Herrin announces candidacy for mayor

WEST CHESTER >> Dianne Herrin, vice president of a West Chester-based energy consulting firm and a 17-year borough resident, has announced her candidacy for mayor.

“Like so many women and men who are rising up to engage in our democracy, I cannot sit down. I believe — as I have demonstrated for more than a decade through my service to West Chester — that a healthy democracy begins

at home,” said Herrin, who is a Democratic candidate.

Herrin is set to announce her candidacy Feb. 26 on the campus of West Chester University. She is vice president of Practical Energy Solutions, a borough-based energy consulting firm, and has served the borough in many volunteer capacities for more than a decade.

Herrin’s platform focuses on tapping into her knowledge of West Chester, relationships

with diverse borough citizens and leaders, and managerial experience to fill the important mayoral role as administrative head of the police department.

She will also continue her ongoing commitment to preserve the borough’s historic character and environmental health, and she plans to work with everyone to support West Chester’s local economy while preserving its neighborhoods.

“I will also continue Mayor Comitta’s initiatives that have helped create a productive and successful working relationship with

the university,” said Herrin.

A member of the West Chester Tree Commission, she co-authored two new ordinances designed to protect and restore the borough’s aging tree canopy. The primary ordinance proposes additional financial support for residents and building owners faced with condemned street trees and prioritizes tree replanting and tree preservation.

I love West Chester and believe that when we respect our diversity, recognize our shared needs and values, and work together, we can face any challenge Dianne Herrin that confronts us,” Herrin said. “Along with the many citizen and business leaders who give their time and energy

to our community, we can build on the tremendous progress that has been made, and make West Chester even better and stronger than it already is.”

Herrin, who has a degree in English from Widener University, has garnered several awards over the years.

In 2011, she earned the Chester County Citizens for Climate Protection Gene Wilson Award for Environmental Leadership. In 2010, she won the Sierra Club award of Appreciation for Outstanding Achievement. In 2009, she earned the PennFuture GreenPower Award,

BLIER, and she earned two Jesse H. Neal awards for Excellence in Business Journalism.

Herrin, married for 30 years, is the mother of two sons and was educated in the West Chester Area School District. Her hobbies are photography, running and kayaking.

The seat for mayor will be vacant because Mayor Carolyn Comitta, a Democrat, was elected to represent the 156th Legislative District in the state House of Representatives, after a protracted recount following the Nov. 8 election.