experience in better appreciating the wonderful community in which we reside."Resigning Emmaus Borough Councilman John W. Hart
Borough Manager Shane Pepe said most council members do not announce in advance as Hart did whether they plan to run again, so it is not yet clear if all current incumbents will run again.
Primary elections will be May 16, with the general election on Nov. 7. Lehigh County's election calendar shows Feb. 14 as the first day to secure signatures for nomination petitions for municipal elections.
Council President Brent Labenberg said the announcement came as a shock. He said he saw Hart as a fixture on council and thanked him for his consideration to the public in the announcement.
"I'm excited about that," Labenberg said of Hart leading the new foundation. "And the public will find out more about it in the future."
According to state business filings, the Emmaus Community Foundation was founded in March 2022.
Hart said the inability to ask for donations for initiatives can be frustrating, but forming an external foundation can be a way around that to do future projects that can't make it into the borough budget.
East Penn School District Education Foundation is an example of such an organization.
Currently, the 501(c)(3) foundation has four board members, with three more being considered for appointment. Hart said more information on the new organization will come in the coming months.
Hart said he has served on borough council since 2019, following an appointment to fill the remaining year for the seat of Wes Barrett before being elected to a four-year term in November 2019.
Prior to serving on council, he was vice president of medical staff services and later senior vice president of medical operations at Lehigh Valley Health Network.
